You Say Goodbye...I Say Hello...Hello Hello
On a Saturday this past October, we said goodbye to the three common goldfish Matt purchased for about .30 cents each (when he was in high school). They were healthy happy but were being evicted from their home because some other fish needed to move in - and out of our house. So the three Fantail's moved into the 10 gallon tank in Matt's room...and got ready to be transported to their new home.
In the meanwhile, the 29 gallon tank was filled with the new cichlids because we didn't have the new tank yet.
Jared had arranged a spot for the tank, so we loaded up the truck and moved to Hiawatha (just the fish silly).
A gallon of water weighs about 8 pounds. so we emptied the tank about 1/2 way so it could be carried up three flights of stairs (yes they live on the top floor). Got the tank over to Jared & Ashley's, but when Terry said where are we putting it...and Jared pointed to the glass end table..(insert screeching breaks here)..Ah that won't work. Fully loaded the tank would weigh 80 pounds and bust through the glass. So Terry and I hopped in the truck in search of a 10 gallon tank stand. After about an hour and no luck, we return to Jared's and said, we'll get a stand, and then bring it back. So the goldfish are now back in Matt's room until we can find a black 10 gallon stand for Jared & Ashley. Hello Craigslist!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
Tales From the Tank #19 Part 2
Continued from prior post...
As you know from our first auction adventure, we didn't really know what we were doing (as if we ever do). But we a bit more selective this time around. However, just before Jared arrived with our lunch, Terry was getting pretty disgusted at how cheaply the bags of cichlids were going....so he whipped out his cell phone and called up KJ and said.."lets make a deal".
He sold KJ the 29 gallon tank (that the goldfish were in) for the babies and decided to keep the 55 gallon were were trying to buy for ourselves. He said to me..."I thought you always wanted a tank with cichlids?"
I have to say...he got me there. I am mesmerized by their different colors. Somewhat like I am with the angel fish. Well, then the "auction bug" caught Terry and he was in his element now...bidding on bags of cichlids.
This is all before we knew what the heck the experts were talking about. KJ always said you can't mix African cichlids with South American cichlids.
Since Terry likes to keep the action going, he bid $1.00 on a bag of baby fish no one wanted, got a bag of yellows for six bucks, a catfish for $9....we spent less than we did the first auction and came home with about 27 fish.
By this time, Jared had shown up with our McDonald's and we had been discussing where to put the 55 gallon tank he was trying to get and where in the world were we gonna put the three gold fish because if we put them all in the 10 gallon tank in Matt's room, then we are back to the problem that started this whole mess...some goldfish picking on the others. Geezzz.......
Ah Hah! Jared...how would you like to have some goldfish? We have the perfect tank for you...all ready to go, we can even give you food and gee, won't Chance (the cat) LOVE to watch them all day long when you guys are at work? (Hee Hee). Of course, he is his father's son (mine too) so he called Ashley and they talked about it. Her response was...."you have to take care of it so it doesn't smell". "I can do that" he said.
So everything was going to work out just fine! BUT WAIT....what do we do with the three original goldfish in Matt's room??
Terry said, "well you know...Petco has a tank for adoption fish. We (meaning me) just have to take them out there and give them up." Seriously? give up fish for adoption? No way....
As you know from our first auction adventure, we didn't really know what we were doing (as if we ever do). But we a bit more selective this time around. However, just before Jared arrived with our lunch, Terry was getting pretty disgusted at how cheaply the bags of cichlids were going....so he whipped out his cell phone and called up KJ and said.."lets make a deal".
He sold KJ the 29 gallon tank (that the goldfish were in) for the babies and decided to keep the 55 gallon were were trying to buy for ourselves. He said to me..."I thought you always wanted a tank with cichlids?"
I have to say...he got me there. I am mesmerized by their different colors. Somewhat like I am with the angel fish. Well, then the "auction bug" caught Terry and he was in his element now...bidding on bags of cichlids.
This is all before we knew what the heck the experts were talking about. KJ always said you can't mix African cichlids with South American cichlids.
Since Terry likes to keep the action going, he bid $1.00 on a bag of baby fish no one wanted, got a bag of yellows for six bucks, a catfish for $9....we spent less than we did the first auction and came home with about 27 fish.
By this time, Jared had shown up with our McDonald's and we had been discussing where to put the 55 gallon tank he was trying to get and where in the world were we gonna put the three gold fish because if we put them all in the 10 gallon tank in Matt's room, then we are back to the problem that started this whole mess...some goldfish picking on the others. Geezzz.......
Ah Hah! Jared...how would you like to have some goldfish? We have the perfect tank for you...all ready to go, we can even give you food and gee, won't Chance (the cat) LOVE to watch them all day long when you guys are at work? (Hee Hee). Of course, he is his father's son (mine too) so he called Ashley and they talked about it. Her response was...."you have to take care of it so it doesn't smell". "I can do that" he said.
So everything was going to work out just fine! BUT WAIT....what do we do with the three original goldfish in Matt's room??
Terry said, "well you know...Petco has a tank for adoption fish. We (meaning me) just have to take them out there and give them up." Seriously? give up fish for adoption? No way....
Tales from the Tank #19 Part1
OOPS...Here we go again!
It's been a while since I've posted an update. Nothing much has really been going on. Lost a few fish here and there...but this past October things have been going on, so I'd better get back to updating this "diary" of adventures!
Our fish partner in crime KJ - has quite a few baby cichlids. Cichlids, if you are unaware, are some of the most fascinating and colorful freshwater fish you can get without going to the saltwater variety! As she is aware of Terry's penchant for creeping and crawling on craigslist, she set him to the task of finding her a larger tank for her "babies". (One can't house the babies with the larger cichlids, because if it's not their mom and pop...they are fish food for other large cichlids). I personally think this is where the term "Fish fry" comes from....groups of baby fish are called "Frye". So when you eat the baby fish...you essentially have a "fish Frye". LOL!
Of course, Terry was successful and found a great tank for a fair price and told Kathy all about it. A 55 gallon with a large pleco, three clown loaches and some platties. She replied that although it was really bigger than she wanted - she would take - and we would get the fish. Meanwhile, while we were waiting for the seller to reply and since we were unable to attend October 1st football game in Pella, Terry said..."By the way, the October EIAA fish auction is this Saturday". Well...you know where this is going right?
Saturday the 1st of October was a beautiful day - the kind you want to spend outdoors doing yard work, or just about anything. But Noooo, not the Schrafels. Now that we are "amateur aquarium hobbyists" we had developed of list of "items" we wanted to find. (Filter supplies, nets, decor, etc - not really fish. Didn't really need any of those). So, armed with our list and our checkbook..and determined not to spend a lot of cash...we headed to the auction .
After we got to the auction site and began previewing items that we thought we could "use", noticed there were tons of cichlids to purchase and not much of anything else. So we just were waiting for the supply items we wanted to come up. Then Jared (our oldest) sent a text and said, "I'm at your house, where are you?". I replied "We aren't there, we are at the fish auction". His reply: "OMG. by the way....I'm washing my car at your house". Remember in an earlier post how I thought our water bill would go down once the kids were gone? Yeah right.
I told him, "when you're done, you can always come hang out with us" and BTW if you do...let me know and you can bring us McDonalds' and I'll buy yours too". (any red-blooded 22 year old can't pass up that bribe).
To be continued....
It's been a while since I've posted an update. Nothing much has really been going on. Lost a few fish here and there...but this past October things have been going on, so I'd better get back to updating this "diary" of adventures!
Our fish partner in crime KJ - has quite a few baby cichlids. Cichlids, if you are unaware, are some of the most fascinating and colorful freshwater fish you can get without going to the saltwater variety! As she is aware of Terry's penchant for creeping and crawling on craigslist, she set him to the task of finding her a larger tank for her "babies". (One can't house the babies with the larger cichlids, because if it's not their mom and pop...they are fish food for other large cichlids). I personally think this is where the term "Fish fry" comes from....groups of baby fish are called "Frye". So when you eat the baby fish...you essentially have a "fish Frye". LOL!
Of course, Terry was successful and found a great tank for a fair price and told Kathy all about it. A 55 gallon with a large pleco, three clown loaches and some platties. She replied that although it was really bigger than she wanted - she would take - and we would get the fish. Meanwhile, while we were waiting for the seller to reply and since we were unable to attend October 1st football game in Pella, Terry said..."By the way, the October EIAA fish auction is this Saturday". Well...you know where this is going right?
Saturday the 1st of October was a beautiful day - the kind you want to spend outdoors doing yard work, or just about anything. But Noooo, not the Schrafels. Now that we are "amateur aquarium hobbyists" we had developed of list of "items" we wanted to find. (Filter supplies, nets, decor, etc - not really fish. Didn't really need any of those). So, armed with our list and our checkbook..and determined not to spend a lot of cash...we headed to the auction .
After we got to the auction site and began previewing items that we thought we could "use", noticed there were tons of cichlids to purchase and not much of anything else. So we just were waiting for the supply items we wanted to come up. Then Jared (our oldest) sent a text and said, "I'm at your house, where are you?". I replied "We aren't there, we are at the fish auction". His reply: "OMG. by the way....I'm washing my car at your house". Remember in an earlier post how I thought our water bill would go down once the kids were gone? Yeah right.
I told him, "when you're done, you can always come hang out with us" and BTW if you do...let me know and you can bring us McDonalds' and I'll buy yours too". (any red-blooded 22 year old can't pass up that bribe).
To be continued....
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