Speaking of superstition (from the last post), we got ourselves a pair of climbing perches over the weekend. Now what do these fish have in common with superstition, you ask? In the Malay world, the fish (commonly referred to as puyu) are believed to be mystical. In theory, these spiny-finned creatures can ward off harmful spirits or the poisons of black magic. Oh, the spooks.
N’s late grandfather used to have a giant tank filled with them. He told N that the fish can bear telltale signs of an uninvited presence at home. My grandmother used to have one that she kept in a bottle. She said of the same thing as N’s grandfather— the climbing perches are great defenders of your fort, spiritually-speaking. Well, aren’t these cultural tidbits interesting?
If you ask us, we were more interested in having a fish tank in our apartment for a change. Though we love our cat Charlie, we thought it’d be nice to grow the family with a few fish. We wanted a few durable ones, the kind that could still carry on in the face of much (aquarium) neglect. I used to have goldfish and guppies in the past and while they were pretty to look at, they were also very puny and fragile. In a mere couple of days, I found them floating on the water next to their food.
Climbing perches were our first choice this time. They’re hardy, making them easy to care for. There’s no wonder why people saw them as mystical. They could thrive in the murkiest water and travel on their bellies over land! We could leave them during our vacations without worrying like I did with the goldfish. They’d feed on anything, from worms to the baby roaches we found in our kitchen once in a while (N made the initial mistake of pairing a few beautiful-tailed guppies and shrimps in the same tank; the next thing we know they were all gone). They could now communicate with us if they wanted more worms by jumping off the water. Plus, they look pretty cool whenever they’re in a sassy mood. Their fins and gills are thorny, making them look like Lilliputian-sized sharks.
So far, it’s been great having some aquatic life at home. The moment we get back from work, we’ll park ourselves in front of the tank and enjoy a few minutes of some playful fish dance. We realize how zen-like and dreamy it is to watch the fish swimming by and listen to the music of flowing water. Our tank might be small and our climbing perches may not be the prettiest fish alive, but they do put us at ease. They’re definitely our little magical escape.
