Denizens of the Not-So-Deep

I only went into the store for fish food. Really. But Aiden and I saw this little guy in one of the tanks, we and didn't resist.

The Hammers cobalt blue lobster is technically a crayfish. Non-technically, they're also a lot of fun.

I don't think I've ever seen the kids so excited abut anything in the fishtank before. Fiona draws pictures of it. Aiden points it out to anyone who comes in the door. The location and migrations of the lobster are announced regularly throughout the day.

We did have a bit of an adventure with him about a week after we got him — Deborah found some blue shell pieces in the tank, and briefly worried that he had died, but it turns out that he had just molted, and was hiding out in one of the decorative hollow bricks I keep in the tank. Thing is, he got in when his shell was soft. And while he was in there, his shell hardened.... and out was not an option. After more than a day, and much coaxing, it was evident that he wasn't going to get out on his own. So, very gently, I took the brick he was in, and a hammer, and started tapping gently and persistently. You can tell when a piece of ceramic is broken by listening to the sound change: click, click, click, click, thunk! Once I heard that, I gently pulled apart on the brick, and it came apart in two neat halves, freeing the lobster. Remarkably, the brick went back together, minus a crossbar, and is a cozy hidey-hole for the lobster once again. And he can get out of it now, too!