The Day Things Got Fishy At Our House

Like all kids, Katelyn and Brooke had been wanting a pet for quite some time.  Normally, that desire really hasn’t been much of a problem, because they are allergic to everything.  But after doing some reading, Katelyn wanted to discuss possible options with us.  She had been saving her money and was ready to become a pet owner.  She was also able to easily coerce get Brooke on board with the project and in doing so, almost doubled her cash balance.  So it was time to talk about if/when/how this was really going to happen.

All of us knew that dogs and cats were COMPLETELY off the table.  If we got either animal, the girls would have to live somewhere else or we would have to take out a second mortgage on the house so we could keep enough Benadryl, Claritin and Zaditor (eye drops) stocked at all times.  I think we would also need to hook Brooke’s nebulizer up to a vat of Albuterol.  So small furry caged critters and birds became our first bump in the road (yes, pun intended).  We didn’t immediately veto them, but reminded Katelyn that if anyone was allergic to the pet, that the pet would be the one to go and their hard earned money that they’d been saving for the project would be gone.  Katelyn was really torn so we told her to sleep on it.

Soon after that, we decided to go check things out at the pet store.  About 15 seconds after we walked inside, Katelyn had hives on her face.  That was a good little reminder to both girls that they really are very allergic to so many critters regardless of direct contact, let alone sharing a room with them.  It is one of the only times that I wouldn’t have been upset if Brooke’s airway had started closing just a little just to make sure they both got the message loud and clear. 

My next step in our browsing process was even applauded by the pet store employees for its honesty and creativity.  The girls and I stood and looked at all the tiny cute furry little animals (guinea pigs, hamsters, etc.).  They were adorable and the girls were eating it up.  We talked about what you have to do to take care of an animal like that and how important it is to keep the cage clean.  That is when I pointed out how PERFECTLY clean the cages were at the pet store.  The girls agreed and then that is when I went in for the kill.  With them standing right by the cages I said, “Ok, so now I want you to close your eyes and take a deep breath.”  The gaging spoke for itself.  So I did not have to veto any of the cute little critters – their stink outweighed their adorableness.  That’s when we headed to the fish isle.

We looked around and asked lots and lots of questions.  Then we went and did that at three more pet stores.  In the end the girls decided on an a 5 gallon aquarium.  After that Emily was ready for a nap, so she slept while we set up the aquarium.  That night it was time to go get the decorations they liked - they were at numerous stores of course. 

 

They were so excited and so happy.  With everything selected and set up, it was time to let the tank do its thing for 24 hours.  I am surprised they slept that night but they did somehow.

 

 

When Saturday came we headed back to the pet store and the girls each carefully picked out their own fish.  Brooke went with a Tiger Striped Danio that she named Daisy Sparkle Hansen.  Katelyn picked a yellow Guppy (she wanted a female and those don’t come in blue) that she named Glitter Star Hansen.

The fish made it home safely and seemed to be happy with their new home.  The girls were ecstatic about their new roommates.  Brooke was thrilled that the fish both have “girl lips” (they look like red kissy lips).

The girls loved feeding them and everyone, including the fish seemed happy.  Little did we know there was trouble brewing.

Despite the endless advice we received from multiple sources, it turns out that putting one female Guppy with one Danio was not a good idea.  Apparently the fish girl at PetCo forgot that Danio’s are too busy and are a schooling fish.  So the poor mellow little Guppy got stressed out.  Then we also discovered that not only was Daisy the Danio super-active, she also happened to be über aggressive.  She was nipping at Glitter and letting her know she was the boss of the tank.  Seriously?

So Brooke decided that she would trade in her Danio and get a nice fish that would be friends with Glitter.  So we got a new fish and more chemicals to help with our ammonia spike and we thought we were set.  Brooke was excited to bring home her new Guppy she affectionately named Rainbow Shimmer Lollipop Hansen. 

But the problems continued… Glitter’s belly was getting starting to swell/inflate and she went from hiding on the bottom of the tank to staying right at the top.  Yikes.  Well, about a day after we thought we fixed the problem, Katelyn was getting ready to go to a birthday party that she was super excited about and since I didn’t realize how sick Glitter had been getting (I was hoping the extra chemicals I bought would fix everything), right before it was time to go I said, “Hey, let’s go check on the fish before we leave!”  Bad idea.  I couldn’t find Glitter but Katelyn did.  I guess Glitter died sometime after lunch and was sucked up against the filter intake.  Talk about emotional trauma.  There was screaming, crying, you name it and the girls were pretty upset about it too.

According to the pet store people, Glitter was either pregnant from a fling at the pet store prior to her adoption and she died of complications associated with the pregnancy, or she had a hole in her abdomen – which they said was a “common genetic defect” in Guppies.  You have GOT to be kidding me.

Katelyn recovered (you can still see sad eyes in the picture though) and decided to get a look-a-like.  Her new fish is also named Glitter Star Hansen and she said she wants to pretend that nothing ever happened.  If only I hadn’t had us check on them before it was time for her to go to the party… she would be none the wiser and I would be the only one who needs therapy. 

But after much joy and a little trauma too, Glitter and Rainbow are happily living at chez Hansen.  We have learned a lot about fish (more than I ever wanted to know) and I’ve also learned to always have a clear visual on both fish prior to encouraging the girls to come anywhere near the tank.