Office mascot GolDee basks in fishbowl of fame

11:28 a.m., July 20, 2004--Something fishy is going on and on and round and round and up and down at the Student Services Building. He is a fantail goldfish, christened GolDee.

“Originally he was 2 1/2 inches and cost $2.99, and now he’s 11 inches and priceless,” according to owner, manager and general fishtotum, Susan Brook, senior records specialist. “He’s a mascot for our office, which is why we named him GolDee, as in YoUDee,” she said.

Recently, YoUDee visited this distant member of the Dee clan. The two took to each other, wordlessly communicating by swishing their tail feathers, gazing into each others’ eyes and exchanging finned and feathered equivalents of high fives.

GolDee is 4 years old, which in goldfish years is getting up there. He lives with two other fish, Nameless 1 and 2, and a small catfish, Little Beppie, named after Elizabeth “Beppie” Wardrop, associate registrar. While Brook does not say GolDee is a bit piggish and greedy, she acknowledges he is twice the size of his companions who are the same age.

YoUDee and GolDee compare notes about life in the fishbowl of fame.

Housed in a new 30-gallon tank (GolDee outgrew the smaller 10-gallon tank, which now houses tetras), landscaped with smooth rocks and an evergreen plastic plant, GolDee and friends live atop a file cabinet, decorated with fish portraits by Brook’s nieces and nephews, near the desk where UD Outdoor Pool memberships and UD-1 Cards are distributed.

Student employee, junior Dan Schieffer, who works at the desk, said that GolDee and friends are a plus. “When people stand in line, the fish are something to look at. We get several children here in the summer because of pool memberships, and they are less restless and fascinated by the fish. Lollipops help, too,” he said.

GolDee and friends thrive on the TLC, fame and attention from staff and students at the Student Services Building. For those countless people whose goldfish have perished precipitously in weeks, days or even hours after ownership, Brook gave some tips on keeping fish healthy.

“I belong to the generation that believed in talking to plants, and instead I talk to my fish,” she said.

GolDee (top left) looks on as Susan Brook, senior records specialist, gives YoUDee a hug.

The fish also get three squares a day, plus special weekend pellets, Brook said, and she and volunteers come in during longer vacations to care for them. Cleanliness is important to piscatorial health, so the tank is cleaned once a week, and Newark water is treated chemically to get rid of chlorine and other elements before being used to fill the tank. The fish also receive medication for the fish equivalent of the common cold, known as ick.

In spite of all precautions, sometimes the fish become icky or sicky from some other disease. “They aren’t belly up (that means they’re goners), but they are straight up, and we move them to another, small hospital aquarium to recover,” Brook said.

A 1991 UD alumna and former high school teacher, Brook said she has had a few bouts with cancer. “I discovered then that fish have a calming and relaxing effect, and I enjoy sharing the experience with others,” she said.

Article by Sue Moncure
Photos by Kathy Atkinson

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