I just got a goldfish and the Sims

[Count Duckula]

I mentioned in another post that I was to inherit a goldfish. I can't keep plants or even Hardcore characters alive. How is this fish going to survive the week?

Fluffy (as the goldfish has been dubbed) came with a bottle of distilled water, a fishbowl, a bit of bowl greenery, and a saltshaker-sized bottle of fish food. And the person who gave me Fluffy is in RA/SGA training all week, and that's more intensive than my SSL training. Can any other fish owners give me some advice? I'm going to oversalt this fish, I just know it.

Speaking of oversalting, I had grilled salmon a few nights ago. There was also the mention of Elric's frozen trout. Will bad karma affect my fish?

I also got a copy of the Sims: Deluxe Edition from the same friend who gave me Fluffy. (At the same time I got Fluffy, no less.) Should it just sit in the box until I have time (somewhere around Thanksgiving) or would somebody else like it or what?

EDIT: That's plants, not planets. (Yes, I'm responsible for the upkeep of Fluffy and Neptune. No wonder I'm so busy this week! :D)

[Nicodemus Phaulkon]

*loses*

Flush Fluffy (It's really just a matter of time, anyway, no matter what your level of expertise in croakfish care).

Purchase a Betta (Siamese fighting fish); lower maintenance, feeding and cleaning demands... MUCH more attractive package. You can get enough food and tap water treatment chemicals to last you 6 months for about $7 (I recommend Hikari Betta Bio-Gold pellets and Aqua-Plus water conditioner).

Ask a friend to place your copy of The Sims under the rear wheel of their vehicle, and then practice moving in reverse and forward for about 10 minutes; the end result will hasten the same result you'll get from playing it.

*drinks more coffee*

*steals his helm back and tips it*

[Walkiry]

My experience with goldfish has been less than happy, so I second the flushing option (or if you really bother, find a new home for the little scaly fiend).

You shouldn't need chemicals for the tap water if you rememebr to leave a bucket of tap water out for a day or two before putting your fish inside.

And if you find the Sims somewhat interesting I'd recommend ditching it, getting a Gamecube with "Animal Crossing". It's the same concept except that it's actually fun and not stressing :)

Pity it cannot be acquired in Europe and I couldn't play it for more than a couple of hours...

[kandrathe]

I put a couple dozen in my outdoor pond last summer. They were very happy through the summer, and grew to about 4" long. In the fall we held a goldfish round up in the pond, and I coral'd 10 of them in an extra 30 gal aquarium. I tediously tended them through the winter until May, when it was safe to repatriate them into their pond.

Suddenly it seems they are good eating size for the racoons who have dwindled the population down to 2. Ah, well, I didn't want to have to care for them through another winter anyway.

My 3 yr old son has a Beta named "Dennis" (ala "Stanley") -- who seems to be very hardy.

[pakman]

The Sims warps the concept of space and time as we know it, kinda like a black hole, it cannot be explained to what happens on the other side -- if there is one. I swear I would play that game for half an hour and 4 hours later it would be dinner time. So I stopped playing the time sink. Be careful with this game as it can cause extreme depression when your family gets a baby and one of the characters loses his job because of it. Great game though :D

[Count Duckula]

Mixed reviews on game AND fish. How I love it. :)

Fluffy didn't get flushed, but he's now living in the massive aquarium in Dana, giving his little ichithoyd life for science. (The only other people who would take Fluffy kill cacti. For fun.)

The Sims is sitting on my fridge, along with Neverwinter Nights. Goodness only knows when I'll get to even open the boxes; even if I wanted to, I can't.

I get my frosh tomorrow--yippie!

*steals Nico's helm, ties the yellow SSL ribbon on it, and tips it*

[goldfish]

A page of really helpful fish articles can be found at:

http://www.bestfish.com/articles.html

The quickest way to kill your goldfish is by ammonia. That is the result of (1) overfeeding, (2) not changing water enough, or (3) both.

Ammonia builds up from rotting food or from fish poop.

If it's a 1-gallon little bowl, be prepared to change the water every other day.

If it's a 5- or 10-gallon thing, it will need much less maintenance.

If you're really worried about killing a fish, go spend $4 for an ammonia testing kit. If you've got the ammonia under control, it's not that easy to kill a goldfish.

But, as mentioned in some peoples' earlier posts, goldfish are not nearly as tough as Bettas (aka Siamese fighting fish).

[jahcs]

My girlfriend can kill a beta in a week. They are more sensitive to temperature than she expected.
She has 2 zebra finches now.

[kandrathe]

... do not make good pets. At least for fathers of little boys who release them into the carpet and which need to be recovered at 3 am.

He seems to like them though. After these die, Uncle Milton be damned. I'm just gonna go find a local colony and steal their queen.

[Nicodemus Phaulkon]

Birds are munchies for cats (read: REAL pets). Gads, I hate birds. All noise and mess and no benefit.

*the above statement reflects the author's opinion only, and doesn't reflect those of people who might not have discovered how STUPID it is to have a bird as a pet*

*cough*

;)

SPEAKING OF BETTAS...

Does anyone know of a website with an appropriate reputation for high quality Bettas? I'm especially interested in specific variations of Half Moons and Crown Tails. I've wandered over to EBetta2U.com (one of the only sellers to ship to the Great White North), but I was hoping to get some additional places to browse.

Anyone?

[jahcs]

I grew up with cats. I like cats. My girlfriend is allergic. It sucks.

They are definitely her birds, she feeds them and cleans their cage. That was the agreement when she got them

[ShadowHM]

The quickest way to kill your goldfish is by ammonia.  That is the result of (1) overfeeding, (2) not changing water enough, or (3) both.

Ammonia builds up from rotting food or from fish poop. 

in a friend's life.

She had decreed that the fish had to go. Her husband reluctantly agreed.

He dropped the fish in the toilet but did not flush.

She waddled her 8 1/2 months pregnant self into the room and slowly lowered herself onto the throne. The very second her urine hit the water the fish started jumping madly trying to escape. They inevitably began hitting her in a place where she had no expectation of attack. Due to her awkward condition, she was not able to rise with the alacrity she wished for.

It was traumatic. Her feeling of betrayal was not improved by the laughter of her husband when he heard the screaming and found what had caused it.

[NiteFox]

How does a man, accidentally or otherwise, drop a goldfish into the john? Was he planning on retrieving it later?

[goldfish]

for a laugh-out-loud moment at work. :rolleyes: