Big Surprise

[Pegasus]

Hi All,

Managed to get out for a few hours today and visited a tropical fish shop or two up north from here.

Many of the fish I saw were pretty pathetic looking specimens, but just seeing a collection of fish again was pretty exciting to me.

I looked over the fish, bought a few things I needed, regected the test kits at just short of $25 bucks apiece (I needed three) and settled for ten quite good looking neons for the grandkids and a few accessories.

Down the end of the shop was a tank with several large angels, a few aduld gouramies, lace and blue, and an assortment of various species from cats to khullis, plus dozens of smaller tetras.

I watched one of the angels with interest, as she was chasing everything away from her "possie". She looked pretty aggresive, so I looked closer.

There attached to a Java Fern leaf was a huge cluster of eggs... must have been 300 plus.

I was leaving the shop and asked how much the angels were.

"Twenty bucks for the adults" the woman said.

"Does that include the eggs?" I asked.

"WHAT EGGS" she yelled, red faced.

I showed her the eggs, but she still couldn't really see them, so I grabbed a net and with the handle I gently lowered the leaf of the Java so she could see.

Her face went redder and she gabbled on about how she hadn't noticed them. Then she asked me what I thought she should do.

I was in my element

Half an hour later and a lot of detailed explanation with my driver getting more and more angry because he wanted to get off home, she thanked me for the advise, gave me her card, and I gave her the NZ fishroom address, and I left a happy man.

I didn't buy the fish, as I don't think the eggs would have survived the trip, or if she would have continued to look after them in strage quarters, plus she was a bit fin torn for my liking, but still, I had a wonderful day

Bill.