What the Heck?

Okay, so I keep seeing Socrates with this weird tentacle/psuedopod thing, and (as you can probably guess), I am really confused as to what on Earth it might be or its purpose. He will often climb to a high place, and then it will emerge from under his shell and he'll wave it around. Then he'll pull it back in and climb back down.... I did a little research but didn't find much.If anybody has any idea as to what it might be (fish expert or not,,), please leave a comment below! :) :) 

And.... speaking of Socrates...... Zeus has been bullying him lately. If Socrates is on the gravel at night, he will suck on his shell, and I always have to scare him off with the net. Sometimes, silly Socrates will ctart to climb on to Zeus' face, and Zeus 'strikes' him (I didn't know how else to put it....)

Not Again!

I realize it's probably about time that I inform the world that the beautiful Nefertiti has died. He died on Friday, Feb 15, 2013. It is my greatest fear that this is the next wave of the plague I spoke of earlier, for he died as Constantine did: slow, miserable, paralysis. Likewise, it hurt to watch him suffer. For the short time that he was mine, he was a great fish. His brethren will greatly miss him. Speaking of his brethren, they are as happy as can be! (or at least that's what it looks like) In fact, happiest I've seen my tank in ages! I hope it will stay that way and this plague will disappear for good.

Drawing

While I was feeling bored, I decided to draw my fish tank on a whiteboard this was the result.

Highlights: New Photos!

Akhenaten

Aphrodite

Athena

Nefertiti

Messala

Tiberius

Tiberius again (I LOVE this one:)

So my sister finally did do a photo shoot of the fish, for which I am eternally grateful. These are some of my favorite portrait shots she did.

An Awkward Discovery and a Burial at Last

The Fish Cemetery 

Sparta

Xerxes: A great grave for a great fish. (I don't pick favorites;) 

Constantine

The fat Tiberius

                       

As I went to take out the trash this afternoon, I noticed that the dirt around my fish cemetery was finally thawed. So, taking advantage of the opportunity, I grabbed the dead fish bodies from the freezer... (yes I know it's macabre, but don't they do it in real mortuaries?) So I finally buried the 3 Pachuses and Xerxes, and made a tombstone for Constantine and Sparta. The dirt was pretty much mud because of the melted ice but I could still dig deep enough, so at last they are laid to rest. As for some awkward discoveries (see title), I've found out that Tiberius is a GIRL. I know, I know, it's crazy. Well, I never bothered to try and figure out his- er- her gender because it's really hard to tell with corys. So how do I know? Well, I noticed that she had been getting really fat. I thought she had just been overeating, but just out of curiosity  I did some research. Turns out she's carrying eggs! Ahhhhh! But because there are no longer and males in my tank (*sniff sniff), it won't go any further than that. I also found out that Nefertiti and Akhenaten are married.... I think it must be more awkward for them than for me...... My tank is probably the happiest I've seen it since the summer with my new guppies! I've asked my sister if she can photograph them for me, because she has a professional camera. I want good pictures of them because they are so pretty, and the pictures that I took don't do them justice. So, expect some real nice, fancy pictures real soon!

New stuff!

Check out the new 'The History in their Names' tab! I especially like the pictures on the bottom, so be sure to see those too! I have also changed the name of my blog! Because things are now on a bigger scale (my tank is bigger, Zeus is bigger, I have more fish....) I have decided that "The Underwater Empire" is a much more fitting name. However, I will NOT be changing the web address, so you're not confused :).

The Black Plague and a Hopeful Revival

Nefertiti

Messala

Akhenaten

RIP

I have countless tragic deaths to report. My tank was stricken with an untreatable, deathly disease. Fish after fish, The Aquatic Kingdom nearly fell to ruin. It started out with the unnamed (let's call him Sparta) fish. He died the night after I got him, the next day, I noticed Constantine was acting very strange. His mouth seemed to be stuck open. He was hiding and staying close to the heater. That night, I found him floating around. He appeared to be dead, but as I got out my net, he twitched! He was alive! What could I do? He was paralyzed and beyond my ability to help. It was so very miserable and painful to watch him suffer. I later found him dead, discolored and still. Because I had gotten both the fish only two days before, I brought the corpses to Petco for a refund/exchange. I didn't leave with any new fish. The next week, I lost the two baby Pachuses. They exhibited similar symptoms, so I did some research and found out it was incurable  A couple days later, the last and oldest Pachus died, also showing the same symptoms. I was devastated. I couldn't bear to buy more fish. The ground was frozen solid so (like Hades) I froze the bodies. Just as I was beginning to recover, yet another died. This is probably the most tragic and heartbreaking death yet---- this morning I found our dear Xerxes dead. Unlike the others, he showed absolutely no symptoms. He was the favorite of many, with his adorable mustache and 'hair'. He was one of the original fish, and probably the most dear to my heart. We will miss him. Okay, so are you feeling really sad now? Because now I have some good news! I welcomed three new guppies today! Their names are Nefertiti, Akhenaten, and Messala (From Ben-Hur)  I am most hopeful that they will live long, happy lives in my tank.