So, about a month before Christmas, hubby and I were looking at the fish at the grocery store and decided that we wanted some. Well, that was easier said then done, let me tell you.
Hubby got an aquarium for Christmas, plus gravel, fake plants, and a few other supplies. We were hooked up, right? But when we went to Pet Smart to talk to them about fish, we found out that the fish we wanted (some form of catfish) could not live in our aquarium. It was too small. Way too small. You have to allow for growth. So we had a look around, and fell in love with the guppies.
I declared us “Team Guppy” and we made plans. And life, being what it was, got in the way. So we finally got to get our fish and we were so excited. We wanted to be the best fish parents ever. Hubby picked out a yellow guppy and a blue one. The one I picked out is orange. Since they were three males, hubby called them “Larry, Curly, and Moe.” I thought it was perfect, because well…we’re wacky that way, and the names fit perfectly.
We did research to make sure we were keeping up the aquarium and we also kept an eye on the fish. The second day we had them, we noticed Larry swimming funny — vertically rather than horizontally. It was…weird. And I worried that he was sick. So we went back to Pet Smart, and they weren’t entirely sure. It could be a problem with his “swim bladder,” or it could be shock from being in a new aquarium, or just a fluke. They suggested we keep an eye on Larry, and bring him in if it gets any worse. They had a little hospital aquarium where they would take care of him. I was touched. I never knew they had that.
The next morning, Larry wasn’t looking so good. He was on the bottom of the tank. He was alive, but I figured he was probably going to die. I felt terrible, worse than I thought I would. Yeah, it was just a fish, but Larry was our fish baby, and we were supposed to keep him alive. So throughout the day I prayed and called my mom for updates. About 2pm, my mom told me that he passed.
We put him into a plastic container (water and all), and made the drive to Pet Smart. I was holding him, and I talked to him and stroked the container, hoping that he was at peace. My poor little fish baby. I miss him.
So we gave him to Pet Smart and got another one. My mom suggested reusing the name Larry, but hubby and I didn’t feel right about having a second Larry. Larry was special, and he should be remembered. So instead, hubby named the new fish Tommy (after Tommy Lee of Motley Crue. I prefer to think that the fish was named for Tommy Joe Ratliff, Adam Lambert’s guitarist, but I digress). Tommy had a rough time of it — seems that Moe was trying to fight him for dominance (who knew?). But they have since settled down.
Apparently, there was nothing we could do for Larry. It was most likely shock of a new home, and apparently, this happens quite often. We also discovered that while we have snails for algae, the tank needs to be cleaned and the water refreshed weekly. One of the original people we talked to told us that the snails would take care of it all….oops. We’ve since put together a schedule for cleaning.
And then there’s the snails. They wouldn’t come out of their shells and I suspected they died, but they weren’t smelly and their “trapdoor” was shut which means they are alive. Lots of research on that one. They are now out and about, but I worried that they would die, too.
It’s been a fun learning experience. I care about those fish more than I thought I would. I worry if we are an hour late on feeding them — what if they are starving? And I tell them good night, and wish them good morning when I turn the lights back on. I check on them several times, and wave, and watch them swim around. Those are my fish babies, and I love them.
(And I’m probably nuts and a bit delusional, but hey. They’re living things, too.)
Sooooo the biggest lesson we learned: Fish parenting isn’t as easy as we thought. And not to beat ourselves up over losing a fish.
RIP Larry in the aquarium in the sky. You will be missed.