I am beyond heartbroken - Marge and George have passed

 It is with a heavier heart than I could ever imagine that I have to tell the Austin Frog Blog that Marge and George are now waiting under the Rainbow Bridge for me.   They made it from Texas to California without a hitch, in a bait bucket, wrapped in ice, with a battery-operated bubbler keeping them happy for three days.  When we got to California, I had brought a small tank for them, with a good bit of their water from Texas, filled with the bacteria they were used to.  Then, when the movers came, I also had 75 gallons of purified water delivered, so I could set up their 75 gallon tank.  They made the move fine.   They were happy.   For over a year, they were awesome fish who seemed to like California just fine.  But then we bought a house and I had to move them again.  This move didn't go as well.

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I wanted them to be happy, so I bought them new plants and some live food.  They started to become sluggish and had clamped fins and were hiding on the bottom.  Panic struck.

I tried to get help.  I got recommendations for antibiotics.  They didn't work.  I made an appointment at UC Davis.  George died.  Then Marge was crashing around, in obvious distress and my husband called me from work in a panic.  I knew she had to be euthanized.  How do you kill your own pet?  I had heard that freezing actually causes pain when the ice crystals form, so I told him to put her in an ice bath to slow her down, while I rushed to the store for clove oil, which is supposed to be a painless way to euthanize fish. 

So it was done.   Marge and George had personalities larger than life.  They were interactive and funny.  I spent time just watching them every single day.  Feeding them was one of the favorite parts of my day.    I now realize that I can no longer eat fish.  It's like eating dog to me.  Can't do it.   Bye guys.  Thank you for being good fish.