tale of the succinct fish

[babblefish1960]

so babble is out visiting an ovas forum member...
I (the succint fish...she who can say things in 1000 words or less ...there has to be a reason babble's posts aren't always so verbose ) am transferring fry from one tank to their new home, when I walk past the festivum tank, and I hear a really BIG splash. 
I think oh f****, and I stare into the tank, searching for both festivum.
They've only been in this tank a short while, we got this tank specifically to give them more space to breed and be happy.

One of them is missing.

Now below the tank is a tub of water, which goes all the way back to the wall, and is almost as wide as the tank.  The odds are strongly in my favour that the fish jumped from the tank into the tub, no emergency, simply scoop up the fish and put it back in the tank.

Nope, no fish in the tub.
On the left side of the tub, on the floor, gasping out it's last is the lovely male presently breeding festivum.  I can't get to him.  There is a 27 gallon open tub of water blocking the way and  a 135 gallon tank right beside it.
Now, I love this little guy.  I'm fond of all the fish, but the festivum are special.

So I become the queen of adrenaline, that moment that parents have when they lift the car off their kid overtakes me, and I attempt to accomplish the near impossible, I will rescue this fish.

I try to move the very full tub of water off the stand and onto the wooden floor.  Bear in mind that this is in an apartment 12 stories up, that's a lot of people to give an unexpected shower to below.
So I'm simultaneously thinking about Babble getting evicted, not maiming myself permanently, and the fact that the powerhead is still plugged into the wall in the tub I'm pulling away from the wall, and the main thought that I am running out of time.
I grab the nearest thing tall enough to pull the tub onto, which is a panasonic cordless drill case, and I drag the tub onto it.  Of course, the case was not designed to take that kind of weight, nor is it large enough, but it holds briefly. Then the tub starts falling forward, and an unnerving amount of water spashes onto the floor.  I am trapped holding up the tub, therefore I can't rescue the silly fish, and time is running out. I grab the next nearest thing, which of course has to be within arm's reach as I can't let go of the tub.  All I can find is a drill bit case; this does not work.  So I pull will all my might and drag the tub off the beleaguered drill case and onto the floor.  It works! More water on the floor though.  I crawl under the tank and I try to pick up the fish, and the stupid thing tries to get away.  I get it on the second attempt and somehow we make it out from under the stand and into the tank.  He's alive.
The floor is soaked.  I now get the shakes from all the adrenaline and collapse against the tub.  Babble walks in the door to help clean up.  Apparently he stopped to take picture of trucks or he would have been in time for the great rescue.  Well at least he was there for cleanup
End of epic tale of heroic rescue.

By the way, Babble also showed up to tell me that I shouldn't have been able to move that, it was way too heavy.
Oh, and that if I hadn't thought to use the drill case, I could have brought the whole 65 gallon tank on top of myself because the lip of the tub would have caught on the stand.  It's a good thing that I can think under pressure, and that he seriously overbuilds tank stands when he builds them.  You'll see the stand tonight in the home show. I'm sending panasonic an email, now that's one sturdy drill case.
As for the fish, only time will tell.  Cross your fingers and send him happy thoughts.
We put a glass lid on the tank.  No more walkabouts for him.

[artw]

wow, that was a story of epic proportions,  rivals only to Babble's 300 gallon tank aka prison of doom story.  Glad to hear the fish is ok.

[Seanc]

lol good story there, i guess the adrenalin hellped you do all that stuff, and good job on thinking fast, and you are luckey the fish decided to jumpp right when you walked past.
are you useing the MH's yet?

[Underwater]

Thats a great story! Glad the fish is OK.

Did the neighbours get a little rained on?

[dannypd]

wow, amazing story!  adventure!

You fish will most likely be fine.

Fish, like other species, will keep the most important parts of their bodies alive the longest.  In humans, if we are outside in sub-zero tempuratures, we lose our extremedies first (fingers, toes, arms, legs) before our head and torso.  With fish, I find they dry up TAIL first...Once, I found an eel (the name escapes me at the moment) on the floor.  It possibly had been there several hours, if not days, and it was in a ball of HARDERNED goo.  WIthin this ball, it was the eel...sortof like a nest.

[babblefish1960]

Here is an updated photo of the flying festivum .  He finally settled and ate tonight, his favourite(shameless plug here)Aquarium Provisions omni pro.  What a relief.  He is even performing parenting duties in tandem with the female.  I'm certainly not going to be moving anything heavy for awhile...ouch!
The neighbours below haven't said a word about water, so all is well in the end.
Soon we will have little festivums freeswimming

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[FishPassion]

Great story, I believe that OVAS should perhaps hand out a Medal Of Valor for this one...