However, I also parted with another member of my animal "family", one who I have had for over 6 years. This loss was much harder. His name is Oz, and he's a Midas cichlid. When I first bought him he was nearly dead as a result of bullying from larger tankmates at Petsmart, and he was barely an inch long. As time passed, he upgraded from a 10 gallon to a 29, to a 55. I even moved him from Washington state to Kansas! Currently he is at least 11 inches long, about 7 inches "tall", and about 2-3 inches wide. In other words, he had long outgrown his 55 gallon.
I moved to my own place in November, and didn't bring him with me - it would have just been too much of a huge hassle to move him + the tank. He stayed in my parent's basement. I have no room here for a tank larger than a 55, and my parents were unwilling to let me upgrade at their house either. Oz was also extremely bored - I used to have my bedroom in the basement so he had interaction with me all the time, but my parents hardly ever go down there. So he was self-harming out of boredom, and I knew something had to be done.
The problem was that Oz is extremely aggressive towards other fish - he killed the only two tankmates I've ever tried with him and cleaning his tank was always like a shark diving adventure. So he needed a very special home and owner. I started posting ads on craiglist early in the year and never found anyone who had a setup that would be appropriate. Then several days ago I was contacted by a guy, Brandon, who offered to add him into his 150 gallon tank. The tank did have other fish such as an 11" pacu and 8" oscar, plus some varied African cichids. I was a bit concerned about the other fish, so we just decided to try it on a trial basis.
Last evening I brought Oz over and we introduced him to the tank. Oz was pretty stressed from the trip so we weren't able to get a good feel for how he was going to be. He hid behind the rocks the Africans live in (on the left side of the tank), and apparently slept there all night. This morning Brandon texted me to update me - he said that Oz was exploring the whole tank and being trailed by several of the smaller fish without minding at all. He even fed alongside them without problems, which surprised me (but I was also glad to hear he was willing to eat already, he must be settling in quickly). When he encountered the pacu he took a bite at him and the pacu fled to the right side of the tank where it usually hangs out. The oscar and Oz then had a 20 second mouth fight which naturally Oz won, and the oscar wandered back over the right as well.
I'm really hoping Oz doesn't start bullying the larger fish. He seems to have decided that the left side of the tank is his territory, which is good since the pacu and oscar already hang out on the right. I'm hoping that this becomes permanent and that territory squabbles are few and far between. However, I may be hoping for too much because Oz may decide the whole tank is his and start bullying that oscar like crazy. Fingers crossed? I still have his 55 up and running and will for another week or two, just in case... but I hope and pray this works out. It would just be an ideal situation for him. In fact, in an email today from Brandon, he said:
"The kids are having fun playing follow the leader with Oz. Our 22-month-old son belly laughs when Oz swims up close to see him. He is quite the character! :)"
I was so glad to hear that. Oz and I always used to play a game where I'd run from one side of the tank to the other and back and he'd swim alongside, trying to beat me. Brandon has 3 children under the age of 5 and I was hoping they'd play the same game - sounds like they are already! He's certainly going to get a lot of interaction at this house, which is wonderful. (Brandon also said I could come visit him whenever I wanted which I really appreciated, and I probably will at some point once he's settled in.)
I know a lot of you may be thinking I'm nuts for being emotionally attached to a fish, but he wasn't "just a fish". Hopefully from what I've said you can get some of an idea of how much personality he has. He is the most dog-like fish I've ever met, and I'll miss him a lot. I watched him grow and change his coloration and shape into a most impressive, beautiful fish. I wish I'd taken more recent pics, but here are some from a few years back, when he still fit in his 55:
Angry boy! Look at that flare!
And his 55, at its peak before he started "redecorating":
Cross your fingers for me that this new home works out for him. I don't know what I'll do if it doesn't. Goodbye Oz, and be good please!! I already miss you but you'll be happier there.
I may potentially have a 55 open now. (tiny cheer?) I'm thinking Diamondback Terrapin... Blue Tongue Skink... or upgrading my 29 community to the 55. No idea yet. Just some ideas rolling around in my head in case this works out.
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