florida joe
Well-Known Member
First things first, the “banana” is actually a knife I keep near the tank for any spur of the moment maintenance.
Now on to the topic of attempting to keep the species of fish that I have single handedly brought to the brink of Extinction. A member of my SWF club was putting together a DIY multi tank stand and asked if I would do a little welding for him. After the job was finished and knowing I would not accept any money in return he presented me with one of his fish as payment. “Oh dear god no” not a RG. Quite pressingly he told me it was time to break the curse . Reluctantly I accepted the fish. After 2hrs of acclamation (I feel confident that this RG having had been in his tank for over 6 months is disease free) I am ready to introduce it into my DT. I pour the acclamation water through a net and as I get ready for the transfer the RG promptly does a swan dive onto the tile floor. I scoop him up and into the tank he goes. He swims up against the top of the overflow and plants himself there. After a few minutes it’s down to the bottom of the tank and behind some rockwork. I do not see him for the rest of the day. The next morning as the lights come on he is still no where to be seen. I look around the outside of the tank and no RG, a good sign. Check one overflow box no RG check the other and, you guessed it. I attempt to get a net down into the overflow but it cannot pass the prefiltration sponges. I shut the return pump lowering the water and pull out the sponge the net capture is not going well as the water level in the bottom of the overflow is only about 1 inch. Time for some good old fashion hand capture. Blindly reaching down into the overflow I grasp the RG not wanting to injure it I loosely hold it and of course it slips out of my hand half way up. “well buddy I say” this is going to hurt you more than me “ I reach in again pin him to the side of the box get a firm grip and out he comes and back into the DT.
In the pic below you can see the abrasion on his head from the extraction. I will have to keep an eye on it for any signs of infection. Has the curse been lifted or have I done something morally wrong with accepting this fish….. To me continued
Now on to the topic of attempting to keep the species of fish that I have single handedly brought to the brink of Extinction. A member of my SWF club was putting together a DIY multi tank stand and asked if I would do a little welding for him. After the job was finished and knowing I would not accept any money in return he presented me with one of his fish as payment. “Oh dear god no” not a RG. Quite pressingly he told me it was time to break the curse . Reluctantly I accepted the fish. After 2hrs of acclamation (I feel confident that this RG having had been in his tank for over 6 months is disease free) I am ready to introduce it into my DT. I pour the acclamation water through a net and as I get ready for the transfer the RG promptly does a swan dive onto the tile floor. I scoop him up and into the tank he goes. He swims up against the top of the overflow and plants himself there. After a few minutes it’s down to the bottom of the tank and behind some rockwork. I do not see him for the rest of the day. The next morning as the lights come on he is still no where to be seen. I look around the outside of the tank and no RG, a good sign. Check one overflow box no RG check the other and, you guessed it. I attempt to get a net down into the overflow but it cannot pass the prefiltration sponges. I shut the return pump lowering the water and pull out the sponge the net capture is not going well as the water level in the bottom of the overflow is only about 1 inch. Time for some good old fashion hand capture. Blindly reaching down into the overflow I grasp the RG not wanting to injure it I loosely hold it and of course it slips out of my hand half way up. “well buddy I say” this is going to hurt you more than me “ I reach in again pin him to the side of the box get a firm grip and out he comes and back into the DT.
In the pic below you can see the abrasion on his head from the extraction. I will have to keep an eye on it for any signs of infection. Has the curse been lifted or have I done something morally wrong with accepting this fish….. To me continued
