Day Nine....GIANT SHRIMP OF DOOM

The time in the gym must be doing my shrimp good becuase 'The Amigos' are Huge. The biggest one is almost three times his original size and likes to wander troughout the tank looking for left over tidbits. A couple of them are as big as the Tetras. I think I'm gonna name the big one 'Pablo', making the whole group 'Pablo and the amigos'.

The tetras are still not improving. One of them is as lively as can be, but Mr. Love-The-Corner only leaves it to eat. His scales are still shiny and he does eat..but that can't be normal fish behavior.

Tetra acclimation

Looks like I might have a problem with the Tetras. One of the little guys is pretty active, but they don't stick together at all. Kate likes to wander around the tank, eying the site, but Lauren seems determined to stay in a little corner a couple inches away from the air filter staring forlornly at the wall. Some Internet research shows that the Tetras evidently like being in groups of at least five. I'm not certain my 1.5 gallon tank can support five tetras in addition to everyone else. If Lauren condition continues I'm left with either risking the little fishies' health or having to get some more Tetras and maybe having to get a fishbowl to put them in...which is pricey and leaves my aquarium without fish again. I'm hoping it's just a matter or getting used to the tank.

Day Seven...Yipee!

Ahhh...Payday. I made a trip to petsmart to look for some nice cover for my frogs. It's really hard to find a home for the little guys that is small enough for the tank and yet has big enough openings for the frogs to fit in. I also picked up some of that aquatic freshwater seaweed-looking plant that people put in goldfish tanks as food. Finally, with the help of a sales person I was able to locate a pair of neon tetra fish to hang out with the frogs and help liven up the upper half of the tank.

The plants don't have rootmass, but I've been able to plant them in the gravel well enough. I've also managed to place the new 'froggie home' without squishing anyone. (despite Patrick's best attempts to play chicken with it. The frogs moved in mere seconds, checking out the inside and moving in happily. The plants have helped as well, as the shrimp love climbing them and it seems to have helped Roberta be a little braver about swimming when I'm around..both of them still seem terrified of me. The Tetras aren't terribly actively, but I'm guessing they just need to acclimate to their new surroundings. I figure I've just about maxed out what can go in an aquarium of this size, but I'm very happy with the results.

Day four .. froggie munchies

Dropped by a small fish hobby store I remeber after work today. The owner did'nt know much about frogs, being a speicalist in saltwater livestock, but did have a can of Aquatic fish pellets (HBH Frog and Tadpole Bites). It consists of little sinking pellets 'perfect for the delicate digestive systems of aquatic frogs'. The label warns me "that rapid growth is a common side effect". That's scary, I'm not used to food to having side effects. If I saw a burger that was labeled 'might cause Giganticism' on the side..I might not want to eat it. Nevertheless, my frogs were starving, so I took the pellets home and shook a few into the tank.

It was like I shaken a can of Frat Party into the tank. The frogs actually smelled and chased the food, while the amigos tried their best to catch it mid-drift. I'm defintly gonna have to include a small amount of fish flakes before adding the pellets, or the frogs aren't gonna get a full meal. Nevertheless, my frogs are well fed and celebrating by playing Red Light Green Light, their favorite game. 'The Amigos' are all leaning back watching them and passing some corona between them. How the hell did they get their hands on that stuff?.

Day Three...Froggie worries

One of the hazards of being a new owner is the inevitable mistakes you make with your first aquarium. I must be doing something wrong because my frogs are not eating. I've used the fish flakes as recommended, but they just don't seem interested in them. They were already pretty thin to start with and I'm worried about their not eating. I've started looking things up on the Internet and it turns out the walmart paperwork was wrong...these guys don't like fish flakes or any kind of floating food. I'm gonna hafta see what else I can get them. At least being hungry hasn't stopped their antics at all...the amble around the bottom, swim up top for air and usually come back down by tackling the other one. Their tendency to freeze whatever they are doing and float motionlessly is a little enduring as well.

The shrimp mostly ignore the frogs and wait patiently for feeding time, wheresabout they all leap up in the water and start grabbing the biggest flake they can. The bigger one seems to always find a flake almost as big as he is..despite my attempts to crush the flakes up first.

Snowballing...

Ah Snowball, thy name is aquarium. Went to Walmart's local fish section to look for aquarium plants. Turns out Walmart's sole plants consists of package of dried plant bulbs on an unknown type. I was about to leave when I made the mistake of walking by the little fish zoo walmart has. In addition to the usual varieties of Goldfish were some really cool aquatic animals; Puffer fish (little ones), Ghost Shrimp, and incredibly spiffy Aquatic African Dwarf frogs! The puffer fish were listed as being mean to smaller animals, but I was told the ghost shrimp and frogs would get along nicely.

So I bought a pair of frogs and 5 Ghost shrimp. Total impulse buy and I hope it doesn't come back to bite me. On the plus side, some Internet research shows that the two species do get along well and that the frogs just need a gap of fresh air above their tank and it's lid. I prepared the tank, dropped in the aquatic plant bulbs, and Introduced my new buddies. The shrimp are very lively and eager to explore. The sight of them hopping like mad when they storeperson put them into their bag has led me to call them 'The Amigos' as I have no hope in telling the little guys apart. The frogs seem to divide thier time between freezing randomly and tackling each other. I've named them 'Robert' and 'Patrick' after my siblings.

I'm now doing as much research as I can to make certain I take care of these little guys.

Day One: Enter the Aquarium

So I was moving things back and forth as I moved and I noticed the neighbors having a yard sale. After diving trough tons of clothes, bric a brac, and police locker room evidence I found an intresting piece: A gallon and a half hexagon aquarium. I've always loved looking at fish almost as much as eating them, so I was heavily tempted. In the end, I thought it would make for a great conversation piece if I put some water plants in there and maybe a good light or two. Like a lava lamp but cooler. Needless to say, I've purchased the thing for a mere $3 along with it's cover.