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Scully's pet



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 9th 09, 02:07 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Kathleen
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 942
Default Scully's pet

So my daughter's betta fish, Sylvester, finally kicked the bucket, after
2 1/2 years. Evidently they only live maybe three years max, he was
full grown when she got him, and had been swimming sideways for about
three months before he finally went belly up.

So anyway, I dug out the little two-gallon aquarium we'd gotten for my
FIL several years back, which came back to us after he passed away. I
figured it would be nicer for the new betta than the 1 gallon bowl DD
had kept Sylvester in. And it would be kept in the family room, rather
than DD's bedroom. We scrubbed it out, prepped it, then went to pick
out a new fishie.

DD was quite specific in what she wanted. A male, young and small, in
shades of blue and green. We went to three different shops before she
found exactly what she wanted.

Brought him home, introduced him to his new environment. After the
hellishly small dish they'd had him in at the store, and the bumpy car
ride home, I figure he thinks he died and went to betta heaven.

He has a clean, roomy space all to himself, with a filter and a bubbler
that he seems to enjoy playing with. Like a cursor with a slightly
defective mouse, he will follow a fingertip dragged along the outside of
a tank wall. And he is a lovely fish, all in shades of peacock. His
name is Evil Betty.

And Scully adores him. She sits on a kitchen chair and watches,
transfixed, as he cruises his domain. Occasionally she glances over at
me, clearly inviting me to share her happiness and interest in this
wonderful new thing - "See him, look! Isn't he amazing?!"

Cooper knows he's in there, will watch intently for a moment or two,
then wanders off. Zane shows no interest at all. Probably just as
well. Scully clearly regards him as her own and would almost certainly
be ready to brawl for prime fish-watching rights.

If DD thinks Evil Betty is *her* fish, she is sadly mistaken.

  #2  
Old February 9th 09, 04:35 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Karla
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 79
Default Scully's pet


"Kathleen" wrote in message
news
So my daughter's betta fish, Sylvester, finally kicked the bucket, after 2
1/2 years. Evidently they only live maybe three years max, he was full
grown when she got him, and had been swimming sideways for about three
months before he finally went belly up.

So anyway, I dug out the little two-gallon aquarium we'd gotten for my FIL
several years back, which came back to us after he passed away. I figured
it would be nicer for the new betta than the 1 gallon bowl DD had kept
Sylvester in. And it would be kept in the family room, rather than DD's
bedroom. We scrubbed it out, prepped it, then went to pick out a new
fishie.

DD was quite specific in what she wanted. A male, young and small, in
shades of blue and green. We went to three different shops before she
found exactly what she wanted.

Brought him home, introduced him to his new environment. After the
hellishly small dish they'd had him in at the store, and the bumpy car
ride home, I figure he thinks he died and went to betta heaven.

He has a clean, roomy space all to himself, with a filter and a bubbler
that he seems to enjoy playing with. Like a cursor with a slightly
defective mouse, he will follow a fingertip dragged along the outside of a
tank wall. And he is a lovely fish, all in shades of peacock. His name
is Evil Betty.

And Scully adores him. She sits on a kitchen chair and watches,
transfixed, as he cruises his domain. Occasionally she glances over at
me, clearly inviting me to share her happiness and interest in this
wonderful new thing - "See him, look! Isn't he amazing?!"

Cooper knows he's in there, will watch intently for a moment or two, then
wanders off. Zane shows no interest at all. Probably just as well.
Scully clearly regards him as her own and would almost certainly be ready
to brawl for prime fish-watching rights.

If DD thinks Evil Betty is *her* fish, she is sadly mistaken.


Evil Betty is a wonderful name!
And I'm sorry to hear of Sylvester passing. Fins or fur, it's all sad when
we lose them.
Karla


  #3  
Old February 9th 09, 11:44 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Kathleen
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 942
Default Scully's pet

Karla wrote:
"Kathleen" wrote in message
news
So my daughter's betta fish, Sylvester, finally kicked the bucket, after 2
1/2 years. Evidently they only live maybe three years max, he was full
grown when she got him, and had been swimming sideways for about three
months before he finally went belly up.

So anyway, I dug out the little two-gallon aquarium we'd gotten for my FIL
several years back, which came back to us after he passed away. I figured
it would be nicer for the new betta than the 1 gallon bowl DD had kept
Sylvester in. And it would be kept in the family room, rather than DD's
bedroom. We scrubbed it out, prepped it, then went to pick out a new
fishie.

DD was quite specific in what she wanted. A male, young and small, in
shades of blue and green. We went to three different shops before she
found exactly what she wanted.

Brought him home, introduced him to his new environment. After the
hellishly small dish they'd had him in at the store, and the bumpy car
ride home, I figure he thinks he died and went to betta heaven.

He has a clean, roomy space all to himself, with a filter and a bubbler
that he seems to enjoy playing with. Like a cursor with a slightly
defective mouse, he will follow a fingertip dragged along the outside of a
tank wall. And he is a lovely fish, all in shades of peacock. His name
is Evil Betty.

And Scully adores him. She sits on a kitchen chair and watches,
transfixed, as he cruises his domain. Occasionally she glances over at
me, clearly inviting me to share her happiness and interest in this
wonderful new thing - "See him, look! Isn't he amazing?!"

Cooper knows he's in there, will watch intently for a moment or two, then
wanders off. Zane shows no interest at all. Probably just as well.
Scully clearly regards him as her own and would almost certainly be ready
to brawl for prime fish-watching rights.

If DD thinks Evil Betty is *her* fish, she is sadly mistaken.



Evil Betty is a wonderful name!
And I'm sorry to hear of Sylvester passing. Fins or fur, it's all sad when
we lose them.
Karla



Evil Betty is the villain from the best kung fu parody movie ever made -
Kung Pow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFBsC...eature=related

  #4  
Old February 9th 09, 11:55 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Phyrie
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 427
Default Scully's pet


"Kathleen" wrote in message
...

Evil Betty is the villain from the best kung fu parody movie ever made -
Kung Pow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFBsC...eature=related


Kung Fu Hustle. Even funnier watched in English, with English subtitles
running.
--
Phyrie
Kiba the Cav's Pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phyrie/...758930/detail/


  #5  
Old February 11th 09, 04:41 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
shelly
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,155
Default Scully's pet


"Kathleen" wrote in message
news
He has a clean, roomy space all to himself, with a filter and a
bubbler that he seems to enjoy playing with.


I've had a lot of Bettas over the years, and they all lived in 2-3
gallon tanks with aerators. They really do seem to love the bubbles. I
had one who would sit in the bubbles for hours, sort of slowly floating
up and down. I assume it's like a little fishy spa.

Like a cursor with a slightly defective mouse, he will follow a
fingertip dragged along the outside of a tank wall.


You can teach him to beg, and to come to the front of the tank when you
call him. Some of them like being petted, and some will come up and
"kiss" your finger tip if you put it in the water.

My current fish (two goldfish and a pleco) dance when it's getting
toward mealtimes. They spend as much time watching me as I do watching
them. They're veeeeerrrry interested in the outside world.

And he is a lovely fish, all in shades of peacock. His name is Evil
Betty.


He sounds perfect!

And Scully adores him. She sits on a kitchen chair and watches,
transfixed, as he cruises his domain. Occasionally she glances over
at me, clearly inviting me to share her happiness and interest in this
wonderful new thing - "See him, look! Isn't he amazing?!"


Harriet watches the fish when they dance. She's not as interested as
Scully, but she's aware of them. It was nice of you to get Scully a
pet!

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

  #6  
Old February 11th 09, 06:56 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Nick
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 211
Default Scully's pet

Kathleen wrote:

So my daughter's betta fish, Sylvester, finally kicked the bucket, after
2 1/2 years. Evidently they only live maybe three years max, he was
full grown when she got him, and had been swimming sideways for about
three months before he finally went belly up.

So anyway, I dug out the little two-gallon aquarium we'd gotten for my
FIL several years back, which came back to us after he passed away. I
figured it would be nicer for the new betta than the 1 gallon bowl DD
had kept Sylvester in. And it would be kept in the family room, rather
than DD's bedroom. We scrubbed it out, prepped it, then went to pick
out a new fishie.

DD was quite specific in what she wanted. A male, young and small, in
shades of blue and green. We went to three different shops before she
found exactly what she wanted.

Brought him home, introduced him to his new environment. After the
hellishly small dish they'd had him in at the store, and the bumpy car
ride home, I figure he thinks he died and went to betta heaven.

He has a clean, roomy space all to himself, with a filter and a bubbler
that he seems to enjoy playing with. Like a cursor with a slightly
defective mouse, he will follow a fingertip dragged along the outside of
a tank wall. And he is a lovely fish, all in shades of peacock. His
name is Evil Betty.

And Scully adores him. She sits on a kitchen chair and watches,
transfixed, as he cruises his domain. Occasionally she glances over at
me, clearly inviting me to share her happiness and interest in this
wonderful new thing - "See him, look! Isn't he amazing?!"

Cooper knows he's in there, will watch intently for a moment or two,
then wanders off. Zane shows no interest at all. Probably just as
well. Scully clearly regards him as her own and would almost certainly
be ready to brawl for prime fish-watching rights.

If DD thinks Evil Betty is *her* fish, she is sadly mistaken.


This is how it starts. You start small and then you just keep
upgrading, until you have fish tanks that are easier to measure in tons
than by gallons. I'm not yet to that point myself, only having a 12
gallon and a 50 gallon (approx 620 lbs of fish tanks). My 12 gallon has
a Betta in it though, so I can relate to your story. One of my cats
LOVES to watch him swim. The 50 gallon has an adult Oscar in it. My
next tank will be a 150 gallon Sal****er, but that won't be for a while
because I need to buy a bigger house before I can get one that big.

Nick
  #7  
Old February 12th 09, 02:18 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Phyrie
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 427
Default Scully's pet


"Nick" wrote in message
...
Kathleen wrote:

So my daughter's betta fish, Sylvester, finally kicked the bucket, after
2 1/2 years. Evidently they only live maybe three years max, he was
full grown when she got him, and had been swimming sideways for about
three months before he finally went belly up.

So anyway, I dug out the little two-gallon aquarium we'd gotten for my
FIL several years back, which came back to us after he passed away. I
figured it would be nicer for the new betta than the 1 gallon bowl DD
had kept Sylvester in. And it would be kept in the family room, rather
than DD's bedroom. We scrubbed it out, prepped it, then went to pick
out a new fishie.

DD was quite specific in what she wanted. A male, young and small, in
shades of blue and green. We went to three different shops before she
found exactly what she wanted.

Brought him home, introduced him to his new environment. After the
hellishly small dish they'd had him in at the store, and the bumpy car
ride home, I figure he thinks he died and went to betta heaven.

He has a clean, roomy space all to himself, with a filter and a bubbler
that he seems to enjoy playing with. Like a cursor with a slightly
defective mouse, he will follow a fingertip dragged along the outside of
a tank wall. And he is a lovely fish, all in shades of peacock. His
name is Evil Betty.

And Scully adores him. She sits on a kitchen chair and watches,
transfixed, as he cruises his domain. Occasionally she glances over at
me, clearly inviting me to share her happiness and interest in this
wonderful new thing - "See him, look! Isn't he amazing?!"

Cooper knows he's in there, will watch intently for a moment or two,
then wanders off. Zane shows no interest at all. Probably just as
well. Scully clearly regards him as her own and would almost certainly
be ready to brawl for prime fish-watching rights.

If DD thinks Evil Betty is *her* fish, she is sadly mistaken.


This is how it starts. You start small and then you just keep
upgrading, until you have fish tanks that are easier to measure in tons
than by gallons. I'm not yet to that point myself, only having a 12
gallon and a 50 gallon (approx 620 lbs of fish tanks). My 12 gallon has
a Betta in it though, so I can relate to your story. One of my cats
LOVES to watch him swim. The 50 gallon has an adult Oscar in it. My
next tank will be a 150 gallon Sal****er, but that won't be for a while
because I need to buy a bigger house before I can get one that big.

Nick


Heh heh, yup, that's how it goes. I started with some feeder fish in a pond
outside. I brought them indoors for the winter into a ten gallon tank with
a crack in it. Do you know how much feeder fish will grow if you feed them
food instead of feeding them to other fish??? It was amazing! Large feeder
fish will also eat tons of neons if you turn the lights of the tank out.
They don't snack on them in the light, though. Weird... Which lead to a 25
gallon tank, which the feeder fish outgrew, so they were set free to swim in
a friend's huge koi pond. The 25 gallon went on to become a mixed
population fresh water tank. Which lasted for years, until I rearranged the
living room, and I allowed the fish to die off from old age without
replacing them. The last gourami died last month, and the tank is waiting
for complete cleaning and will be up for sale. Until the next time I get a
craving for some fish watching....
--
Phyrie
Kiba the Cav's Pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phyrie/...758930/detail/


  #8  
Old February 13th 09, 12:24 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Kathleen
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 942
Default Scully's pet

Nick wrote:

Kathleen wrote:


So my daughter's betta fish, Sylvester, finally kicked the bucket, after
2 1/2 years. Evidently they only live maybe three years max, he was
full grown when she got him, and had been swimming sideways for about
three months before he finally went belly up.

So anyway, I dug out the little two-gallon aquarium we'd gotten for my
FIL several years back, which came back to us after he passed away. I
figured it would be nicer for the new betta than the 1 gallon bowl DD
had kept Sylvester in. And it would be kept in the family room, rather
than DD's bedroom. We scrubbed it out, prepped it, then went to pick
out a new fishie.

DD was quite specific in what she wanted. A male, young and small, in
shades of blue and green. We went to three different shops before she
found exactly what she wanted.

Brought him home, introduced him to his new environment. After the
hellishly small dish they'd had him in at the store, and the bumpy car
ride home, I figure he thinks he died and went to betta heaven.

He has a clean, roomy space all to himself, with a filter and a bubbler
that he seems to enjoy playing with. Like a cursor with a slightly
defective mouse, he will follow a fingertip dragged along the outside of
a tank wall. And he is a lovely fish, all in shades of peacock. His
name is Evil Betty.

And Scully adores him. She sits on a kitchen chair and watches,
transfixed, as he cruises his domain. Occasionally she glances over at
me, clearly inviting me to share her happiness and interest in this
wonderful new thing - "See him, look! Isn't he amazing?!"

Cooper knows he's in there, will watch intently for a moment or two,
then wanders off. Zane shows no interest at all. Probably just as
well. Scully clearly regards him as her own and would almost certainly
be ready to brawl for prime fish-watching rights.

If DD thinks Evil Betty is *her* fish, she is sadly mistaken.



This is how it starts.


Heh. The betta as a "gateway" fish...

You start small and then you just keep
upgrading, until you have fish tanks that are easier to measure in tons
than by gallons. I'm not yet to that point myself, only having a 12
gallon and a 50 gallon (approx 620 lbs of fish tanks). My 12 gallon has
a Betta in it though, so I can relate to your story. One of my cats
LOVES to watch him swim. The 50 gallon has an adult Oscar in it. My
next tank will be a 150 gallon Sal****er, but that won't be for a while
because I need to buy a bigger house before I can get one that big.


I had a twenty gallon tank with tropical fish when I was a kid. I gave
away the fish when we moved from Phoenix back to St. Louis. Once we
settled into our house in St. Louis, I netted some crawdads, a few tiny
bluegill and an itty bitty catfish from a local creek, and that's what
went into my aquarium.

Yeah, I know, illegal. Messy, too.

The bluegill were always jumping out anytime the lid got left open,
which happened a lot. Feeding the fish was popular entertainment
because they were so aggressive. And the crawdads were like little
gladiators. People were always leaving the damned cover up.

You'd find one on the floor, scoop it up, put it back, close the lid but
sometimes it would be hours before anybody walked that hall and you'd
find a bluegill dead and stuck to the carpet. Or just MIA - presumably
found and eaten by one of the cats. There were always more where they
came from.

This is what happens when you let your aquarium habit get out of hand:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/MadamMatrix/R99...e_thumb%5B3%5D

  #9  
Old February 13th 09, 06:27 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Nick
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 211
Default Scully's pet

Phyrie wrote:


Heh heh, yup, that's how it goes. I started with some feeder fish in a pond
outside. I brought them indoors for the winter into a ten gallon tank with
a crack in it. Do you know how much feeder fish will grow if you feed them
food instead of feeding them to other fish??? It was amazing! Large feeder
fish will also eat tons of neons if you turn the lights of the tank out.
They don't snack on them in the light, though. Weird... Which lead to a 25
gallon tank, which the feeder fish outgrew, so they were set free to swim in
a friend's huge koi pond. The 25 gallon went on to become a mixed
population fresh water tank. Which lasted for years, until I rearranged the
living room, and I allowed the fish to die off from old age without
replacing them. The last gourami died last month, and the tank is waiting
for complete cleaning and will be up for sale. Until the next time I get a
craving for some fish watching....


I'm assuming they were the typical "feeder fish" which are just
non-fancy goldfish. They do grow quite large. I have a cousin who had
a tank growing up which they just put a handful of feeder fish in and
the last of them ended up living twelve years and was about 10 inches
long.

Nick

  #10  
Old February 13th 09, 06:36 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Nick
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 211
Default Scully's pet

Kathleen wrote:


I had a twenty gallon tank with tropical fish when I was a kid. I gave
away the fish when we moved from Phoenix back to St. Louis. Once we
settled into our house in St. Louis, I netted some crawdads, a few tiny
bluegill and an itty bitty catfish from a local creek, and that's what
went into my aquarium.

Yeah, I know, illegal. Messy, too.

The bluegill were always jumping out anytime the lid got left open,
which happened a lot. Feeding the fish was popular entertainment
because they were so aggressive. And the crawdads were like little
gladiators. People were always leaving the damned cover up.

You'd find one on the floor, scoop it up, put it back, close the lid but
sometimes it would be hours before anybody walked that hall and you'd
find a bluegill dead and stuck to the carpet. Or just MIA - presumably
found and eaten by one of the cats. There were always more where they
came from.


At one point I had a fish called a Senegal Bichir (Polypterus Senegalus)
which was a very neat fish. They are long and skinny, somewhat snake
shaped. They are from a group of fish called primitive fish, because
they are a very old species that seemed to have stopped mid evolution.
They can walk using their pectoral fins as legs, but most impressively,
they have a mechanism which allows them to breath air, as long as they
remain moist so for up 6 hours or so outside of water.

As far as I can tell he managed to get out of his tank and walked off,
where he was either eaten by a cat or dried out and died.

Nick
 




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