Fun with goldfish
Feb. 28th, 2007 12:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
urocyonWe just got a little closer to Lobsterback than we really wanted to. They are just the right size now that the dimensions of the substrate gravel and of their little carpy mouths are far too close. They have gotten bits of gravel stuck quite a bit lately, the way they love to pick it up, but have always managed to spit it out after a while.
Not so, Lobsterback, just now. He was to the point that he was lying on the bottom of the tank, and I was afraid the water flow to his gills was getting blocked by the rock. So I finally had to:
1) Corral him with the now-too-small net,
2) Somehow transfer him to a wet cloth, without having him flopping around on the carpet,
3) Ignore cat-induced crashes from the next room,
4) With my fifth hand, hold ready a pair of tweezers for grabbing the gravel.
Cue![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
vatine fleeing this scene of domestic bliss for a certification exam.
Thankfully, steps 5+ weren't necessary, after all. He must have been startled into spitting out the bit of gravel, as it was no longer there when I finally got the tweezers poised.
Now I'm feeling a bit cruel, but it's probably better that the fish not suffocate!
It is not exactly surprising that Lobsterback was the one who finally needed grabbing up with cloth and tweezers. He's not the sharpest knife, even in a drawer not well known for the sharpness of its contents. The evidence of this is usually more amusing, though.
It is probably about time to swap out about half the substrate for larger or smaller bits, and to pick up a net that will accommodate fish which are 6" or so (excluding tail) now, and which still have a lot of growing to do. This was actually the first time since they went into that tank 2.5 years ago that anybody has needed netting, I think, and I didn't realize how poor a fit that net was. I was trying to put off new substrate until they get a larger tank--basically, after we find out whether we'll need to move--but I think this forces the matter.
Not so, Lobsterback, just now. He was to the point that he was lying on the bottom of the tank, and I was afraid the water flow to his gills was getting blocked by the rock. So I finally had to:
1) Corral him with the now-too-small net,
2) Somehow transfer him to a wet cloth, without having him flopping around on the carpet,
3) Ignore cat-induced crashes from the next room,
4) With my fifth hand, hold ready a pair of tweezers for grabbing the gravel.
Cue
vatine fleeing this scene of domestic bliss for a certification exam.Thankfully, steps 5+ weren't necessary, after all. He must have been startled into spitting out the bit of gravel, as it was no longer there when I finally got the tweezers poised.
Now I'm feeling a bit cruel, but it's probably better that the fish not suffocate!
It is not exactly surprising that Lobsterback was the one who finally needed grabbing up with cloth and tweezers. He's not the sharpest knife, even in a drawer not well known for the sharpness of its contents. The evidence of this is usually more amusing, though.
It is probably about time to swap out about half the substrate for larger or smaller bits, and to pick up a net that will accommodate fish which are 6" or so (excluding tail) now, and which still have a lot of growing to do. This was actually the first time since they went into that tank 2.5 years ago that anybody has needed netting, I think, and I didn't realize how poor a fit that net was. I was trying to put off new substrate until they get a larger tank--basically, after we find out whether we'll need to move--but I think this forces the matter.
