Jumanji Lobster

I have a fish tank in my office. For along time, I had a few frogs in the tank, and they were fun, but not particularly entertaining. Eventually, one of the frogs died, and another committed suicide by jumping out of the tank (through a very small hole) and drying up. So it was time for a change. I went to the store and my attention was immediately captured by a blue lobster. It was about 1-2 inches long, and a brilliant blue color. See this site for a picture of a blue lobster: http://www.elmersaquarium.com/image_fish/01%20crayfish_blue_lobster.jpg

I bought the lobster and brought him home to my tank. This might have been a lack of foresight on my part, but the lobster did not get along with the frogs. He killed both of them within a few days. I thought that it was just a territory thing, as they were all hanging out on the bottom of the tank, but I was wrong. This lobster, as it turns out, is mentally deranged.

With no more frogs, the tank was lonely with just the lobster and the pleco (Algae eater fish), so I bought some other fish to go along with it. I specifically selected agressive/semi-agressive fish, hoping that they could hold their own. The lobster proceeded over the next few months to go on a killing spree. He killed and ate 3 successive plecos, and 3 other fish. I had to keep replacing the plecos, because you need them to keep the tank clean. I tried buying bigger ones, but he was not afraid of any of them. I never saw the kills, though some of the later kills happened in broad daylight while I was in the room. The lobster was getting more and more bloodthirsty and bold. It was obviously time for a change. I took the lobster back to the store and traded him in. The guy at the store put the lobster in a tank containing only one other fish: a pleco. I did the pleco a favor and had the guy sell me the pleco so the lobster was in a tank all by itself. I brought the pleco and some other new fish back to the office and put them in the tank. Lo and behold the criminally insane lobster had made another kill right before I got him out of the tank. One of my fish had been badly injured and died the next day. That brought the body count up to 9. 9 kills. That makes me a little sad.

And then I got to thinking, what horror have I unleashed on the aquarium world? I have placed a psychotic killer lobster back on the market for some other poor unsuspecting chump. Somebody is going to be struck by the beauty of the lobster and take him home only to have a nightmare unfold in his or her tank.

And then I got to thinking again. What if I was not the first? What if this lobster has killed before? Was I just one in a cycle of naive owners whose aquariums were terrorized by this monster lobster?

Just like Jumanji.

Good luck to the next buyer.