Should One Name Their Goldfish?

Wooooooo hoooooo! Templeton and I took an interesting leap in our relationship this week - firstly purchasing an incredibly funky giant wine glass this week as part of an accident while looking for something else 2 days ago - then secondly taking up co-stewardship over three little goldfish from the appropriately named Fyshwick Markets earlier today so they could go in our giant wine glass.

The last time I had goldfish was 8 years ago as a very irresponsible young adult and it all ended in tears. So this time I consider as a fresh start and a new commitment to lives other than my own. I have done very good research and got all the necessary gear and ready to give our new friends a good start in their new spunky home.

Though I do have one dilemma - should one name their goldfish?

Identity
Should a goldfish have an identity like another member of your house as more common and larger and longer living pets such as cats, dogs, rabbits? I understand that animals raised for the purpose of food are not usually named but animals kept as companions are. Goldfish is in that grey area (for me anyway) - I do not keep them for the purpose for food, but neither are they companions as such, as I don't actually interact with them. Sounds aweful but they are for me more like "live ornaments". Don't get me wrong I still consider them as living feeling things (particularly how prone to stress they are). But they are not really you know, companions like Sexton and Millicent. I mean, I wouldn't name a vase or a wall hanging yeah?

I am aware that some less significantly regarded animals only get names after a particular incident. For example the hen that surviveds two consequent dingo attacks or the duck that rides for 200km in the engine room of a train would be called "Lucky". My goldfish only got 4km over the hill in a VW Beetle. But I am open to the option that they will do marvellously adventurous things.

Also - Templeton's argument - they don't live very long (induced by us??) and it would be traumatic to be sentimentally attached to them, aggrevated further by giving them a name. By the way my last one was called Finglebunce. yeah it does hurt.

Identifying
Usually people and animals are given names or a number so they could be identified from their population for a variety of purposes from feeding, taxation, mating, and when they get lost. When there are quite a few goldfish it probably isn't useful to refer to one particular fish as "the fish". Although our friends are not likely to "get lost" unless the cats work out how to fish them out. But it would be particularly unuseful when you are trying to describe which one is sick, hasn't had enough to eat, or stressed out.

In our case there are only three and I particularly chose three quite different looking ones - not because it would be hard to identify but simply because I like variety. There's the black and red spotted on white one, the orange one with a white tummy, and the classically orange one from the TVNZ and tampon ads. I could just identify them as that but that's quite a bit of mouthful. And giving codes instead of names ie 1, 2, 3 or A, B, C in a small population of fish would be just rediculous.

MMM... I think I'll sit on it for a few days.