SAVING KRYPTON
This cranky re-run is from May 2013
I visited Frog this week, 3 hours away in Maryland, to play a round of golf. During this visit I noticed a certificate given to Frog for “Heroism above and beyond the call of duty.” It was issued by his two teenage boys.
“Ok Frog, what is up with the certificate?”
Frog was obviously very proud of the story that followed:
It seems that the two Tadpoles had three goldfish that they had won at a carnival several years ago. One died of unknown causes. The other died trying to make a run for it to the small stream that runs behind Frog’s house. This desperate fish had jumped out of his bowl and flopped across the room only to be stopped by a closed door. He died some one quarter of a mile and a closed door away from fish freedom.
The third fish was named Krypton after Superman’s home planet because of its seemingly indestructible quality.
(I know...Planet Krypton blew up! Hey, I didn't name the fish.)
In the aftermath of Super-storm Sandy the Frog family was without power. They stayed with a friend who hadn't lost power. On the fourth day after the storm, Frog realized Krypton’s bubbler would not be operating, and he may be running out of oxygenated water.
Frog checked up on the fish and found him listing heavy to the right. Krypton was lightly flipping one side flipper, but he was clearly only minutes away from being flushed to eternity.
“So, thinking quickly, I ran to the kitchen and…”
“Grabbed a straw to give Krypton straw to bowl resuscitation?”
“Yeah, how did you know?”
“Years ago, I was feeding a neighbor’s Betta fish while they were on vacation. On the fourth day I found the fish just about belly up in rather dirty water. I blew fresh air through a straw until the fish came to life. I then put clean fresh water into his bowl after I let the water get to room temperature. The fish lived, though he might have suffered some brain damage.”
“Well Krypton is still just fine…I guess in an emergency great minds think alike.”
“Yeah, but I never got a certificate!”
Real heroes don’t need accolades.
Does that straw thing really work?
ReplyDeleteI had no idea you could do that, because breathing out through a straw you'd be giving the fish CO2 not O2, but I suppose it would stir up the water enough and maybe add a little oxygen, enough to keep the fish going until the water could be changed.
ReplyDeleteWow, very clever your friend to figure this out and then it worked!! Hoping Krypton continues to live on for many a year!
ReplyDeletebetty
Wish I'd known all this when I kept goldfish.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing what they teach in cpr training classes now. Seriously does the straw thing work?
ReplyDeleteAll that effort for a .25cent goldfish........
ReplyDeleteYou're so brave & powerful!!
ReplyDeleteHe deserves the certificate for effort alone.
ReplyDeleteWow...another one here who is wondering if that really works. Good thing he didn't have to do CPR.
ReplyDeleteWhy is everyone doubting if this works? It works, didn't you even read this? Why would I make it up? Worked for my fish and Frog's fish. You blow air, not CO2 from you lungs for pity sake!
ReplyDeleteI believe you! When you blow air (including your carbon dioxide) through the straw, the water is stirred up and bubbles, like a bubbler would agitate it. That's what oxygenates the water. The bubbling action stirs up the water and exposes more surface area to the air to get oxygen in the water.
ReplyDeleteYou would have needed a different form of resuscitation to same MY goldfish. My mom knocked the bowl over, and the whole thing fell off the counter while she was dusting. We tried to scoop him up and put him back in fresh water, but sadly, the bowl had landed on him.
I never know when you're yanking my chain :)
ReplyDeleteBecause i don't have fish (what with the bajillion cats and all), i guess i'll never get to try it to see if it helps. And yes, the air we breathe out still has plenty of oxygen in it.
ReplyDelete