And Now Introducing...

I would like to introduce you to the newest member of the family:

Yes, yes.  That's him...right there in front.  The green blob.  We haven't given him a name yet.  The relationship is still too new, but he is there and a very welcome addition to our family.

His original name is Cladophora aegagropila, or Marimo Moss Ball Plant for short.  Maybe we'll just call him Mossy or maybe Moe. 

Anyway, he is just too cool!  Look at him!

Does it get any cooler than that? 

Can you sense my excitement?

I have wanted one of these for some time now.  I don't know why, but they just seem so neat.  Technically, it is really just strings of algae tangled together in a radial pattern to form a fuzzy ball that can rise and sink and roll around the tank according to the light rays in the tank.

But to me, it is a cool, interesting and infinitely curious living thing that I am not familiar with so I am intrigued to see what it will do and how it will grow.

My husband and I are very practical people.  It is sad, but neither one of us is really a romantic, so, when our anniversary rolled around this past Wednesday,  rather than getting each other some sentimental something that has no real use, we use the opportunity to buy something that we really can't justify spending the money on, and that we would never buy for ourselves, but that we want.  And we both knew what we wanted. 

Can we go to the pet store, please?

Sure, he says.  Do you mind if we go to Target and get a chip for my PSP.

No problem.  Fair enough.  Good trade.  Something I want that he has no interest in and something he wants that I have no interest in. 

We actually got Jimmy's chip a little while ago, so tonight, being Family Night and all, we decided to go to Cici's Pizza for Gabriel's birthday, which is coming up on Monday, and then to the pet store.  (It seems our family outings revolve around the pet store and the library.  I guess that's what happens when you have a family of readers with a bunch of pets.) 

And my Marimo was on sale!  And so were the Tetras!  For $1 each!!!!  So, we got a few more Neons so now we have 7 so that they can school better, and we got 5 other Tetras, a snail and my Marimo!  The snail was Jimmy's idea.  I told him if the tank becomes over run with snails, he will be the one to deal with it.  We are hoping that our snail is a single snail who will not gift us with little snail-lets.  (What do you call a baby snail?)

But I am very excited about my Marimo.  Next month we will have to invest in getting better lighting in the tank.  It is against a glass door, but the fluorescent light is what makes the fish's colors come out so well.  Then I want to get a few more Mollies to replace the ones we lost a while ago and 3 more Ghost Catfish so they will school, too, and then the tank will be fully stocked.  Well, as stocked as I want to have it.  I am always nervous about getting new fish, though.  I don't want to upset the balance of the current fish, but our tank is pretty big and there just weren't enough fish in it. 

But now our tank is just one more step closer to being complete.  

Thanks, sweetie, and happy anniversary!

Goodnight, little Marimo, sleep tight!