Fish Saga

OK, I've had my big tank set up for about 2 weeks now. I added the fish after the tank had run a few days, and the very next day had to toss one. (ahhh let me take a moment to describe the adding of the fish incident. I had purchased 6 tiny gold fish and one tiny black fish from Wal-Mart. brought home my fish in a knotted plastic bag. I transferred Spike into the tank then I intended to transfer the new fish into the small tank and put them one by one into the big tank. I could not unknot the bag, I got a pair of scissors and cut the top of the bag... and the water splashed out all over, luckily most of the fish went into the small tank - I did a quick count - two had fallen on the floor, I quickly retrieved them from the floor before the cats discovered live kitty treats, then I just dumped the fish into the big tank, I had to clean up the floor and change my now wet clothes...) *sigh* Last week Super Girl decided the fish were hungry and fed them... and fed them... and fed them... there was fish food all over the bottom of the tank, the water got all murky - it was gross. I let it be for a couple of days in hopes that the filter would help out... well it didn't. Saturday I noticed that yet another of the fish was not doing so well. He was having trouble feeding and looked like he had been beat up. Dead fish swimming. Great... Super Girl had named this one Spot for the black spot on it's tail. I told hubby we needed to get gravel vacuum and a couple of new fish today after I finished work. Later I sent him and the little people off to procure these items. Cleaning the tank was just LOVELY. I have my 10-gallon tank on the bar between the living room and the kitchen. Where Spikes small tank was. I can not really reach to the bottom of the tank unless I am standing on something, like say the kitchen counter. I crawl up on the counter next to the sink, have hubby stand in the living room and we vacuum the tank together - I had the siphon end in the sink he had the vacuum end in the tank. We get it cleaner, and I clean the filter. In a couple of hours the water looks much better. The new fish that hubby had purchased are much bigger than the ones I purchased and they cost less also - but they are not as big as Spike. And Spike... well Spike does not like one of the new fish. I have noticed the top fin of one of the new fish looks nipped as well as his tail and he has a spot on him that looks like he really got smacked up. *sheesh* Spike is a bastard. He is trying to kill this new fish. I am convinced that he killed that other fish (the one from this weekend) and I know that he killed his former tank mates (though I was never able to prove it), now I think he may kill this new fish... who knows, he might kill the whole tank full of fish. Homicidal bastard fish.

Anyway, I have a new routine every morning. After I get up I count fish. Super Girl has yet to notice that 2 fish have gone on to the great fish tank in the sky - lucky for me goldfish pretty much look alike.