Wednesday, June 3, 2015

water change


The whole tank became nothing but plants, mostly dark green Thai moss that gets between everything and sucks up all nutrients and acts as biologic water filter and water oxygenator and dominates along with vertical sword grass type running rampant throughout. The fish like it that way, ensconced in a protective jungle, bound up from exercise and unknown overhead threats. All that was grabbed and tugged from the gravel lifting dense clouds of fish debris. Four times more plant material is removed than is left growing.



The widowed angelfish cannot take another moment of abuse. It just gave up and played dead as its body compressed in the patch of grass as the water drained. Fine with the fish if it had just died. No struggle at all. Later its fins were stuck in the filter intake, really stuck, it did take more strength to release it than the fish has. Then it just sat there near the intake like it didn't care if it happened again. It doesn't want to swim anymore. It has slipped into a deep fish-malaise. It always was ridiculously overly ornamental and lazy. I did not know they came like that. Whoever is doing this breeding is terrible. Most of that excessive fin growth that splits and curls is shredded off by vigorous swimming and tearing around the tank when they were younger.

From the pov of the fish, they've all been transported to a new environment with a new atmosphere. They're all a bit shocked. None of them will be interested in flakes. Who can eat at a time like this?


10 comments:

Synova said...

I wish I could take all of your left over plants.

chickelit said...

Aren't you going to whip up a nice salad with those plants?

AllenS said...

I see chick beat me to it.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

We are having wifi modem issues this morning. Sorry about that.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Coming to you via my phone

Rabel said...

Does your phone have a wifi "hotspot" feature?

AllenS said...

Is that Arugula?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Prohivitive charges, Rabel.

Rabel said...

Probably right, Lem. I'll just point out that I did it for four days for browsing and posting comments in my usual manner and the data usage was in low to medium megabytes. There was no additional cost. I think I have 3 gigabytes or so of available usage per month. However, I don't know how much data running the blog would use or the details of your plan or your other phone usage so I'm just talking out my arse. I think this is caused by my exposure to Ritmo.

But then again, there could be a pleasant short term convenience there for the taking.

ricpic said...

If you go to the Hammacher Schlemmer site, it is selling a fish clock. The fish swims in front of the clock face. To me it seems like cruel treatment of the fish considering the tiny area it is confined to. But it is cool!