Day 193: On His Last Legs...err...Fins?

So I don't think Dmitri is doing too well these days.

In case you've forgotten, Dmitri is my pet fish, who is a beautiful maroon and indigo samurai fighting fish (or whatever their real name is.) He's been through some rough and crazy times, that little guy, and has always been quite the survivor, but these days he's looking like he's not feeling so good. He's weathered two apartment changes, ridiculously hot weather, and a brief swim in some bacteria-filled water in my sink, and always came out a-ok.

But now he's looking a little worse for wear. He's stopped eating almost altogether and I don't know why. He used to *LOVE* feeding time! He's always been super hungry and whenever I've fed him in the past he's gobbled up all his food immediately. It was like our special bonding time. He'd even eat the food right off my fingertip sometimes! Now I feed him and he'll have like one or two bites and then leaves the rest. What's up with that? I haven't changed his food or anything so why would he suddenly not want to eat? It can only mean bad things, I'm thinking...

He's either dying, or he's developed an eating disorder. Can a fish suddenly become anorexic? Does he feel, while staring at his reflection in his fishbowl all day, that he's gotten too fat? Has societal pressures in our messed-up world now trickled down to the world of pet fish as well? Does he feel like he doesn't measure up to the likes of Kate Moss, Calista Flockhart, or Lara Flynn Boyl? I keep telling him that he's gorgeous and beautiful and perfect just the way he is but you know how males are - they never listen.

The only other thing I can think of is that he doesn't like the water I give him for his bowl. But I give him only the best - pure mineral drinking water that I buy from the store. I do this cause Seoul's water supply is not the cleanest and we're not supposed to drink it. If it's not really fit for human consumption then I assume that it wouldn't be all that great for a little fish either, hence the spring water treatment. But maybe there's something in the water that's making him sick?

Everytime I come home now the first thing I do is check is bowl and see if he's gone belly up yet. I don't think he's going to last much longer... Why won't you eat, Dmitri!!