Impulse Purchase

[omieluv]

This is actually a sad story...at least to me.

Not many will understand my reasoning, so I will try to compare it to gem stones as much as possible, but here it goes. I have been in the aquarium hobby for many years, not only because I find fish interesting, but because well pigmented fish are almost like colored gems swimming around in the water. Freshwater fish are not known for their brilliant color, like saltwater fish are, however, over the years breeders have gotten much better at breeding for color. Angelfish are my favorite with regards to freshwater fish (aside from discus), and in the last 10 years or so, breeders have been getting really good at breeding "koi" angelfish. The koi color resembles a deep orange-red that is absolutely beautiful. So after reading about them, I just had to find one. Now of course, you cannot just go into your typical "big-box" pet store like PetSmart, PetCo, etc (these are pet product retailers in the USA) and find these awesome fish. Rather, you have to hunt and find local fish stores that know the right breeders. For those of you having troublle visualizing this process, it is very similar when hunting for a fine & well-cut gemstone.

So, about 6 years ago, I found one! Not sure if it was male or female, as you cannot really tell with angelfish, however, "he" had the best coloring I had seen, even in fish magazines (yes, there are fish hobbyist magazines...). I would say that 20-25% of its body was a deep red-orange, which faded to white. He had one eye that had black around it and a few random black markings as well. Even his dorsal fin had a light orange stripe going through (similar in color to a spess). He was a juvenile when I brought him home and very feisty at that. As he aged, his color matured - just beautiful. For those curious as to what he looked like, click on this link: http://azangelfish.com/images/untitled-7.jpg, though the fish pictured is not nearly as well colored, but it was the best picture I could find using google image search.

This morning, when I went to feed my fish and they were all dead. I looked at my thermometer and the temperature was 104 degrees (f), which was about 20 degrees warmer than it should have been. Apparently my heater malfunctioned. I swear, I went into shock. It took me such a long time to find the fish that I had, because many were hard to find...it was devastating. Not to mention the expense involved.

The first fish I saw was of course my angelfish. He had all of his beautiful color, which basically means that he had just died. Same with my other fish. I had these other little fish the color of amethyst with bright red fins...such a shame, as they were so rare and they had out lived their life expectancy by 3 years. At this point, I am not sure if I will start over with my aquarium. My BF came home early today and cleaned out my fish tank because I was just so devastated when I called him at work. Now the tank just sits in the room empty & I am not even sure if I have it in me to start over. I digress...

Anyway, since I am not likely to find another koi angelfish as well colored as the one that died, I decided to buy this stone from ACS, as its color really reminds me of my fish. I really do not know a thing about colored stones, but I have read many glowing reviews of ACS and Barry's work, so I guess I could not go wrong. Not sure how the color will look in real life, though I think it will be a good deal darker than the photo, but we shall see. Not sure if this is the "ideal" color of this particular garnet, but I was mainly looking for a color that represented the color of my poor angelfish.

http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=5&idproduct=2593

 

[Pandora II]

I''m so sorry - how completely devastating. I can''t imagine how sad you must be.

The garnet looks beautiful to me,

 

[Fly Girl]

Hugs, omieluv. We used to keep fish, and I know how very sad your story is. So sorry to hear about your fish. I think it is a nice idea to get a memorial stone to help ease the pain.

 

[omieluv]

This is the only picture I had of him and he was quite young at the time, maybe a year old. I am sure he even might agree that this was not his best side either. You can see his color starting to spread and develop though.

Sorry the quality does stink, but not only are fish hard to photograph, my digital camera does not have image stabilization. It also does not help that my photo software is limited to MS Paint.

 

[platinumrock]

OL, I am soooo sorry about your beautiful fishes! What a true gem that you just lost! I''ve had my tiger oscars and firemouth since 2004, and I can''t imagine waking up one day and finding them dead.

The color of that garnet is beautiful! I can only imagine what your angelfish looked like. Do you have any pictures?

 

[platinumrock]

Date: 1/23/2009 8:08:21 PM
Author: omieluv
This is the only picture I had of him and he was quite young at the time, maybe a year old. I am sure he even might agree that this was not his best side either. You can see his color starting to spread and develop though.

Sorry the quality does stink, but not only are fish hard to photograph, my digital camera does not have image stabilization. It also does not help that my photo software is limited to MS Paint.

Awww...he was beautiful. This is making me really sad.

 

[oobiecoo]

I''m so sorry this happened! I think the gemstone is a really sweet way to remember your beloved fish.

 

[Elmorton]

Oh Omie, ((((HUGS)))). What an awful day for you - I''m so sorry to hear about your fish.

I think your stone is beautiful and a lovely way to remember how their beauty brought you happiness

 

[coatimundi_org]

Oh I''m so sorry about your fish, omie. It''s a beautiful stone.

 

[Harriet]

I''m sorry about your fish.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Oh no! I''m so sorry to hear about your fish

At least you''ll have something lovely to remind you of your koi angelfish (and I''m sure you''ll be happy with Barry''s work), and in time, you can start up your fish collection again

 

[omieluv]

Thank you all for your kind words. I am quite beside myself as I am not normally so emotional over my aquarium. I suppose it was the initial shock I felt combined with the fact that the entire event was quite sad.

Pandora - thank you. I remember reading some of your posts that praised ACS, which is one of the reasons why I turned to that site first.
Fly Girl - It was so strange. I just had to take my mind off the accident, so as a true PSer, I got the idea in my head to find a stone that best matched his color.
Platinumrock - I am so glad I am not alone, as you can certainly empathize. What type of heater do you have? Mine was an Ebo Jaeger, however, it was one manufactured after Ehiem took over. The new generation are not nearly as reliable as they used to be.
Harriet - thank you dear!
Brown Eyed Girl - thanks. I will try to post pictures when the garnet arrives. Barry said he will ship it out Monday or Tuesday

 

[movie zombie]

i''m so sorry! RIP fishes.

movie zombie

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh my! I am so sorry!

 

[decodelighted]

I''m so sorry for your loss & the terrible shock of the incident. Hope the stone brings you comfort & reminds you of his/her well-loved & treasured life. (As well as your dear other fish)

 

[isaku5]

I''m so sorry...Some might think that they''re *just fish*, but to you (and you''re the only one who matters right now), they were your beauties...much like the gem you''ve just purchased.

 

[platinumrock]

Date: 1/23/2009 9:47:27 PM
Author: omieluv
Thank you all for your kind words. I am quite beside myself as I am not normally so emotional over my aquarium. I suppose it was the initial shock I felt combined with the fact that the entire event was quite sad.

Pandora - thank you. I remember reading some of your posts that praised ACS, which is one of the reasons why I turned to that site first.
Fly Girl - It was so strange. I just had to take my mind off the accident, so as a true PSer, I got the idea in my head to find a stone that best matched his color.
Platinumrock - I am so glad I am not alone, as you can certainly empathize. What type of heater do you have? Mine was an Ebo Jaeger, however, it was one manufactured after Ehiem took over. The new generation are not nearly as reliable as they used to be.
Harriet - thank you dear!
Brown Eyed Girl - thanks. I will try to post pictures when the garnet arrives. Barry said he will ship it out Monday or Tuesday

You certainly are not alone, Omieluv! What size is your tank? I just bought a new heater for my 90 GL tank. It''s a Rena SmartHeater. It filters water through to distribute the heat more evenly. It also blinks when the temperature fluctuates +/- 5 degrees. I like the fact that its exterior is hard plastic. Very durable. My oscars get very rowdy during "breeding time". Since they are both girls, their eggs lay unfertilized. After a few days, they eat the eggs since they don''t hatch.

My firemouth just hides in his little den when it''s "that time of the month".

How did your tank reach 104 degrees? My heater won''t even reach 93 degrees.

I really am sorry that you had to find your fishes this way. What did you do? I know what it''s like to search forever for that "perfect" fish that can co-exist with your other fishes peacefully. And to find all of them....dead...I just can''t imagine what I would do.

Do you have pics of your other fishes? What was your angelfish''s name?

Here is a pic of mine: Hannibal (white), Ozzy (black) and Charlie (under)

 

[geckodani]

Oh Omie! I''m so sorry!

I had to watch my fish freeze to death during a power outage once, and it was devastating - and I don''t think I cared about mine nearly as much as you did yours! ((HUGS)) I think the gem is lovely, and a sweet reminder of your fin friends.

 

[VRBeauty]

Omnie: It''s been a long time since I''ve had fish (I had a backyard pond for a long time, and kept a fishtank for a friend one summer) but I rememer getting quite attached to them and watching their antics. I''m very sorry to hear about your horrible day.

 

[mochi]

I''m sorry about your fish.

 

[bling addict]

So sorry to hear about your fish, that must be so sad for you.

The garnet looks beautiful and will be a nice reminder of your fish.

 

[T L]

I''m so sorry for the loss of your beautiful pets. That''s so devastating. Enjoy your stone and I hope it gives you fond rememberance of them.

 

[Tuckins1]

Sorry about your fish!

Your new stone is beautiful, though.

 

[omieluv]

Date: 1/23/2009 11:19:50 PM
Author: platinumrock

You certainly are not alone, Omieluv! What size is your tank? I just bought a new heater for my 90 GL tank. It's a Rena SmartHeater. It filters water through to distribute the heat more evenly. It also blinks when the temperature fluctuates +/- 5 degrees. I like the fact that its exterior is hard plastic. Very durable. My oscars get very rowdy during 'breeding time'. Since they are both girls, their eggs lay unfertilized. After a few days, they eat the eggs since they don't hatch.

My firemouth just hides in his little den when it's 'that time of the month'.

How did your tank reach 104 degrees? My heater won't even reach 93 degrees.

I really am sorry that you had to find your fishes this way. What did you do? I know what it's like to search forever for that 'perfect' fish that can co-exist with your other fishes peacefully. And to find all of them....dead...I just can't imagine what I would do.

Do you have pics of your other fishes? What was your angelfish's name?

Here is a pic of mine: Hannibal (white), Ozzy (black) and Charlie (under)

Your Oscars are beautiful! That is funny about "their time of the month," as the poor firemouth does not stand a chance. I love SA cichlids, they can get huge, but they are more like pets than Africans, which I find a bit too neurotic for my tastes. I have never had an oscar, but have read stories about them playing fetch or doing tricks, do yours do anything fun? My angelfish would stick his face out of the water when it was time for food.

Unfortunately, I do not have pictures of my other fish. They were mainly just dither fish, not too exciting, except for my Bolivian Ram. Bolivians are not very colorful, but they have a fun personality and I love the way they seem to "flutter" as they swim (which is why they are also known as "butterfly fish"). My tank is a 35 gal hex, so a tall tank, which is why it is perfect for angelfish. It took a while to find the right balance in terms of bioload and to learn what types of fish looked pleasing. I followed the rule of thirds and had rasborras for top to mid, an angelfish for the mid-top and the Bolivian for mid to bottom. This proved a nice balance because no one crossed into each other's territory and there always seemed to be activity at every level of the tank. *If* I decide to restock my tank, I will probably do the same thing, just because it worked out so well.

I *think* my water got so hot because I have a 200 watt heater in a 35 gallon tank. If you use the 5 x # gallons rule, I should get a 175 watt heater, but Ebo did not make a heater at that wattage, so I had to go with the 200 watt heater. My theory is that once the heater broke down, it got hot very quickly. When I saw the digital thermometer read 101 degrees, I almost fainted & I believe its accuracy as the water was almost warm enough to take a bath in. The smell was incredible - my tank smelled like a bait shop

. My BF ended up using my Python to drain half of the water and replace the other half with water from his 75 (he has a really cool severum, a nice red orange color, with red going through its cheeks). My hope is that I will not have to do a complete tank cycle, should I decide to restock. This reminds me, I need to pick up a new test kit to check my nitrite and amonia levels, as I am not sure if the water is safe yet.

BTW, my BF named my angelfish "Peepers" and i have no idea why. I did not want to name him, just because I did not want to get too attached, but he felt the need to name him. I will have to research Rena heaters, as I believe they have a good reputation. I do not think I would need one as advanced as yours because I have enough cirulation in my tank to distribute the heat, however, they make other models. I have also heard about those new VisiTherm Stealth heaters, they have some sort of an auto shut off feature so they do not overheat. Where was this cool technology in 2001, when I set up my tank?

 

[omieluv]

Thanks everyone for your support. I am feeling much better this morning and I am so glad I ordered that stone from ACS, as I have something to look forward to. BB sent me a very nice note and said that the garnet looks pretty much the same in terms of color in most lighting and there is some color shift. He did mention that in some lighting it can look darker.

MZ - thanks. The color of your stone in your avitar reminds me of his coloring.
DS - I appreciate your empathy and support.
Deco - Searching for a stone near to the color of my angelfish helped me to take my mind off of what happened.
Isaku - thank you. Part of me does feel silly for being so sad, but the other part feels like I failed them.
Geco - ((Hugs)) - oh that must have been terrible for you. I am not sure if you live on the east coast, but I remember hearing of those terrible ice storms, which left them without power for days. At the time, I was an active member of a fish forum and stories I heard were so sad. People lost so many fish.
VR - Oddly enough, some fish can behave in ways that make them unique, which can be fun.
mochi - thanks!
BA - Thank you. The garnet seems to have promise. BB said that he would have it out to me either Monday or Tuesday, so I am not sure if that means he will ship it then or if that means he anticipates that I will receive it then.
TL - thank you. What happened was devistating and still in a bit of shock. However, I am better today and now my BF wants to drag me out to LFS (local fish stores) to cheer me up. Not sure if I am ready, but they say if you have fallen off of a horse, you get back on (I know this to be true because I have fallen off horses, multiple times).
Tuckins - thank you. I am looking forward to recieving the stone. I found a larger picture of it on ACS: http://www.acstones.com/gemofmonth/gemofmonth.asp

 

[platinumrock]

Date: 1/24/2009 12:15:26 PM
Author: omieluv

Date: 1/23/2009 11:19:50 PM
Author: platinumrock

You certainly are not alone, Omieluv! What size is your tank? I just bought a new heater for my 90 GL tank. It''s a Rena SmartHeater. It filters water through to distribute the heat more evenly. It also blinks when the temperature fluctuates +/- 5 degrees. I like the fact that its exterior is hard plastic. Very durable. My oscars get very rowdy during ''breeding time''. Since they are both girls, their eggs lay unfertilized. After a few days, they eat the eggs since they don''t hatch.

My firemouth just hides in his little den when it''s ''that time of the month''.

How did your tank reach 104 degrees? My heater won''t even reach 93 degrees.

I really am sorry that you had to find your fishes this way. What did you do? I know what it''s like to search forever for that ''perfect'' fish that can co-exist with your other fishes peacefully. And to find all of them....dead...I just can''t imagine what I would do.

Do you have pics of your other fishes? What was your angelfish''s name?

Here is a pic of mine: Hannibal (white), Ozzy (black) and Charlie (under)

Your Oscars are beautiful! That is funny about ''their time of the month,'' as the poor firemouth does not stand a chance. I love SA cichlids, they can get huge, but they are more like pets than Africans, which I find a bit too neurotic for my tastes. I have never had an oscar, but have read stories about them playing fetch or doing tricks, do yours do anything fun? My angelfish would stick his face out of the water when it was time for food.

Unfortunately, I do not have pictures of my other fish. They were mainly just dither fish, not too exciting, except for my Bolivian Ram. Bolivians are not very colorful, but they have a fun personality and I love the way they seem to ''flutter'' as they swim (which is why they are also known as ''butterfly fish''). My tank is a 35 gal hex, so a tall tank, which is why it is perfect for angelfish. It took a while to find the right balance in terms of bioload and to learn what types of fish looked pleasing. I followed the rule of thirds and had rasborras for top to mid, an angelfish for the mid-top and the Bolivian for mid to bottom. This proved a nice balance because no one crossed into each other''s territory and there always seemed to be activity at every level of the tank. *If* I decide to restock my tank, I will probably do the same thing, just because it worked out so well.

I *think* my water got so hot because I have a 200 watt heater in a 35 gallon tank. If you use the 5 x # gallons rule, I should get a 175 watt heater, but Ebo did not make a heater at that wattage, so I had to go with the 200 watt heater. My theory is that once the heater broke down, it got hot very quickly. When I saw the digital thermometer read 101 degrees, I almost fainted & I believe its accuracy as the water was almost warm enough to take a bath in. The smell was incredible - my tank smelled like a bait shop

. My BF ended up using my Python to drain half of the water and replace the other half with water from his 75 (he has a really cool severum, a nice red orange color, with red going through its cheeks). My hope is that I will not have to do a complete tank cycle, should I decide to restock. This reminds me, I need to pick up a new test kit to check my nitrite and amonia levels, as I am not sure if the water is safe yet.

BTW, my BF named my angelfish ''Peepers'' and i have no idea why. I did not want to name him, just because I did not want to get too attached, but he felt the need to name him. I will have to research Rena heaters, as I believe they have a good reputation. I do not think I would need one as advanced as yours because I have enough cirulation in my tank to distribute the heat, however, they make other models. I have also heard about those new VisiTherm Stealth heaters, they have some sort of an auto shut off feature so they do not overheat. Where was this cool technology in 2001, when I set up my tank?

Omie, I was thinking about you today and wondering how you were doing. How are you feeling? I felt rude for posting a pic of my fishes since you just suffered a great loss. If I offended you in any way, I apologize. I was so excited to see another fish owner, yet saddened about the situation. I was trying to delete the picture, but I couldn''t find a feature on this site that would let me do it. But it is so nice to be able to talk "fish" with another person, and be able to mention heaters, filters and temperature fluctuations without eyes glazing over. It''s quite refreshing!

It''s funny how Peepers would stick his face out when it''s feeding time. What did your other fishes do? They really know when dinner is, don''t they? My oscars get all excited and start wiggling their bodies...lliterally like dogs with wagging tails. They start splashing and following me around the tank. Then they look up to see if I dropped anything yet. Then they start taking bites of the surface..lol. I''d hear this smacking sound whenever my hand gets near. They really are like puppies! They would let me pet them. I am not lying. I''d stick my arm in the tank and they purr on my hand like cats. One time I put a ping pong ball in the tank and they started playing with it. They''d push the ball up with their nose until it floats around. Gosh, I remember when I was so upset with Ozzy for picking on Charlie that I put her in a bucket for a timeout. She threw a tantrum and laid on her side. She refused to look at me. But as soon as she was back in the tank, she was a perfect angel.

My 55 gallon tank used to be set up like yours, before we had the oscars. I had mostly freshwater dither fish with mollies, corys, tiger barbs, minnows, bala sharks, a suckermouth catfish (which we called "Sucky") and a blue swordtail (Swordy). He was the star of the tank like Peepers. It was very peaceful to look at with different levels of activity. When I added the oscars (even though they were babies), they slowly ate the smaller fishes as they grew. Hence the name Hannibal and Ozzy. So we had to give away the remaining fishes and only leave the oscars with the suckermouth.

We just started using the Python! Gosh, it is sooooooooo much easier than carrying buckets across the room! Renas make great products. I first researched them because I was looking for a silent pump. Sure enough, I was hooked. Their pumps were not only strong, but completely silent.

What kind of filtration system do you use? How often do you change the water? And how often did you feed your fish? I''m really tempted to get a Fluval canister filter (the one you don''t have to worry about), but I don''t know how it''s supposed to be set up. I think that was wonderful of your boyfriend to clean up your tank for you. What kind of set-up does he have? I''m going to look into the VisiTherm Stealth heaters. Anything with an auto-shut off feature has to be a stress-saver. I know you mentioned that you wish they had this type of technology in 2001. I didn''t even have my first aquarium until 2003! And like any other clueless newbie, I stuffed 5 fancy goldfish and 1 beta in a 5 gallon tank without any type filtration or water movement. Lo and behold, I woke up the next day with 5 dead goldfish and a surviving beta.

I really hope you won''t give up your aquarium hobby. I understand that you are grieving right now...and still in a state of shock. It will take some time to get through this. But maybe one day...you''ll feel the itch to fill up that aquarium again.

Gosh, I think this is my longest post on PS. Feel free to chat up about fishes anytime!

PS: I tried adding a Red Devil in my tank and he terrorized it. I called him "Killer". He had to go back.

For some reason, he let me hand-feed him though.

 

[diamondringlover]

I am sorry about your fish, the same thing happened to us, we didnt have very expensive fish, but my then 10 year old son had gotten a fish from school and was very attached to it and we came home and one of our fish has a hole burned thru it, it was just devasting.

 

[FrekeChild]

I think that garnet will be a beautiful way to remember your fish.

I used to have a tank. Not anything cool like either of yours, just a 10 gallon. When I first got it I put a bunch of guppies and had about 4 aquatic frogs in there with it. The for my birthday a friend got me a butterfly fish, which died shortly after she brought it over. What was odd is that a couple of months after I had had all of them together, the frogs disappeared. I still don''t know what happened to them--there weren''t even bits and pieces of them. They were just gone. After that happened, the guppies slowly died off, and I bought three tank separators (those thin pieces of plastic with tiny holes dispersed throughout) and got 3 male bettas and put one in 3 of the 4 sections. The fourth one has the heater and the filter so it wouldn''t stress them out. They lived happily in there, kind of together, for a few years until they started to die off from old age. They brought me a lot of happiness, being bright blue and red and I remember them fondly. But I stick to furry creatures now.

FI has 2 red eared slider turtles in a 40 gallon tank that he uses a Fluval canister filter for. If you guys have any questions, I''d be happy to ask him about it. I do know that it''s hardcore and takes a lot of abuse (turtles are really dirty and they beat on the parts that are inside the tank!)

 

[geckodani]

Date: 1/24/2009 12:34:06 PM
Author: omieluv
Thanks everyone for your support. I am feeling much better this morning and I am so glad I ordered that stone from ACS, as I have something to look forward to. BB sent me a very nice note and said that the garnet looks pretty much the same in terms of color in most lighting and there is some color shift. He did mention that in some lighting it can look darker.

MZ - thanks. The color of your stone in your avitar reminds me of his coloring.
DS - I appreciate your empathy and support.
Deco - Searching for a stone near to the color of my angelfish helped me to take my mind off of what happened.
Isaku - thank you. Part of me does feel silly for being so sad, but the other part feels like I failed them.
Geco - ((Hugs)) - oh that must have been terrible for you. I am not sure if you live on the east coast, but I remember hearing of those terrible ice storms, which left them without power for days. At the time, I was an active member of a fish forum and stories I heard were so sad. People lost so many fish.
VR - Oddly enough, some fish can behave in ways that make them unique, which can be fun.
mochi - thanks!
BA - Thank you. The garnet seems to have promise. BB said that he would have it out to me either Monday or Tuesday, so I am not sure if that means he will ship it then or if that means he anticipates that I will receive it then.
TL - thank you. What happened was devistating and still in a bit of shock. However, I am better today and now my BF wants to drag me out to LFS (local fish stores) to cheer me up. Not sure if I am ready, but they say if you have fallen off of a horse, you get back on (I know this to be true because I have fallen off horses, multiple times).
Tuckins - thank you. I am looking forward to recieving the stone. I found a larger picture of it on ACS: http://www.acstones.com/gemofmonth/gemofmonth.asp

Yeah... MI ice storm... lotsa fin casualties.

Omie- I really do hope you restock your tank. It won''t be the same as the ones you lost - but hopefully you can get more joy from new swimming jewels. ((HUGS))

 

[omieluv]

oobiecoo - Thank you. If anything, I am hoping the color of the garnet will be the standard for which I judge future koi angelfish. It can be quite difficult to find a good one and it is easy to give in and "settle."

diamondrnglover - that must have been terrible for your son!

Freke - I think I know what type of frogs you are speaking of and they are escape artists. My BF had 2 in a 5 gal fish tank several years ago and one day, they were gone. He could not figure out where they went either. However, three years later, when he was moving furniture around in his bedroom, he found their bodies behind his dresser. Bettas are great fish and easy to take care of. Their colors can be so beautiful too. When I was in college, I bought a 2 gal tank from Walmart and picked out a Betta (there were no cool fish stores where I went to school). Anyway, he became my pal and when I had to come home for breaks - I would bring him too. It was funny, I put him in a plastic take out container inside of my bag. My mom thought I was crazy.

Gecko - Your poor fishies, that must have been terrible for you to go through. I dunno, I think I need some time before I can stock my tank again. My BF took me to a few fish stores and it just felt wrong.