Ready to read a book?
Alright, so I go to petsmart to get some crickets for my beardy. Of course the crickets are right beside all the aquarium stuff. So while I'm waiting I see a really great looking piece of fake driftwood. Tons of hiding places, big spacious caves, and long "roots". So I got it.
On the way home I'm thinking "I wonder if that striped raphael" is still alive. Because the cave I'm taking out to replace with the new decoration is where he lived or used to.
Get home. Take out the old cave decoration and put it in a bucket of tank water because the raphael *might* still be in there. Not only do I find him still alive after not seeing him for 5 or more years but there's a missing apple snail in there too! This old decoration is evil! lol
Let me explain what the cave is like. I suppose it's the most similar to this, but not really like that. http
/www.petsmart.com/global/product_det...D=1111462850156
It's a platic decoration, but natural looking, with two holes and the fish can swim all the way around the top. Almost like a "half loop". Hollow and the two holes are the only way to get out.
So here I am, with this raphael that wont come out of the decoration no matter what I do. I took it completly out of water, he stays in. I shake it. No go. I shake it out of the water. Nope, he's wedged in there right at the top of the loop. The hardest part to get him out of.
I start to break the decoration, because at this point it's been in the aquarium for about 6 years and about to crumble anyways. Tiny piece by tiny piece I'm getting close to where he's wedged himself in. But wait, the closer I get to him the harder it gets to break pieces off. So in comes my dad and he starts breaking off pieces. I keep pacing in and out of the room because I'm so afraid that while breaking off chunks of this stupid decoration we will stab the poor Raphael with a piece of plastic.
We get the decoration almost completly demolished and we can see his head and tail. I try to push him out, but he's NOT budging. At this point i look at my dads hand and it's bleeding EVERYWHERE! GAH! The decoration has now trapped an apple snail, gashed by papa's finger open, and gotten a Raphael so far wedged into it that he can't move (or he's just unwilling, I'd say the latter because lets face it a fish wouldn't live for 5+ years not being able to move).
FINALLY we get him released and out of the bucket back into the tank. He's like 5" and one of the coolest looking fish I have, kinda freaky looking too! I was so pleased that he's not only still alive but now gets a home thats bigger for hanging out during the day when the lights are on. It took about 45 minutes to break the decoration up enough to release him. Hopefully he's ok with all the stress we caused him.
Right now he seems fine. He's hiding beside a piece of driftwood and I turned of a few of my bulbs since he's nocturnal. Hopefully he makes it and likes the new "center piece" and home.
Just wanted to share my fishy fun of the night!
Oh and here's a pic of what he looks like for those who don't know what I'm talking about. http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/dorad...tydor/166_f.php
Alright, so I go to petsmart to get some crickets for my beardy. Of course the crickets are right beside all the aquarium stuff. So while I'm waiting I see a really great looking piece of fake driftwood. Tons of hiding places, big spacious caves, and long "roots". So I got it.
On the way home I'm thinking "I wonder if that striped raphael" is still alive. Because the cave I'm taking out to replace with the new decoration is where he lived or used to.
Get home. Take out the old cave decoration and put it in a bucket of tank water because the raphael *might* still be in there. Not only do I find him still alive after not seeing him for 5 or more years but there's a missing apple snail in there too! This old decoration is evil! lol
Let me explain what the cave is like. I suppose it's the most similar to this, but not really like that. http
/www.petsmart.com/global/product_det...D=1111462850156It's a platic decoration, but natural looking, with two holes and the fish can swim all the way around the top. Almost like a "half loop". Hollow and the two holes are the only way to get out.
So here I am, with this raphael that wont come out of the decoration no matter what I do. I took it completly out of water, he stays in. I shake it. No go. I shake it out of the water. Nope, he's wedged in there right at the top of the loop. The hardest part to get him out of.
I start to break the decoration, because at this point it's been in the aquarium for about 6 years and about to crumble anyways. Tiny piece by tiny piece I'm getting close to where he's wedged himself in. But wait, the closer I get to him the harder it gets to break pieces off. So in comes my dad and he starts breaking off pieces. I keep pacing in and out of the room because I'm so afraid that while breaking off chunks of this stupid decoration we will stab the poor Raphael with a piece of plastic.
We get the decoration almost completly demolished and we can see his head and tail. I try to push him out, but he's NOT budging. At this point i look at my dads hand and it's bleeding EVERYWHERE! GAH! The decoration has now trapped an apple snail, gashed by papa's finger open, and gotten a Raphael so far wedged into it that he can't move (or he's just unwilling, I'd say the latter because lets face it a fish wouldn't live for 5+ years not being able to move).
FINALLY we get him released and out of the bucket back into the tank. He's like 5" and one of the coolest looking fish I have, kinda freaky looking too! I was so pleased that he's not only still alive but now gets a home thats bigger for hanging out during the day when the lights are on. It took about 45 minutes to break the decoration up enough to release him. Hopefully he's ok with all the stress we caused him.
Right now he seems fine. He's hiding beside a piece of driftwood and I turned of a few of my bulbs since he's nocturnal. Hopefully he makes it and likes the new "center piece" and home.
Just wanted to share my fishy fun of the night!
Oh and here's a pic of what he looks like for those who don't know what I'm talking about. http
/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/dorad...tydor/166_f.php
did the apple snail bite his hand or something?
