Bleached Cucumber

I know my way around the kitchen, but when a website told me to bleach the fresh veggies that I give my fish, I was a little taken aback.

I do not know all that much about fish, but I know for a FACT that bleach kills. It has nothing to do with fish, bleach will kill all living things.

Upon further research I find out that this simply means to put it in boiling water. Boiled cucumber. Sounds tasty. Who am I to judge the taste level of my fish.

I have been worried that my bottom feeder has not been getting enough food. Whenever I put algae pellets in the tank for him, the goldfish eat it before he does. I was told fresh veggies would be a nice snack for all three, but they floated and so Pleco didn’t get any since he is a bottom dweller. Another conundrum.

This is the solution. By boiling the cucumbers, they lose their buoyancy and float to the bottom. I put three in, so hopefully there will be some for him at some point in the night.

Here’s to hoping…

Tiger Kitty

I have exciting news.

My mom’s boyfriend has cats that live outside his house. He feeds them and takes care of them. Occasionally one of them will get knocked up and have a litter of kittens on his porch.

Generally he just gives them away to people, or lets them join the procreating pool…but this time, he is going to save one for me.

Perhaps my nagging has finally paid off. My mom does seem genuinely excited about getting a little kitten. Before my sister and I were brought into the family, my mom’s babies were her two cats. My sister ruined those poor cats’ lives.

The kitten (who is yet to be named) will live upstairs in my room. I will miss Dakota sleeping with me, but perhaps this cat will like to snuggle…either that, or it’ll just be there to stink up my bathroom and stare at my fish.

No, little tiger kitty. Those fish are not for eating.

I am very excited about the new addition to the family. I just hope the pack leader (A.K.A. my dog, Dakota) will accept her as part of the pack.

A Murder Mystery

Let’s talk for a second about Billy.

Billy was just adopted into a new household. He had lived a very uneventful life up until then. He was a quiet kid, always went unnoticed.

Hours after being adopted, he was murdered by the family that he was adopted into.

Billy was a betta fish. A fish whose life was cut short by the deathtrap that was my small fishtank. I was the one who killed him. It was my fault.

Taking a life is never easy, especially when it is accidental manslaughter. The unexpected death shook me to my core. Especially after the rough day I had.

I plead guilty to murder. Take me away bailiff.

On a happier note, the bottom-feeder that I bought for the large tank still lives.

The Search for the Perfect Aquarium

My two goldfish live in crammed quarters. One would think that a two and a half gallon tank would be large enough for two small goldfish…

Well, apparently not. I found out today, after three months of owning my fish, that I should have a thirty gallon tank for the two of them to share. I would just like to point out that comparatively that is larger than the house I share with my mom and sister (when she isn’t at school).

This would explain why the two fish dirty their tank so quickly. And perhaps why I have killed three snails…

Problem 1:

I have nowhere that I can put a thirty gallon tank in my house. With something that sized, I can’t keep it by the kitchen sink where my current one is—it would take up the entire counter.

I found a decent spot in my room, but it is twenty three by twenty four inches, which is enough space for a twenty gallon tank. Unless I decide to rearrange my entire room, which is not out of the realm of possibilities at this point, then there is no way I can fit that large of a tank in my tiny living quarters.

Problem 2:

Aquariums are not as inexpensive as I would expect them to be. Not only that, but you also have to buy a stand for it, which can be quite pricey as well.

Now normally, this wouldn’t be much of an issue—I just wouldn’t be able to buy a pair of shoes this month, no biggie—except for the fact that in a month or so I will have to make a down payment for a car.

It seemed like the best gift at Christmas…I wasn’t expecting the extent to which it would affect my life…