after turkey day

Well, I left for a few days this last week for the Thanksgiving holiday, which let me test two theories. Namely, that 1) fishies grow leaps and bounds in my absence (check!), and 2) my timed feeder gizmo (courtesy Petco) does, in fact, keep my little darlings alive whilst I am away (double-check!).*

The fishies are getting much bigger, although unfortunately, they are not any slower, so this is the best shot I have of them recently. You can actually see them better in their reflections at the top of the tank than in real life.

Feel free to ignore the total and utter filth in their tank. I do have plans to clean it, I swears it!

They are turning into pretty adorable fish, which I hope will help them find friendly owners when I get back in January.** To a one, they are all pretty much bright orange with black fins and black speckles. A few solo shots:

This last one makes me laugh, because the fish in the back is staring off into the distance, all movie lonesome-ballad style.

"All. . .by . . .my-se-e-elf. . ." *sniffle *

An ironic tune, given the number of his peers hanging out. Observe:

And yes, that IS The Grinch Who Stole Christmas playing in the background. You will note I refrained from singing along for the duration of the video. You. Are. Welcome.

Which brings me to my next point: Christmas is just around the corner, but before that, (*cue dramatic music*) finals season is upon us. Which means this will likely be my last post for some time while I am studying and writing papers and generally doing my best to keep my academic career afloat. I bought the kiddos some new gravel and plants, so I will try to post some photos of that when I do get the tank cleaned out, but I make no promises in this, my time of hyper-productivity and power naps.

If I don't catch you before then, enjoy the holidays!

Stephanie

* This will be of special relevance when I'm home over winter break. There was much rejoicing.
** No, I am not kidding. Anyone want a few fishies? They're adorable and low-maintenance! (Do not be fooled by the ridiculousness on my site. You really can just feed them and leave.)

Captain and the Chubs

The baby fishes continue to grow, and much to Captain Von Trapp's dismay, they are not only invading his space generally, but also in the most critical of all ways: FOOD.

First of all, there's the issue that there are so many of them. There are currently 20 Von Trapp Family Swimmers competing with the Captain for food, as this woefully over-exposed photo illustrates:

The photo doesn't really capture them all, but you get the idea. As they grow, there's just more square inches of fishy crammed into my little 6 gallon tank.

But then there is a second issue. The Swimmers, it would seem, have no idea how to control how much they eat. Seeing as I also have this affliction, I sympathize. But where the Captain and Maria would leave uneaten food to settle to the bottom of the tank and then create algae I would dutifully have to scrub off all the tank's surfaces, the Swimmers aspire to greater things.


Not convinced? Let's go to the close-up.

Two of the Swimmers -- let's call them Hansel and Gretel, for shits and giggles.

Now, Hansel and Gretel have just had a great deal to eat. Like, for an hour or so, because once flake food settles on the bottom of the tank, there's virtually no way for me to get it back, no matter how many times I swish my net around the gravel petrifying everyone in the tank. Which means their wee fishy bellies are all out of proportion.

Observe:

The evidence is damning, indeed. In response, I have done my best not to over-feed the fish lately, which has given them some time to return to a normal shape. In fact, some of them have grown rather rapidly.

Captain Von Trapp, sensing a musical uprising of sorts, is keeping his distance.


Wise, Captain. Very wise.

Stephanie

enjoying their new domain

Well, the wee baby fishes are enjoying their new larger environment, and while I'd done plenty of research to find out how they will handle big open spaces, it seems I had nothing to worry about. The Von Trapp Family Swimmers are on the prowl, folks. And they are loving it.

Sometimes Captain Von Trapp joins them, but mostly he's not interested in their shenanigans. He does a lot of swimming in circles by himself. I think he might be lonely.

And since the wee ones are too little to truly keep him company, I may look into getting another grown-up for him to spend time with. Of course, that would require public transit to stop striking and me to take the time to go get another fish, so. . . odds are good this won't happen any time soon.

But in the meantime -- behold the wee ones, enjoying their space!



Yes, the adaptation to the big tank seems to be going well. Now I just need to figure out what to do when they all get bigger. Hmmm. I have a few months, at least, so that will be a project for winter break. In the meantime, homework calls!

Stephanie

but. . . what shall I do with all my "favorite things" puns?! *wails*

Oh dear, folks. As promised, I had a memorial for Baby Fishy #21 before wrapping him in a shroud and sending him off to sea. Even though Austria is landlocked.* He's a fish. It's where he belongs.

Sweet dreams, wee baby fishy. You shall be missed. But only a little, because there are twenty more where you came from.

And then, this evening, a horrible discovery. Maria, beloved fish and cannibalistic maternal unit, passed away while I was away. She shall be sorely missed!

Those are edelweiss all around her photo. They are, upon further investigation, a furry, alien-looking little flower. No really. Look them up. They look like the center is going to open up and a wee bitty version is going to pop out the middle. And then eat, like, a ladybug or something. Menacingly.

Upon discovering her untimely demise, I asked friends to comment, and true to form, they all expressed their sympathies. (Via gchat. So appropriate.)

Jesse: The hills are NOT alive. RIP, Maria. It should have been Rolfe.

Ali: I'm sorry about Maria. Thank God you didn't get rabbits or guinea pigs.

Missy: No more interpretive dance for Maria. But wait, double-memorial?
Me: Oh. One of the babies died tonight.

Missy: Was this a fishy suicide-bombing?

Classy comments, all. Alas, time goes on. Captain Von Trapp will find a new sugar muffin, and the family will continue it's trek, singing songs and implying unspeakable things about puppet goats.

*sniffle*

So long, farewell, auf weidersehen, adeiu. Goodbyyyyyyeeeeeee!

Stephanie

* I googled this to confirm. A lifetime of public schooling has made me insecure.

small fish, big tank!

Well, I must really not be up for doing homework this afternoon, because I did some cleaning. It was necessary, I swear! All three plants were coated in algae, the walls of the tank were heavily speckled, and the gravel has been getting dingy for quite some time -- likely on account that I haven't changed the gravel since the Triplets first came home over the summer. Now, sure, algae is natural. It adds a nice green film on everything, and generally makes my tank look like a pond.* However, it's terrible for water quality.

The nitrates were up, people.

Something had to be done.

So, I dutifully tracked down the babies and popped them into a holding tank with water and some mini plants from their net.

Why, yes, that is a Gladware container they are swimming in. Nothing but the best.

I also had to round up a much less amused Maria and Captain Von Trapp, who went into another container since they do not settle down much when placed in small areas, and I did not want them to scare the Swimmers.

They were in an Ikea-brand tupperware cube, for those interested. Again, I'm quite picky about the quality of my plastic foodstuff savers.

As I was cleaning, I managed to change a ton of the water, a little over half of which actually made it to the drain. And the other half of which coated my shirt, pants, carpet, and bookshelf. Skills. But hark! Once I was done, I got ready to put the Swimmers back into their net. I realized two things.

1) I could finally count them! There are, in fact, exactly twenty babies. There were twenty-one, but one, alas, did not survive the transfer.

Ladies and gents, may I present -- the twenty surviving Von Trapp Family Swimmers!

2) They are somewhat bigger than I thought they were, and their net was going to take a while to clean. Perchance possible to put them in the tank?

After much consideration, I decided that once I got the tank cleaned out, they would go back in the main tank with mummy and pops. It seems to be working out so far, and although all are a little scarred from their removal from home for the cleaning, they're exploring already.


They also, much to my relief, are getting along quite well with Captain Von Trapp.


They are not, however, enchanting their mother quite as I'd hoped.


Alas, Maria does not seem to be feeling well. Hopefully the new, fresh water and clean tank will lift her spirits in much the same way a newly-vacuumed living room prompts declarations of love from my mother to my worthless brother and I, who likely vacuumed only because we tracked in mud from the lawn.

Ah, family.

Stephanie

PS -- There will be an appropriate memorial for Baby Fishy 21 in a while. I do need to finish some reading and research at the very least, though, first.

*Swamp. Cesspool. Whatever. Diction isn't the point here.

two more for the road

After getting a good photo of Fishbo yesterday (and returning him to his rightful home of the net), I decided to see if we could get some better photos now that the Von Trapp Family Swimmers are a bit larger. They are two and a half weeks old, after all! *waves pom poms, blows party favor *

I still have trouble getting a good side view, but here is a photo from the top-down after a feeding. You can see better how some of them are lighter orange and some have a more vibrant color, and how they all have black tails. Some have spots and some don't, although the peachy-colored ones are mostly plain right now.


They are also terribly curious, which I find hilarious since their parents immediately dart behind plants when anyone walks by the tank. I come over with a camera, and the Swimmers immediately. . .investigate.

It's kind of adorable. Also, they know at this point that if I'm around, food will probably follow. This is true of most people who hang out with me, but the fish especially of late. I'm going to have to monitor their intake so they don't all become gluttons. My tank is only so large, and you cannot hike over the Alps if you are all wide and wobbly.*

Stephanie

* "But Stephanie. You cannot hike over the Alps if you're a fish anyway." To this, I respond, pish tosh! These fish can do just about anything. For example, they have an astonishing ability to trash my apartment during the week whilst I merely sit on my behind and read. Shocking little troublemakers, they are. Shocking.

ha!

Ha! Victory in our time! A close-up of Fishbo, taken shortly before I swept him up and put him back in the net with the other baby fishes. You can see how he has aspects of both Maria and Captain Von Trapp's coloring -- Maria's orangey-ness and Captain Von Trap's speckles.


He may look large in this photo, but that's gravel dwarfing him in the photo, so he still has some growing to do. We shall save our adventures for another day, little one.

Stephanie