How to name your fish
Fish are Friends – So Why Not Name Them?
People name their dogs, cats, birds, and even gerbils – why not their fish? Most people don’t know it, but there can actually be a lot that goes into naming a fish (wikiHow even has an entire 7 steps devoted to the subject). Fish names are most likely to stem from one of two traits: appearance or behavior. Appearance is by far the simplest of the two traits to name from. We often, if our fish-catcher is good enough to actually catch the fish we specifically want, judge only on appearance when picking our fish. More often than not, however, fish “picking” is a this-one-landed-in-the-net-so-this-is-the-one-you-are-getting experience. If this is the case, then not to worry – it only means you can observe your lucky fish’s unique look later. The first aspect to consider in appearance is the most obvious: color. We named all three of our GloFish this way: Sunshine was bright yellow, Pinkie is pink, and Moonshine is blue. The second aspect of appearance to consider is the patterns that often cover fish bodies. We named our late guppies and catfish because of their patterns: Tiger had an orange and black tail, Tie-dye had splashes of various neon colors dotting his body, Maze had a maze pattern on his little head, and Dot had dots on his head. The last aspect of appearance to consider is possible resemblance to others. We have only named one fish this way: Gandalf. Gandalf was one of the few fish I actually picked out at Petco. I picked him because of his long and flowing silver-white fins and the way he moved slowly but seemingly with purpose. He was a dead ringer for Gandalf the Gray-turned-White from Lord of the Rings (and the next day he was literally dead – his slowness was apparently sickness, not purpose. It was a sad day). Naming off of behavior usually takes a while longer. Our neon tetras, who are very difficult to tell apart because they all have the same color patterns, quickly earned themselves the collective name of “The Village Idiots” because of the way they would chase after food bits and then stop right as they were about to catch them. Apparently the three we have left are doing something right though, as they are the fattest neon tetras I have ever seen. Our newest catfish have also earned their names because of behavior. They are probably the fastest cuties in the tank, so we named them accordingly: Dart, Challenger, and Charger. Word to the wise: Don’t actually get too attached at first. We had several fish die within the first few weeks of owning our tank. We weren’t expecting that at all, so it was really sad to lose them – it’s extra sad when you have already formed the name attachment. |
Sunshine and Moonshine
Gandalf
Tiger
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