Sunday, June 29, 2008

Meet Rocky...A Show and Tell....

I had a few ideas for this week's show and tell but this one takes main priority. I want you all to meet Rocky.


This is Rocky. He is a cichlid (see-klid) and the coolest fish I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.
Cichlids are notorious for being aggressive and within a few hours of his introduction to the tank my other cichlid turned on him. Camille (the other fish) really hurt him, and we were certain he wouldn't make it. All of his fins had been bitten and his tail too. He even has a nasty spot on his belly where Camille got him.


I felt horrible. I really liked this little guy and I was mortified that I had caused this to happen. We decided to help him however we could so we scooped him up and for the time being we put him in the bag from the pet store. We put holes in it so that the water could flow in and out freely and hoped for the best. The bag kept him away from Camille but allowed him the ability to move all around half the tank. We were going to get a divider but my tank is really small and we found out that Rocky can sometimes wedge himself into the wrinkles in the bag and rest upright, so we left it.


Every night we go to bed expecting to find him gone the next day. He spends a lot of his time on his side or upside down because he can't propel himself or balance, but he fights so hard. His fins and tail have started to grow back now and he is eating again too. I'm so proud of him! I know that sounds silly but I am. He's made it eight days! We named him Rocky because he's such a fighter.


I was reluctant to share him because I was afraid of the judgement I might get from some, but in a silly way he is inspiring. I hated for everyone to miss out on how cool he was if something happened to him. He has some serious courage and strength for such a little guy. I can't tell you how many times a day I roll my eyes at myself. I feel silly getting so worked up over a five dollar fish but I can't help it. I want so badly for him to get better and be ok. He is such a perfect guy for us to have in our lives right now. We are struggling so hard with infertility and we've been knocked down so many times. Part of me thinks that if he can make it so can we.



This is Camille. Just so you can put a name with the fin. We will be moving her back to my mom's school in a couple of weeks so Rocky can have total reign over the tank. He deserves it!











14 comments:

Wishing 4 One said...

Rocky is so cool! He is a fighter, like us and I agree maybe we can take some inspiration from him, help keep us going in our fight to win over infertility someday. What a great story made me smile this morning, thanks so much for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Yay for Rocky! Thank you for the story. We kept fish when I was little - I had forgotten how much I liked having them.

Anonymous said...

Go Rocky! I hope he continues to recover and thrive.
Thanks for sharing.

Sam said...

What a bad fish!!! She needs a telling off!!

It's so easy to get attached to a pet isn't it (regardless of whether they are fish, cats, or horses!), I'd only had my Phoebe cat a little while when she went missing overnight - I was quite devastated, but she was just off having a good time and came back in the morning!!

I hope that Rocky is doing ok now!

battynurse said...

Yay Rocky! Hang in there and soon the tank will be yours. Thanks for sharing and that is a very creative way to keep him safe.

chicklet said...

Camille's a bitch;-) But the fact that Rocky keeps on living, holy, I thought that fish was doomed...

Kristen said...

YAY for Rocky! I like the little guy-he sure sounds like a fighter!

Delenn said...

That's a cool show & tell. Its neat how animals can recover from such injuries--even fish!

Lauren said...

Go Rocky Go!!

Cricket said...

I understand completely about Rocky. I put months and many, many bucks on trying to save Janie Betta. She was a happy little fish, wagging her tail when she saw me, before she got sick. I really like reading about your success so far.

Mine's up, too.

Lee said...

The determination of others (even fish) can be really inspiring!

Joanna said...

Go Rocky! Go Rocky! Go Rocky!

Fight on to live another day!

VA Blondie said...

I am rooting for Rocky. That is a wonderful story. He needs to hang in there a little longer, and then he will not have to deal with nasty old Camille at all.

Kim said...

I am glad rockie is doing ok, I hope he continue to heal. thanks for sharing!
kim