Tragedy Strikes on My Day Off

so my nameless damselfish died last night/this morning. he was taken by the ick (that's a fish parasite, as you are probably aware if you've ever kept an aquarium). i had him in isolation and was treating him for the dreaded disease, but he didn't make it. *sniff* oh well. he lasted for over a year, which is pretty impressive, considering that the other two damselfish i bought last summer died within two months, also from ick. all three got the ick last summer, and my striped damsel was the only one who survived. and alas, he has been overcome by the disease this summer... and only a couple of days after chad had said that that fish was indestructable... maybe he jinxed him.

on a lighter note, i am pleased to present a few photos of my remaining critters. i have had a request to post pics of the lovely creatures in my tank, and here are a few.

here is a shot of my gigantic snail, gary. he's in the huge shell at the back, not the smaller shell in the front. dr. v. has informed me that he is a crown conch, Melongena corona. you can't see it here, but his body is mostly black with white splotches.



here is a shot of two of my hermit crabs (little crab and tiny crab - big crab was hiding in his shell). those tiny snail shells you see are empty. once upon a time, when i put them in the tank, there were little snails in there, but i'm pretty sure gary ate them.



and, the one you've all been waiting to see, here are some shots of phil, the least puffer i rescued from certain death at the hands of a trawl that the marine biology class i'm TAing for pulled up near mobile bay. chad thinks he's ugly, but i think he's adorable... for a fish, at least.







he's really come a long way, phil. when he was in isolation he spent a lot of time hanging out on the bottom of the tank. notice his new found buoyancy. it was hard to get good pictures of him, since he's swimming around so much now. i'm quite excited at how well my little puffer fish is doing these days, despite the deep and profound sadness i am feeling at the loss of my damselfish. ok, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration.

okee, folks. now that you've enjoyed the photos of my lovely marine critters, i'm off.