Monday, March 24, 2014

Still swimming

Much to my amazement and delight, Fish is still alive and swimming. However, I'm questioning whether his presence is a time-saver or a time-sucker. I brought him home to keep the stock tank free of algae and bugs, and he is doing an admirable job on both counts.

But I find myself dumping and cleaning the stock tank just as frequently because it's full of fish poop.
I didn't sign on for that part.




The equines seem to find Fish's presence rather refreshing, George in particular.
He loves to make waves with his tongue...

 

...so that he can watch Fish surf.



The tide went out by the time Alan came over to watch.



George: This is fun. Let's get a few more.


 

George and Fish like to play a game they call "catch the drip."



Fish swims over and waits patiently for a drip to fall.




Fish: Missed it. Damnit.



Fish: Got it! Whoohoo!



Fish: Hey! Come back! I thought we were playing for 2 out of 3!



Me: I'll play with you, Fish.
Fish: But he's more fun.



Me: Maybe I should call you Grumpy Fish.



30 comments:

  1. Love the pictures! Didn't really consider the fish poo issue... Do sucker fish cause as much waste? Are they even options?

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  2. love the whiskers and noses to

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  3. Gahhhhhh!!!! Absolutely amazing photos!!! Fish is so brave (and huge!) - I had no Idea he'd swim so close to the surface when drinking donkeys come around...
    Great post - going back now to look at the pics again. :-)

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    Replies
    1. Danni took the words out of my mouth.

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  4. HA! well the fish and the boys are entertaining hear other marvellously and providing you with blog photos eh ;D

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  5. In theory, I imagine that there is a cycle of algae and bugs, fish eats algae and bugs, fish goes poo, something else develops that eliminates the poo, and round and round. The weak part of my theory is that I don't know what that last poo eliminating part may actually be.

    It's cool that it takes such a relatively short time for fish to figure out stuff and become an interactive part of the family. We have had goldfish and betas that greeted objects at the surface of their tanks. One beta would even jump out of the water to get food that I held just above the surface. Makes for great entertainment when friends are visiting.

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  6. Not sure that you need to be so fastidious about dumping the tank. Flavored water is all the rage these days.

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  7. Linda, I'm with Danni, you absolutely amaze me with your pictures. What a joy to come every morning and start my day off with your photos and comments from the kids. Hugs

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  8. Maybe you could try a small skimmer/fish net? I used to use one to clean "floating debris" out of my fish tank to make total cleaning easier and more sporadic. Love the pics!

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    1. Good idea. I use a kitchen strainer to remove the surface debris...maybe some sort of net/scraper thing will work for the bottom.

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  9. Fish is a star!! You could get one of those itty bitty catfish to help clean the fish gunk out of the tank (that's only there because Fish is there to clean the tank from algae and bugs...uh oh, it's an Escher print come to life) You might consider one of those scuba dudes sitting the bottom of the tank with a treasure chest next to him. Think of the photo opportunities.
    Thanks for sharing your wonderful menagerie.
    LaurieB

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  10. a) let's pray George doesn't develop a taste for suchi
    b) let's hope Johnny dosen't discover his fishing instincts
    c) has Smooch ever noticed it?

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    1. Smooch isn't allowed over in that area, otherwise I'm sure she'd have something new to bark at.

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  11. Great shots! I can just imagine the contortions you went through to get the ones with George AND Fish in the scene. Amazing how Fish 'plays' with the donks... Never would have imagined that. Thanks for the morning smile!

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  12. Awesome! Love the update. As as it has been mentioned, gorgeous shots. My fave is the "got it" one. Looks as if they are having an intense discussion :-)

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  13. You always manage to capture beautiful light and great pictures of your animals but you have outdone yourself with these photos of Grumpy Fish catching water drops. Wonderful post this morning.

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  14. Great post! Love the photo of Fish catching the water drop. I think it's amazing George doesn't just slurp Fish right up while he's making waves and presumably drinking. Must be a smart Fish to be able to come to the surface when the boys are there but not accidently end up in a mouth.

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  15. Carson - because there is only one goldfish in your tank, even tho' it makes alot of poop (which also produces smelly ammonia), it is not gonna pollute the tank in the same way as if it were a fully stocked aquarium or pond. It won't hurt your herd. There is something called 'nitrifying bacteria' that live in the algae on the tank walls that consume the small amount of ammonia produced. The rest of the stuff produced is not harmful. Supposedly. From what I have read, it takes about a month to reach equilibrium or balance in the tank. You just have to ride out that initial phase which could look cloudy and funky, but whatever you do, don't dump and scrub the tank because then the whole process has to try and start over. Once you've reached that equilibrium, they say you only need to top up to keep your water fresh and dump/clean/scrub once a year. There is alot of talk on horse forums about fish/no fish. I like Grumpy Fish! Love your shots! It always amazes me how animals interact. And I agree w/Sigrid on b!

    - denver

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  16. Once again you've me me smile first thing in the morning with your exceptional photos and story. Darling! There really isn't a dull moment at the 7MSN ranch...you just have to be out there watching!

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  17. Now that is friendship. You should pen a children's book....

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  18. that is fish interaction! how cute! does he receive special treats?

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  19. Years ago I had one of those inexpensive feeder gold fish. He wasn't supposed to last more than a week. Well, he lasted a few years. At the time, I had several cats and they LOVED to drink from the fish flavored water that he swam in. Better to drink the water than eat the fish! Maybe Fish is flavoring your water.

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  20. Always dig your pics, but today's really shine!
    Maybe fish needs a name. (and a spot on the masthead)
    Just sayin'... ;D

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  21. An American in Tokyo3/24/14, 6:26 PM

    Glad to see Fish is alive and well! He looks A LOT bigger than when you first bought him!
    Will his name officially be Grumpy Fish now?! hee hee!
    ;)

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  22. Better late than never....I have a goldfish from the carnival. He eats his own poop and cleans up the bottom....maybe he was raised that way, I don't know but it's great! I have algae and clean the water every few weeks( only a 1/4 of the tank) cause I read that if you keep everything too clean it's not good. He was the size of pecan, now he is the size of a section of a large orange! He waits in the corner of the tank at 5 o'clock if I'm not on time, I swear he looks for me. Wish I had photos of him like these... Love the close-ups!

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  23. Shoot, I was certain I had said hello this morning.
    I love that fish is fishing for droplets. He sure looks like a Koi and not an everyday goldfish.
    Does he have a shelter to hide under should a passing heron see his pretty orange self whilst flying overhead? I had a friend with a pond that was cleaned out, one by one by a small green heron.

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  24. What a hilarious and entertaining series of photos!!!

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  25. Ha ha ha, loved this series of pics. :) All fish are grumpy fish I think. :)

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  26. Hi Carson - would a turkey baster type thing work for removing the poop? That way you wouldn't have to dump any of the water.

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