super fun new years day adventure of take elderly cat to the emergency vet

So... it seems like every week you post that you've lost more animals. This tank died out bc x reason, gertie died, you co-habbed fish that can eat each other and look what happened... not to mention you get bored of animals fast (the axolotls). Anyone else had regular deaths like that and they'd get roasted, but when it's you it's an amusing story... haha the sculpin ate another fish... step back and consider why you're going through animals so fast, maybe.

first of all: i don't "get bored of animals fast." even after the initial excitement wears off, i still love and appreciate them. if i don't mention them very often, that's because i don't want to spam my followers with posts about my spunky congo tetras or beloved reclusive catfish or friendly rasboras. besides occasional pictures and videos, they only come up again if something happens to them; because disclosure and no one wants to hear about how my congo tetras are wonderful little sharks who have grown so much since i got them and fear nothing including the substrate vacuums.

and yeah, i let my followers know when i lose a fish or a tank, because that happens when you keep fish. there's a lot of new or aspiring fishkeepers on this website, and i want them to realize that even experienced aquarists have issues. most of the well-known ones will only talk about their healthy stock, and while that's fine, i would rather fully disclose what happened to a fish that i no longer mention.

when you're caring for 1 to 50+ creatures who live in the same enclosed body of water, disease can spread like wildfire. you can be as careful as possible, but a quarantined fish or plant can still bring in a pathogen, and it can stay in the water for months before a fish contracts it. to date, my only serious outbreaks have been 1) a case of ich back in the very start when i didn't know anything, 2) the alkalosis fiasco with that same tank (before i sunk a large amount of cash into an RODI system to completely prevent that from happening again,) 3) the iridovirus that struck my genetically weak dwarf gouramis, and 4) what just happened to my native tank.

the natives had fucking TB. that rare disease that can be present in a tank for years before it attacks. the reason i lost an entire tank is because i euthed every fish in there out of kindness. there's no successful treatment for mycobacterium marinum in aquatic creatures. i couldn't find a vet who would send a specimen to a lab to confirm the presence of m. marinum, so i can't be 100% certain; but the symptoms matched up. every day, 4-5 new fish were bending at the spine and their fins were contorting; and over the span of 72 hours or so, they would look like absolute zombies with bulging or sunken stomachs, and could barely function. while those individuals were put down as soon as i noticed the fucked up spine, i knew that it would just keep happening until the m. marinum ran out of fish to infect. so i made the decision to euthanize the remaining stock while they still looked healthy and happy. instead of when they were visibly suffering. that could have been in a day, or a week, or 3 weeks. but it would inevitably happen. and i would rather they go out when they're happy instead of miserable.  

and as for gertie—she somehow escaped the tank. killifish are known for jumping, and that's what happened, unfortunately. the orangethroat darter—a species that no one keeps in a tank with another species that no one keeps. there's little to no information on their behaviors. they were carefully introduced, and not only did the sculpins show no interest in the other fish, but the darters are fast, and the sculpins could barely fit one in their mouths if they tried. and they never did. until today, when i startled one, and caused it to defensively attack the darter i sent barreling towards the corner it was hiding in.

and finally, the axolotls? i got them in december, when i was so excited to get back into fishkeeping that everything seemed like a good idea. we’ve all been there! for some people, it’s a betta, and for others, it’s a pair of salamanders! i've had them for nearly 7 months. they're still being properly cared for. i could keep them for years. but i would rather not, because i'm apparently not an amphibian person, and i know there's people out there who would appreciate them more.

yes, i might seem like i don't care about my pets when you compare me to other fishkeepers. but that's because i have a large amount of tanks. when you keep that many fish, your monthly disaster count goes up. because there's more tanks and more equipment and more livestock and more things that can go wrong. some people have to euthanize a fish once a year, some people have to do it every month.

and on that subject. i'm well aware that i come off as euth-happy. i've had fish and other pets for years, and after awhile, you're able to remove your emotions from the mix and act in the best interest of the animal. if i know that an animal is suffering, and the treatment is painful with a low success rate, then i'll choose to end their pain right there. if i know that one tank has a highly contagious and fatal disease that could spread to my other ones if i slip up, then yes, i'll choose to mercifully euthanize the infected inhabitants and completely eradicate the disease as soon as possible.

please, step back and consider why you're following me despite clearly disagreeing with my actions.