Back From Purgatory

I must have been a bad girl because it indeed felt like punishment to be without my computer for three weeks while... (hmmm, should I give up the name of the esteemed personal computer megacorp as I tell my tale? No, better not. For ease of reading, however, let's say it rhymes with Hell) I waited for technical service and support to ship and install a new power supply.

Yes, the rare and elusive power supply that few IT people are ever able to get their hands on. Wouldn't you know that this was the very part that went bad on my machine while under warranty? Dang it! It stands to reason there would be a delay, since these crucial components are spun from the distilled condensation of the exhaled breath of the endangered Mauritius Kestral, then shipped to Bequia in the Grenadines for assembly by Rumpelstiltskin, who is the only individual capable of fitting the delicate parts together. Well, it takes a village, after all. So I waited patiently.

In all seriousness, the chap from service visited me twice after my initial call to Hell on 7/1 when my computer would not boot up at all. He came and identified the problem as the power supply, not the motherboard, as the chap on the phone in New Delhi diagnosed. In all fairness, the local service person said that it is typically one or the other, motherboard or power supply, and in his experience they always ship both, so there would be no delays, but wouldn't you know it - this is the one time they did not. "Oh well, they'll overnight it and I'll give you a call tomorrow to set up my return to get this all taken care of."

Ok, my business is almost impossible to run without my data (my careful backups I've been performing for years on an external hard drive are not recognized when I install the HD on my spare computer - that is an entirely different story!), but I'm remaining patient, cobbling together what I can from emails and my vendors to try to function with a fraction of my usual resources, slowing me down to a snail's pace but not letting my customers know there is anything amiss.

A few days later he returns with the box under his arm, and opens it to find, *gasp!*, no power supply. What the....??? He's just baffled. They sent another motherboard. He showed me his order form that clearly requested a power supply, but at this point I can't even deal with this fellow. I have no clue what the problem is but I need to complain about this. He said he'd place another order and apologized profusely. I'm frustrated and hobbled by an inferior spare computer (thank goodness I have one of those, I must say....) and I'm tired of this.

I call New Delhi once again and am told so many, many nice things. There is a script for the apologies, and also a script that goes something like this: "Let me give you my personal email, and you must use this from now on - do not call the number and get in the phone queue - I am taking personal responsibility for this case and I will see this through to resolution. My manager is also putting this as a top priority and in a moment I will put the call through to him so he can reassure you that he has taken personal responsibility to see that you are satisfied." I was told I'd be getting a call from him in the next few days to be sure my machine had been fixed. What can I say? I talked to his manager and asked to speak to HIS manager, and someone else got on the phone, etc., but they really can't say a whole lot to me except to express empathy for my situation and promise to rectify things.

Another week goes by, and I call again. They thought my problem was long since resolved! They thought I had another issue. Oh no, no resolution, no phone calls, no nothing. We go through the thing again, and I again get the same scripted "taking personal responsibility" thing, and I'm not having it. I explained that someone needed to get over here and put a new power supply in my machine so I can get on with my life. Their customer service had failed and I was not going to be quiet about it. Enough with New Delhi.

I went to the Hell website and began to search for someone who handles complaints. There are no individuals who do that - you can post feedback, which I did - but if you can't get any satisfaction there are simply no people who take responsibility for customer service, at least not that I could find on the website. I took myself over to the public forum, where you discuss with other Hell owners various computer problems and fixes for this and that. I ranted, and got some responses that essentially said I ought to have just fixed it myself and went on with my business, because this is nothing new. I suppose it is the principle of the thing now.

I got a call a few days later from New Delhi informing me that the power supply was on back order. That's right, back order. That's like going to Goodyear and being told they don't have tires because they're all on back order. Or Dunkin donuts has empty shelves because the flour is on back order. My &*%$ the power supply is on back order! They have power supplies stacked 25 deep, I promise. Contrary to my very immature opening of this post, power supplies are not fancy, not unusual, not an elite component whatsoever, and are as basic to a PC as a keyboard.

My feedback on the Hell website, which was comprehensive, sarcastic (you're kidding!) and lengthy, got someone's attention, but it was a very generic email asking me to provide contact info so they could call and get to the bottom of this issue. Hah.

Well, yet another week goes by and this morning my good buddy showed up again with yet another box under his arm, which did, in fact, contain a power supply and a motherboard, both of which he installed in just a few minutes. My computer is up and running, and I am giddy with excitement to be back up to speed. I have to update with all that went on while it was down, but that's no biggie. I'm an expert at this now. And all this only took 25 days! Amazing.

The best part? My monitor now works only at half brightness, so you can barely see what's on the screen. Perfect. Oh, wait, it was purchased at the time of my computer and is still under warranty! Thank goodness. Let me find that 800 number.....

A bit of catch-up...

It has been a while since I've updated the blog, and there are many reasons. Kids, especially those who plan on entering college next month, have taken a lot of my time (don't. even. mention. money.), plus rising 5th graders out of school and needing to be kept busy when I'm not working myself, which is not much of the time.

My tanks are all still up and running, and I am proud to say, right off the bat, that Otis, the adorable F8 puffer, has now been upgraded to a double wide, with his 10-gal swapped out for a 20! The tank looks virtually the same, with his central rocky cave and tower structures so he can explore on both sides, but there is a ton more room and this is the right amount of space for the little bugger. I used to think it would be too big, but honestly these are very dirty fish, messy eaters of heavy proteins, so the water quality is much easier to stay on top of with more water, and I truly believe he needs the space to stay sane. He uses every last inch of the tank, too.

I have also had some pretty major computer issues that have cropped up recently and I'm trying to get those resolved. My spare machine cannot recognize my camera and won't load the software to run the driver, so I can't upload any pics, so I will hopefully get that resolved soon.

The big news is that I have ember tetra fry, in a community tank, no less! This is the first time I've ever been aware of spawning tetras. The only other fish I've spawned in a community tank that was not one of the usual suspects (cichlid or livebearer or invert) was white cloud mountain minnows, but I'm much more excited about the embers. I noticed a subadult lurking in the java fern one day, and he was just too small to be one of the ones I purchased. I was scratching my head over that one when I noticed a wee tiny little group of fry! About 4 mm long. I got very excited and took a pic but, alas, I can't post it until I get my computer back. As of today I seem to have only one fry left (wahh!) but that is to be expected in a community setup. Current residents include het rasboras and a pair of wild caught rams. The rams truly stick to the bottom and I never see them even in the middle of the tank, and the ember fry stick right up to the very, very top, so that's why it worked out as well as it did so far.

Keep in mind, I did not plan on spawning the embers. I did not do extra water changes or prime the breeding pair (I don't even know which fish are the pair...) but simply kept the tank like I normally do, with weekly 50% water changes and daily feeds of quality flake (Omega One) and pellet (NLS Grow). This was a pure accident, and I could not be more delighted.

I'll post pics soon.

Central Virginia Aquarium Society!

It is finally here, the Central Virginia Aquarium Society, or CVAS. Someday soon we'll launch our website, cv-as.com.

I've been working with some awesome folks in the local Richmond and Tidewater aquarium hobby to make this thing happen, and we've had a few meetings already, which have been a success. Now our Tidewater contingency have broken off to start their own regional club, which I think is a rational decision considering what a pain it is to drive to Richmond for our club meetings - I belong to the PVAS and they have to have something pretty darn interesting happening for me to drive to Northern Virginia to attend. I can certainly understand. We will likely combine our chapters several times a year for a large meet and greet, but both our clubs need to get our footing.

We've mainly focused on holding swaps and auctions to raise money to fund things like our website, business cards, etc., and now that we finally have a club name (very recently) we can proceed with a logo and get our internet presence established.

This all could not have been possible without the aquarium hobby website USA Fisbhox, where we all met and realized that there are quite a few hobbyists in the central Virginia area.

It has taken quite a bit of time to get things organized. Right now we have a board, a secretary and a treasurer, but otherwise we don't have a constitution or a mission statement, bylaws, or any of that. I think we need to keep things simple right now as we grow.

This weekend is the big American Cichlid Association convention in Washington, DC, and I know I will be in attendance. This is my first ACA ever, though I've known about it for many years. This is the first time it was close enough to me and I did not have any conflicts. Love a road trip! I will try to post pics here upon my return.

They Ought to be in Pictures

Well, for the legions of folks NOT reading this blog (actually, I think of this as simply a journal to keep track of my tanks, so do not feel bad for being one of the millions of people not reading it) I will post pictures of my tanks as they are currently.

10-gallon: Figure-8 puffer, "Otis"



45-gallon: 2 P. leopoldi, 6 Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi (black neons). Will likely add more neons and also some rummynose if I can find some nice ones. Considering Corydoras sp. Will be adding domestic silver angel from 40-gallon that gazes longingly into their tank almost constantly.



40-gallon: One P. scalare (domestic silver, bred by me), Hyphessobrycon amandae (ember tetras) and Het rasboras (not sure exactly which species). Soon to add 6 juvenile Apistogramma cacatuoides, when the lone silver angel will go next door to be with his mates in the 45.



As you can see, the angel is always found on the far left side of the tank looking over.



37-gallon: Neolamprologus leleupi, young colony (I hope). This is the feisty bunch that I suspect were the downfall of my Moba frontosa fry in the 150, but who knows about that. They need to be by themselves, unless you have a large enough tank and appropriate feisty species that can put up with them. They are pretty in this white tank, at any rate. If they spawn for me I MIGHT forgive them.





The adorable kitchen goldfish tank. This tank now sports two silicone "jellyfish" that are tethered to an invisible length of fishing line buried in the substrate, and they float in the water. Goofy, but I like them!




150-gallon: 6 Cyphotilapia gibberosa (Kapampa), 9 Altolamprologus sp. (gold head compressiceps, mystery compressiceps, black calvus, inkfin calvus).

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.

Goldfish

The darling goldfish trio keeping the cycle in the 150 are now parked in a ten-gallon bare aquarium until I work something out for them. I am fond of them and they are very attractive specimens, but I just don't have a good place for them.

I could bring them to work with the mollies, but that is not a satisfactory arrangement - the tank at work is set up specifically for mollies, with some salt, which is fine for the goldfish, but it is too warm (80F) and has quite a lot of tender plants, which would be destroyed by the goldfish, most likely. The goldfish would also eat the molly babies that we have so far. That's not a huge issue, but the patients at work like seeing the babies in the tank, and it adds something to the mood of the tank to have little baby fish tooling around. I've become a snob, and though many people mix goldfish with other tropical species often enough without any apparent trouble, I think a goldfish tank ought to have sand, no live plants (except perhaps some hardy and thick-leaved Anubias), and be cool and unheated. The decor is lmited only by imagination and safety for the fish. You can get quite fun with it when it comes to goldfish, at least for me.

My coworker is interested in setting up a tank and it could be that she will get herself something set up soon, in which case she can start with these three goldfish. I recommended at least a 29-gal, which is going to seem big for these small fish, but they should grow, and she can get her cycle going, with assistance from some of the biobugs from one of my tank filters. She may be able to add a few more small fantails in the future, but goldfish need a lot of gallons per fish.

That said, I am going to do my best to keep my opinions to myself and let her do what she wants - if she decides to throw some tetras in there with them, so be it, and it could work out just fine - it is only for me, who fusses over every detail and agonizes over every tankmate, that things go south and fish die. People who have a more relaxed approach to life, or at least to aquariums, often have perfectly wonderful setups that go strong for years and years, even though they don't have experience with fishkeeping.

Anyway, the goldfish are a bit confused about the transfer, but they are doing fine so far. I have to say they made the perfect resident for the 150 all these months, almost four, while I have gotten my ducks in a row and waited for the funds to stock it like I wanted. They have held the cycle nicely and been charming little outgoing fellows.

The very best thing about them is that in this very large tank with rocks and hiding places they were absolutely no trouble to catch and remove once the time came. If I had tried using mollies or something else they'd have dashed for cover the second the net hit the water, but these guys just toddled right over to investigate - I had all three out and in a bucket in under 30 seconds. I was almost embarrassed for them, since even the simplest, smallest, most biologically primitive fish would hide from a "predator" like a net, but these goldfish, I suppose due to having been tank bred and raised by humans for a couple of centuries, no longer fear the net at all. Oh well - I am glad I chose to use them to keep the cycle in this tank. It worked out quite well indeed. Maybe someday I will convert the 150 over to a large goldfish tank and raise some quality supersized specimens of my own. They are enjoyable and easy to manage.