Moving the goldfish (again!)

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We’ve had a pretty awful and cold spring so far, but today the water in the goldfish pond I bought a while ago was finally warm enough to move my three fancies! They will be in this 132 gal pond for the rest of the summer to grow, munch on algae all day and benefit from the natural sunlight. They’ve been in there for a few hours now and seem quite happy; hopefully they’ll keep doing well as the temperature drops a bit during the night.

During the transition I took tons of photos:

The three of them in a bucket to get used to the pond water.

The three of them in a bucket to get used to the pond water.

Little Antoine. He actually seems to be developing a bit of a round belly and also sports breeding stars now!

Leon is growing fatter and bigger very quickly! His wen (head growth) has also been developing lately.

Sauron did not want to stay still for a size comparison.

“mom, let me go, you’re so embarassing!”

Leon was the first one to be released. He looked quite lost! :(

Luckily Antoine was released soon after…

…and it didn’t take them long to find each other!

Sauron looking a bit lost also, right after he was released.

Luckily he quickly found his buddies again as well.

Time for some foraging!

So much swimming room!

I also took a video of them right after they were moved. As you can see, they had no idea what to do with all the space at first!

After the photos and videos we covered the pond with a net so the cats won’t be able to get to the fish. More plants will be added soon to cheer things up a bit, but for now I’m just happy they’re finally in the pond!

Happy pond-keeping!
xoxo, Mari

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Marimo balls: care & info

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Hokkaido's Marimo

Hokkaido’s Marimo by dmsk999 on Flickr.

Aegagropila linnaei, better known to aquarists as Marimo or moss ball, is a type of algae that grows into green balls under certain conditions. They are popular as low-maintenance pets because of their interesting shape, bounciness and lack of need for special care, and can be kept in a bowl or vase and in some types of aquarium. Despite this, there are some things you can do to promote optimal growth and health of your Marimo!

A proper environment 
Marimos don’t have many requirements when it comes to housing, but there are a few things to consider. First off, don’t keep your Marimo in a spot that gets a lot of sun. They naturally appear on the bottom of lakes, where it’s quite dark, so they don’t react to over-exposure to direct sunlight well.

Another point to keep in mind is that, although some aquarium inhabitants like shrimp and dwarf crayfish love to sit on and hide behind a Marimo, there are also creatures that love it a bit too much and will try to eat or destroy it :( goldfish usually don’t make a good match for a Marimo because they love to eat algae and bigger types of crayfish and plecos may  also destroy it.

An interesting note about Marimo is that it can actually be kept in brackish water – Wikipedia states:

In Lake Akan the epilithic filament form of marimo grow thickest where dense salty water from natural springs flow into the lake.

Marimo is also noted on various aquarium plant websites to be able to thrive in waters with a salinity up to mid-end brackish (1.015 – check out the guest post I did for Sitting by the Koi Pond for more info on brackish aquariums) and adding some salt to the water is sometimes recommended when dealing with a Marimo that is turning brown. I will be introducing one or two of my own Marimos in my brackish puffer tank soon to see whether they do well or not.

One of my Marimos, which lives in my dwarf crayfish tank!

One of my Marimos, which lives in my dwarf crayfish tank!

Continue reading →

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Betta than a Bowl: betta fish aquariums & betta tank inspiration

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The Betta’s Home by nhanusek on Flickr.
Betta bowls and vases can look very interesting, but are unfortunately not very animal-friendly.

Vases and bowls have been the first choice of many beginning fishkeepers for their new betta for years. After all, a vase is cheap, doesn’t take up much space, looks pretty with a plant in it and bettas are very hardy and don’t require much specific care at all, right? Much easier than getting an actual tank, heater and filter and having to cycle the whole thing.

Unfortunately, this info, which is mostly spread by pet stores who are trying to maximize their profits, is often accepted without second thought. People assume pet store employees are knowledgeable and never look up additional information – when the betta dies after a few months, they are told it passed away from old age. With the help of the lovely readers of this blog, I have put together an article that will hopefully make you think twice about housing your betta in a small bowl, pot or vase; keep reading for information on what a good betta tank should look like, what equipment it should contain and, most importantly, tons of photos of beautiful betta tanks that will hopefully convince you that an actual aquarium looks way better than a bowl anyway!

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Caresheet: Dwarf crayfish (Cambarellus genus)

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I’ve mentioned them on this blog a few times before: dwarf crayfish. These small cousins of big crayfish species like the impressive blue Procambarus alleni are, unlike most other crayfish, suitable for some types of community tanks because they are fairly peaceful. They belong to the genus Cambarellus, which contains quite a few different species, all with similar requirements – the well-known (and adorable!) orange CPO (orange dwarf crayfish) is one of them.

Name: Cambarellus genus of dwarf crayfish, containing:
Cambarellus patzcuarensis Orange (CPO/orange dwarf crayfish/Mexican dwarf crayfish), Cambarellus shufeldtii (Cajun dwarf crayfish), Cambarellus montezumae, Cambarellus ninae, etc.

Lake Pátzcuaro is one of the places where dwarf crayfish can be found in the wild.

Natural habitat: Dwarf crayfish are mainly found in Mexico and southern parts of the USA, in lakes, small streams and slow-flowing rivers.

Appearance: dwarf crayfish are freshwater crustaceans that look somewhat like a tiny version of lobsters. Most wild varieties have a brown-greyish color with darker stripes that allows them to blend in with the environment; a slight hint of blue or orange is also sometimes seen, but is often limited to the pincers. Females will sometimes carry eggs between their back legs.
If you find a strange, empty, crayfish-shaped shell in your aquarium, don’t worry! Your dwarf crayfish hasn’t died, it has molted.

The orange CPO is not naturally found in the wild, but the result of selective breeding. It is one of the most popular types of dwarf crayfish.
Photo by Melunb, via Wikimedia.

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Interkoi 2013 – Betta photos inside!

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This Sunday I was lucky enough to be able to attend the 2nd day of the Interkoi 2013 event in Rheinberg – a huge koi event with stands from many different pond stores/specialists, koi forums and aquarium stores, a bonsai tree exposition, endless blue tubs filled with gorgeous koi in all sizes and colors and, best of all: Bettas from all over Europe, brought together by the lovely Betta Freaks Forum.

Interkoi 2013
I was hoping to be able to find and buy a pretty high quality half-moon betta and take some photos to post on here, and I was not disappointed! I had a great time looking at the fish and taking photos, and also got to meet some of the Bettas4All members. Everyone was so friendly and helpful!

I'll post a better photo later! He didn't really want to go full flare for the mirror yet and the lighting wasn't too great either :(

I’ll post a better photo later! He didn’t really want to go full flare for the mirror yet and the lighting wasn’t too great either :(

I went home with a gorgeous black and blue lace betta; I was a bit worried about him at first because he immediately hid on top of the filter and refused to eat for the first few days, but he is now happily patrolling his new territory and enjoying some tasty black mosquito larvae! I’ve already spotted some bubbles aswell, so I’m expecting a bubble nest soon :D
The great thing about buying a fish at an event like this is actually being able to meet the breeder. Much more personal than buying a random imported fish from a pet store!

I compiled a little slideshow of my photos from the event; it’s mainly dedicated to all the beautiful bettas I saw – they were spectacular!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

All in all I had a great time at Interkoi, and I can’t wait until the next big aquarium/pond event: the Holland Koi Show, this August. I hope I’ll be able to score myself a place in the organisation of one of the stands there so I can be around the fish and fish lovers the entire weekend!

Hope you enjoyed the photos :)

Happy fishkeeping!
xoxo, Mari

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Fishkeeping in 1856

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The Book of the Aquarium and Water Cabinet or Practical Instructions on the Formation, Stocking, and Management, in all Seasons, of Collections of Fresh Water and Marine Life – by Shirley Hibberd, 1856

I read this book a while ago when the lovely Goldfishgal posted about it, but didn’t have time to share it with all of you yet because of all the school stuff going on lately. I’ve got some more free time now, though, so I’m 100% back! ♥

This has got to be one of the most interesting books about fishkeeping and aquariums I’ve read in a long time! It was written in the 1850s and gives an interesting glimpse into the fishkeeping world of that time. Some of the advice is actually pretty good:

The first thing to guard against is over-stocking, the common error of all beginners;

Other things I would not really recommend:

For a vessel of twelve gallons, I should recommend the following, as giving great variety, with considerable safety:—Six Prussian carp, of various sizes, one at least of five inches in length; two small Crucian carp; two small perch; two small loach; two tench, of five or six inches; six or eight minnows; one small eel; a dozen Planorbis corneus; half-a-dozen Paludina vivipara; three or four fresh-water mussels and a dozen of different sorts of newts.

All in all, it’s a great read. What I found particularly interesting was their interest in aquatic insect larvae!
You can find the book for free; just click the link at the top of this post!

This eBook is for 
the use of anyone 
anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions
whatsoever.  
You may copy it, 
give it away or
re-use it under the
terms of the Project 
Gutenberg License included
with this eBook 
or online at 
www.gutenberg.org

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Caresheet: Cherry Shrimp

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Cherry Shrimp

Cherry Shrimp female (with eggs!)
Photo by me!

Name: Neocaridina heteropoda var. Red, Cherry Shrimp, Red Cherry, Fire Shrimp

Natural habitat: Where the natural form of the Red Cherry can be found is quite difficult to determine! Most likely Taiwan, China and other parts of Asia. Some sources report pools and slow moving streams, others say they also occur in faster flowing streams, protecting themselves from the water flow by hiding behind rocks and plants.

Appearance: Red Cherry Shrimp are a dwarf shrimp variety, which means they stay small – females can grow to a maximum of around an inch, while males are usually smaller. The red color, which is what makes these shrimp such attractive additions to the aquarium, is also brighter in females than in males, that can be recognized from the fact that they’re smaller and never carry around yellow or green eggs. Continue reading →

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Update on the new critters & dwarf puffer video!

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It’s been almost a week since I introduced 3 Cajun dwarf crayfish (Cambarellus shufeldtii) to my 5 gal and 5 pygmy corydoras (Corydoras pygmaeus) to the 15 gal betta tank. With the exception of the weak corydoras I mentioned in my previous post, that sadly passed away, they’re all doing great! In the last post, I only included one picture of the cories, but since then I’ve taken some pictures of the crayfish and a video of all four remaining cories foraging together. Quite adorable! :D I’ll be sure to use the video camera instead of my phone for any future videos though, because phone quality is just awful.

They're barely an inch long, but whenever you approach the tank they're ready to fight you!

They’re barely an inch long, but whenever you approach the tank they’re ready to fight you!

 

And because I love you all, here’s a video of my mom’s dwarf puffer Magnum! I fed him for her a few days because she wasn’t feeling well enough, and it was so interesting to see him watch his food and approach it carefully before eating it. It took him a few days to get used to me, but when he did, I just had to make a video, even if it was just a crappy phone video (and the tank wasn’t too clean either – oops! :D )

If you have any tips on keeping the cories and crayfish or just want to share your opinion on them, feel free to leave a comment! I’ll be posting caresheets on both these species soon so keep an eye out for that aswell!

xoxo, Mari

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My visit to Zoo Zajac (picture slideshow inside!)

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Too empty! And the fact that the plants had grown in all kinds of weird shapes while they temporarily floated in the other tank didn't really help either.

Too empty! And the fact that the plants had grown in all kinds of weird shapes while they temporarily floated in the other tank didn’t really help either.

First off, don’t forget to follow Aquariadise on Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr for more aquarium info & pictures!

Since the 5 gal and the new betta tank both finished cycling and were looking mighty empty, I decided it was time to start carrying out the plans I had for them, which meant getting a group of pygmy cories (Corydoras pygmaeus) for the betta tank to keep the future betta company, and getting two or three dwarf crayfish for the 5 gal. I’ve had some awful experiences with the chain pet stores around here and don’t want to buy anything from those any more, which left me with two options: ordering online or getting into the car for the one hour drive to a pet store I do trust – which also happens to be the biggest pet store I have ever seen (they claim to be the biggest in the world!). Off to Zoo Zajac it was! Continue reading →

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How to check aquarium fish for parasites

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If you’re worried your fish has parasites or just want to make absolutely sure that new fish you have in your quarantine tank isn’t carrying any creepy things that could harm its future tankmates, your best bet is to check for parasites with a microscope. It doesn’t have to be an expensive, fancy microscope – I use a very old one and it works just fine. If you don’t have a microscope but still really want to check your fish for parasites, ask around at school or work or try to find a friend that has one. You can ask the people your got the microscope from for help with it or check out this site I found for more info on how to use  it. Some vets and koi doctors will also check for you, but doing it yourself is easier than you think and will save you time and money!
Microscope

When using a microscope to figure out whether your fish is carrying any creepy crawling things, you check either the poop (for internal parasites, also called endoparasites) or a skin scrape (for external parasites, also called ectoparasites) or both. You then take pictures of anything unusual you might find (keep reading for more info on that!) to do a comparison search on the internet or to show to an expert.
I’ll tell you more about the poop and picture parts later; let’s discuss skin scrapes first! Continue reading →

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