Lady Hobbs
10-05-2006, 02:29 AM
A storm come up outta no where last night about 10 PM. Thought it had gone thru so I logged in a couple hours later to check out the forum and bam…there’s goes the power at 12:30 AM
Oh Oh. Now just guess who still has the portable air pumps on their list? That’s right. Me. Amazing how a person can buy 20 treats for their fish, decorations, plants and everything else and the one thing that sustains life is not purchased yet. At a cost of $10.
By 1:30 I was draining buckets of water from the aquariums and while standing on a stool, pouring it back into the aquariums at speeds greater than Niagara Falls to get some aeration. Now, let’s not forget, it is pitch black in the apartment other than for my one candle. Water doesn’t always go where you want when you can’t see, you know. Nor, can you tell when the bucket is full by a flickering candle.
Obviously, keeping up this routine, by 3 AM in a soaking wet, the carpet is satured, one chair in the living room and the fish tanks are dripping water. I did find some benefit in wearing wet, cold clothing as it keeps you from dozing off. Since this routine was to continue to the next 21 hours, sleep was not an option. I also decided this was to be my punishment from God for not buying the portable air pump.
Sometime in the wee hours, my Bala Shark decides to leap from the tank. Now that was fun finding him by candlelight, as well. Even he was ready to commit suicide.
By 7 AM this morning, I hated my neighbors, hated myself, hated my fish and dog and now was starting to hate the power company. (No coffee, you see.)
From sheer exhaustion, I decide that doing this with only two tanks would certainly be better than trying to keep 3 going so all the fish in the 20 gallon were transferred into the 55 gallon. Yes, the same one that has only been cycling for 5 days! The transfer of fish went well until I got to the neon’s. Holding a candle in one hand, net in the other with eyeballs pressed to the tank I finally round those little rascals up. Do you know that catching a neon in the dark is something like trying to catch a knat? Try to net a neon in the dark and you’ll know you’ve never lived a full life.
What’s a girl to do now with two empty tanks? Well, heck. Move them. You now know that this is so much fun that you simple must find some different real estate for these empty ones so you will be ready for the next tank. (After buying the portable air pumps, of course.)
The best is yet to come. Don’t give up yet. I decided to run to the hardware store in town on the slight chance there are portable air pumps. The owner of the store tries to sell me a bicycle tire pump. I decide that pumping that thing all night is worse than carrying the buckets but then he says “the only other thing I have for air is this”……and hands me a can of Fix-a-Flat! I swear on my granny’s grave. What does he think you do with it? Pump it in the fishes mouth?
I should mention the reason for this power outage was many trees in town had been toppled on power lines. Possibly this guy had been hit in the head with one.
So, after upteen hours with no sleep, one kinda rotten ham sandwich and a hot coke, I can only leave with this advice. Get a portable air pump!
Every one of my fish survived. I did not.
Oh Oh. Now just guess who still has the portable air pumps on their list? That’s right. Me. Amazing how a person can buy 20 treats for their fish, decorations, plants and everything else and the one thing that sustains life is not purchased yet. At a cost of $10.
By 1:30 I was draining buckets of water from the aquariums and while standing on a stool, pouring it back into the aquariums at speeds greater than Niagara Falls to get some aeration. Now, let’s not forget, it is pitch black in the apartment other than for my one candle. Water doesn’t always go where you want when you can’t see, you know. Nor, can you tell when the bucket is full by a flickering candle.
Obviously, keeping up this routine, by 3 AM in a soaking wet, the carpet is satured, one chair in the living room and the fish tanks are dripping water. I did find some benefit in wearing wet, cold clothing as it keeps you from dozing off. Since this routine was to continue to the next 21 hours, sleep was not an option. I also decided this was to be my punishment from God for not buying the portable air pump.
Sometime in the wee hours, my Bala Shark decides to leap from the tank. Now that was fun finding him by candlelight, as well. Even he was ready to commit suicide.
By 7 AM this morning, I hated my neighbors, hated myself, hated my fish and dog and now was starting to hate the power company. (No coffee, you see.)
From sheer exhaustion, I decide that doing this with only two tanks would certainly be better than trying to keep 3 going so all the fish in the 20 gallon were transferred into the 55 gallon. Yes, the same one that has only been cycling for 5 days! The transfer of fish went well until I got to the neon’s. Holding a candle in one hand, net in the other with eyeballs pressed to the tank I finally round those little rascals up. Do you know that catching a neon in the dark is something like trying to catch a knat? Try to net a neon in the dark and you’ll know you’ve never lived a full life.
What’s a girl to do now with two empty tanks? Well, heck. Move them. You now know that this is so much fun that you simple must find some different real estate for these empty ones so you will be ready for the next tank. (After buying the portable air pumps, of course.)
The best is yet to come. Don’t give up yet. I decided to run to the hardware store in town on the slight chance there are portable air pumps. The owner of the store tries to sell me a bicycle tire pump. I decide that pumping that thing all night is worse than carrying the buckets but then he says “the only other thing I have for air is this”……and hands me a can of Fix-a-Flat! I swear on my granny’s grave. What does he think you do with it? Pump it in the fishes mouth?
I should mention the reason for this power outage was many trees in town had been toppled on power lines. Possibly this guy had been hit in the head with one.
So, after upteen hours with no sleep, one kinda rotten ham sandwich and a hot coke, I can only leave with this advice. Get a portable air pump!
Every one of my fish survived. I did not.