This is Ponyo, a oranda goldfish. Her name came from the strange yet ridiculously cute sea creature from Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. We had decided on the name before even going to the pet store to look for a fish. The idea was it’d be hilarious to name a goldfish after Ponyo, who the naive if not retarded and helplessly uneducated boy in the Miyazaki film thought was a goldfish. To honor that namesake, we picked a chubby fish with some crazy crown on her head.
Ponyo is really MY fish. Not because I thought of the name or picked her out at the store, but because she has an awesome appetite and eating ability. Whereas each of her tank mates has a limit to how much food can be consumed at a time, Ponyo has no trouble swallowing anything she comes across. She feeds on the water surface, she feeds in mid-tank as the food sinks, and she picks up food from the bottom gravel. She’s extremely efficient at being the first to reach food and exploring the tank to find food that everyone else misses. A not unsound concern is her dying from over feeding or another fish dying from starvation.
This is Nemo, a striped ryukin goldfish. It’s probably safe to assume that everyone knows who Nemo is and can agree that our Nemo’s colors and pattern sort of resemble that of a clown fish. His presence was almost like an accidental pregnancy as we did not plan to bring home another orange-and-white goldfish nor one of the ryukin breed. However, his unique pattern drew Hong’s attention and we abandoned the plan to get whatever else we were gonna get, and brought Nemo home as our second fish.
Nemo doesn’t eat like Ponyo, but being more seasoned than half of the tank’s population, he knows when and where to get his food quite well. Being Hong’s fish, he’s the most elegant that aims for food with high precision and takes time between bites. Also lady-like, he has the picky habit of not eating from the floor. Nemo is the smallest goldfish in the tank, making him most prone to harassment from the others. Maybe that’s why he always has that grumpy face?