The life and times of an English Airedale Terrier puppy

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Fishy Fun!

Yes, lots of you guessed correctly, we got fishies! Look! We got the tank about a month ago, and have had it all set up and running with no fishies in it for a few weeks so that the water levels were all correct. Finally it was ready for the first residents last week so dad bought some neon tetras and some zebra danios to begin with.

When you have a new tank it can take a little while for the water to settle down, so you don't want to put too many fish in to start with as you will be buying more when they all die!


This weekend we bought a few more as the others were doing OK and dad had re-tested the water and it was perfect. Next we got some guppies, and a common plec. In a few weeks we will get a few more, then that should be enough for now. It is a 60 litre tank, so we don't want to overstock it. The wood is called bogwood, and there are also some marbles in the in case any of the fish do lay any eggs. It might stop a few of them from being eaten if they nestle among the stones!

Can you see the bubbles? That is to make sure that there is lots of oxygen in the water for the fishies. Can you see what a fish expert I have become? And I thought they were only good for eating, tsk!

Do you know how hard it is to take photos of fish? Very hard! Here are the zebra danios. They swim in a shoal and are quite fast. They mostly like to be in the top section of the tank and they are the greediest. One of them is a bit of a bully at mealtimes. Can't say I blame it, that's pretty much the most important part of my day too!

This is the plec. I feel a bit sorry for him as he's pretty ugly. He's a bottom feeder which sounds a bit gross, but means that he likes to eat algae from the sides of the tank and bits of food and algae in the sand or on the log.

He's mostly to be found doing this...

...Or this! Scooting around the glass looking for slime. He likes hiding in the bogwood and sometimes he's quite hard to spot.

Here's one of the guppies to the top left. The males are very pretty colours, the females are duller. They are good breeders usually, and give birth to teeny babies rather than eggs, so we may have some mini guppies at some point!

That's another female in the centre, along with a zebra to the far right.

This is my favourite one, a pretty blue boy guppy with a female behind him. Dad keeps saying he's a randy boy, whatever that means.


Can you spot a couple of the neon tetras here? They are the smallest fish in the tank but they're very attractive with reddy-orange tails and an almost ultra-violet stripe.

Here they are again. They mostly stay in the bottom section of the tank. Can you see mum's legs in the photo, hehehe?!

So there you go! My new pets are pretty cool I think. It's very relaxing to watch them and to hear the water bubbling away. I was thinking maybe I should give up eating fish out of respect to my new buddies but then I decided it's just too tasty. Sorry little guys, but I won't eat you I promise! I know some of you have fishy friends to, so if you have any hints, tips or recommendations for other fish, then let us know!

Licks

Oscar x

36 comments:

Gwyn Valentine said...

I love the guppies!
Got to say the plec is pretty ugly looking hahaha
FISHES ARE FRIENDS NOT FOOD! I think i heard this phrase from Finding Nemo?
OHHHH are u getting clown fishes too????

Love,
Reina

Gwyn Valentine said...

I love the guppies!
Got to say the plec is pretty ugly looking hahaha
FISHES ARE FRIENDS NOT FOOD! I think i heard this phrase from Finding Nemo?
OHHHH are u getting clown fishes too????

Love,
Reina

Ruby Bleu said...

Wow Oscar, that's pretty pawsome. Your very own fishies!!! My mom used to have a fishy, but it went to the rainbow bridge before I came to live with her. Maybe I can convince her to get me some too so I can have my own.

Lots of Licks, Ruby

Unknown said...

Can you get a Nemo? Oh wait... I think they like salty water...ummmm how about African Ciclids? (I think that's how you spell them) They are the most colorful fresh water fish, my grandpapa has a couple tanks, one fresh and one salt water.

Looks like you are being a very very good watch dog!Don't let them be too greedy with food.

Loves,
Tofu

Headgirl said...

Very neat tank & pets! You're better with those fissssshies than my boy would have been!

pats
Blue

Simba and Jazzi said...

I was hoping for ants.

Simba xx

Jackson's J1 and J2 said...

I agree with Simba - ants would have been good. J1 & J2 used to have a fish tank and they had lots of the same fishes as you. J1 said to tell you that plecos like cucumber - put a slice in and watch him eat it. Their pleco started off small but lived for YEARS and ended up ginormous! J x

Lorenza said...

Hi, Oscar.
Glad you like your "new additions".
Any you have lots of them.
Sorry I can't help you with any tips about fish care but I am sure many of our friends know something.
Have a nice day and enjoy your fishes!
Besos
Lorenza

Molly the Airedale said...

So the new additions are fishies! They are very cool Oscar! What a neat nightlight they'll make for watching TV at night!

Love ya lots,
Maggie

Stanley said...

Oscar!

My girl had a pretty hardy belly laugh when you were talking about Randy. He must be a comedian. I'll investigate & let you know.

Love the fishies! I bet if you stare at them they will hypnotize you even more than my goober stare will. Will you be in charge of their care?

Goob love,
Stanley

Peanut said...

Those are nice pets. We don't have fish only the turtles.

Joe Stains said...

oooh mom had a fish tank when she was growing up and she had a lot of the same kinds of fish! Dad wants a fish tank but Mom thinks they are a lot of work to keep clean!

Billy (YES Casanova!!!) said...

Mom used to have an aquarium too but a smaller one than yours. This was before me of course. Mom used to find it so relaxing to watch the fish just floating by.

BIG hugs from Billy Boo:)

the many Bs said...

Hi Oscar, That's a very cool fish tank and you are already an expert. Those little tetras are really flashy little fishies. We heard that watching fish swim is very relaxing for you. You are so lucky to have these new pets!

Boo Casanova said...

oscar, ignore that gross simba comment.

i don't know much about fishies. it's a good piece of info about settling down the water level before getting more fishies killed! do you sit in front of the aquarium whole day just watching the fishes?? hehehe.

wet wet licks

Boo

Rachael said...

YAY! Fishies are FUN! I love you plek. You will find he will live longer and grow bigger and have the coolest personality of all of your fish! My boss has a huge plec in his aquarium that is est. 10 years old. and HUGE! Congrats on your new "toys"

Liberty Doo Dah said...

Hey Oscar!
Love your fishies! I had a fishie when I lived in Texas! His name was Dunny Fish and he was a handsome bright blue beta fish! He's even older than me! My Auntie Tracie in Texas is taking care of him now! Her nephew renamed him Liberty! Boy....do I miss dunny fish!
AireGURRGLE!
Liberty

Bogart H. Devil said...

Uh, my cats say they're FOOD. :)

Love,
Bogart

fee said...

phwah, a new entertainment unit and snack bar in one! i like playin with small fishes. they're ticklish. do anchovies come from them?

slurps,
fee

Girl Girl Hamster said...

Oh your tank is so pretty... Are you going to give all the fishes names??

~ girl girl

Sundae said...

oohh.. fishy fishies... grandpa has them too!

Amber-Mae said...

Oscar, nice tank & pweetty fishies to... EAT! I mean to view at... hehehehe! I have pets too & there are two types of pets I have. Guess what they are? I'll show you guys my pets too, soon... Remember, don't eat them! Altho they can be a good source of protein. hehe!

Love licks,
Solid Gold Dancer

Huskee and Hershey said...

The blue tail guppy is so pretty (or should I say 'handsome'?)
I heard the hoomans say that watching fishes in an aquarium is very theraputic.. try it!

Ferndoggle said...

Cool Fishies! The only fishes we ever see come in a can.

Mom had a goldfish named Herbie when she was little & never cleaned the water so it got really smelly. She dumped a whole bottle of perfume into the bowl to make it smell better & poor Herbie died :o(.

So tell your Mom not to put perfume in the tank!!!

Sherman, Penny & Lola

Marvin -The Hollow Hound said...

pretty fish Oscar! Are you going to name them like Butchy and Snickers did in their blog!

Marvin is a lovely name for a fish you know! ;0)

Suki & Joey said...

Those fishies look so cool! I bet it's nice to watch them swim around at night. I can see your mom's shoes in the last pic! Hehehe! :)

Puggy kisses
Suki

Ben & Darling said...

Oh I like the neon neon fishy...mommy's uncle have many fish tank at his shop & he selling the neon neon fishy too !!!

Loui (and his mum!) said...

Fish for tea Oscar???

With chips?

Loui xx

Faya said...

Oh des poissons ! C'est plus joli à regarder que la télévision non ?
Bisous mon Oscar, Ta Faya

Asta said...

Oscar you seem like a vewy good pwotector for your new pets..they're vewy pwetty I like the blue and I saw the little red guys..and the one everydoggie says is uggly will be so good for the others that pwetty soon he'll get lots of love too.
I've never seen fishie up close xept on Mommi's plate, I better tell her not to eat anymore, cause I like them
smoochie kisses
Asta

Bernard Hinault Lilje said...

Oscar!!! I am soo jealous-- how did you get pets--I guess I have a lot to learn. Thanks for saying hi on my first blog entry too! Hopefully I will have a new post tomorrow : )

Nugget said...

Oscar,
Your Mum and Dad did a great job. Your new fishy tank is very pretty.
Licks,
Nugget

Toby said...

My favorite is the neon fishy. The bottom feeder is a tad scary though... Are you sure you still want to eat fishies in the future? Well, not the ones in the tank of course...but the ones from the supermarket?

Luv,
Tobes

Balboa said...

COOL pets dude, I bet you're gonna take real good care of them, feed them and love them.

Frenchie Kisses,
Balboa

Deanna said...

Wow, it's like live TV!

Maggie said...

I WANT FISHIES !!!!! my evil mom said noooo ... its not fair :( i like the little neon tetras are pretty cool ... *sigh*
~Magzz~