Fiyero and his ladies

[Andie]

I'm so excited I can barely sit still! Today is supposed to be the day when Cathy mails me my guy and his gals . . . She's four hours earlier than I am (time zone wise) so I probably won't get the e-mail with the locator number until this evening, but gah! I just can't wait!

They should get here on Wednesday or Thursday . . . I'm going down to the post office at 8.30 am to be there when the mail gets in

I hate to wait!

Fiyero and his ladies She's sending two other girls as well, but I asked that those two be surprises, so I don't have any pics of them )

 

[Naughtygirlrlw]

Isn't it so hard to wait? I'm so excited for you!
PS Love the name...Fiyero...makes him sound like an Italian!

 

[Andie]

I tell you it's just killing me- I've waited almost a month, all told, since I first saw them on Cathy's site, but I'll bet you anything these next three days will seem even longer than that.

Fiyero's name was actually suggested by a friend of mine who's obsessed with the book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. We were down in NYC in May to see the musical based on the book, and I loved it enough to agree when she wanted me to name my fish after the witch's love interest

Plus, the guy who played Fiyero in the musical was hot

 

[Andie]

Just a brief update- I phoned down this morning to see if they'd come in and poor Marlene at the post office sounded more asleep than awake when she told me they hadn't arrived yet . . . I got the locator number from Cathy on Tuesday, but according to that they haven't even left BC yet, which I know isn't true, so scotch the locator number, I'm just going to pester poor Marlene until they arrive

 

[platyfreek]

poor post office ladie. oh well I would do it too. those fishies are beautiful!

 

[BrookeLea]

wow! they are beautiful! are you going to spawn them? *hint hint* haha

i had fish come in the mail the day of my college graduation, and instead of paying attention at graduation, all i could think was "i hope my fish are ok....i wonder where my fish are..." the box was supposed to be held at the post office, so after graduation was over, i had my mom drive me to the post office and i ran in in my grad robe to ask for it, and i was told that it was delivered to my house and i was like "noooo there was nobody at my house!" and i told the guy behind the counter that there were live fish in the box, so he gave me a number to call. i called that number and that lady called the actual mail man and tracked him down and sent him back to my house. as bad as the postal system can be sometimes, that day they dropped everything to get my fish to me it was great!

soooo after that long story...haha i hope your fish get to you soon. i know what it's like to wait! and they're just soo pretty!

 

[wuvmybetta]

They're gorgeous, Andie. Congrats!!

 

[Andie]

lol yes, Brooke, I hope to spawn them, but I'll have to wait untilt he New Year for reasons of space, and even then they'll only get spawned if they're willing (though the little lady on the right seems to be showing spawning bars already, so if that ain't a hint . . . )

It's really, really hot here right now; in fact as far as I know the heat wave extends as far west as Ontario, and isn't supposed to break until Thursday, so I'm worried about them, but I have every faith they'll make it here as safely as possible.

Thanks very much for all the congrats ) as soon as they arrive I'm going to try to get some decent pics, and then I can really show them off

 

[BrookeLea]

Yeah, I've been waiting to spawn mine since May for pretty much the same reasons. I'm moving into a new house at the end of the month, though...soo

 

[Andie]

Oooh, congrats Be sure to start a spawn log for all of our sakes' when you do breed them. I look forward to watching yours progress; I'm worried mine may be too old by the time I actually have room for their babies, lol!

 

[clover]

WOW!! they are great u one lucky person

 

[Andie]

Well thank you )

Frankly, the general consensus here is that I am one crazy person, spending hard-earned college money on fish I have to keep explaining what a brilliant investment it is

 

[ladyhawke]

That male is gorgeous Andie!
Good luck with him!

 

[Andie]

Handstands! I want to do HANDSTANDS! I called today and instead of Marlene I got Carla (who had been warned about me, I think) and she said they were IN! I went straight down, brought them home and spent the next nervous forty-five minutes getting them used to the water before settling them in.

They are BEAUTIFUL! Elphaba is HUGE, and she's already got most of her colour back; she's a dark, goldy-green and is snapping at me whenever I check on her. Galinda is beautiful- atm she's a really pale, soft golden brown with a pink spine and dark frosted tips on all her fins. She's tried to jump out twice, so I had to put saran wrap over all four girls (I'm going home to get their tank on Monday, so until then each one has a half gallon ice cream tub to herself. Makes it easier for me to watch them, too). Nessarose is the tiniest, pale copper, and she's resting, but every now and then she'll wiggle to the top to take a breath and see if I've fed her yet. Sarima looks like a little princess; still pale, but definitely green with gold, and hovering just slightly to survey her domain.

Fiyero takes my breath away whenever he spreads his fins. He's very white around his chin, but colour is coming back elsewhere and he has the most adorable white top lip! Looks like lipstick I was worried, though, because I saw his tail had split up the middle since his picture was taken at the breeder's, and also there appears to be a minor imperfection in the scales on his left side; the scales have either darkened to brown, or fallen off. I asked Cathy about both, and am waiting to hear what she says. He's quite fiesty, though, and twice has tried to take a chunk out of his reflection.

I took a whole bunch of pictures but because the light was so low (to let them get accustomed to it) only three of them turned out, and then only barely. Attached are two of Fiyero, but as for the rest (and better pics of him) I think I'll wait to post them until I can get some proper ones in good lighting. They're just gorgeous and I want to do them justice!



My incomprable boy (the pics have been digitally enhanced because they were crappy to start with, so that's why they look sorta celluloid-ish. The first pic was taken the moment I released him into his holding-bowl, so he's got a very washed out chin. He's much darker now already. The second pic is darker itself, but gives you a better idea of his basic shape. He's soo handsome!)

 

[Andie]

Feeding time!


Oh dear! They hate me already I thought it was time to put in one or two micropellets, just in case any of them were really hungry, and give them the chance to try the food out. So I dropped them in, not expecting a lot.

Three out of four girls couldn't be bothered at all, and just kept on reclining at the bottom (attacks of the vapours, hmm, ladies?) but Galinda got curious and drifted up (ever so slowly- a lady glides, after all) and deigned to take a nibble.

She mouthed, she chewed, she thought about it . . . she spat. Poo! Utter contempt. The discarded morsel drifted to the bottom, and she looked right up at me as if to say "I BEG your pardon. I am used to LIVE food." She swished her tail about, nibbled another and spat out about half of it in teeny particles.

By that point thoroughly disgusted with me, she drifted back down to the bottom and left me to check on Fiyero, who as it turned out had gobbled down every morsel and was searching for more, the greedy pig