In Other News

Well, if you go back you will see a posting I made about the 150-gallon and the rock situation. I am interested in taking out some of the smaller, lighter colored rocks and replacing them with more like the one on the far left side, a dark grey boulder-like stone, which is very large and a great color. I went to Pete Rose Landscape Supply today, where I got that rock, and their stock is very low... DUH! .... it is only the dead of winter and about 19 degrees. Who is outside building rock walls now? I was very disappointed, because when I get an idea in my head it is hard to shake, and I had already planned out how I was going to rearrange things. I will have to wait until the spring when they will have quite an assortment to choose from, and hopefully they will have the same type of stone I got there previously. I do love picking through rock piles!

Also, I have placed an order for six Apistogramma cacatuoides for my 40-gallon. I'm interested in a male and several females, so I figure this is the best way to get that, waiting to see what I get as they mature. I remind you that I am an aquarium snob and the cockatoo Apisto is one of the most popular and commonly available (a "beginner" Apisto), but I can't help but admire its looks, and I'd like to start out with them. They are a bit more adaptable to various aquarium conditions, and though I am keeping wild caught angels without difficulty I don't want to start my Apisto adventure with the most exotic or challenging. The bottom line is that I admire them quite a bit and I think they will make a very nice addition to the 40, which is a bit bare currently. There are no species that spend much time in the bottom areas, and there are lots of caves and zones for small cichlids to claim territory. At the same time I'm going to build my stock of ember tetras, which seem very happy in this tank and have great color. The rasboras may still get some size on them and I'm not planning on adding to their number at this point.

That is about it. Otis the F8 puffer continues to thrive and for some reason I'm able to grow Java moss in his tank now (it would turn brown and melt previously - go figure) and it looks cool, almost like a marine grass, since the tank is 'scaped with coral rock. The leopoldi angels are holding their own in the 37, with almond leaves tinting the water and willow sticks providing reedy interest for them. The frontosa, leleupi and Altolamps are all doing well in the 150, though the leleupi (no surprise) are quite boisterous and may be a bit much for the rest of the fish. I don't see any particular trouble, but they have a very dominant presence. This will change as the frontosa grow and they don't! I'm watching things carefully, like a mother hen, I tell you.

I have recently joined an aquarium club that is the spawn of the forum USAFishbox.com, and our local chapter has quite a few interested participants, even after just one meeting. It is something we've needed around here for a long time. We'll see how it goes as we get out of infancy and develop policy and routines.

Bubbles for the Advanced Aquarist

I added a fake plant and some driftwood to the goldfish tank in the kitchen to give it a bit more interest, but I'm still trying to keep it very simple. I had a bubble wand on hand that would go across the entire back of the tank, and would solve the "issue" of no tank background. I do not want a background on this tank, but something to add visual texture would help, like a curtain of bubbles.

For the life of me I can't understand why goldfish and bubbles seem to go together. I can't recall the last time I deliberately put bubbles in an aquarium, except when I got these goldfish recently. For me, the ultimate aquarium snob, bubbles are just tacky, don't actually add oxygen to the water, outgas precious CO2 in planted tanks, disturb the fish, etc. I've gotten to a point where I strive for natural appearance in an aquarium, where it might look like a slice of nature. I don't want to see hoses, cords, plastic of any kind, or other evidence that the tank runs on electricity. Bubbles were abandoned years ago!

However, I keep trying to put bubbles in my goldfish tanks. I don't understand it, but it is what comes to mind and I can't shake it. There is something goofy and "plastic" about goldfish, maybe, that demands the decor follow suit. Years ago (many) I had a rather fun goldfish tank, my first aquarium, with plastic decor and marbles. I had mostly plastic kid's toys, with some cake decorating toppers and other items that reflected a childish playfulness. And a beer bottle reflecting.... what? I was 21! What do you want from me?

I ought to come up with something clever like that again for this tank, but I will need to search very carefully for just the right items. Meanwhile, I do not care for the lack of background, with the wall needing to be painted and all, yet I don't want to tape a piece of patterned plastic sheeting on the back of the tank. I don't want to see something taped on, like kindergarten art on a refrigerator. No matter how carefully you tape it on, you can always see the tape, and the background never lies smoothly, and it bugs me - I want to rip it off. This tank is not tucked in a corner, but is quite visible on most sides, and when you walk by it you can see the back of the tank, so there is no way I'd be able to ignore the imperfection.

What I'd like to get is an Oceanvisions background, which is applied with soapy water and a credit card to squeegee out the bubbles, so it is sticking down completely to the back of the tank. I will have to mail order that item. You take a sharp knife and cut away the excess, so it is completely adherent to the back glass and a part of it, though it can be removed easily later.

In the meantime, I spent quite a while trying to get the green Top Fin bubble wand to work. You know the kind I mean - it seems like it is made of dense styrofoam or something, in a tube shape, and can be connected together for varying lengths. No bubbles come out with the small pump, none with the medium sized pump, and none with the GIANT pump. OK, I'll try soaking it for a couple of hours. No deal. I blow into the air hose and can barely get any air to come out, so I know this was made too dense and won't ever work - product defect - and I'm sure I'm not the only one who has experienced this!

I poked holes into the entire length of the tube, and that, of course, did the job, but the bubbles are huge and disruptive, and I can't get the thing positioned properly, so I got annoyed. Who needs bubbles? I did have a round pressed sand airstone that I am now using on the far left that is adequately operated by a completely silent small air pump, so that will have to do for now. I did not like giving up on my dream, the ultimate competitor that I am (!) and purchased a flexible sinking bubble wand from Drs. Foster & Smith, my dear friends. This won't need suction cups and alleges to work right out of the box. We shall see. I think it would be nice to have a gentle curtain of small bubbles across the back of the tank, so that's what I'll have, dammit! What has come over me???

In other related news, I'm just waiting for the algae to take over this tank. It is the first tank I've had in many, many years, maybe ever, now that I think about it.... that gets natural sunlight to any degree. This tank gets full morning sun, and the fish really seem to like it. I think it is good for fish to get sun, which is what would happen to them in the wild. Well, not like these goldfish ever roamed the rivers and lakes of our planet, but you know what I mean. It is proven that fish raised in outdoor tanks in tropical locales have great color, especially goldfish, and when we put them in our tanks with only artificial lighting this great color fades. At any rate, when the sun starts moving across the tank the fish always keep themselves where the sunbeam is, like a dog or a cat might.

I am a notorious algae grower, and I currently have, for the first time ever, 5 tanks without algae problems! However, this is most certainly not going to be the case here, with the 20 in the kitchen. It looks pristine now, but just wait. I am going to do what I can, by not using the fluoro light in the hood, and by doing plenty of PWCs to keep nutrients in the water to a minimum, but if the tank belongs to me I can pretty much guarantee it will have algae at some point. I'm expecting the diatoms to arrive any time now, this being a new setup. More on that as the brown and then green slime develops....

20 high! 20 high!, 20 high!......

I have placed the three wee goldfish in a nice new home - a 20-high in my kitchen. This is more than suitable for them right now, as they are pretty small still, as you can see in the pic. You can see I took the pic not too long after setting it up, as those are bubbles on the glass in the tank.

It is a very simple setup, little in the way of decor, and I may keep it that way - not sure. I like things simple and clean-looking these days with my tanks, though I still have the busy, heavily planted ones as well. Somehow the goldfish inspire a simple, minimalist look. There is a bit of Anubias in the far left corner, along with some smooth river rocks. An Eheim Ecco canister is running the show, set on the lower shelf of a wire plant stand that sits next to the tank. It is not very visible, which is important to me.

Here is a pic of the tank in the room, the kitchen eating area, where I think it fits in pretty well. It will be nicer when the fish get a bit more size on them, as they seem a little lost in there at the moment.

I like how there is just about no equipment visible, which is important to me.

Don't know what to do with the decor - bubble curtain across the back? I want to keep things simple, without a fussy fake background. A mirror background would be cool if I can find a piece of mirror the right size.