cindy's cadlights 8g: on writing deadlines! :O

[cindyp]

Oh no! Fingers crossed

 

he keeps flopping onto his back, dead dog style,

so i keep thinking, oh, this is it. but then he'll wiggle

back on his belly.

 

thanks, teeny!

[Maniu]

seriously. and i think the end might be near

for my duster worm. i'm sad.

 

Your effort to save it is gut wrenching and sad. But your positive attitude throughout the entire rescue mission is inspiring. I would probably gave up by now.

Stripper worm seems stressed out and exhausted but it still might pull through. Especially now where it can safely regenerate its strength and get more of a personal munching time.

 

One last advice.

If possible, you could try finding some sort of netting to cover the cup. It just might keep pesky worms and inverts from adding more stress to poor stripper as it is. Securing it with rubber band would be easy and practical.

 

Best of luck

[owenj]

Your effort to save it is gut wrenching and sad. But your positive attitude throughout the entire rescue mission is inspiring. I would probably gave up by now. Stripper worm seems stressed out and exhausted but it still might pull through. Especially now where it can safely regenerate its strength and get more of a personal munching time. One last advice. If possible, you could try finding some sort of netting to cover the cup. It just might keep pesky worms and inverts from adding more stress to poor stripper as it is. Securing it with rubber band would be easy and practical. Best of luck

"Stripper worm"

Agree on the netting or something, especially since you've mentioned several times that you think the bristleworm is going after it.

[teenyreef]

Hi Cindy, any updates? I've been worried about your poor worm

[Snow_Phoenix]

Yeah, did he make it? I hope he did!

[cindyp]

Hi Cindy, any updates? I've been worried about your poor worm

 

 

Yeah, did he make it? I hope he did!

 

thanks, guys. well, the worm is still squirming,

BUT no sign of making another tube. so i'm not

feeling particularly hopeful.

 

i'm on deadline for my sequel which is due in 4 weeks

so haven't had time to update as much. i feed it phyto

with the pump off and it still wiggles. there is a lot of

"pooing" going on, and he's held on to most of his feathers.

 

i'm thinking i'll ask hub about a small tube for it to crawl

into--as i have no tweezers plastic tube like kat had suggested.

i'll look around.

 

i suspect it is slowly starving to death.

it hasn't gotten thinner though? and i wonder if

i'm just prolonging its misery direct feeding it once

a day? still, i don't have the heart to stop trying??

 

 

P. S. no predators to speak of now that he is

quarantined. the bristle worms haven't climbed

into it or anything. and the sexies leave him be

as well as my ycg. have found a cerith in the tub

(on plastic) and i chucked it out twice. since then, nada.

 

so he is protected at least, being naked.

[kimberbee]

Poor guy! I wish there was more info out there for you to know exactly what to do!

[cindyp]

Poor guy! I wish there was more info out there for you to know exactly what to do!

 

i know! if he isn't making his own tube again, i suspect

he is still too stressed or simply too weak? i will look

into a plastic tube for him this week.

[owenj]

At least it's still kicking. Considering how fragile research says they are and the fact that yours is still alive I think it's worth it to keep giving this a shot.

 

Just a thought, but would the empty body part of a syringe sans plunger work in a pinch if you don't have a tweezers tube?

[cindyp]

At least it's still kicking. Considering how fragile research says they are and the fact that yours is still alive I think it's worth it to keep giving this a shot.

 

Just a thought, but would the empty body part of a syringe sans plunger work in a pinch if you don't have a tweezers tube?

 

oooh. we do have those for kiddie medicines when they

had gotten sick. will look into. thanks, jaime!

 

how goes the writing, etc.

my critique group flaked on me today

but hopefully we meet next week. i've got

15k to write and it's due in 4 weeks.

aiming for 1k a day. eeeeeee

[owenj]

oooh. we do have those for kiddie medicines when they

had gotten sick. will look into. thanks, jaime!

 

how goes the writing, etc.

my critique group flaked on me today

but hopefully we meet next week. i've got

15k to write and it's due in 4 weeks.

aiming for 1k a day. eeeeeee

I happened to look down at my desk while replying to your post and saw a water test syringe sitting next to me. Light bulb moment

 

Aww, sucks about your writing group. I just sent my hopefully last big revision of my short story to my crit group yesterday. Ooof, 15k in four weeks is rough. How polished does it have to be?

[cindyp]

I happened to look down at my desk while replying to your post and saw a water test syringe sitting next to me. Light bulb moment

 

Aww, sucks about your writing group. I just sent my hopefully last big revision of my short story to my crit group yesterday. Ooof, 15k in four weeks is rough. How polished does it have to be?

 

i have a water tester syringe too. but it is too narrow!

my worm is fat and wide. so i scrounged around and

was able to find the perfect tube from my bubs playdough

toys. i had to saw it with a dull kitchen knife though.

 

THIS is why i don't DiY. i've put the tube in the sand in

its plastic jar. we'll see what happens....

 

as for my novel, i need to get it to my editor as polished

as it can be. i was hoping to be able to edit the entire novel

once with my critique group comments--but i dragged my

arse so much on rough drafting, we're down to the wire.

so it's unlikely.

 

it seems to be the way of sequels. eep.

just hope i make the deadline and don't give

it a Scooby Doo ending.

[cindyp]

THE WORM WENT IN THE TUBE!

 

it is too wide and too short for it, but the plastic

jar is not wide for a long tube. so i stuck it in the

sand and went to take a shower. when i came

back out, the worm was inside. half of it is hanging

out but it had its head stuck in the air trying to catch

some food--more perky than i've seen it in a long time.

 

thanks for nudging me on this, friends! i am so happy!

(though still doubtful of its long term survival but...)

 

 

here it is sticking up in the air as i've not seen it do in a long

time. it has held on to the ragged bits of feather thankfully.

because if he dropped the feathers, i think he'd really be SOL.

 

and i have to say, in the beginning, naked worm looked a little

creepy and a lot alien to me. now he is very *cute* to me. and

i like him a lot.

 

poor thing.

 

continued good thoughts are appreciated!

 

 

Your effort to save it is gut wrenching and sad. But your positive attitude throughout the entire rescue mission is inspiring. I would probably gave up by now. Stripper worm seems stressed out and exhausted but it still might pull through. Especially now where it can safely regenerate its strength and get more of a personal munching time. One last advice. If possible, you could try finding some sort of netting to cover the cup. It just might keep pesky worms and inverts from adding more stress to poor stripper as it is. Securing it with rubber band would be easy and practical. Best of luck

 

 

 

thank you, maniu.

 

i feel very responsible as i've done this multiple

times as a noob, i get excited about having something

and bring it home before research.

 

granted, the people at LCS always assure me that this

fish/worm is EASY and doesn't even need spot feeding etc.

 

i should have learned my lesson by now.

 

NO MORE. that is my NYE resolution. i am super gun shy

about more fish and what type, but i couldn't resist this

guy. and managed to stress him out of his tube in a matter

of days. aiiiii

 

your well wishes are appreciated.

[kimberbee]

So he climbed in all by himself!?! That's GOT to be a good sign!

[teenyreef]

Yay!!!! Hope this is a good sign for continued improvement. Now you can go back to writing with a clear conscience

[metrokat]

Yay!!

[cindyp]

So he climbed in all by himself!?! That's GOT to be a good sign!

yes he scooted in tail first!

 

Yay!!!! Hope this is a good sign for continued improvement. Now you can go back to writing with a clear conscience

thanks teeny!

[kimberbee]

yes he scooted in tail first!

[cindyp]

Yay!!

 

\o/

 

YAY!

 

poor thing. he is, as my old roomie

use to say: tore up from the floor up!

[owenj]

At least things are heading in the right direction! I have zero experience with ornamental dusters, but considering that it basically immediately went into the tube, I'm taking that as a good sign hopefully now it feels safe enough to regenerate its tube.

[Maniu]

Glad to see her getting that new dress she craved so much.

She is really stressed out but this little skirt just might save her life.

Keep us posted.

It is a really good news.

[Maniu]

P.S

In regards to words of wisdom coming from mouths of your lfs gurus.....

Well, it's greatly overrated source of knowledge.

But there are few really honest individuals in the trade.

Unfortunately they're hard to come by.

 

Also,

If you are looking for rare, cool and easy fish for your tank in the future?

I have great recommendation. Of cause, based on my own experience.

 

Cheers

M

[gena]

That's awesome that it moved to the tube!!!!! The fact that it had the energy to do that has to be a very good sign. I'd try to find a longer tube if you can. I think this worm is gonna make it .

[kimberbee]

Maybe a piece of flexible tubing/hose would work too.

[cindyp]

after all the celebrating, the worm

climbed out of the tube last night.

so, this morning, i put in a longer tube than

the other--though this one is still much much

shorter than what he had made for himself.

 

the cup he is in is literally the biggest size i can

put in my small tank--and i've literally put the longest

tube i can into that cup, shoving the end into the sand

and the front allowing "head space" for my worm.

 

as it were, i felt that it would be really hard for him

to scootch into it by himself (there was little wiggle room)

so i took the risk and decided to gently pick him up and

help him into the tube.

 

he's been in ever since.

 

but he sort of "played dead" while in my hand, and

i continue to worry for the little dude.

we'll see what happens.

 

thanks again for all your tips, well wishes, and support,

friends.

 

ALSO, i tried to read up on it, but i'm almost certain

that my worm is sightless? no eyes? can anyone deny

or confirm?

 

 

P.S
In regards to words of wisdom coming from mouths of your lfs gurus.....
Well, it's greatly overrated source of knowledge.
But there are few really honest individuals in the trade.
Unfortunately they're hard to come by.

Also,
If you are looking for rare, cool and easy fish for your tank in the future?
I have great recommendation. Of cause, based on my own experience.

Cheers
M

 

 

 

thank you so much, mainu. and i don't think many

of those LCS folks were purposefully misleading me.

when the worm came out, i went to them looking for white

sand for the worm and advice, and one basically admitted he

knew nothing.