There was a little more ammonia buildup in my fish tank than I liked. It was still technically within safe limits, but I would rather see it lower. So I picked up some ammonia remover tablets. Regardless of how safe fish tank chemicals say they are for fish, I know that doesn’t always mean they’re safe for invertebrates like Buì, my apple snail. I read and reread the box without gleaning any useful information about the product’s safety for snails, but near the bottom I saw a toll-free number. I called it, waited about fifteen minutes for a human, and then asked if the tablets were safe for snails. The lady told me no, and then she told me that I’d have to remove Buì for 48 hours and change the carbon filter along with a 25% water change to be safe. So Buì got his own home for the past two days away from Jaune and Gelb. Buì ended up on my desk next to Ian who found it odd to have a “temtacle monster” so close to him. I spent a lot of time checking up on Buì to make sure he was doing OK in that little tank by himself. At one point, I found him closed up in his shell hovering about an inch below the surface of the water. To say the least, the nickname “mystery snail” makes sense for his breed. Late last night, I put him back in the big tank with Jaune and Gelb who seemed happy to see him (they actually both sulked for hours when Buì was removed). Unlike fish, snails are insanely easy to move from tank to tank. You just grab the shell and carry the whole house with you. Apple snails have the added advantage that they can live safely outside of water for several hours because they can breathe air. I let Kitty sniff him before I put him back. She was unimpressed, much like Ian is with my golden pet. I’m happy to say that Buì seems to be doing just fine back in the main tank. Hooray for snails!

Since this post is about pets, I’ve got a random thing about Kitty. Since Rook has been up for, oh, over a week now, she’s been very clingy to me. She usually makes her rounds around the house during the day, sleeping in the bedroom for a while, sleeping on the couch for a while, sleeping on the kitchen table for a while, etc. Lately she has been staying very close to me–either on the back of the couch immediately behind me or on the arm of the couch beside me. Last night she was on the arm next to me and Ian was sitting on my other side. Ian started putzing with the miniblinds behind us which caught Kitty’s attention (duh, it’s movement and noise). Her eyes were wide as she watched the inexplicable movement (she couldn’t see his hand), and then Ian really started rattling the blinds. You know how kids’ eyes get really wide when they’re scared and they shrink back and start craying? If Kitty could cry, that’s what she would have been doing. She pulled back in terror, her eyes even wider, her ears flat back and a look on her face like she was about to burst into tears. Her tail fluffed up a lot too, and when Ian saw how freaked out she was, he stopped. My poor baby! I cuddled and consoled her for a while after that. I’ve never seen a cat so scared without lashing out or running. She really did remind me of a terrified toddler, though. Hopefully she never gets so scared again. I don’t like seeing my little girl upset.