I have fishy. lots
As none may know... fish
To combat the very low humidity here after living in such places as Germany, Hawaii and Washington most of my life (ie near large bodies of water) I decided to aquire a fish tank.
Now I had a fish tank in Washington that had a guinea pig (now resting in a clover patch in the next life) which wound up staying with friends to take care of said piggy in her elder years to keep her from having to deal with the stress of moving. So I bought a tank after about a month of being here, just a 20 high. nothing to big. In it I have 2 ottos, and two smallish tribes around 8 members of cherry barbs and glow light tetras. There is also a breeding pair of guppies doing what they do.
The Glow lights have begun to get elongated tails on some of the populace highlighted by white tips. I think they believe themselves single gilled veggiratian sharks. The ottos are fat and happy like they should be but I would like to get a few more so they can have a social group like they would in the wild.
The guppies were added last as a gift from a local breeder. The female is easily the largest I have seen at just over a 2" body length and I have been told she will get larger. Both she and the male have a brilliant redish orange tint taking up 70% of the males body, whos fins have stayed short enough to be effective at swimming still. After a month-ish the female gave birth to her first batch, 4 have survived to almost and inch and the colour on the males is just starting to show. She recently birthed her second batch which is totaling 5-6 and they are maybe 1/4". The kicker is this. people want to sell you breeding nets so you have have a hundred young and cull all but the best. I decided instead of walling them off to leave plants in the tank for the young fry to hide in... only they seem to shun the plants after the first day and in the case of both batches have taken up living on the small portion of water found over the enactive power head skimmer... So I have to watch the water level closely else they might be stuck inside the groves.
The first batch stayed there or behind the filter the entire time for fear of being eaten. Valid to a point. This second batch is brave though. They are stealing little bits of food from their older siblings in open water and staying out in plane view most of the time. Funny what happens when social structures are allowed to develop naturally. Pictures will come this evening after the sun goes down so my camera focuses right.
To combat the very low humidity here after living in such places as Germany, Hawaii and Washington most of my life (ie near large bodies of water) I decided to aquire a fish tank.
Now I had a fish tank in Washington that had a guinea pig (now resting in a clover patch in the next life) which wound up staying with friends to take care of said piggy in her elder years to keep her from having to deal with the stress of moving. So I bought a tank after about a month of being here, just a 20 high. nothing to big. In it I have 2 ottos, and two smallish tribes around 8 members of cherry barbs and glow light tetras. There is also a breeding pair of guppies doing what they do.
The Glow lights have begun to get elongated tails on some of the populace highlighted by white tips. I think they believe themselves single gilled veggiratian sharks. The ottos are fat and happy like they should be but I would like to get a few more so they can have a social group like they would in the wild.
The guppies were added last as a gift from a local breeder. The female is easily the largest I have seen at just over a 2" body length and I have been told she will get larger. Both she and the male have a brilliant redish orange tint taking up 70% of the males body, whos fins have stayed short enough to be effective at swimming still. After a month-ish the female gave birth to her first batch, 4 have survived to almost and inch and the colour on the males is just starting to show. She recently birthed her second batch which is totaling 5-6 and they are maybe 1/4". The kicker is this. people want to sell you breeding nets so you have have a hundred young and cull all but the best. I decided instead of walling them off to leave plants in the tank for the young fry to hide in... only they seem to shun the plants after the first day and in the case of both batches have taken up living on the small portion of water found over the enactive power head skimmer... So I have to watch the water level closely else they might be stuck inside the groves.
The first batch stayed there or behind the filter the entire time for fear of being eaten. Valid to a point. This second batch is brave though. They are stealing little bits of food from their older siblings in open water and staying out in plane view most of the time. Funny what happens when social structures are allowed to develop naturally. Pictures will come this evening after the sun goes down so my camera focuses right.