# Sneeze.



## humdedum (Feb 18, 2009)

This morning my convict, Sneeze, was dead. 

I guess he was the only really "priceless" fish that I had...the others...I mean, the platys are endearing and all, but $5 and they're out of there. The convicts I've had for longer, but a few more Lincoln's and they'll be in your tank. 

Sneeze was really special though. I did things for him our family doesn't even give to our dog....I mean, I bought him _toys_. 

...the best thing about waking up was going to the basement and see him doing his best imitation of a starving animal.

Flushing down the toilet is always the way I dispose of fish, but I buried him in the garden along with his favorite log. I don't care if the log had ten million bene-_freaking_-ficial bacteria on it...they can go into the dirt with him. Didn't Egyptians kill the servants and bury them with their mummified monarchs? There we go. Any stupid bacteria was Sneeze's servant.

He was so pretty, too. Little brown egg spots on his anal fin and a gorgeous brown and beige everywhere...not lame grey and black convict colors. It's stupid to get attached to a little 2-inch fish, right? Two years ago, he was so shy we had to cover his whole tank with manila folders for half a month...then he was pretty much something special from then on. I'm an idiot, aren't I? Blithering idiot who gets way to attached too her fish. 

I wonder why I even try anymore...maybe I'll just clear everything out and get something dumb...hamsters are kind of cute...


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## egoreise (Mar 16, 2011)

Awww hummy! I'm so sorry for your loss.  I'm glad that Sneeze got to be spoiled rotten while he was here! :console:

*hugs*

... *and chocolate chip cookies*


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## Mr. fish (Mar 8, 2011)

Sorry for your loss. RIP sneeze.

Typically whenever you run into a situation like this its always good to analyze. Then learn from your mistakes. Sometimes there's nothing you could have done diff.

But, I feel for ya. I usually flush fish down the toilet too, but when the sad day comes of Corsica dying she will get buried. I could careless what people say.


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## humdedum (Feb 18, 2009)

egoreise said:


> Awww hummy! I'm so sorry for your loss.  I'm glad that Sneeze got to be spoiled rotten while he was here! :console:
> 
> *hugs*
> 
> ... *and chocolate chip cookies*


*stuffs cookies in mouth* Thanks, egoreise. I wouldn't call him spoiled rotten, but I did try my best....



Mr. fish said:


> Sorry for your loss. RIP sneeze.
> 
> Typically whenever you run into a situation like this its always good to analyze. Then learn from your mistakes. Sometimes there's nothing you could have done diff.
> 
> But, I feel for ya. I usually flush fish down the toilet too, but when the sad day comes of Corsica dying she will get buried. I could careless what people say.


Yeah, I know what the mistake was...the other fish went crazy and killed him as a joint effort...really I should have separated them earlier at the first nip. 

In any case, I really don't want to buy any more cichlids like I was planning to. The hornwort in my 50 is dying already and making a royal mess. The whole tank has floating brown bits of dead 'wort...looks super ugly. And gravel vacuuming is a ton harder than I expected...my arms are too short for the 20 inch tall tank. Embarrassing yeah, but I'm only 5'1" myself and I need a ladder to service any of the filters or heaters. Until I grow taller or discover some super tall gravel siphon, I have to keep it very lightly stocked so I can get away with vacuuming less frequently.

On the brighter side, I've never kept hamsters before and they're looking easier and easier to care for, compared to cichlids. 









May as well redirect my money and time (20% PWC on all the tanks takes a good hour, and I change twice a week) onto something that won't die if the little thread in their brain snaps, or there's a lousy power outtage.

But darn it, the dead/dying hornwort looks really, really awful. Look how adorable that hammy is...


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## egoreise (Mar 16, 2011)

I've had some REDICULOUSLY adorable furry pets.

When PsychoFish was little, she had a ferret! Her name was Kiki, because my little sister couldn't pronounce, "Kitty." She was the friendliest ferret ever. She used to crawl up our pantlegs.

Guinea pigs are also awesome! Just don't keep two males together unless you get them fixed.


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## humdedum (Feb 18, 2009)

Aww, ferrets are so cute. My mom doesn't like them, though -- rats and mice are also on the banned list of house pets. I like piggies a bit more than hamsters, but our house has limited space where a pet could be kept (not counting the dog, who has the run of most of the first floor, but is banned from the second floor)...a cavy would need too much room than what I could provide. Or rather, what my mom would allow!


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## egoreise (Mar 16, 2011)

Ahhh true. In fact, the cages typically sold for guinea pigs are smaller than I would use. I built one for my sister that is at least 8 square feet.

... I mean I built it for my sister's guinea pigs. 

Hamsters are super fun, too! It's too bad rats are banned. I had two rats when I lived in Oregon, and I had to give them up because I was moving to Montana and they are illegal to keep as pets here. Sooo bummed. They were so sweet! Their personalities are amazing.


Best of luck! Nobody can replace Sneeze, but you shouldn't stay pet-lonely, either.


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## humdedum (Feb 18, 2009)

Aha! I _knew_ older sisters were really diabolical at heart. 

I read about using those little storage-crate squares to make a really big piggy home. Cats are out of the question, because half of the family is severely allergic to them (me included, sigh). A bird requires too much time than what I could provide, with school next year and all. 

Aww, couldn't you tell the police that they were just fat mice? Or stunted ferrets?


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## egoreise (Mar 16, 2011)

Yep... that's exactly how I made it. Initially, it was for my sister. But I found she could easily lift the storage crate square thingies and escape. So I attached them to the base, but she chewed through the zip-ties. So I groaned and gave her a couple guinea pigs.
The bottom is made of corrugated plastic that I got from a local supply company. 4'x12', so I still have a GIANT peice of plastic in my basement.

I could have said they were stunted ferrets... or I could have had a shootout with the police, like some guy did at a local motel about ten years ago... yep. For his rats.


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