Bobo the Bathroom Fish
Bobo is my oldest pet. He's a Boadzulu Island variety of Aulonocara Jacobfreibergi, a fish that is native to Malawi Lake in Africa. He and his two girlfriends originally belonged to my roommate, but with the more fish he collected, the less attention each tank got. (There were as many as 6 separate aquariums in the apartment at one time!) It got so bad, that he actually forgot to feed Bobo and his girls for a couple of months, and his girlies died. I then moved Bobo's tiny 4 gallon aquarium into my bathroom, so that he wouldn't be forgotten, and I started taking care of him. I named him after a character in the movie "Moonstruck" (coz the actor looked a little like a fish...), and since he lived in the bathroom, he became "The Bathroom Fish".
When I changed apartments, Bobo came with me and inhabited yet another bathroom. That's when I first noticed his weird behavior. He watches people. This can be rather disconcerting when you're trying to use the bathroom and there's these two, big, non-blinking eyes staring at you. And it's not that he just happens to be looking in your direction either, he'll follow you to whatever corner of the tank he can see you best from, and just float there, watching.
Two years later, I had to move to Washington state, and couldn't take Bobo with me, so he lived in my parent's bathroom for a while. (And weirded out their guests.) I moved back to California a few months later to find that he had doubled in size, and was now displaying his "mating colors" as well. Still in the tiny tank, I took him with me to my next apartment, and the next bathroom. I really wanted to put him in a bigger tank, but since I knew he was just going to end up moving again, I didn't want him to "grow into" a big tank, and then not be able to travel anymore.
When I got called out to the Silicon Valley area, I left Bobo with my brother until I could find a house. I was worried what the 4 hour trip from my hometown to my new house would do to Bobo, but I should've been more concerned with my brother's methods for "securing" him for the trip.
I got a call from my brother the day he was coming to deliver the fish. (It was mostly cursing...) Apparently, he had only seatbelted Bobo into the back seat, so his tank had immediately fallen over on the first turn, sending Bobo, his gravel, and four gallons of fishwater into the foot compartments of my brother's car. My brother had left Bobo sitting on the floor for a minute and a half before plopping him into the handful of water remaining in the bottom of the tank. My parents called later to tell me that Bobo was sitting in a cup in their kitchen, a little beat up, but still alive.
I bought a 30 gallon tank for Bobo as a reward for his bravery, and moved him into the kitchen for his stay in the Monterey house. He watched me cook and do dishes, and when I wasn't in the room, he'd attack his thermometer. (I'd hear the "click" of him ramming it into the glass late at night.)
When I had to move out to Maryland, I made an elaborate traveling tank for Bobo in my car, complete with cigarette lighter-powered air bubbler/filter. He survived the trip, and now lives in a roomy 55 gallon tank in the living room. He's very colorful, in the way that dominant male fish are. And since he's never had other fish for competition, he has long, non-bitten fins... And he still watches people.
