Fishy Modelling!!

Didnt get a chance to take pics of fishy (Oops Wukong.. sorry Chao!!) last night... came home a little early today... Chao got his camera with a new stand... click click click...
[some pics (taken with flash ON) look a little washed-out...]



Wukong likes to create lots of bubbles in the tank... probably following his paternal instincts: in Betta's, its the male who takes care of the eggs before they hatch. He stores the eggs in his bubble nest and looks after them till the youngones are born.




He also likes to get stuck behind the heater or some corner and then struggle his way out...

We did a small experiment (found on many websites).. make the Betta fight his own image.. we kept a mirror on the tank's side.. Wukong would dart towards the tank wall to fight with the 'other' male in the tank... note how he has his gills and fins spread out...



Judging by the Betta's performance, I feel confident about the water condition.. I do see some decolorization on the bio-wheel.. perhaps this a sign that the 'good' bacteria have started growing on it. I didnt see any major change in the ammonia level... If the water conditions continues to stay stable, I might add my next fish over the weekend.. I'll mostly choose a bottom-feeder or an algae eater to help me keep the tank clean :))

Wukong: The 'monk' fighter

This morning I got up not sure if my new fishy had survived the night (sometimes a new fish, especially the first fish, takes time in adjusting to the new environment and may die due to stress if the water conditions are not right). Well.. fishy was doing fine.. he was swimming around the tank trying to explore his new home. I tried to feed him.. but looked like he wasnt in the mood to eat.. wanted to look around before having his meal. I dropped some food in his tank before leaving for work.

On my way, I told Chao fishy is active and doing fine. He said he'd thought of a good name for our new buddy: "Wukong". He briefly explains: "Wukong, the monkey king lived as a monk on a mountain named Huaguo (meaning Mountain of Fruit and Flower). He possessed several magical powers and had a peculiar personality. This peaceful monk never used his strength until necessary." It seems there's a chinese novel about Wukong. Anyways, I an happy with the new name.. it goes well with the betta's nature.. very peaceful with other community fishes.. but very territorial when facing males of his own kind... humm does that mean I have to call my tank Hauguo? I dont think so ;-)

I'll probably post another blog in the evening with some new pics of Wukong.

First Fish

After work, Chao (my work buddy) and I stopped by Petsmart. The guy in the aquarium department was very helpful. Patiently answered all my question related to fishes and setting up new aquariums.. gave me a few tips on choosing compatible fishes.. he even helped me choose a nice looking Betta....

Before I tell you more about my new fish.. a few lines about Chao.. Chao and I joined our company together.. and we've been great friends since then... He is as excited as I am about setting up this new aquarium.. He wants to sponsor some of the fishes in my tank... starting with the first one...

They say fishes are very stressed after transporting them. I could clearly see the effects on my new fish after our drive back home... he was pretty scared in his little container.. further stressed after I moved him into a plastic bag: a note to all newbies.. before moving your new fish into the aquarium, put them in a plastic bag and have the bag inside the tank water for 15-20 mins so that the water in the bag is at the same temperature as the tank.. some expert aquarist recommend pouring your tank water into the bag every 5 mins so that the fish can easily adjust to the tank water before it is moved to it. After the wait period, dont 'pour' the fish into the tank.. instead net the fish and let it swim out of the net into the tank.

My new Betta didnt want to leave the net when I tried to release him in the new tank. A little patience helped. Once in the tank, he quicky started looking for spots to hide. Looked pretty scared. In a few minutes he found the opening in the 'wooden trunk'.. spent most of his evening hiding inside it.


After a few attempts, we did manage to get a couple of good photos.



Later at night, once I had the lights turned off (execpt for the reading light in my room), I could see him come out of his hiding and explore the rest of the tank.

Chao is looking at various chinese (Shaolin) names for my new 'fighting fish'.

All set for the first fish!!

This morning I went to a nearby public library to pick a book on tropical water fishes: The complete fishkeeper. Pretty good book.. talks about many variety of fishes that can be kept in aquariums.. fish compatibility.. the kind of environment their require.. etc... This book can be a good source for beginners like myself.

My tank was delivered later in the morning.. spend most of the afternoon at various pet stores buying all sorts of goodies for the tank.. then later in the evening.. i spent some time putting all the things together... I am planning to introduce my first fish (Betta) on Monday. Enjoy the photo!!

Tank Shipped!!

Just got a mail from petco.com saying that they have shipped my tank from their distribution center in Mira Loma.. well it turns out Mira Loma is just 1hr 30 mins from my place... checked the fedex tracking site.. it says I should get it tomorrow... wow, thats pretty fast!!

The Tank: Marineland Eclipse System 6

Well, I was more or less decided on the Eclipse 5 tank... I was planning to visit Petsmart after work to pick it up.. During lunch time, for some odd reason I decided to do a quick online check at various sites to see if there are any better deals going on. Found out that Petco had a new deal going on which would let me have an Eclipse 6 system for the same price as its younger sibling (Eclipse 5) with free shipping. Although I was tempted to place an order right way, thought I wouldn't hurt to first take a look at the actual item before I place an order...

I knew the Petco store near my house didnt keep any Eclipse tanks.. so I decided to stick to my earlier plan: pay a vist to Petsmart on my way home.. At the store, I found the E-6 to be a little bigger and nicer looking compared to the E-5. The sales lady from the marine department seemed very friendly and was more than happy to answer all my question. She let me open a box and go thru all the contents... soon I found out that the Eclipse series doesn't come with a heater.. and I need to have a heater if I am planning to go with tropical fishes... Anyways, I had decided to go ahead with the E-6 tank.

In talking to the sales rep, I also found out that on a average, its a good idea to wait for 2-3 days after setting up the tank before the first fish in introduced into it. The 2-3 days are required for the filtering and aerating system to take effect. she also showed me some fishes that I can use as 'starters'.. I really liked the blue colored Betta Splendens (also known as Siamese Fighting Fish - the males are very territorial.. they will usually fight to the death if put in the same bowl/tank). It was very surprising to know that this highly territorial fish gets along very well with other tropical fishes that don't belong to its variety. Betta Splendens come in different colors and is pretty good in adapting to different conditions.. making it very easy to maintain. A little google back home reaveled some interesting facts: these fishes have a special organ in their body that lets them breadth air directly from the surface of the water in case the oxygen level in the water is too low. Infact, the male (who in this variety of fishes take care of the young) pushes the young to the surface to help them breathe. The Bettas doesn't require any heating or filtering system making them a popular bowl fish. I think a blue Betta Splenden would be a good choice as a first fish for my new aquarium.

I just finished placing an order at petco.com for an E-6. I chose the standard shipping option.. 3-6 days.. no hurry... the tank should be home sometime early next week.

Aquarium Table: IKEA 'LACK' Side Table

I made my first purchase today toward the soon-to-be-setup aquarium: a table from IKEA. The table stood first in line of a long list of things to come. I thought this would be a good time for me to start a blog and write about my experience in setting up a new aquarium... so here I am with my laptop on the newly purchased 'aquarium table' writing a blog about my latest hobby!!

I recently moved to a new house. In the process of beautifying my new place, I thought it would be cool to have a fish-tank in the house. The enthusiasm soon picked up momentum and over the next few days, I started spending all my free time in googling and reading about aquariums, fish-compatibility, tank-size etc.. I also did a lot of window shopping at Petsmart, Petco and Walmart's pet-department... In the process, got to learn a great deal about aquariums.. for example found out about the simple rule of thumb for aquariums - for every inch of fish, you need at least a gallon of water... Salt water aquariums are more difficult to maintain compared to tropical ones and hence not recommended for first timers... Goldfish are not too fussy.. easiest to maintain and can survive in a variety of conditions... fish compatability is a very important criteria when it comes to choosing several variety of fishes (a quote from one of the sites: "don't be surprised if one of your smaller fishes mysteriously dissappears when you introduce a larger non-carnivorous fish in the tank")... fish are likely to survive better in a flat long tank rather than a tall tank etc etc etc.. the list goes on...

Although I will be sharing most of my experiences in setting up my new aquarium, this blog serves more as an 'aquarium' diary rather than providing information to a newbie aquarist... However, I will try my best to provide useful websites and other resources as I continue to write more.

Now that the table is in place, I have to start looking for a good deal on the tank. I am more or less decided on what I want: the Eclipse Corner 5 Aquarium by Marineland. This 5 gallon tank is ALL-IN-ONE kind. Meaning that (hopefully) I dont have to worry about buying separate units for filtering, heating or lighting. Plus since its 5 gallons (compared to the more popular Eclipse 3 series), I can have a couple more fishes in the tank.. a good number for starters. My window shopping over the last few days has helped me get an estimate on the approximate price for this tank and also the stores that have it in stock.