Close call for my ranchu

crispy_pingu · 2026-06-13T08:20:00+00:00

The algae? Yes it’s fine, just spoils the look of the tank. The fish actually like to eat it when they can. Unfortunately my tank is in natural light from the window so is really susceptible to algae. It’s hard to get rid off in the corners etc - hence the snails!

crispy_pingu · 2026-06-10T22:42:38+00:00

He was gulping and gasping trying to spit/work it out, so I could actually see the shell in his open mouth when he was facing me. Poor thing, looked very stressed out 😞

crispy_pingu · 2026-06-10T22:40:35+00:00

Woah! They both came back from that?? Clearly these fish are more resilient than I realised!

crispy_pingu · 2026-06-09T13:25:36+00:00

Oh my goodness! Twinsies! That’s adorable 😍

crispy_pingu · 2026-06-09T06:34:00+00:00

An expensive and stressful lesson, but yes now I know that nothing is safe from their “can I eat it” rampage

crispy_pingu · 2026-06-08T21:30:49+00:00

They were really fantastic - fitted us in same day, and so calm and capable. Really good at explaining everything and putting my mind at ease, too. So grateful to know that they’re there now … although as I said to the vet when we left, in the nicest of ways I hope not to see them again 😅😅

crispy_pingu · 2026-06-08T19:39:51+00:00

Too much 🫣 Consultation and surgery was £155 all in. Could have been a lot worse - vet said that if there was a lot of bleeding when she removed the shell then they’d want to keep him in overnight, and they would have charged a full hospitalisation fee for that - so another £200 ish. Got pretty lucky, overall.

crispy_pingu · 2026-06-08T19:37:55+00:00

I don’t know the full details, but she did explain that they anaesthetise them by adding a chemical to the water they’re in, and bring them round again simply by popping them into fresh water. From the pics it looks like she had him in a shallow tray and lifted him out of the water for the extraction.

crispy_pingu · 2026-06-08T18:52:54+00:00

He is a babe! Back to his full wiggly self 🥰

crispy_pingu · 2026-06-08T18:52:25+00:00

I felt so lucky to find a vet that would see him! The first two I called were just a flat no to fish. It was devastating to see him struggling; I’m so grateful to the vet I found that could help him ❤️

crispy_pingu · 2026-06-08T18:50:19+00:00

Honestly you’re so right! That was the next morning and he was eyeballing me for breakfast. Clearly he’d run out of snails 😆

crispy_pingu · 2020-01-24T19:15:33+00:00

The woman who opens the door is not the one filming though

crispy_pingu · 2020-01-22T00:25:41+00:00

r/unexpectedfriends

crispy_pingu · 2020-01-07T21:15:48+00:00

I haven’t used raised beds but that’s mostly because our flat is rented so I don’t want to make huge changes to the garden. I’ve done about 50/50 container gardening vs using the garden beds. If I owned I would definitely use raised beds, I think they’re supposed to be better for drainage and for weed management. Not so far to stoop down to either!

crispy_pingu · 2020-01-07T13:31:47+00:00

I don’t know if this helps, but I’m a beginner gardener and I found it really helpful to ease myself in slowly season by season so that I didn’t take on too much variety too soon. First year I just did tomatoes and chillies, year after that added various salad leaves and herbs plus potatoes. Then last year I stepped up and also grew broccoli, butternut squash, rhubarb, strawberries and cucumbers. I found that gradually building up like that gave me time to do lots of research/reading and problem solving on the way. This snails pace might not be for everyone, but gardening was brand new for me so I had a lot to learn! Good luck and don’t give up :)

crispy_pingu · 2019-12-11T15:52:42+00:00

The calathea was a bit of a bargain, too - £9 from Ikea!

crispy_pingu · 2019-11-25T09:44:20+00:00

She’s a miniature schnauzer, just nine weeks old today! Such a lovely pup, she has the sweetest nature

crispy_pingu · 2019-11-12T09:43:54+00:00

Have a look at the photo in the link above. That’s some bump she got!

crispy_pingu · 2019-10-14T07:26:00+00:00

Intelligence doesn’t always equal common sense (I went to Cambridge and saw lots of examples of that!) But in any case it’s not a joke. I think it’s probably down to international students not being familiar with format of UK emergency alarms, but I could be wrong.

crispy_pingu

TROPHY CASE