Christmas Miracle? Goldfish survives 13 hours out of water.
According to its keeper Barbara Woodford, 61, of Gloucester, the goldfish Ginger managed to survive for 13 hours on the floor behind a cupboard after leaping out of its bowl during the night or early in the morning.
When Woodford woke up at 7 am, she found the bowl empty and started to look for her pet, but to no avail. When it was time for her to leave for work she had still not found Ginger. When Woodward returned from work around 8 pm, she feared the worst but made a new attempt and finally managed to find her missing goldfish after moving the cupboard on which the fishbowl was standing.
“I picked him up with a spatula and his mouth started moving. I put him back into the water and off he went. He was swimming fabulously. I couldn’t believe it - it was a real Christmas miracle,” Woodward explains.
Woodward received Ginger as a birthday present in August. Recently, she had noticed how her pet was jumping up out of the water a lot. “We thought nothing of it,” says Woodward. “Apparently goldfish jump when they need more oxygen, so on this occasion he obviously jumped right out.”
A spokesman for the Association of Midland Goldfish Keepers said: “Fish can survive quite a while out of the water, as long as their gills remain moist, allowing them to breathe. But this is the longest I’ve heard of a goldfish staying alive. It’s quite astonishing.“
How can I prevent accidents like this from happening?
- Avoid keeping goldfish in bowls. A normal sized goldfish bowl is actually too small to comfortably house a fish as large and active as the goldfish.
- If your fish repeatedly tries to jump out of its home, try to figure out why. There are many reasons why a fish will try to jump out of its home, such as low oxygen levels, poor water quality, an aquarium or bowl that is too small, or bullying tank mates. If a fish needs to breathe air at the surface, it rarely jumps out of the aquarium – it just swims to the surface and puts its mouth above the water. Some fish species will however try to escape if the oxygen level is so low that they think they are stuck in a puddle that is gradually drying out.
- Some fish species are natural jumpers, e.g. because they are used to catching insects above the water in the wild or because they jump out of the water to impress a mate during courtship. Such species should always be kept in covered aquariums to prevent them from ending up on the floor.
- Always get a second opinion. Unfortunately, many pet shops that sell goldfish bowls, betta vases and similar have tendency to downplay the requirements of these fishes. If you are told that goldfish breathe by jumping into the air, that fish tattooed with neon-colours are doing great, or that a Siamese fighting fish in a vase need no food because it will nibble on flower roots, ask for a second opinion from someone who isn’t trying to sell you something. You can for instance visit an online forum or contact an aquarium club.
- If you decide to give someone a pet for their birthday, make sure that you also give them all instructions needed to care for that particular pet. Also make sure that they actually want a pet and have enough time, money and dedication to care for a living creature in the long run. A goldfish can live for 40 years or more.
Hi, I had a same experience this morning.. I woke up, and as usual went to feed my lil fish… but it wasn’t there… I thought i am still in sleep, and keep finding inside the bowl, but couldn’t find it.
Then I tried to have a good look again inside the bowl by holding up in the hands. but no luck.
I can’t believe that she can jump out of the bowl and was lying on the carpet dry and dead.
I couldn’t believe it. I was now sure that she is gone :(.
But then I tried to pick it up by holding in the newspaper, she started breathing heavily. ohh it was a miracle really.
But she was really in bad shape, all dry, eyes were out and all the fins were tangled badly in dirt from carpet. I guess she struggled alot.
Then I put it back to bowl and she went staright down and lied there for next 10 mins.. but after she started swimming slowly and were breathing heavily. Then I went to have shower as I was getting late for my work. But when I came back she was back in old shape. and started swimming well. But still two fins were tangled..
I fed him and gone to work. Now my fingers are crossed, what will happen when i go back to home.
Hope for good, she is with me since last 11 months now..
Pushp
Comment by Pushp — January 28, 2009 @ 11:49 pm
Hi I had the same thing happen yesterday. I went outside to feed my five goldfish that live in a barrel pond on our patio and one of them had jumped out and looked very dead. I picked him up and placed him by the side of the pond. About 4 hours later I went to bury him and as I picked him up I saw him move, I couldn’t believe it, I put him into some water and to my amazement he began to move his fins and almost seemed back to normal. He did develop a strange furry coat which has now almost gone and I think I may put him back with his friends soon. I though a miracle had happened until I read about other peoples fish doing the same thing.
Comment by sarah — March 15, 2009 @ 5:38 am
Tonight my son won a goldfish at the carnival and we placed the little cup on his dresser. We were going to get a tank tomorrow and food, etc. When we went to check on the fish, it was gone with out a trace. No water was anywhere. I couldn’t find it, I looked behind the dresser, in shoes next to it. I didn’t want to upset my son who is 2, he was asking where the fish went. I called my husband and told him to get a new fish. After a few minutes I looked under the dresser and found the fish, all tangled with hair and looking limp–I put it in the bowl and it kind of sank to the bottom and then jerked to the top. Now it seems to do doing fine. It was out of the water for at least 5 minutes that I know of. I’m so glad and I hope it ’s ok.
Comment by Beth — March 27, 2009 @ 11:31 pm
wow today i woke up and i saw my black fish floating he was dead… he was like a stone when i picked it up with a spoon and i had 3 fishes in a bowl and i was wondering what happened to my other fish a a mirical i saw it on the floor i was a little scared so i picked it up and i saw it MOVING IT WAS LIKE A MIRICAL
Comment by jojo — June 30, 2009 @ 10:09 pm
I have been watching a life and death struggle in my very own house. One of my mother’s huge ( like 8 inches long) gold fish jumped out of the tank. How long he was on the floor, I’m not certian. At least an hour. I saw him behind the tank and reached down there to grab him. He was covered in white slime, stiff as a board and his eyes were clouded over. I looked down and saw his gills start to move. I quickly put him in the tank and he floated down to the bottom and just layed there. Everyone in the house said he was going to die and I should just throw him up on the bank. Poor little guy. Well. I felt partly responsible for his survival since I found him. I didn’t toss him and I will have you know, that after an hour of watching him twich and lay at the bottom ” sucking air so to speak” ..He is alive. His eyes have cleared up and he is resting upright in the corner of the tank. My dad was amazed and appropriatly named him Lazurus.
Comment by Kelsey — October 8, 2009 @ 5:46 pm