Feeding the neighbour's fish

[Dec66]

The chap across the road is on holiday at present, and he asked me to pick up his mail and feed his fish while he's away.

I've been doing this, putting in the amount of feed which he recommended into the tank and making sure it's ground down enough for them. As a fish owner myself, I think the amount is a bit too much, but I'm happy to do as he asked.

Anyway, I went over tonight and found one dead, nestled in the plant in the tank. I've disposed of the poor blighter, and obviously I'll let the fella know when he comes back, and I know that these things happen and it's nothing I'm doing wrong... But I can't help feeling bad that it's happened on my watch. It does make you wonder if you've somehow been neglectful, even when you're convinced you haven't been.

 

[Dec66]

[QUOTE 4860383, member: 259"]What more can you do?[/QUOTE]
I know, irrational, isn't it? I think it says more about the way my mind works than it does about my ability to look after fish.

 

[User33236]

I've looked after the neighbours fish numerous times over the years. Like you I was mortified one died on my watch. Neighbours came back home and I told them. To my relief they said 'only one?'

Apparently, due to the number they had several dying in a week wasn't unusual but it was important to remove the dead ones quite quickly. I felt a lot easier after that.

 

[swee'pea99]

Murderer

 

[dfthe1]

C'est la fin.

 

[gbb]

Don't worry....it could be worse.
True story....in Peterborough in the 70s and 80s I worked in a large factory where there was a fair proportion of older Italian guys who'd come across after WW2, many worked in the brick pits as well. They were for the most part southern and simple folk from rural backgrounds.
Sebastian, a hulking guy of about 50 at the time (I'd be about 20 at that time) had legendary sandwiches, sometimes what looked like raw anchovies would be hanging from inch thick slabs of bread....always hulking slabs of bread. They made their own wine, had allotments, grew their own stuff etc etc etc.
One year a friend of his went back to Italy to see family and left his goat in Sebs care....it died (reasons unknown).
He butchered it and ate it.

One morning I walked up the loading bay and there was a huddle of Italians..I wandered up to see what was happening, one of them produced a dead rabbit, roadkill perhaps, pulled out a knife and skinned and gutted it, slipped it back in the bag....tonight's tea no doubt.

 

[Beebo]

My rabbit died whilst we were on holiday, our neighbour put it in our freezer.

Did the dead fish have a name or was it just one of many similar fish. He may not even notice.

 

[Markymark]

How did it taste?

 

[biggs682]

Just be honest and tell him the chippy was closed and the family needed feeding

joking apart nothing you can do and no reason to doubt yourself

 

[Levo-Lon]

Dont fret pet..it could have been a 10k Koi ...

 

[Drago]

Uh-oh, I can sense trouble ahead. It'll all be your fault, you're a negligent monster, I'll report you to the RSPCA, etc etc.

 

[summerdays]

When I was very small, school would get someone to take the fish home over the school holidays.... I don't remember the fish at all, but I do remember the bush in the garden where quite a few ended up being buried and then replaced with the closest identical twin we could find!! (Sometimes they were really different)

 

[perplexed]

[QUOTE 4860383, member: 259"]What more can you do?[/QUOTE]

Full Requiem Mass?

 

[Alan Frame]

If you hadn't looked after your neighbour's fish, they would all have died, so they got off lightly.

 

[Levo-Lon]

When I was very small, school would get someone to take the fish home over the school holidays.... I don't remember the fish at all, but I do remember the bush in the garden where quite a few ended up being buried and then replaced with the closest identical twin we could find!! (Sometimes they were really different)

Be like the buggie on fools and horses..