To find out about the mystery of the fishes, read on.
The two lovely boys above are Raj (top) and Ramses (bottom). We recently purchased them to replace our Gouramis, three of which went sequentially missing.
The first to disappapear was Gus.
He was just plain gone one morning. I checked in all the shells, took out all the rocks, ran my fingers through the gravel, etc. No Gus. The glass lid for the tank has a few cut-outs for the tubes and electrical cords to run through, but none of them seemed anywhere near large enough for a two inch fish to jump through. Additionally, there wasn’t a body on the table or the floor. Lacking any other explanation, we decided he had jumped at just the right angle to get through one of the holes in the lid, and the dog had found the body – and had herself a little crunchy snack before breakfast.
We replaced Gus with George, a similarly marked Gourami.
A few days after we bought George, Gilbert (below)went missing.
I did find part of a body this time. And concluded that the only fish big enough to have done the damage was Cederic, a bristle nose catfish.
We replaced Gilbert with Jim, the light blue fellow on the right.
Bristle nose catfish are not usually carnivorous, but I couldn’t think of any other explanation. So I sequestered Cederic and one morning soon thereafter, on my way into town for the day, I put Cederic in a bag and took him to a fish store to trade him in for some plants. I left early in the day, and didn’t get home till after dark that evening – when I discovered George (who didn’t even stick around long enough to be photographed)was missing.
The only fish left in the tank were three neon tetras and Jim, all of them smaller than George.
The only thing we could come up with after that – was a fishing rat. We have (native) bush rats in our area, and see them occassionally out on the porch. We even caught one in the house once, sleeping on top of the water heater. But we trapped that one, and haven’t had one inside since.
I’ve since cut a new lid for the tank, and this piece of glass has only one tiny hole in one corner. No fish have disappeared since, so we bought Raj and Ramses, two Butterfly Ciclids (also known as Rams) last Friday, and so far so good.
We have a cold water tank. We have all sorts of goldfish which are quite lovely and don’t require the constant attention (and funerals)
We also have a plecko – algea eater – that eats the algae and crud. He’s mean when he’s eating. However none have nipped at the other’s tails. All are really healthy.
We have comet (from a carnival game), two fantails and 4 Shubunkins which are my favorite and are so beautiful and graceful. I have 4 of them and all are different. Calicos. One is almost all black with some red. Incredible tails on them. So shiny and lovely.
I had some problems with dropsy for a while. Lost some fish. One I had for 4 years. The pinecone look. I think it was due to the light causing too much heat as the water was fine. So in the day the light is off untill the night feeding. No dropsy since.
We can feed the Shubunkins by hand. Which delights the kids and my husband. 🙂
When we first got a tank… we tried the purdy troppies… and I had a similar experience to a jumper. I found it was because there was too much water in the tank. Goldfish have been an incredible addition to our family.
My cat… she will lay ontop of it when the light is on but she can’t reach in. 🙂
Thanks for the lovley diary and peek into your tank.
Hi Janet. I’m also fond of cold water tanks, having, for several years, kept Ryukins and Orandas (fancy goldfish for uninformed). I also had a small koi pond, which housed one very large bullfrog as well.
Enjoy”
Peace
As a former educational technology specialist, and life-long dog devotee, I love that strip on so many levels.
Thanks dada.
“Camomile, Camomile, fetch some more Cottontail.”
It was a twist on “Peter Cottontail”. Our story is about a greyhound that should, but didn’t, chase rabbits. We called her Cammie and she was as silly as she could be. But, back to the beginning.
Seven years ago we travelled from Northern California through Oregon, looking for a new place to live. We stopped at the Yukon greyhound kennel to meet the people who raised our first greyhound, S’more. They are wonderful people and their dogs were a lot of fun. I wish they were still raising dogs.
They had two litters of puppies running around on that fateful day. One little pied, brindle girl stood out in the crowd. She was nine weeks old. They called her “Cupcake”. When I got home I called my adoption group and told them that when Cupcake retired in a few years I expected a call. I wanted to give her a forever home.
Three weeks later I got a call. Cupcake had a genetic disorder that would cripple her and prevent her from ever running a race. If the disease didn’t kill her, would we be willing to take a crippled greyhound puppy in a few months? My DH said “no”. No puppies, no sick dogs, no third dog. I worked on him for over a month, as I waited to see if she would survive.
When she was old enough to spay she had the surgery and a week later I chartered a small plane and had her flown from Eugene to Oakland. One of my sons, the fan of “Peter Cottontail”, called her Cammie. And, it stuck.
No one ever told her she was crippled. She ran, she danced, she smiled. She was happy every d*mn day of her life.
Over the years she’s moved across country with us, taken up the bad habit of chewing and eating things that were not eatable, and was continually a big goof. She had a number of trips to the emergency vet–to get something sewed up most of the time. She never complained except that she hated to be restrained. She would yelp long after the staples were in.
In the last few months while my DH’s been working at home she had learned to love the “working life”. She slept while he worked, keeping him company, and playing chase during coffee breaks.
This morning she was running up and down the basement hall while my DH poured coffee. She collapsed and my DH was with her immediately. Her heart was pounding and it just stopped. It was over quickly. In the middle of a happy morning romp. The best way to go . . . but at least five years too soon.
Good-bye silly girl. Run like the wind in fields filled with greyhounds. I don’t regret the month of begging to get you. And, I’d do it again to have you back.
We buried her near a young sugar maple. When it smiles its bright yellow smile every fall I will think of our silly girl.
Thanks for sharing Cammie’s story with us MominMaine. Words never suffice at a time like this.
My sincerest sympathy for your loss.
Thanks, keres.
I just took the dogs out of the last potty break. No dancing Cammie–tying up the leashes. No nosey Cammie–poking her nose in places it didn’t belong. S’more, Goblin and I felt the loss heavily.
It’s just not right that we outlive our pets.
.
Double Dog Diaries!
~ Cross-posted from BooMan’s Double Dog Dare ~
Twin peak resort
OT <Click photo to enlarge>
Double Dog Dare
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I rescue dogs and foster them for adoption with Animal Rescue in St. Louis. Right now I have a little 14 lb Jack Russell named Honey. she came from a puppy mill that had used her up by three years old. Her toenails had never been clipped and were almost an inch long,curving almost into her pads like Fu Manchu nails. She was being gotten rid of because she was lame from her last litter. She couldn’t walk except on soft grass and when I would put her down she would roll on her side so as not to hurt. The next day she was spayed and the toenails clipped. Her knee goes in and out (probably because of compensation from the nails)but she walks fine and the vet said not to bother her with a knee operation. She is learning to walk on a leash this week,to sniff at things,to raise her lips at my c–s,to go up and down a low curb and walk on pavement. She evidently had never been out of her kennel and then after awhile couldn’t walk to go anywhere anyway. It must have hurt her to go poop in a different part of the cage. So I will call the lady,tell her she is fine now and what a shame she had to give away a beautiful little dog when all she needed was her toenails clipped. And that she should fire the person taking care of her breeding dogs (probably herself),so she will feel guilty. I’ll give her my “Christian” pitiful animal sympathy as to how her caretaker must not have been a caring Christian to let her dog get in that condition. (I bet she goes to church every Sunday and I bet she voted for Bush.) Hypocrites all,and right down to the roots in every way.
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Abbeysbooks of ye old books store, used to live near Bull Shoals Lake? Home with organic garden and nice religious neighbors.
Is the 9/11 analysis your own, based on relationships of facts and evidence overlooked by investigations with their own agenda? In that case it would be interesting to hear from you.