La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
San Geraldo has developed a new fascination. Tropical fish. I find him reading and constantly watching instructional videos. He has pages and pages of information annotated in red ink with his tightly written and barely visible notes. Of course, he doesn’t simply want an aquarium containing fish. He wants plenty of live plants and no cover so plants, and driftwood perhaps, can stick out the top. I’m leaving him alone in his studies and imaginings, but I thought I had a general idea of the size he was considering since he was initially talking about placing it between the dining and living rooms along the back of one of the sofas.
Well, SG is close to making decisions, so we taxied to a big aquarium shop called WetFish. The charming, hunky owner’s name was Iván. He had less English than San Geraldo has Spanish so I was the translator. We stepped into the middle of one part of the L-shaped shop and SG pointed at a tank (a huge tank) and said, “That’s exactly the size I’m thinking.” Before I could translate for Iván, who had clearly understood from SG’s nodding head and addition of Spanish words, my head snapped and I said, “¿Qué? What?” Ivan laughed.
We were standing in front of what I think was a 900-liter tank (around 240 gallons) and more than 2 meters long (7 feet). SG lives big, but I have my limits and, in my shock, I immediately told him so right in front of Ivan. That size would create a what would look to me like a wall between the rooms and block the view of the terrace. Not to mention the weight, well over 930 kg (2,050 lbs). He’s now considering something much smaller to fit in a space along a wall. I love the look of what he’s imagining and look forward to seeing what he creates. I know I’ll love it. But he did tell me I, of course, have veto power.
I had multiple tanks of tropical fish from the age of 11 until 17 when I went away to school and told The Kid Brother (who enjoyed them) that they were his. I left home in January and when I returned a few months later for spring break, the tanks had become plant terrariums on the terrace. As my mother explained, it was a cold winter. On one especially frigid night in New York, Chuck was worried the fish would be cold (the apartment did have heat, by the way). He turned up the heaters on all three tanks when he went to bed and boiled the fish overnight. My mother said the stink was awful. Looking back, I really don’t know what I was thinking. He wasn’t capable of keeping the tanks clean, replenishing the water correctly, or cleaning the filters. And of course he would have overfed the fish. And my mother would have had nothing to do with them, nor would my father. Anyway, she was delighted to have terrariums. That was 1972 and they were still there in 2016.
But back to our day. After Iván and WetFish, we walked to Mercado Victoria for lunch. San Geraldo was going to taxi home and I was going to take a walk, but I decided it was too hot, so we rode home together.
San Geraldo ha desarrollado una nueva afición: los peces tropicales. Lo encuentro leyendo y viendo constantemente videos instructivos. Tiene páginas y páginas de información anotadas con tinta roja, con notas escritas con letra pequeña y apenas legible. Claro que no quiere simplemente un acuario con peces. Quiere muchas plantas naturales y sin tapa, para que las plantas, y quizás algún tronco, sobresalgan por arriba. Lo dejo tranquilo con sus estudios e imaginaciones, pero me parecía tener una idea general del tamaño que estaba considerando, ya que al principio hablaba de colocarlo entre el comedor y la sala, detrás de uno de los sofás.
Bueno, SG estaba a punto de tomar una decisión, así que fuimos en taxi a una gran tienda de acuarios llamada WetFish. El encantador y apuesto dueño se llamaba Iván. Hablaba menos inglés que español en San Geraldo, así que yo hice de traductor. Entramos en medio de una parte de la tienda en forma de L y SG señaló un tanque (un tanque enorme) y dijo: “Ese es exactamente el tamaño que estoy buscando”. Antes de que pudiera traducir para Iván, quien claramente había entendido por el asentimiento de cabeza de SG y las palabras en español que añadió, mi cabeza se movió y dije: “¿Qué? ¿Qué?”. Iván se rió.
Estábamos parados frente a lo que creo que era un tanque de 900 litros (alrededor de 240 galones) y más de 2 metros de largo (7 pies). SG vive a lo grande, pero tengo mis límites y, en mi asombro, se lo dije inmediatamente delante de Ivan. Ese tamaño crearía lo que para mí parecería una pared entre las habitaciones y bloquearía la vista de la terraza. Sin mencionar el peso, más de 930 kg (2050 libras). Ahora está considerando algo mucho más pequeño para que quepa en un espacio junto a una pared. Me encanta el aspecto de lo que está imaginando y estoy deseando ver lo que crea. Sé que me encantará. Pero me dijo que, por supuesto, tengo derecho de veto.
Tuve varios acuarios tropicales desde los 11 hasta los 17 años, cuando me fui a estudiar y le dije a mi hermano pequeño (a quien le gustaban) que eran suyos. Me fui de casa en enero y cuando regresé unos meses después para las vacaciones de primavera, el acuario se habían convertido en terrarios de plantas en la terraza. Como explicó mi madre, fue un invierno frío. Una noche especialmente fría en Nueva York, Chuck estaba preocupado de que los peces se enfriaran (por cierto, el apartamento tenía calefacción). Subió la temperatura de los calentadores de los tres acuarios antes de irse a dormir y hirvió los peces durante la noche. Mi madre dijo que el olor era horrible. Pensándolo bien, no sé en qué estaba pensando. No era capaz de mantener los acuarios limpios, reponer el agua correctamente ni limpiar los filtros. Y claro, habría sobrealimentado a los peces. Y ni mi madre ni mi padre habrían querido saber nada de ellos. En fin, ella estaba encantada de tener terrarios. Eso fue en 1972 y seguían allí en 2016.
Pero volvamos a nuestro día. Después de Iván y WetFish, fuimos andando al Mercado Victoria a comer. San Geraldo iba a coger un taxi para volver a casa y yo iba a dar un paseo, pero decidí que hacía demasiado calor, así que volvimos juntos en taxi.
• El tamaño perfecto para colocar detrás de un sofá.
• Esos pequeños puntos son crías vivas que están siendo protegidas ferozmente por sus padres, quienes se encuentran solos en su acuario.
• ¿Este acuario hace que mi trasero se vea grande?
• De camino al Mercado Victoria. ¿Una palmera serpiente? Bueno, una palmera con forma de serpiente.
• Sujeté la mesa (con mi comida ya delante) mientras San Geraldo revisaba sus nachos, lo cual tardó una eternidad.
• Resulta extraño que los aparatos de Mercado Victoria tengan instrucciones en inglés deficientes, pero nada en español. Se trata de un producto de una empresa multinacional fundada en China. Uno pensaría que podrían permitirse contratar a un buen traductor.
• Mi paella de carne y marisco. Lista en un minuto. Sabrosa, pero con apenas un toque de carne y marisco. No vale 9,50 €.
• Banderas con los colores del arcoíris en la fachada en honor al Mes del Orgullo.
Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
Haz clic en las miniaturas para ampliar.
We never had fish as kids; dogs, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters and turtles, and once time a snake that got out of his container and we never saw him again.
Never fish.
And that is one huge mutha of a fish tank!!
Bob:
My mother hated animals, but tolerated (barely) a chameleon, turtles, and hamsters. The fish was something she could easily tolerate. She had nothing to do with them and they were in my room.
Will the necessary aquarium caregiving interfere with future travel plans?
Debra:
Supposedly not.
You could keep sharks in that.
David:
Don’t give him any ideas. He hasn’t been researching sharks.
It just so happens an aquarium dancing skeleton popped up in my feed. Would be perfect placed amongst the plants in San G’s aquarium, LOL.
Shirley:
I loved those things when I was a kid!
Fish tanks are heavy, then add water, very heavy. You’d have to reinforce the floor for a big one. And make arrangements for the downstairs neighbors in case of a leak!
I hope sg can modify his plans a bit. But they’re lovely in the environment, peaceful. My dentist has one in his waiting room, very calming. Boud.
Boud:
Oh, he’s already down to less than a third in size. No worries. The building can handle that (it’s well built, unlike our building in Fuengirola). Besides it will weigh less than the piano that sat in this apartment for years. I look forward to placing a chair in front of it and getting lost.
When I was a young hippie and we lived in what must have once been a sharecropper’s shack, I used a gallon sized jug that apple juice (organic, of course!) had come in, in which to put a goldfish and some plants and a snail. I loved that little aquarium. It sat next to a split leaf philodendron that I truly believe I still have the descendants of. I have no memory of what happened to the goldfish. We had no toilet to flush it down if it died.
Ah, those were the days!
You might suggest the apple jug idea to SG. A way to get his feet wet, perhaps. (Sorry.)
Mary Moon:
Did you maybe have a fish fry? Our nephews won a goldfish at the state fair when visiting SG’s mother. They then went home 4 hours away. She flushed the fish down the toilet. Each time they visited, she went to the pet shop and bought a new one!
Well, you have to give her credit for her creativity.
Oh Mitchell! How I wish Gregg could help you! He specializes in freshwater planted aquariums and maintains some 280 gallon ones in nursing homes. He could set up and maintain a really nice tank for the two of you….if only we lived closer. Sigh.
Jennifer
Jennifer:
I told SG about Gregg. What a blast it would be to have him here! But Jerry is having a blast researching and planning this himself. He wouldn’t make good use of Gregg’s talents and would just be picking his brain.
That would suit Gregg fine. He always got frustrated with people who wanted aquariums but didn’t care to learn about them ot about caring for the fish and/or plants. He could give SG excellent advice and would enjoy watching him grow in the hobby. You and I could go have a drink while they did the fish need thing! Haha.
Jennifer
Jennifer,
Too bad you’re not here in Spain! Jerry would have a great time learning from Gregg. And I love the idea of you and I going for a drink!
I say screw the fish tank…they are way too much work and maintenence. I vote to just bring home Ivan. I bet he’d be more fun too!!!!!
Mistress Borghese:
How about we do the fish tank AND Ívan.
I applaud SG’s new hobby, but my aquarium also became a terrarium. I was too heartbroken after my lat Beta died. I still have the terrarium.
I love paella.
You made me hungry!
XOXO
Sixpence:
That paella made me crave a good serving. Next time I’m out somewhere GOOD that serves it. Well, if we end up with a terrarium, that will still be fun.
My late partner’s aquarium became a terrarium, too, when he died and then so did the fish. Unfortunately I kept the gravel base and just put the soil on top to plant ferns into. Who knew that aquatic snails would survive out of water and eat fern leaves? It travelled with me from Wales to Plymouth, from Plymouth to London, and then went out with the bins when the final fern decided to curl up and die…
I agree with everyone here – that tank is far too big for a flat!! To be honest, it’s too big even for the massive luxury secret underground complex of a James Bond villain… Jx
Jon:
That is kind of funny about the snails. I have no idea why SG reacted like that to the tank. He never suggested anything that big. What he’s considering is less than a third the size.
Think of the water bill!
Kirk:
Oh, we never think of things like that. (Which, as my mother would say, is why we’re not rich.)
I kept fish for years, but my largest tank was only 50 gallons and it seemed huge. I can’t imagine that monster SG wanted.
Kelly:
50 gallons IS huge and that might be what we end up with, not any bigger.
Watching fish swim does lower blood pressure and stress, but I’d be double checking your insurance coverage, structural load/building codes, and whether the landlord or building owner would allow aquariums at all.
I’d go with a large fish bowl and a red Siamese fighting fish myself, which is still a lot of work, but it could sit on your table or a sideboard. Just hold a small mirror up to it once in a while to keep it colourful and in fighting form, LOL!
Tundra Bunny:
The size SG is really intending (less than a third of that one) will weigh significantly less than the piano that sat in this apartment for years before we moved in. I never much liked Siamese fighting fish. Our building in Fuengirola was so poorly built, I would have been afraid to have even a 10-gallon (40-liter) tank.
A one-ton fish tank does seem a bit much. If something ever cracked it you could have a Biblical flood on your hands.
Infidel753:
Yep. And we don’t want a biblical flood or anything biblical.
I had all that stuff when I was growing up, but it never lasted. Tried fresh and salt water tanks; both became disasters in short order. Just way too much to contend with. And then there were the leaks. At some point, every aquarium would begin leaking, then there was having to salvage the fish, drain the tank, patch and refill it. And my Dad was never good at feeding the fish. Much like your mother’s discovery, they made for better terrariums than fish tanks.
Thank the maker you talked him out of the room divider tank!
Rade,
Amazingly, in all the time I had those three fish tanks, I never had a leak, and I also had no problem keeping the fish alive. Lucky, I guess. I was afraid to try a saltwater tank. Much more complicated.
I could sit and stare into a fish tank for hours….well, minutes.
Great idea and it will add to your beautiful home.
Jim:
SG is talking about including schooling fish since they’re so hypnotic.
That would have been my reaction too. That is a huge tank and as you mention, water is heavy. Best to start small and work your way up. Fish tanks are great, we had one early one but when the kids came it was just too much additional work and the fish tank became a memory. Eventually Big Mama, when she was just a baby, lived in it.
ellen abbott:
I had 10-gallon tanks, but they’re definitely not big enough for SG’s grand ideas.
Fish tanks are high maintenance. good luck.
Urspo:
And it will be all his!