Seahorse down the drain

 I finally realized yesterday morning that I hadn't fed my new seahorses at their normal feeding time (I was about an hour late) and I scurried to thaw out their frozen mysis shrimp cube.  As I waited for the cube to thaw in a small bowl of their tank water, I looked for all 4 of my new fish.  I only found 3.  Not unusual, really.  Seahorses like to try to hide and camouflage themselves when they sleep.  I started slowly pouring in their food and watching for the 4th seahorse to rise up from the depths of the rocks or something but she never appeared.  I looked down in the rocks from all angles, no fish. I had the idea that maybe she somehow went down the drain but couldn't figure how she could have since the drain opening is right at the top of the water and she would have had to throw herself over the edge by coming slightly out of the water.  Well, it was worth a look.  I opened the cabinet below to see the sump but the light hadn't come on yet.  Darn it, now I have to find a flashlight.  I can't find anything since I had to pack up all our belongings into boxes and move them to the basement for the carpet layers last week. After a half an hour of looking and finding no sign of her, I woke my husband. He did the same things I did.  Look into the rock, around the rock, he even reached in with his extra long rubber glove and moved the rock.  She wasn't underneath it, either.  She had completely disappeared.  He came to the same conclusion I did and reached for a flashlight to look in the sump.  He somehow found one immediately, looking in the same place I looked and found none.  We looked together in the sump and as he was getting up to put the flashlight away, I thought I saw something funny.  I told him to bring the flashlight down again and then I saw her!  She was laying flat and immobile at the back of the drip tray that the drain empties onto. My husband reaches in to take her out and dispose of her, but her tail curls around his finger as he lifts her out! She somehow survived the trip!  He put her immediately back in the tank where she swam to her mate and wrapped herself around him for comfort.  We'll watch her carefully for a while, but there was no visible signs of damage to her.  This morning she was well and ate heartily with the rest. What an ordeal!


  

seahorse update and future endeavors

My poor seahorse, Malcolm, is deteriorating.  The skin on his tail is eroding, even while he's being medicated.  Our other seahorse that had this happen was on a different medication for it and it didn't work so we tried something else.  This isn't working either.  I just have to sit back and watch the poor fish die.  It's very frustrating.  We won't be getting anymore seahorses for a couple months.  Christmas is near and we won't have any extra money after taking care of the family's presents. 

As I sit here waiting for the city to come inspect my apartment, I pine for the projects I could be doing.  Remember this circle sweater? I'm making another one in brown.  I have only one sleeve and the edging to crochet before adding the buttons.  It's sitting here on the couch with me and I work on it during my cleaning breaks.  I'm still picking up random items left around the perimeter of the living room: a pen by the couch, a bottle cap carelessly left by the tv, I'm sure you know what I mean.  I have several sewing projects I'm looking forward to doing, too.  I inherited a few more items of clothing from Aunt J that I need to make over a bit.  I'm short waisted, but there is one sweater she gave me that shows even my belly when I lift my arms.  I'm hoping to add some lace at the bottom and maybe around the sleeves. I looked for a thick band of lace to buy today but couldn't find one.  I may have to make it myself.  I just can't drag that stuff out before the inspection is over.  I'm always nervous at inspection time.  I feel like I'm being judged by my housekeeping skills, or I should say lack thereof.   Whenever they come I end up apologizing for the state of my apartment and always get told the same thing: that the people who are embarrassed by the state of disarray (or rather, their perception of it) aren't the ones that should be.

Parent/teacher conferences for my little prince are tonight.  I expect a good report.  I do know that he doesn't like to do math and gets kept inside for recess to work on his assignment quite often, because he doesn't work on it in class.  He is one of those individuals who lets his mind wander way too easily when not strictly supervised, so when told to do pages x-x in his workbook then left to his own devices he imagines scenarios from his video games and favorite cartoons, or even both together.  He has quite an imagination. The point is, he doesn't concentrate on his work.  I've told him countless number of times that he has to show his teachers that he knows how to do the work or they think that he can't and he'll end up getting held back.  The thought upsets him, but he can't seem to make himself focus.

So I have several things to look forward to. The apartment inspection, the conferences, and my favorite: dinner out with one of my favorite cousins!  Maybe I can actually give her the Christmas present I picked up for her last year!  Maybe even the scarf I made for her birthday back in October. 

At this time I think I wil wash up the few dishes left in the sink and get back to my circle sweater.  I have some pictures to take of my finished projects, but don't want to drag those out until after inspection! 

new coat, seahorse, crochet

It's growing colder here in Michigan so we got out and bought our little prince a new winter coat.  he tried on several from the same rack and decided he liked one better than the others so we bought it for him.  It hasn't been cold enough yet to wear it, just sweatshirt weather, but this morning when he was getting ready for school he looked at it in the closet and asked me "where's my blue coat?" I asked him what blue coat, he doesn't have a blue coat.  He tells me he's looking for the blue coat we bought him this weekend.  It's very frustrating trying to understand this special little boy. He was asked several times if he was sure it was that one he wanted. He was sure at the time, but apparently his mind turned it sideways or something!

I finished a couple crochet projects this weekend but I still have to put a strap on the last tote bag I have done.  I have to take some pictures of a bunch of finished products I have made, mostly hats, to post on Facebook just to give away to anyone who wants them. I need to downsize my basement area so it's not so cluttered.

Our last seahorse, Malcolm, is isolated and being medicated.  He's not doing well.  I had high hopes for him, but the air bubbles in his tail started bursting open.  This happened to Fry also and he never recovered from it.  Malcolm is not swimming around at all anymore, and he hasn't eaten in 2 weeks. His sides are starting to sink in. I am afraid he's not going to make it through this.  I need to update my seahorse notebook.  I have a notebook that has all our saltwater fish listed, ages, names, dates they were born or put in the tank, etc.  I have to put a few deaths and illnesses in it.  I've slacked off quite a bit on it.

I still have some cleaning to do around the house and I'm getting hungry (even though I ate 3 biscuits with sausage gravy for breakfast!) so i think I'll get things done before I start working on that tote bag strap.  I hope to finish it today.

Seahorse death

hanging upside down

My favorite seahorse died.  The tank was infected with a bacteria that they couldn't fight off.  I lost 3 of my 4 to it.  First was "Fry" (named for Phillip J. Fry on Futurama), his mouth was horribly affected.  He had these little white bumps forming around it until he couldn't close his "lips" anymore. he couldn't eat. Then Simon died.  Simon went through what we call a hunger strike a few weeks ago.  he just stopped eating for no apparent reason.  All of our seahorses have done this.  He became quite emaciated; his sides were sunk in.  Then he started eating again, but hadn't gotten up to full strength before he got sick. I only had a little hope for him.  I had high hopes for Bailey, though.  She was my special project, born small, slow growing, never got up to full adult size. I had to take prodigiously attentive care of her.  I was very excited when we put her in the big tank from the nursery tank a few months ago.  She even grew larger in there. A couple days ago, I

showing off her ability to change colors

 couldn't find her.  My husband finally did, hiding behind our rocks.  When she was still there the next day I made him poke at her to see if she'd even move but she didn't.  She'd been dead for a while. This saddens me.  I named her after my friend's daughter, Bailey.  She is very interested in sea life and loved seeing my pictures of the tank. Now I'm down to Malcolm.  He's doing much better, physically.  His blisters are shrinking, and he can swim upright without much effort.  Unfortunately, he had bonded to Bailey and is now depressed.  They hadn't mated yet since they were both sick, but I had hopes that they would. He was eating a little, but not much.  Now he's not eating at all again.  He hasn't moved either.  He's hooked up to one of our rocks and just stays

hanging out with her big brother

there, head down. His food falls right in front of his face and he doesn't even look at it.  Hopefully he snaps out of it soon or we start from scratch.

got herself stuck head first in the rock

Halloween, seahorses, and rats, oh my!

Halloween is tomorrow and our little town is having 2 days of trick or treating.  Tonight is the downtown businesses and "the old folk's home" and tomorrow is residential.  We usually take the little prince downtown and to the retirement home anyway so tonight will be good for us.  I'm going to give him one of my tote bags to haul it all home, a Walmart bag usually isn't big enough to carry it all! 
He's going to be Homer Simpson from The Simpsons.  He wore blue sweatpants and a white tee shirt to school today and will put on the hat I made him later.
I'll stuff his shirt with a pillow after school and he'll be the cutest little Homer ever! He decided a couple months ago that he wanted to be Homer Simpson so I started on the hat.  I am not completely happy with it but I think he's recognizable as Homer, especially since I fully expect him to walk around saying "D'OH" all the while.



My Morbo throw is nearly finished.  I have the picture all filled in and am going over the lettering at the bottom to make it more legible.  Then I'll snap a photo before putting it in the washer.  My little prince laughed with glee when he saw it.  Before i finish that up I'll have to clean up the basement and pick up a few things in the living room.  We have a possible inspection coming up next weekend and we have to have everything neat and orderly.  I don't know why that's so hard for me.  I like to look around and see everything put away in its proper place but just never want to get up and do it!  It's harder when the sun isn't shining.  Aaaaaaaaand this morning it was so foggy I couldn't see the headlights of other cars till they were about 30 yards away.  So that means the house will suffer. 

To top that off, I found one of our precious seahorses dead this morning.  I didn't have any hope for this particular one, he went on what we call "a hunger strike" a couple months ago and hadn't fully recovered.  He had started eating again, but not enough to get his strength up.  when the tank got sick, they all stopped eating and it was too much for him.  He was already emaciated and couldn't afford to stop eating again.  I do have high hopes for Malcolm, he's already started eating again, not much, but still something!  He's the one that has the air bubbles in his tail that make him swim upside down.  He's trying to stay down instead of letting himself bob up to the top all the time.  That's a good sign.  Our little girl though, I'm not sure about.  I'm hopeful, but not as much as for Malcolm.  Bailey is a runt and we're astounded that she's lived almost a year now.  She was doomed from the start and gets closer to death every day, forgive my pessimism. She was a tiny baby the day she was born, and she had developed an air bubble in her chest at some point that kept her floating at the top for a week.  I just kept feeding the tank and hoped that she was getting enough nutrition from swallowing the water that was in her vicinity and she did.   She got big enough to fight the pull to the top and lived long enough for the air bubble to get absorbed into her system .  She's now still the size of a 4 month old, but she has doubled in size since we put her in the big tank from the baby tank.  she and Malcolm have shown promising signs of bonding so I'm hoping they survive this disease and make more babies.  Babies are always welcome in this home.  That'll make me feel better!

Shaddous is doing better too!  She still wheezes when she breathes, but I have to be close to her to hear it. She's eating solid food and even playing again.  I just love that my husband sits up with her every night to make sure she gets her medicine. What a man I married!

Seahorses

Bailey, named after my friend's daughter

I have a seahorse tank.  I mean I have a saltwater aquarium that houses live seahorses.  There are also other things, but it's mainly for the seahorses.  I noticed a little bump on the nose of one of them a couple days ago.  Last time that happened, it was a bacterial infection we couldn't get rid of and the poor thing died after a few weeks of being treated with different things, none of them working.  I'm very disappointed to see it on this particular fish because she and her 2 brothers that we still  have were born in this tank almost a year ago.  I've raised them from day one.  My husband didn't seem very hopeful we could do anything helpful this time around either but he promised we'll still try. 

Simon, named after the doctor on Firefly

 I told my husband this morning that we have to try even harder to help them, because Bailey and Malcolm were showing signs of bonding. They had their tails hooked together and were wiggling their butts around. This is a good sign!  But it also means we might get more babies! That could be a bad thing though, because of the infection in the tank.  I don't want Malcolm to end up dying while pregnant!  And I don't want babies born into a festering bacterial pool. My husband has a few ideas of how to treat them this time around.  I just hopeit works.  I'll be devastated when these particular fish die, no matter how old they are!

Malcolm, named for the captain on Firefly

 Malcolm is also showing signs of infection.  He has air bubbles under his skin on his tail and has been hanging out at the surface which is unusual for seahorses.  There is less pressure at the surface so the discomfort is relieved when he stays up there.  Unfortunately, it also gives the bacteria more comfort to multiply and fester and cause more problems.  I am so very disappointed.  I just hope I can help them.