Departure from the Constellation

So as you know, there were 2 fish. Well, somewhere during the last 2 weeks of my charge, it would seem that these 2 also fell to the same fate as their previous tankmates. I came home one evening to find that both remaining fish were now laying at the bottom of the tank, on their side... Not a good sign. As I looked at them, I tried to recall when I last fed them... Wasn't today, don't know about yesterday, so I think I am officially pronouncing cause of death as being starvation. Although it does seem odd that both of them would kick it on the same day. So once the bodies began to float, it was time to dispose of the evidence and plot the acquisition of the next batch. The internet research did not fair so well and it would seem that pet stores in the Caribbean are at a bit of a premium. I did manage however to learn that there was a very large pet store with many fish in the mall... This was the place I needed to be.

So I hauled myself out to the mall on Embark day on a quest to replace those that had passed on. I think the most amazing part was that for $1.00 I managed to replace them with 6 new ones. Hell had I known they were so cheap I would have not spent all those bottles of Evian trying to save the others. The size however was going to need to be explained to George ~ I figured the line 'they aren't smaller, you just remember them bigger' was a safe one to go with... Although ultimately, I ended up owning up to the deed. Believe it or not, it wasn't so bad. George acknowledged that perhaps they had a full life ~ all 18 months and that it was time to carry on. He was intrigued to note that I did not flush the fish, as this was his method of disposal for the one which did not survive in his care.

To perpetuate my image as a 'fish killer', there was one incident with the 'new' batch. The runt of the litter seemed to have a bit of a bum fin. This fin would cause him to not swim quite so well. I came back the day before I was to leave to find him stuck, ass backwards in the filter. Yes that is right, the fish was sucked up by the filter... Thinking there may be some fight left in him, I unplugged the filter but instead of merrily swimming out, he eventually dislodged and started to float. Akis has told me I am not allowed to go near his iguana when he gets it... I think I now have the reputation.
Aside from this, I spent the last few days trying to make arrangements so I could visit Akis while I was in transit from San Juan to Acapulco. This proved to be more difficult than I thought, but hey, the things we'll do for love...