So today was the day I was going to clean the fish tank thoroughly instead of the partial water change, and move the tank to the stand instead of on top of the entertainment center. All was going well. We had buckets of water sitting everywhere, chlorine free, room temperature, etc. So we started by putting the old tank water into a pan and adding our 16 Guppies and then the little catfish looking sucker fish. We cleaned everything thoroughly. All the trees, rocks, ornaments, etc All was going well. Until...
I had came to sit down for a minute while my daughter was putting the gravel back into the tank. Well about 10 minutes had passed so I went back to check on the progress when I stepped on something squishy (only with my big toe thanks goodness!) I screamed, jumped back and tried to figure out what it was! Looked like a gooey slug to me. Well, it clicked! My black male guppy! He had jumped out of the pan on the counter and fell into the floor right in front of the dogs water bowl! My daughter grabbed the bowl of water poured it over the fish and he started flopping! Relief! He was alive! Picked him up, put him back in the pan, all was well again. So we went back to preparing the tank.
Ok, so the tank is set up all the trees are in place filter, heater, everything working. It's time to get the fish back into the tank, that never made it to the stand I might add! A combination of nerves from stepping on my fish and stress made me forget all about WHY I was cleaning the tank in the first place!
So I get the 10 babies in first. Easy peasey. They had been in the breeding net since birth b/c I learned the hard way after the other 46 were eaten that you must separate the mama from the babies, b/c there is no bonding going on there. She will pop them out of one end and turn right around and eat them! (Guppies are live bearers) SO.. I start adding the adult guppies when I notice I'm missing my pretty little orange male. I instantly freak b/c of situation with the other male. We looked and looked. All over the counter, floor, etc! Nothing! 15-20 minutes had passed and he was no where to be found. So I start pulling trash out of the trash can and sure enough, there he lays. Lifeless! So I go to screaming...AGAIN, and here comes my 3 boys all manly looking at me and my daughter like we are just nuts! My middle son scooped him up from the trash and tossed it into the dogs water bowl. And there he floats..
Well, I decide he's dead. He's not moving, we just need to take him to the porcelain throne. But my daughter has bigger plans. She's 11 and she loves any kind of animal. The girl had the outside frogs a mini mansion built out of leftover wood from our hardwood floors! There is not an animal that she doesn't love. So she starts ever so gently squeezing the fish to "get the water back into his lungs". I roll my eyes (behind her back of course) but if that makes her feel a little better before I have to flush the little guy then whatever.
When all of a sudden she starts yelling "He's breathing!" I ran back over there, and low and behold the little guy IS breathing. He was still floating on his back, but he IS breathing! She then grabs his tail, and starts pushing him back and forth until he eventually starts to try to swim! I'm thinking no way! He has been in the trash can for a while but he is freakin' breathing again! So we poured him back into the tank with the rest of the fish and he IS moving! He's hanging with the other fish right now. He's a little shook up but at least he's alive! We will see how it goes, and I will keep you posted but for right now, I must go mop up the puddles of water in my kitchen floor!
UPDATE** The fish died a few hours later.. He was swimming around the tank, eating, and even hounded the females for a minute. (The "Fish CPR" didn't work the 2nd time)
I had came to sit down for a minute while my daughter was putting the gravel back into the tank. Well about 10 minutes had passed so I went back to check on the progress when I stepped on something squishy (only with my big toe thanks goodness!) I screamed, jumped back and tried to figure out what it was! Looked like a gooey slug to me. Well, it clicked! My black male guppy! He had jumped out of the pan on the counter and fell into the floor right in front of the dogs water bowl! My daughter grabbed the bowl of water poured it over the fish and he started flopping! Relief! He was alive! Picked him up, put him back in the pan, all was well again. So we went back to preparing the tank.
Ok, so the tank is set up all the trees are in place filter, heater, everything working. It's time to get the fish back into the tank, that never made it to the stand I might add! A combination of nerves from stepping on my fish and stress made me forget all about WHY I was cleaning the tank in the first place!
So I get the 10 babies in first. Easy peasey. They had been in the breeding net since birth b/c I learned the hard way after the other 46 were eaten that you must separate the mama from the babies, b/c there is no bonding going on there. She will pop them out of one end and turn right around and eat them! (Guppies are live bearers) SO.. I start adding the adult guppies when I notice I'm missing my pretty little orange male. I instantly freak b/c of situation with the other male. We looked and looked. All over the counter, floor, etc! Nothing! 15-20 minutes had passed and he was no where to be found. So I start pulling trash out of the trash can and sure enough, there he lays. Lifeless! So I go to screaming...AGAIN, and here comes my 3 boys all manly looking at me and my daughter like we are just nuts! My middle son scooped him up from the trash and tossed it into the dogs water bowl. And there he floats..
Well, I decide he's dead. He's not moving, we just need to take him to the porcelain throne. But my daughter has bigger plans. She's 11 and she loves any kind of animal. The girl had the outside frogs a mini mansion built out of leftover wood from our hardwood floors! There is not an animal that she doesn't love. So she starts ever so gently squeezing the fish to "get the water back into his lungs". I roll my eyes (behind her back of course) but if that makes her feel a little better before I have to flush the little guy then whatever.
When all of a sudden she starts yelling "He's breathing!" I ran back over there, and low and behold the little guy IS breathing. He was still floating on his back, but he IS breathing! She then grabs his tail, and starts pushing him back and forth until he eventually starts to try to swim! I'm thinking no way! He has been in the trash can for a while but he is freakin' breathing again! So we poured him back into the tank with the rest of the fish and he IS moving! He's hanging with the other fish right now. He's a little shook up but at least he's alive! We will see how it goes, and I will keep you posted but for right now, I must go mop up the puddles of water in my kitchen floor!
UPDATE** The fish died a few hours later.. He was swimming around the tank, eating, and even hounded the females for a minute. (The "Fish CPR" didn't work the 2nd time)
LOL she gave the fish CPR! Too funny.
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