Petco's fish weren't the healthiest specimens, but Mel bought an Apple Snail, a Betta and nine Neon Tetras on Tuesday. At last count this morning, 5 of the neons have died. We've narrowed down the cause to a gill disease probably stemming from stress; it seems that the popularity of the tetra is leading to over breeding and subsequently a general lack of hardiness. Petco does have a guarantee, but we've only been able to recover three of the fish corpses; our snail seems to be 'magnetically' attracted to dead fish and ravenously feasts on the bodies, leaving naught but a few chunks of bone or fin. Regular treatments of a broad-spectrum antibiotic should cure the tank.

Also on Tuesday- roadside Bonsai. That's right- we found a Japanese dude selling Juniper Bonsai from a van on a roadside corner across the street from Petco in the parking lot of an abandoned Blimpie. I got a 7 year old, well-formed tree for only $25! He also had bottles of specialized fertilizer for sale- two for $5.50. rad.

Comments

slackfiend
Sun, 10/02/2005 - 22:32
Lucky bastard, you got hobo
Lucky bastard, you got hobo bonsai!

bruce42
Sun, 10/02/2005 - 23:23
Hobos Indeed
I know! It was worth buying simply for the novelty; tiny trees from a Japanese man in a van? Super Awesome! Of course that does make me wonder... Is the bonsai Japan's version of "the puppy" or "candy"?
"Your mission is to obey the commands of whoever is able to strike the Master Key of Electricity... I once read in a book that all things are regulated by exact laws of nature" - SPAM

D3F1L3
Thu, 10/13/2005 - 06:41
I think you have a weakness...
Hi there Brian :) It's very nice to meet you! I got a little tree for you in the back of my van... You want a little tree? -- D

bruce42
Mon, 10/03/2005 - 00:04
3 to Go
We've but 3 neons left; at least we recovered another body before the snail ravenously consumed it. I hope Petco allows us to trade up when we head in on Tuesday.
"Your mission is to obey the commands of whoever is able to strike the Master Key of Electricity... I once read in a book that all things are regulated by exact laws of nature" - SPAM

D3F1L3
Thu, 10/13/2005 - 06:46
What exactly would 4 dead neons be worth?
Do they let you do that? Trade up? When I get my own place I'm planning on getting some fish. I don't know how long I'm staying here so I don't want to get a pet any harder to get rid of or out live than a fish. Maybe I'll be able to get some cheap tropical fish from the great barrier reef... -- D

bruce42
Tue, 10/18/2005 - 21:44
That would be awesome!
I love fish; so well-contained. I believe the guarantee was for 15 days. All they do is test a sample of your tank water to ensure water quality wasn't to blame. Our water was good; a bit hard, but Iowa tap and well water is mineral laden. We'll have to add peat at some point, but there was no reason for our fish to die so rapidly and mysteriously. We'll try some Danios and/or Gouramis next.
"Your mission is to obey the commands of whoever is able to strike the Master Key of Electricity... I once read in a book that all things are regulated by exact laws of nature" - SPAM

Anonymous (not verified)
Thu, 12/08/2005 - 18:25
Apple Snails Galore
Well, we eventually lost our apple snail. It was a pretty cool snail. would crawl up the tank wall and then 'release' and sort of glide around the tank using it's slimey slug body as a sail. pretty cool. So we were sad when it died. It has been a couple weeks, and to our suprise apparently our snail laid eggs before its death. we now have 4 baby snails in the tank. They are so small they look like little rocks and we loose track of them constantly. But we are pretty sure there are four. We are trying to keep the tank stocked with minerals and food for them to eat so they can get HUGE!