R.I.P. Steve

[aquatic mouse]

It's a very sad day for me. My beautiful stars & stripes puffer, Steve passed away this morning. He had been fighting a hard battle with a nasty bacterial infection. He got this while I had been fighting to get the darn 180 working. He passed away less than a week after the 180 was fixed. I was keeping him in quarantine treating him with Maracyn 2. He was looking great for a while there, but suddenly seemed to go the opposite direction two days ago.

Steve was a great fish. He wasn't "just a fish". He was basically a finned dog. He created and influenced my love for puffers. I purchased the 180 specifically with him in mind.

Being a puffer, Steve and food went hand in hand (fin in fin?). He learned to recognize the cup his food defrosted in. He spat water when he felt he wasn't fed fast enough. Steve liked to press his lips against the glass and then point to the top of the tank, indicating that yes, he was hungry again. The first time I made the mussel/clam/scallop/shrimp/sea weed/garlic food concoction, I put it on a suction cup clip for all the fish to share. Steve ate the whole thing and lay on the bottom of the tank with belly ache for a whole day. When he and Dexter (the lionfish that also passed away from this horrible bacterial infection) would go after the same piece of food, Steve learned to respect Dexter and back away from the food.

Steve was such a gentle puffer. After reading that puffers eat starfish in the wild, I bought him one for Christmas. He watched it sink to the bottom of the tank and then lost interest. The starfish is still climbing around the glass. He never touched it. He also left snails alone, but liked to chew on hermit crabs and freshwater crayfish. I liked to joke that Steve was "defective", as he was afraid of freeze dried krill and would bolt to the other side of the tank and hide in the sand bed to get away from it.

When I got my foxface (Vixen) he was scared to death. I had six chromis and a damsel (all harmless juveniles) that I thought would work as dither fish. Then I got Steve. Vixen loved Steve. Felt safe and would always be near Steve. I think Steve was totally oblivious to Vixen hanging around him.

Steve would follow my finger as I moved it in spiral shapes around the outside of the tank. He was such a character. We really bonded in the short five months I had him. I miss him so much.

Please don't post what could have been done. I feel bad enough right now. When I'm ready, I'll ask. Right now I just need consonance.

[ghurlag]

I'm sorry for your loss

[cyberwollf]

I'm sorry for your loss

We had a similar attachement to "our" first goldfish in college.  It lasted 2 years in a 10G and made it through 4 moves to college and back home for the summer.... Since then i made the rule that we wouldnt name our fish anymore.  They are just more fragile than dogs and cats, but the attachment can be the same 

Sorry

[Todd W.]

When I worked at Sweeney's Seafood in Centerville (mid 90's), we had a FOWLR behind the bar.  There was a dogfaced puffer in there that had quite the personality.  The assistant manager got pretty attached to him.  He behaved similar to what you describe, and would recognize certain people, and he would eat shrimp from her hand.  But he had a bad habit of chewing on some of the rocks and I believe that is what eventually killed him.  We had a small burial ceremony in a flower bed out back for him...    Sorry to hear about your loss...

[UD Flyer]

Since then i made the rule that we wouldnt name our fish anymore. 

I agree with this, naming a fish makes it all that much harder when they die.

[ghurlag]

Then I recommend we stop naming people, too

Seriously, though, I can relate, and my condolences still stand.

You'll never "replace" him, but your heart will mend and you will always cherish the time you had with him.  The memories will only get sweeter with time.

[HUNGER]

sorry to here ur lose

[aquatic mouse]

Thank you everyone. I really needed the kind words. :'(

[reefman]

When I worked at Sweeney's Seafood in Centerville (mid 90's), we had a FOWLR behind the bar.  There was a dogfaced puffer in there that had quite the personality.  The assistant manager got pretty attached to him.  He behaved similar to what you describe, and would recognize certain people, and he would eat shrimp from her hand.  But he had a bad habit of chewing on some of the rocks and I believe that is what eventually killed him.  We had a small burial ceremony in a flower bed out back for him...    Sorry to hear about your loss...

I would not think rock did it, most likely diet was the issue.

[xXTheWendigoXx]

I'm really sorry to hear it >___<
When my first eel made its maiden (and final) voyage on to dry land, I was really upset. I got another eel as quickly as possible to make myself feel better and while I still miss the first one, I'm growing even more attached to the new one.