How to move a goldfish cross-country

Illustration of a bright orange fantail goldfish surrounded by large text that reads, "How to move a goldfish cross-country."

 

“How to move a goldfish cross-country” is a 12-page comic / zine about my experience of moving my fantail goldfish from Ohio to Massachusetts. I created this comic both as a personal reflection and as a source of information for others in a similar situation.

The comic is displayed here in 6 spreads, with one full page on the left, then one full page on the right.

 

Page 1 of a 12 page comic. The page is panelless, with a large illustration of an orange fantail goldfish swimming through the center of the page. Text reads, “When you google, ‘how to move a fish cross-country,’ all you find is that you don’t- instead, you euthanize them.” Page 2 of a 12 page comic. The top half of the page contains the text, “I got my fantail goldfish Ponyo at a chain pet store. She is not expensive or rare. She has little-to-no monetary value.” Next to it is a drawing of a tiny fantail goldfish in a plastic bag. a speech bubble from off panel says, “That’ll be $4.99. The bottom half of the page contains a drawing of the same goldfish, now exponentially larger as it swims around an aquarium plant. Next to it is the text, “I love her.”

Page 3 of a 12 page comic. The top half of the page contains the text, “After graduating college, I was offered a job in Massachusetts. My partner and I prepared to move 13 hours away.” Next to the text is the caption “zoom interview,” with an arrow pointing to a drawing of a person with light skin and short, dark hair sitting at a table next to a fish tank. The person says, “Graphic design is my passion.” A computer off-panel replies, “You’re hired!” The bottom half of the panel contains the text, “It was exciting! A new job, a new apartment, a new place to explore.” Below the text is a close-up of the fish tank surrounded by moving boxes. Page 4 of a 12 page comic. The top half of the page contains the text, “At the same time, I was riddled with anxiety over figuring out how to bring Ponyo with us.” Below is a drawing of the same person from page 3, now dressed in a hoodie and laying in bed as they look at their phone with a worried expression. An alarm clock in the background reads “3:00AM.” Below is the text, “I had a few options: I could attempt to move Ponyo halfway across the country, and risk killing her.” Below is a drawing of a bright orange goldfish with its fins clamped close to its body gasping at the bottom of a plastic bag, and the text, “Her last moments would be stressful and likely not devoid of suffering.”

Page 5 of a 12 page comic. The top half of the page contains the text, “On the other hand, I could euthanize her peacefully…” Below is a drawing of a person with light skin and short, dark hair closing the door to a freezer. Inside the freezer, a bright goldfish sits in a Tupperware container surrounded by bags of frozen food. The bottom half of the panel continues with the text, “…or return her to the pet store I bought her from two years prior.” Surrounding the text is a drawing of the goldfish in an aquarium adorned with a fake human skull and a small plant. A small dead fish floats at the top of the water, and five other small fish swim around. One picks at the remains of the dead fish. Page 6 of a 12 page comic. The top half of the page contains the text, “Ultimately, I couldn’t bring myself to euthanize her. I didn’t trust anyone else to take care of her. I didn’t want to abandon her.” A bright orange goldfish swims past the text. In the background, the same person from page 5 watches the fish with a tired and worried expression. The bottom half of the page contains the caption, “So, I packed Ponyo up and took her with us. I sought out other people who had successfully moved fish. I talked to the pet store. I did everything I could to ensure Ponyo would survive the move.” Next to and below the text are drawings of a hand holding a phone that displays a reddit thread on moving fish long distance, and the same person talking to a pet store employee with light skin, long mid-tone hair, and stubble. At the bottom of the page is the text, “This is what I did:”

Page 7 of a 12 page comic. A large illustration of a human hand gently lifting a fantail goldfish out of water dominates the page. Around it is the text, “I transferred her from her tank to a large plastic bag. She felt so soft.” Page 8 of a 12 page comic. The top half of the page contains the text, “I saved as much of her tank water as I could, and brought it with us.” Below is a drawing of a 5 gallon bucket. Aquarium filters, plants and decor float in the air above it next to arrows that point down into the bucket. Adjacent is the text, “I kept her filters, decor, and substrate immersed in an effort to preserve the good bacteria in the tank.” Below is a drawing of a large orange goldfish in a large plastic bag, next to the text, “I filled the biggest plastic bag I could fine with half water, half air, Ponyo herself, and packed it into a styrofoam cooler (without ice, of course).

Page 9 of a 12 panel comic. The top half of the page contains a drawing of a lid being lifted off a rectangular styrofoam cooler, revealing a bagged, live goldfish inside. A speech bubble coming from off-panel says, “You doing okay, Pon?” A caption on the lid of the cooler reads, “She rode in our car with us, strapped into the backseat. I checked on her every time we stopped.” The lower half of the page contains the caption, “We stayed at a hotel. It was October, so I hauled her water inside because I was worried about the cold killing the bacteria.” Below the caption is a drawing of a person with light skin and short, dark hair standing in an elevator. They are holding a styrofoam cooler and have a baggage cart loaded with three 5 gallon buckets sitting next to them. Page 10 of a 12 page comic. The top half of the page contains an aerial-view drawing of a 5 gallon bucket filled with water. Inside is a sponge filter and a large orange goldfish. Next to the bucket is the caption, “I put Ponyo in one of the buckets with her sponge filter. It was like she had her own mini hotel room within ours!” The caption continues below: “I packed her up the next morning (as gently as I could).” Next to the caption is a drawing of the same person from page 9 with their sleeves rolled up and hands in the bucket. Water splashes up from the bucket’s opening. The person replies, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

Page 11 of a 12 page comic. The top half of the page opens with the caption, “When we got to our new apartment, I immediately set her tank up, tested the water, and waited a few minutes for the dust to settle before I put her in.” Below is a drawing of a person with light skin and short, dark hair reaching into a styrofoam cooler with a worried expression. A separate drawing below this one portrays a still being held gently in a human hand. At the bottom of the page is the caption, “A year later, we had to move again.” Page 12 of a 12 page comic. Dominating the page is an illustration of a human hand placing a large, orange goldfish into water. The goldfish swims away from the hand happily. Next to the illustration is the text, “And again, we brought Ponyo with us.”