Thanksgiving break has come and gone at the University of Maine and luckily the Fishie Bois made it through unscathed with absolutely no supervision. Before the break, they had a freshly cleaned tank with some redecorating to help them get a little bit of a change of scenery. They barely made a dent in their 5-day feeder so, I guess for next time around we should only give them one or two of the two-day feeders instead. Coming back from this longish break it seems they have started to school a little more frequently which means they are becoming a much stronger group (school).
The current debate is on when and how to remove the 5-day feeder remnant which is currently sitting at the bottom of the tank. The last thing we need is to have to clean the tank again due to algae build up from leaving it in there or an overflow of fish poop because the Fishie Bois have an all you can eat buffet. What is most likely going to happen is that it will get removed when the next fifth of fresh water goes in at the end of the week if not a little bit sooner.
Kimberly Lawton
Seeing as the tank was cleaned relatively thoroughly before the break, I have come to realize that there are quite a few tools we were missing which would have made the task much much easier. A sponge would have been useful for removing algae deposits more effectively. Some vinegar would really help to improve the sanitation of the inside of the tank, the decorations, and the visibility by removing clouding due to water build up on the outside of the tank. A new filter would also have been nice because the current one is definitely showing signs of use. It will get replaced soon anyways but it would have been nice to have on hand.
I also would have rather put the Fishie Bois in a different container while cleaning their crib than an extra trash can. Some sort of clear container would have been a bit more functional and a heck of a lot less creepy than keeping them in a trash can for an hour and a half. A bucket would have also been a nice addition to the list to help get rid of all the old water. One spare container and four washed out disposable water bottles did the job, but it was certainly a process.
