The Tank & Its Inhabitants

Perfect!

We added 3 ottos to the tank. 

If you can see a zebra coloured shrimp, that's our new baby who was recently birthed forth. 

We Are Having Babies!!!

Pregnant with eggs!

You can see the eggs more clearly at the reflection on the glass.

We currently have 4 pregnant ladies. One is on the verge of giving birth. Long live the shrimps!!!

Shrimp-ing Away!

Underwater yoga!

Reflections!

Mr. Orange!

Little Junior

He ain't heavy, he's my brother!

It's A Shrimpy World!

A little bit more than a month back, we sold the old tank and the fishes and got Joel a 50L planted tank equipped with a chiller and canister filter. He wanted to have shrimps. The only Rili shrimp that was left, was finally eaten by the upside down catfish. Joel was devastated. Our climate being so hot, we needed a chiller in order for the shrimps to thrive and multiply. Well, between a puppy and shrimps, I would choose shrimps in less than a heartbeat.

The tank needed a month to be cycled in order for the good bacteria to build its colony. Also any living thing would die with all the ammonia, nitrate and nitrites spikes. I never knew this when we first bought fish for Joel more than a year ago. No wonder the fish would always get sick and died. The shock was just too much for them.

The Blue Diamond shrimp!

The Fire Red shrimps! They really are fiery red!

The Fire Red, Blue Diamond & Orange shrimps!

A very pregnant Fire Red. She has just given birth. The babies are just too small to be captured on my camera. 

Gluttons in a tank.

Gone With The Fish

They are a LOT of work.

They are fishy.

They cost money!

And I am talking about fish. As pets!

When Joel was on his summer break, I got him some fish to keep him occupied and to train him to be responsible for other living things. He had wanted a pet (a DOG to be more specific). Of course I balked at the idea. Dogs??!! I'm allergic to anything that has fur. Even after stepping into a pet shop that has furry creatures, (I don't even go near to the furry animals section), my nose will be irritated.

Fish is the best.

That was what I had thought. The fishes must have been laughing their gills out.

You love them, but it is a tedious job caring for them.

They are like little children. It is not EASY taking care of them.

• The water cannot be too cold. They will be very susceptible to parasite infections. 
• They do not know how to stop eating. Thus, you must time their feedings accordingly so that they will not overeat and die of indigestion. 
• You must watch out for ammonia (which is rotten food and their poop). If not they will die.
• You must CLEAN and change water regularly for the fish to be HEALTHY.
• You must not frighten them or shock them. Their immune system will be low and hence, susceptible to diseases. 
• If you notice one of them being ill, separate and quarantine the sick fish!
• Blah blah blah blah blah....

Gosh! It was like having many more kids. Tons of extra kids.

Therapeutic. Calm. Peaceful. (For me that is, WHEN I am gazing at them.)
But when they fall sick ............

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not a care in the world.
Everyday.
Day in, day out.
They poop.
They eat.
They sleep.
Just swimming here and there.
Oblivious to their surroundings.
Or rather stuck in their four-cornered-peaceful-little-world.

Or not.

Fry Me A River...

... or rather an aquarium in this case!

We had 3 fry which were birthed forth sometime during the middle of the night. And then this morning I witnessed another guppy gave birth to another 3 more!!!! It was so awesome seeing it give birth. Some were then eaten by the male guppies. *sob sob* Such cannibalism!

The very pregnant guppy in the process of giving birth.

Out pops a guppy fry!

I managed to catch 2 fry. They are placed in a different tank to prevent them from being eaten alive!

Fishy Friends

It all started out as a holiday project.

And now, they have become a part of the family.

We even talk to THEM!

Yes, we talk to fishes.

Cute little ones.

Our Clown Loaches

The dominant fish will turn its black stripes to a lighter shade of gray to show its dominance. 

Some of the Cardinal Tetras that we have. The algae eater is in the earthen pot. 

They love to eat vegetables too! Only the organic ones! See how clean they eat! Every single scrap. We have some lean and mean eating machines!

Guppies, Cardinal Tetras and Harlequin Resbora fish. 

It is very therapeutic and helps reduce stress. I can gaze at them for an hour and just feel the stress melt away. As I am allergic to pet hair/fur, this is the best option.

How I love my fishy friends.