Some fish bring all the good luck

In the house where I grew up there was a pond of fish. It had carp and goldfish, mostly. The kinds of fish in our pond would increase when my younger brother and I would throw in a few guppies and frog babies in.

We had aquariums, too. My older brothers loaded their tanks with sharks, puffer fish, eels and all other kinds of fish. The more fierce the fish looked the better my brothers liked them.

Good luck, bad luck?

Good luck, I hope

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Earlier this week Pet Life got an invite from Derrick Pascual, president of Friends in the Same Hobby (FISH). "It is a nationwide organization of fish enthusiasts and hobbyists," said Derrick. "And we are happy that our event will be held at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall. It is the First Tropical Fish Exhibition and Competition."

So many fish, so little time.

I walked through the exhibit and I saw Flowerhorn fish, Cichlid fish (which are young Flowerhorn fish) and goldfish. The fish were grouped according to size. I was told by Derrick that one of the criteria for judging fish in competition is their size, thus the grouping.

As I waited for the exhibit to be formally opened I tried to recall all that I had been told about the Flowerhorn fish, goldfish and Arowana fish from fish lovers I talked to in the past.

For starters I recalled that I was told that the Flowerhorn is not a fish that exists in the wild. It is a man-made fish. It was created in Malaysia. But there has not been anyone able to tell me what fish were crossbred to produce the Flowerhorn.

I read somewhere that it is the secrecy of the creation of the Flowerhorn that makes it so special. There is also another theory that says the Flowerhorn is a result of the mixed breeding of some South American Cichlids.

The fish has gained popularity largely among Chinese-Filipinos because of the patterns on the body of the Flowerhorn that look like Chinese characters, numbers or signs.

The Arowanas (although there were no Arowanas at the Shangri-La) are kept in homes because they resemble Chinese dragons, which I was told is a strong symbol of harmony and happiness. Although the Flowerhorn does not look like a dragon, it is still considered lucky by the people who love the fish. They say that because of the way its head is shaped, it resembles the Chinese God of Longevity. And because of that, it is also known as a "lucky" fish.

And, yes, the larger the lump on its head, the more luck it will bring. So, if a Flowerhorn has a big head, and the markings on its body look like the characters for luck, it is sure to be worth a lot of money.

The Flowerhorn Cichlid is not really that expensive. The reason is because these fish do not have any markings yet. They are still young. I remember being told that if one is buying a Cichlid it is best to be sure that these fish are active and swim a lot. Never, never buy a fish on impulse. Just like getting any other pet, buying a fish on impulse is never a good decision.

Although there are people who believe that creating a crossbred fish is not a good thing to do, still and all, the resulting Flowerhorn has gained a big following here and in other parts of Southeast Asia, too.

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"Have you eaten?" asked Derrick.

He led me to the buffet, which was sponsored by a very famous fish restaurant.

In keeping with the theme of the event, I thought to myself. I excused myself from the feast.

"The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) teamed up with us for this event," added Derrick. "They have agreed to exhibit piranha here. The BFAR wants people to become more familiar with the piranha."

Oh, and yes, they will show the piranha at its fiercest, Derrick promised. The piranha will devour goldfish, carp, and other fishes while it is on exhibit. So, if you like seeing piranhas eating don’t forget to pass by the piranha pool.

It is really lots of fun talking to the men who look to fish as their pets.

"If men have fish for pets they will not look for other women," said James Kho, one of the founding members of FISH. "These men will likely stay home and take good care of their fish."

James has two Flowerhorn fish in the running. One of the Flowerhorn called Super Monster is a two-time champ. That should give you a picture of just what kind of fish lover James is. We were told that James got Super Monster from Thailand for P58,000. But, he refuses to name a price when we ask him what Super Monster would cost today.

"I keep an aquarium in the office so that I can show off my wonderful fish to my business associates," he added.

The Flowerhorn is the greatest stress reliever as far as James is concerned. He spends hours just watching them swim. "You have to love the fish you own. It is also expensive to feed them. The rest of the time I spend on my business and with my family."

James told me that he knows that many Filipino-Chinese who keep Arowanas in their homes not just because they are lucky, but because the Arowanas have the reputation of killing themselves so that others may live. I kid you not.

James told me that he has heard several stories from his friends about illness in the family and how the Arowana jumped out of the aquarium to exchange its life for the sick person. "The kid of a friend of mine had dengue and was in the hospital. When he got home he saw that the Arowana had jumped out of the aquarium and was dead," James narrated. "The next day his child got better – and now the kid is healthy again."

James theorized that it is because the owners of these fish treat them well. They feed them and make sure that the water in the aquarium is always clean. In return, the fish makes sacrifices for the family too, if the need should arise. This is not the first time I heard stories of Arowanas saving people by ending their lives.

The Chinese word for fish is hei, which is pronounced like the word surplus in English, James informed me. "If we keep fish we believe we will have abundance in everything – money, luck, fortune," he added.

Today, the more popular fish is the Flowerhorn which some people say resembles the Chinese God of Longevity (Tho Thi Kong). "The Flowerhorn has a big head and has characters on its body that look like Chinese characters," said James. "But don’t ask me what the characters mean. Each owner has his own interpretation of these characters."

The goldfish looks similar to the Flowerhorn. Many hobbyists like the red color of the goldfish and also the way its body shines.

Indeed.

If there is one thing I did notice about these fish-lovers it’s that most of them are men. And yes, many of them told me that the fish are really great stress busters. And yes, again, their wives support their hobby because it keeps them at home.

I was pleasantly surprised to meet Zigmund Ng, 21, who is also into Flowerhorn fish. "But, I still spend more time with my friends," said Zigmund. "But I also need to give lots of time for the fish. I even put up Ziggy’s Pet Shop in Caloocan which specializes in goldfish and Koi."

And then, of course, there is Derrick, who loves to work out at the gym, likes staying fit and loves his fish with a passion. "The hobby does take up a lot of my time. But, it is important to make time for friends and for myself, too," said Derrick. "At the end of the day, watching the fish is really great. It’s relaxing. Plus, my life has been blessed with lots of good luck because of my fish."

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You still have today and tomorrow to get a glimpse of some of the best-looking Flowerhorns, Cichlids and goldfish in town. Hop over to the grand atrium of the Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Pasig. The activities included are fish origami, fish mosaic in clay, fish clay modeling and a fish drawing contest.

The fun starts at 4 p.m. on Sept. 10. Witness cool science experiments with the mad scientists from Mad Science. Experience fun games and wholesome entertainment, plus get a chance to win free tickets to Trumpet’s Joseph the Dreamer and day-pass tickets to Enchanted Kingdom and other exciting prizes if you come in a cute costume.

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If you want to get more info about Flowerhorn, Koi and Goldfish, visit Ziggy’s Pet Shop in Caloocan or call them at 362-4497.