So, I went back. The pond owners are trying to get rid of all of the fish. I wish I could oblige - I took some, yes, but not all of them. My 2 ponds with fish cannot further handle, I don't think, any more fish. I have a huge filtering process, yes, but it can only handle so much. I just cleaned it out - a giant pile of fish poo.
Both of the ponds for fish are pretty much full. I mean, sure, you can put more in them, but is it wise? I have good filtering and great aeration on both of them - but - I have read ample material on the subject that yes, there is a point where you can have too many. It's the point of amount of toxins that accumulate in the ponds, not feeding them - feeding is cheap enough and that doesn't really do anything to turn me away from getting more fish.
Anyway, catching the Plecostomus proved to be a challenge - much more so than even the Koi yesterday. They are mud dwellers, they can hide down there. The man drained the pond down until there was very little water and we were able to get them all out of there - 5 large ones. This was the score as well as the heaters, I took 8 of them. I paid for 6. They threw in a couple extras in case one doesn't work, but they basically said they always discard the ones that aren't working. Okay, I paid $2 a piece for heaters that are normally $30 a piece. THAT'S why I went there today. Now, I am prepared for winter. I need only get floating thermostats for the ponds to make sure they are warm enough - since that's quite a while away, I am not going to concern myself with it right now.
Upon viewing the new fish in both ponds, a large white goldfish that I got today and one of the goldfish already in the pond are - doing something. I don't know if goldfish will get agressive with each other but one is chasing the other around. Another plausibility is that there are mating rituals going on. Not really sure. I'll give it some time to see if the activity dies down - other wise I will remove one or the other from the pond and put it in the other pond.
Hours long interlude as life occurs and I have to deal with things.
One of which is the ex-Marine's 5th declaration that he is moving out next month on the 11th. This turned into a long, drawn out conversation. The fact of the matter is: he has no idea what he's getting himself into. Renting an apartment with a friend. I can think of nothing that can end a friendship faster than living with friends at a young age and attempting to learn the things in life - that many readers learned decades ago.
I gave no warnings about such: most people have to learn that on their own. I can find another renter, I am not worried about that. I just watch people come and go out of here - some will make it, some will not. One was carted off on a stretcher. He is STILL in a nursing home.
Uhhh, even more interruptions and this post is over, as I have to go to bed.
G'nite.
ben
3 comments:
Monday
Well, here we go again - looking for a new tenant that is. There is a guy that has been calling me for months about whether I have a room available or not - I think this person might turn out to be high maintenance and I already have one of those.
The female tenant that had the kids over this weekend - definitely high maintenance. The ex-Marine had told me not 2 weeks ago that he was talking with his mother .......add a lot of words here......and that he was just going to stay at my place.
Somehow, I figured when he started getting that free money from the military for monthly expenses that he would be leaving. I also think the Army reservist lady is going to leave soon because she just registered for school and as soon as it starts, she will also start getting a good chunk of money every month.
As I said, here we go again. She has not, however, given a move-out date. Well, I have a date for the Marine: the 11th of this coming month so I am going to get moving with starting to run ads - probably on the 1st. His friend that he is moving in with wanted him to move out by the 1st - giving me all of 2 days notice.
Yes, I would have gotten pretty mad, really, for someone to do something like that. All I can say is I hope I can find someone and quickly as summer isn't quite over, yet, the high today is quoted at 97 degrees. I'm referring to electricity, the extreme use of it to keep the house cool through central AC and the fact that without 3 tenants, the house will not be very cool : ) Turn the thermostat up to about 90 and I can probably afford that.
Well, anyway, it is what it is, deal with it as it comes. The trailer tenants - dunno about them. I don't think they're going to be able to get the place they were looking at because they simply don't have the down money to get in it. They want first month's rent and I think a $200 security deposit. Sorry, I can't help ya with that, you're welcomed to stay until you figure something out.
Turtles. Well, I wrote some experts on an internet site about them, the fact that they are terrified, on and on, and I got a very detailed and lengthy - and informative - response back. Don't worry about them, don't even try to feed them for a few WEEKS. Lol. Okay. I was informed that they can live for months without food if the prior owners fed them well (which they definitely did) and that it is quite normal that they go to the bottom of the pond and - pretty much be mortified. Further, those turtles were at eye level in their old habitation, now, they are on the ground. When someone like me - 6'2" walks up to them, it's more like King Kong to them.
Here comes the kicker: he states that they probably aren't going to survive a Phoenix winter, it gets too cold for them. Not cold enough to hibernate (I didn't know turtles were hibernating creatures) but too cold to survive. So, what to do with these turtles in winter? I will probably get rid of them if it's going to turn into a high-maintenance nightmare. I thought about making some turtle soup. Lol. No, really,I don't have any place in the house where I would want to put a tank, I do have a shed outside but it will just get cold in there, I think I may just start looking for a new owner for them.
As for the fish, well, I have enough fish now, thank you. I need more plants, but there is a pond club meeting coming up in a couple of weeks and usually you get free plants. This time, I will arrive earlier. There was a family at the last one that was hoarding the free plants - helping themselves to everything and not leaving much for anyone else. I was at those people's home at the pond club tour - they can use as many plants as their greedy little fingers can walk off with out of those meetings. I did end up with a nice umbrella plant which is in one of the ponds now and it does, as the owner that brought them in say, reproduce very quickly. In fact, I think I might be able to separate some of them now and repot.
Work day approaches. There is one order in the system but I have to go 4 or 5 different places to get all of the materials, including one place that is a good drive from here, so I will be busy at least for most of the morning. Which is nice. As for the home front, well, I have new things to worry about - finding more tenants. Always a hassle, always causes some amount of trepidation, always.
G'day.
ben
The fish story actually would cause me more stress than I can stand.
Bobby
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