Goldfish survives 7 hours out of water

upi ^ | March. 25, 2010

[JoeProBono]

A British woman said her 13-year-old goldfish survived for seven hours out of water after she removed him from his tank because she thought he was dead.

Carol Norris, 44, of Cambridge, England, said the goldfish, Mr. Fish, was floating at the top of his tank at his 7 a.m. feeding time so she wrapped him in tissue paper and placed him in the empty bathtub to protect the fish's remains from falling prey to the family cats, The Daily Telegraph reported Thursday.

Norris said she returned from shopping with her partner, Darren Bradnick, 40, at about 2 p.m. and the fish started flopping around as she prepared to bury him in the garden.

"I had wrapped him up like a mummy and when I picked him up the tissue was all stuck to him and then he suddenly started moving," Norris said. "I screamed when he flipped in my hand. I was amazed but it was quite spooky -- I don't know if they go into a coma."

Norris said she quickly placed the fish back in water and he now appears to be in perfect health.

"Apparently they can live up to 50 so he could be around for a while yet," she said.

Sherridan Moores, chairman of the Northern Goldfish and Pondkeepers Society, offered some ideas on how the fish survived for so long without water.

"It is possible the tissue paper could have kept the fish wet so it could still absorb oxygen in the air, helping it survive out of the tank," Moores said. "But to come back to life like this after so long sounds remarkable."

[JoeProBono]

[Viking2002]

MEIN GOTT IN HIMMEL!!!!!!!! 22?!? I must bow before greatness, then. At my peak, I had six going at one time. Different aquascapes, different co-habitable species, etc. (I always wanted, but never did, set up a tank of discus. Beautiful fish.) I used to be a part-time tank tech at a pet shop eons ago - I can only imagine what keeping almost two dozen maintained must be like.

[JoeProBono]

I had 5 going at work but people kept putting out their cig butts in them - True Story!

[hoosierham]

My tax lady HAD several LARGE tanks that served nicely as dividers in her office until a four day power outage.

Much more interesting than year old sports magazines.(I notice few offices have any conservative magazines).

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

Those are beyond cool!!

[Quix]

what a riot.

If you have any great aquarium photos, I’d love to see them.

I like the beautiful discus.

[Quix]

One of my favorites.

[GreenLanternCorps]

[JoeProBono]

[JoeProBono]

Had everything - including three Piranha named Manny, Moe and One-Eyed Jack who was blind sided by Manny and Moe.

[Viking2002]

LMAO Poor old Jack got Pearl Harbored, did he? Never did go for the piranhas or cichlids, myself. After coming home from a long day, the last thing I want to do is kit up in a chain-mail glove and shove my arm into a tank full of aquatic Bloods and Crips, because two of them got territorial over the last feeder goldfish. I only use isolation tanks for new fish and as an infirmary for sick ones. I don't have time to run one as a supermax cell block. LOL