In early 2006 I noticed a cute fish at the store where I got Benny and Fergie as well as filter supplies, etc.  For several months, every time I went to the store, there she was.  She was a fairly good size for a store fish, although my own behemoths were three or four times her size. ;)
She had the same white-underneath-and-red/orange-on-top coloration that Mellie did, so I started calling her "Mini-Mellie."
When I first spotted her I didn't have any openings in my tanks so I just noted that this particular fish was there, and went about my business. Then I lost Fergie and I was suddenly back in the market for another goldfish.  Destiny?

Minnie has very long fins, and crammed into display tank of around 15 gallons with a dozen other fish she got nipped at a lot. Her tail fins were pretty chewed up, but she seemed quite healthy otherwise.  Her other fins were fine, she was shiny and had bright colors, her eyes were bright, she was very energetic, and even where the tail fins are split it wasn't really red or anything.  She was also quite friendly, much moreso than Fergie or even Benny was at the beginning.  I think maybe she'd been at the pet store so long that she was more used to people being around or something.
But in addition to the ragged tail fins, the poor dear was so scrawny! I simply couldn't wait to fatten her up!  ;)

Poor, scrawny, underfed fish, getting her tail picked on, and after all these months no one wanted to buy her! :( 
Fish Mommy Katie to the rescue!

The sign said $24.99, which is what I paid for Benny if I remember right, but the employee wrote $19.99 on the bag. Guess she was happy to see the poor fishie finally get a good home, too. ;)

I obviously couldn't keep referring to my new baby as "Mini-Mellie," so she was dubbed "Minnie."  On July 2, after the usual stint in a quarantine tank, she joined Benny.  Once she figured out that this huge orange stranger wasn't going to eat her (took her about 10 minutes) they've been the best of pals.

Minnie's Stats:
Age:  I don't know when she was born, but she's lived with me since June 21, 2006.

Species:   Carassius auratus (a.k.a. goldfish) of the Fantail variety

Size:   About eight-and-a-half inches

Gender:   Not sure, but I address her as female

Hobbies:  Swooping, looking for any microscopic morsel of food she might have missed the first ten times she overturned every piece of gravel in the tank, trying to bottomfeed directly under/behind Benny

Dislikes:   When Benny won't move to let her bottomfeed in a certain spot

Diet:   Same as the others.

Habitat:   37-gallon tank in the dining room

Tankmates:   Benny

Nicknames:  Mrs Minnie-ver. (Miniver)

Namesakes:   Mellie, in a roundabout way.  See above.  ;)

Photo Album:   Watch Minnie grow!

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