another tragedy in casa sottacqua
i fear mr. plecostomus is dying. sorry to lay that on you w/out preamble, w/out preparing you for the bitter tragedy... but frankly i'm irritated, agitated & angry at the damn guppies. i blame them. i think they overpopulated my tank. i tried to cut down algae growth by only turning the light on for 6 hours a day & i think mr. plecostomus starved to death. he looks really skinny & he just kinda hangs there listless, not sucking. i poked at him & probably scared what little life there was in him out... he didn't even try to get away. yup. he's a goner. he became my favorite after ginger died, & as the only unique fish in my tank, he was the jewel. freaking guppies. why! *beats self about head & neck* why! for the love of poseidon! did i not! read more! about the freaking! reproductive practices! of the damned live-bearing! freaking! fish!
i don't want the perpetually pregnant guppies anymore. but i don't know what to do w/ them. & i've got to figure out the genders of the 5 baby mollies & get rid of all of one sex before they have a chance to mate. --to preserve my sanity, see. i fear i am becoming a cold heartless bitch about teh fishes. but y'know- in nature some live, some die. that is the way. some eat, some get eaten. some die so that others may survive. death is a part of the balance & can't be excluded. but can i be the agent of death & help some of the days old babies to an early demise to preserve the health of my community? that's a big grey area where the distinctions between good & evil blur. darkness & light wrestle within me. i have asked everyone i know to take these fish. no one wants them- they're guppies. nobody wants freakin guppies- they're a dime for 2 & then you have a dozen. & then 2 dozen... & then 6 dozen.
sigh. extreme times call for extreme measures. there are too many places to hide, so the babies don't get eaten by the others. perhaps if i just take the large rocks out... the fish will restore balance amongst themselves, & my hands will remain clean of their blood.
i shall mourn mr. plecostomus... he will have passed by the next sunrise, i think. *wipes a tear*
i don't want the perpetually pregnant guppies anymore. but i don't know what to do w/ them. & i've got to figure out the genders of the 5 baby mollies & get rid of all of one sex before they have a chance to mate. --to preserve my sanity, see. i fear i am becoming a cold heartless bitch about teh fishes. but y'know- in nature some live, some die. that is the way. some eat, some get eaten. some die so that others may survive. death is a part of the balance & can't be excluded. but can i be the agent of death & help some of the days old babies to an early demise to preserve the health of my community? that's a big grey area where the distinctions between good & evil blur. darkness & light wrestle within me. i have asked everyone i know to take these fish. no one wants them- they're guppies. nobody wants freakin guppies- they're a dime for 2 & then you have a dozen. & then 2 dozen... & then 6 dozen.
sigh. extreme times call for extreme measures. there are too many places to hide, so the babies don't get eaten by the others. perhaps if i just take the large rocks out... the fish will restore balance amongst themselves, & my hands will remain clean of their blood.
i shall mourn mr. plecostomus... he will have passed by the next sunrise, i think. *wipes a tear*