Fido photobombs little Willow
Big fish or little
Someone stands out from the crowd
There is always one
Fred hitches a ride on Pearl’s back while Spotty looks on
The fish in the pond all have names and quite distinctive characters. Fred, a lovely bright orange butterfly koi, is one of the babies. The markings on his back look like someone has loosely painted him in watercolours. Of the babies, he is one of the bravest. Willow, on the other hand, another of the butterfly koi babies, is still quite shy. She is an elegant fish, a pearlescent white with just a touch of orange.
Fred
Fido, also known as Happy Fish, is the odd one out in the pond. He is a fairly large ghost koi who spends most of his time parked, motionless, in a corner. We have lost count of the number of times we’ve been told we have a dead or sick fish in the pond… it is usually Fido.
Neo and Bullet
Quite apart for his penchant for playing dead, we think Fido has a problem. He cannot swim at the leisurely speed of other fish, not can he ‘aim’ at food. He can only zip about he pond at very high speed, his ‘gait’ making him look like a mad puppy wagging his tail and pushing smaller fish out of the way with his bow wave. At feeding time, he launches himself at the surface, mouth open, in an eternally optimistic attempt to grab food. Sometimes he is successful. But he always perseveres.
Neo and Cinnamon
We do not know whether he has some malfunction of the swim bladder that affects his buoyancy or some other malady that shapes the way he can swim… he has always been this way and he is now over ten years old. Whatever the cause, you cannot mistake him for any of the other fish… not even the other ghost koi. But nor can you help smiling when you watch him bombing around the pond and breaking the surface. Perhaps that is why he was one of the first fish to have a name.
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
I always enjoy the Nick photos. Please give him a hug for me ❤️
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I will, Alethea. Social distancing does not apply on that front 😉
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They are so bright and cheery.
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And wonderful to watch 🙂
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I love the sound of Fido!
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He makes you smile, just watching him.
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Beautiful Sue!
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Thanks, Jen.
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You’re welcome. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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🙂
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My younger daughter has always wanted a koi pond. I hope she will someday live somewhere she can have one. (K)
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They are fascinating to watch, and each have distinct personalities… but they do take a fair bit of maintaining. I could live without the leeches in Nick’s pond 😉
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She had beta fish as a child, which were a surprising amount of work for her, but we both enjoyed them–and they did have distinct personalities. Sadly short lives though.
I never knew a pond without leeches…
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I inherited an aquarium… the oldest fish in there is at least ten years old. It occupies the corner next to my desk andthe fish remind me if I run past feeding time.
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