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'.