Salt-Water Tank

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This week I am the proud parent of a huge salt-water fish tank filled with tropical fish, coral, crabs, and a snail or two.

The set up on this tank is amazing... It has no fewer than three timer-controlled surge protectors with electrical cords running hither and yon. It has another tank which has the sole purpose of mixing water to the right balance to maximize the happiness of the little fish. And then there is another tank just for keeping extra water for when the high intensity lamps evaporate the perfectly mixed water.

Feeding these fish does not mean sprinkling fish flakes across the top. No, it requires the use of a dropper, a set of tweezers, a syringe, a chip-clip and five fishy products.

And surely you now understand how thankful I am for the flowchart organized by day of the week and time of day. Because unlike that time long ago when I had to call in help to provide the equivalent of fishy mouth-to-mouth and still had to explain to the little girls why two of their prized fish died while in my care, I received no instructions about how to preserve pets in the freezer should any die.

And that sort of responsibility makes you whisper a blessing over it as you say goodnight and tip-toe from the room.

Comments

Brian said…
My own attempts at keeping an aquarium of critters recently tanked when (I'm guessing) my water chemistry got off kilter. I had three platys and then an added itty bitty platy, and then suddenly no platys. Then I came by one day to find my crab scurrying down the electrical chord that keeps the pump going. (Ahah! He is strong enough to push up the lid. I will need to set the sofa on top of the tank to keep him from doing that--or something that is heavy and handy.) All the pets from the classroom zoo had to come home, but I think it might have been easier to hire a tank-sitter to room with them there. When your nomad days are over, would you like a Piume?
12:27 PM
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