Narratives

I've always been interested in writing but lacked the confidence. I even signed up to learn to write children's books; backed out to get back my money when I became unemployed. So I've decided to try again. Here.
My fish provided me with so many smiles and hours of entertainment. I'm not kidding, I could sit for hours staring at them. Tom and I often give them dialogues and they interact with each other. My new venture is to provide the world with excerpts of my fishes lives, as I imagine they would convey them. So keep checking back and let me know what you think!

Salt Bath

I had a bout of ick back in February that was devastating. Only lost 2 fish shortly after the outbreak, but I don't think their deaths were ick related. P did not get the white spots. Instead she got thick white film over her eyes. Poor little thing couldn't see! I don't know if it was a fungus or popeye or what, but this is the treatment I used to cure her. I tell everyone to try it. It's not word for word from the book, I've written it more like a recipe. Good luck!

the simple guide to Freshwater Aquariums by David E. Borvchowitz

SALT BATH

- put a couple of cups of tank water into a small container

- mix in/dissolve 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon aquarium salt

- Net afflicted fish and lower(still in net) into solution

** if fish shows signs of distress(thrashing), remove and dilute solution, try again**

- Keep netted fish in solution for up to 2 minutes

** this can be done 1-3 times a day until fish is well again

R.I.P DF

I lost DF yesterday. She wasn't looking too hot over the weekend. I obviously didn't want it to happen, but I knew it was coming. At least the pretty little thing left me a baby, WT. That's all for today...

Busy...

...that's what my tank is now. Busy. Full of activity this weekend. Yesterday, Tom and I made a trip out to The Fish Place (Tonawanda, NY), D&D came too. Tom left with his coveted Striped Raphael Catfish. Me? 7 long fin zebra danios and a red dalmatian lyre tail molly. The tank is swimming! Pun very much intended. The new molly, Molly, took to Gloria, fast friends. The danois, still unnamed, are...well danios. If you have any you know exactly what I mean.

I had to do another switch today. DF isn't doing well. Her tail is drooping and its hard for her to swim. I found her in a flower pot yesterday. Alive but lazy, so I put her in a baby breeder net to keep a closer eye on her. I put her back in the main tank today but the current and activity are too much. Sooo... DF and P made the big switch again.

I haven't been able to find the second male platy all weekend.... We'll see...

New addition! (sort of)

Last night Gloria made her 1st appearance in the main tank. Gloria is a yellow and black hi-fin platy. She's been in quarantine for nearly 2 months. I think she was fine, but the other 3 fish with her were riddled with ick. Sadly, all three have passed. :(

She was bit cautious at first. Swimming slow, fins down. The two female sunsets approached, Gloria raised her fins and they backed off. Gloria decided they were safe and followed them. She even picked on the male sunset! DF and WT are another story. She's not too sure about them.

After she explored the tank, she pretty much kept to the back wall. Up and down and back and forth, but right next to the wall. Maybe she'll school with the girls...

The switch

A few weeks ago I had to move my female Dalmatian molly (Dalmatian Face)into my 10 gallon tank that her only surviving baby lives in(Wild Type). She was being picking on by my black molly, Pustulio. DF and WT are getting along fantastically. The other in the big tank are not. P is picking on everyone! I think one of my platies has a small injury from P. :( Sooo... Sunday night was the big switch. P went into the 10 gallon tank all my her lonesome. If she could stop being nasty to others she'd have some friends. DF went back into the 55 gallon and WT made her first appearance into the main tank (55 gallon).

P is fine in the 10 gallon. She immediately got to work cleaning off the heater and airline tubing of algae and whatnot. DF seemed to slip right back into being at home in the main tank. WT took some time to adjust. The platies chased her a bit, but then she followed them around too.

UPDATE: Tom let me know that WT did her fair share of bullying at feeding time today! That little stinker!

The rest of the betta family

Meet Kirby, British Kid and Steve (left to right)



With the exception of Debbie and my most recent addition to my main tank, Tom does most of the naming of my fish. He doesn't mean to, he just calls them something and it sticks.

Kirby and BK share a divided 2.5 gallon tank in the corner of the kitchen. Steve lives in the basement on my desk. 3 different little personalities, 3 times the smiles.

A tale of two tanks.

Soon after the "betta explosion", I wanted more fish. I mean a lot more. No more single betta tanks, a tank of different fish. I did some planning and research and decided on getting a 55 gallon tank start up kit.

Shortly thereafter, my uncle offered me his 55 gallon tank. He had grown tired of fish keeping but didn't want to garbage all of his stuff. Hooray! Free stuff! Problem : at the time(July 08), i had no where to keep a tank. Catch: I had to take his fish he had in the tank. With the "problem" I can't accept the "catch". I sadly declined his offer.

The basement was finished that summer giving me a place to start my watery fish world. I saved up and purchased that starter kit. In all the planning, Tom's interest in fish had peaked. A few weeks after I bought my kit, my uncle calls. He emptied his tank and he needs to get rid of it... Do I want it now? Heck yeah! So it was then that Tom and I had 2 fish tanks, one for each of us

Both tanks are now up and running. I have small pretty fish, Tom is leaning more towards bigger ugly fish. To each his own. :)

In the beginning...

It was spring of 2007 when I found my new passion, fish. I thought it would be fun/pretty to have a betta on my desk at work. But noooo.... boss wouldn't go for it. I don't blame him, some people may have taken advantage of desktop pets. Imagine brightly colored hamster tubes running up, down and around rows of cubicles... not very professional. However, impatient Sarah did not wait for the negative answer. I went out that night and bought the prettiest little fish in the world. Debbie.
Ok, not the best photo, but she's pretty. Her home was half circle glass bowl(you could push the flat side up against a wall), some glass stones and a stalk of bamboo. She was a bit lathargic for the first few months I had her, as I've heard most bettas are. Then with some research I found out how to give my betta a better life! Bettas are tropical fish, they require a heater. And all fish like clean water. Enter new home. I'd post a pic of that new home, but it's changed so many times over the past 2 years. Basically, it's a 2.5 gallon tank, mini filter and auto shut off heater. The gravel and deco has changed.

She's my happy little girl who's given me a few health scares and many smiles in the past 2 years. I hope for a lot more time with her!