Jayba Posted August 10, 2010 Report Share Posted August 10, 2010 (edited) So tonight my wife was working an evening shift. I thought that with my 5 year old daughter at the neighbors playing on the trampoline with their 5 kids, it would be a good time to swap my 10 gallon fry tank for the new 20 gallon that I have acquired. I got my 2 year old boy Nathan all excited about the idea, and away we went. We unplugged everything from the wall and then the extension cord and got to work. For his first job Nathan would be in charge of looking for babies in the bucket as I siphoned off some of the water. He did a fabulous job keeping the babies from a premature death in the toilet. Next we siphoned the fry into the bucket where they could await the new tank being set up. We went into the mechanical room and filled my water drum with approx 20 gallons of water and added the Safe to it. Just then me daughter and another 6 kids come rolling in wanting to play at our house. Sure no problem, `go play in Alexa's room`. The kids made for the stairs and made their escape to Alexa`s room, taking little Nathan with them.....yeah! A few minutes later I hear what sounded like a bowling ball being dropped on the floor! Allot of bowling balls being dropped on the floor! WTF! Upstairs I go....to only find my son, daughter, the 5 kids from next door and some child I have never met before sitting on the top bunk of my daughters bed, taking turns jumping off onto the floor. Good thing I came when I did, my 2 year old was in line for a turn! They were given a couple of choices. They decided to come down into the basement (Rec Room)where I was. Good thing, this way I could keep an eye on them and what mess was being created, after all I had to clean up after myself later so it would all be in the same vicinity. Myself and the 8 kids in the rec room, them off in the corner playing with toys, dolls, a play tent and a whack of Lego. They are pretty loud as I move the 10 gallon out and the 20 gallon in. I crawl under the table I have rigged up for right now (end table) there is an extension cord my wife uses for a bunch of things. I had now hijacked it for my fry tank. There was the lamp, the air pump that was too loud and not used, the air pump that I actually use for the sponge filter, the old canopy light, the new one, the old HOB filter, the heater, the power head and a bunch of other things that are twisted into a rats nest around each other and the extension cord. I will deal with it later I thought, after all I have babies in a bucket that need a new home. I get the tank filled up with water that is the same temp as the bucket water and pour the fry into the new tank and voilà! Done!! Looks like the basement had been picked up, shaken violently and set back down again....ARG! Time to kick the little people out of my house so I could get mine in the bath and on their way to bed. After all it's past their bed time! At 9:00 the kids are in bed, and I can finally exhale... I take a look around, a tornado has run through my house. But it did keep the kids occupied for a fair bit of time while I set up the new fry tank right? Apparently my daughter likes to entertain, and not clean up behind herself. Everyone had a drink and a little snack in the kitchen. So I start with the kitchen, make my way toward the living room picking up as I go. I sneak in my daughters room to drop off some toys. She is out cold, and her room is a disaster! She can clean it tomorrow!lol! I clean up the living room, and head downstairs to deal with that. But first a little break to admire the new tank. I sat down on the love seat, reached over to turn on the light for the new 20 gallon, and bam! The light comes on, and what do I see!? A ton of my fry laying in the sand on the bottom!!!!Others are swimming like they are drunk pilots at an air show. Racing in a cork screw spiral motion toward the surface of the water, and then stalling and going into a flat spin back to the bottom where they lie on their sides. While others are floating through the water like an astronaught in outer space whose tether back to the ship has snapped! Well as it turns out I didn't plug the heater back in!!I plugged in what I thought was the heater, nope, lamp.....In all the mayhem, noise and questions from the kids I overlooked one important variable, Temperature! This is Nucking Futs!!! I get the heater plugged in and round up a spare to help really pump up the power.I sat watching the death and suffering I had created, while wondered 'Will some of them bounce back? How does 10 degrees make them so buggered? What happens physiologically?' So right now I have my fingers crossed that the ones that are down, but not dead, will warm up and go on living productive little fish lives. There are 2 types of fry in the tank and it is hard to tell who is hit harder just yet. When I siphon off the bodies later I will get a death count. I am hoping it is pseudo`acei` that dies not the copadichromis Àzereus`. This is the first fry in a year for the Azereus, my last male has one eye missing and he`s has been having trouble impressing the ladies. While Acei would breed in a pop can....half full of pop. So kudos to my wife for being able to deal with the kids, the kids friends, the dog, the cat, lunch, laundry, toilet training, cleaning and a ton of other things without fatalities!!!I can`t do it...and it`s obvious :boxed: Edited August 10, 2010 by Jayba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evolution Posted August 10, 2010 Report Share Posted August 10, 2010 So kudos to my wife for being able to deal with the kids, the kids friends, the dog, the cat, lunch, laundry, toilet training, cleaning and a ton of other things without fatalities!!!I can`t do it... An most importantly she does it all as your wife! The Buddha said: "Women are the gods." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanGofCalgary Posted August 10, 2010 Report Share Posted August 10, 2010 haha! good story! and so true! Years ago (like 18) when our youngest was a baby, I took a month off to take care of her while we arranged quality care for her. I was SO glad to get back to work after that month and take a break! Toughest (and yet still probably the most rewarding) job I ever had was that one month of 'Mr. Mom'. Hats off to all the women who do/did it and a well deserved poke in the eye to anyone who downplays the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayba Posted August 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2010 haha! good story! and so true! Years ago (like 18) when our youngest was a baby, I took a month off to take care of her while we arranged quality care for her. I was SO glad to get back to work after that month and take a break! Toughest (and yet still probably the most rewarding) job I ever had was that one month of 'Mr. Mom'. Hats off to all the women who do/did it and a well deserved poke in the eye to anyone who downplays the job. My wife is on a 14 day stretch in her rotation, I think this morning was the second time I have shaved since it began! I just had yesterdays shower this morning, I am exhausted. I gotta go, sure is quiet in the house all of a sudden, they must be up to something!lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratos Posted August 10, 2010 Report Share Posted August 10, 2010 Multi-tasking men = oxymoron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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