DSM Fish Gal

New Grizzle Clips

A couple new Grizzle video clips are finally trimmed and posted on youtube.com:

Grizzle Playing

Grizzle Being Petted

That's my spirited little dude.   

A Ticked Off Bob

He's such a funny little guy. 
Click here to see Bob's newest video clip on youtube.com.

Kritten & Bob

These two are getting along well now after a few days of feeling one another out.  The new female kitten's name is Kritten, and don't ask me how I came up with that one.  lol  Part critter, part kitten.  It just made sense. 

Here she is:

And here are the cats playing:

And Kritten again:

Here's Bob giving me the evil eye (he thinks the camera sucks):

Awww...and Kritten following in suit:

They're a couple of cuties!  I'm so glad they're getting along and playing so well with one another. 

Bob now has a little sister!

After much deliberation, I decided to adopt a second kitten to keep Bob company, especially since I'm away a bit these days.  "Princess" is the name she was given at the Animal Rescue League, though that will likely change soon, and she is supposedly 7-8 months old (highly doubtful since she's such a tiny little thing).  She has all of her claws intact and was spayed a month ago.  She came home with us this afternoon after being selected over the weekend.

Bob doesn't know what to think of her just yet.  He follows her from room to room and occasionally displays a bit of jealousy when she's shown attention.  But in time I'm hopeful they'll bond and learn to love one another.

She's very lovable and curious. 

Here is Bob looking on.  Poor guy looks so hurt.  The kitten is on HIS scratching perch. 

The Gold Gourami Seeks A New Home

Yep, he's worn out his welcome by behaving very aggressively toward all of the other fish in the 28g tank, all of whom happen to be smaller than him.  This fish would be more suitable among larger species.  He's managed to kill two of the Rainbowfish plus the other Gold Gourami so far. 

Hopefully he can find a new home where he can live happily without being so much of a bully.

Adding to the 28g Tank

Today I picked up a small piece of slate and a new plant to help spruce up the 28-gallon tank.  A few plants were rearranged and the algae was scrubbed off the front and side panels of the tank.

And a close-up on the new calico piece of slate:

The new, yet unidentified, background plant:

This tank looks so bare.  Hopefully once the lighting situation is under control, the plants will grow a little faster than the algae.  There's a generic bulb in one of the strips that casts an unattractive yellow hue on the whole tank, so eventually I hope to replace it with a Flora-Sun bulb.

I Can Has Cheezburger

No, that's not my terrible spelling.  That's the name of the site where you can find a bunch of cute pet photos and captions.  www.icanhascheezburger.com.  Here are a couple of photos that cracked me up...

Thanks goes out to the buddy that gave me this link! 

An Alternative Way to Set Up a New Planted Tank

While skimming through the threads on Aquaria Central, I came across Tom Barr's alternative method for setting up a new planted tank.  What this method involves is growing in the foreground plants (which are usually the trickiest to grow and plant) in saturated substrate, without filling the tank with water.  In 4-8 weeks, once the smaller plants have had an opportunity to grow in and become more established, the tank is filled and fish can be added. 

The process does look quite easy and if I had a new tank to work with, I'd love to give it a try. 

May 2008 Tank Updates

Earlier today, I pruned many of the plants, collecting cuttings to be given to a couple who are in the process of cycling their tank.  The tanks look so much better now!  Here's what they look like now (click on photo for larger image):

The 28g Tank (minus much of the Hornwort that had taken over)

The 10g Tank (still wooly, but not as bad as it was)

I haven't taken the time to clear out the 5g Hex tank yet, but soon some its anacharis will be looking for a new home too.  The Betta keeps getting tangled in it.

As of this past month, I have lost 3 fish in the 28g tank (2 Rainbowfish and 1 Whiptail Catfish).  What a bummer.  But the remaining fish all appear healthy so hopefully there will no more losses.  Oh, and in the 10g tank, I lost one shrimp, but after not experiencing a loss in that tank for months, we'll chalk it up to old age.  The other shrimp seem to be doing just fine.

The "Too Clean" Aquarium Syndrome

Hi folks!

I'm finally back after another lengthy hiatus.  Between classes, finding a new evening job to replace the pet store gig, and building my DSM Pets clientèle, free time has been in short supply.  Wooh.  Thank goodness that term is over so that I can look forward to starting the next one on Tuesday.   Oh boy!

So, anyway, the topic of the night is on aquarium maintenance, specifically how "cleaning overkill" can (and often does) wreak havoc on the tanks of many inexperienced freshwater hobbyists. 

What do I mean by "cleaning overkill"?  This refers to a range of actions, from scraping all algae from all interior surfaces to replacing filter cartridges on a weekly basis.  Getting your aquarium "too clean" can lead to a host of issues, namely a shortage in the beneficial bacteria that break down the ammonia and nitrite, which then drives these levels up, often resulting in fish deaths.  While working at the pet store, this was a common issue for many of the new aquarium-keepers I spoke with and you might be amazed how difficult it was to get through to some of them.  Other salespeople told them to do this or that, or they mistakenly believed the instructions on various product packaging were to be followed to a tee. 

It's easy to fall for the gimmicks and claims when you rely on the advice of salespeople, but we should keep in mind that it's their job to sell us stuff, plenty of which we probably don't even need.   Double goes for the manufacturers of aquarium supplies.  Many of those manufacturers encourage too frequent and thorough aquarium cleaning in an effort to sell more of their products (e.g. - pre-assembled filter cartridges).

For newbie fishkeepers, it's frustrating to learn that by following the directions posted, your tank isn't as healthy as it otherwise could be.  For these same people it can be difficult to come to terms with the idea that aquariums aren't supposed to be THAT clean.  Aquariums are essentially enclosed miniature ecosystems supported by an assortment of microscopic critters that break down waste products, creating a hospitable environment where fish can thrive.   The places fish come from aren't sparkling clean so why should their tanks be?  New fishkeepers would sometimes say they wanted to provide an optimal living space for their fishies, reasoning that fish would appreciate the same sanitary conditions most Americans can't get enough of (anti-bacterial soap, anyone?).  The problem is that an ultra-clean environment IS NOT optimal for fish (and I'd argue it isn't for people either, but that's another topic).

So, what can we do to improve the health of our aquariums?  Here are a few suggestions (with accompanying links for more information and ideas):

1. Do NOT replace filter cartridges, sponges, or pads very often.  By that I mean one should last for at least a month or longer.  Throw it out only when it's tattered and falling apart or so clogged that it seriously inhibits the flow of water through the filter.  If it becomes clogged with debris you can first try rinsing the cartridge in dechlorinated water (NOT tap water as the chlorine will kill off beneficial bacteria) and then stick it right back into place.  When the package says replace it every 2 weeks, know the manufacturer is buffaloing you into spending more money.  It isn't necessary and in fact does more harm than good to replace your filter cartridges or sponges too frequently.  If more filtration power is desired, add a second filter.  Here are some excellent filter maintenance and cleaning tips.


2. Allowing some (or even a lot) of algae growth is beneficial for your aquatic environment.  Besides  fish enjoying the freely-available snack, algae helps maintain proper water parameters by absorbing some of the excess nutrients and waste products (ammonium and nitrate mainly).  In my tanks, I scrape algae on the front and side walls and leave it to grow uninhibited on the ornaments, rocks, branches, and back glass panel.


3. Use unnecessary chemicals sparingly.  The chemicals necessary for your tank are: water conditioner/dechlorinator.  That's it.  And non-iodized salt.  You don't actually need much else. Water clarifiers rarely do any noticeable good.  Algae inhibitors and pH solutions tend to do more harm than good.  Keep in mind that every time a chemical is added, it increases the total amount of chemicals present, expressed in parts per million (ppm).  That's what the fish are living in and "breathing" everyday.


4. Never, ever use soap to clean out an empty tank or to clean ornaments.  No matter how well you rinse it, some residue is usually left behind.  If serious cleaning is needed, soak the items in chlorine bleach water, followed by an overnight soak in dechlorinated water before being left to dry.


5. Ornaments, fake plants, and rocks provide surface area for beneficial bacteria to colonize.  Bleach will kill these colonies, so it's best not to clean these items.  If you must, it's best kept to rare occasions.  The tank may look all neat and pretty with the ornaments scrubbed up, but it does nothing for the health of the tank.  Removing beneficial bacteria means there are less available to break down the toxic waste products, which can result in fish death.  If a couple of ornaments are kept cleaned off, I'd recommend cutting up pieces of filter foam or sponges and placing them in the filters to allow beneficial bacteria a new site to inhabit.  Just rinse it occasionally in dechlorinated water and replace when tattered.
   


6. The aesthetics new fishkeepers tend to prefer are man-made and look unnatural.  It's probably due to how aquarium supplies are marketed, but it's great to expand past that preference and learn to appreciate the way an established miniature ecosystem actually looks.  It may look overgrown and bushy, but fish dig it that way. 

On top of creating a more fish-friendly environment, these tips help keep the setup more affordable and truly low-maintenance.  I'm all about that!