(no subject)

[damselfish]

I had a great plan for stocking the Fluval which has now fallen to itty, bitty pieces. It turns out that I cannot keep scarlet badis for some very important reasons:

1) The advice I've seen on keeping them suggests an optimal set-up of 1 male to 2-3 females, with 5 - 10 gallons per male so they can establish territories. They should probably not be kept alone.

2) No one sells females. Let me repeat: NO ONE SELLS FEMALES. I have seen it suggested that females aren't released to the public so hobbyists don't start breeding them (I suspect it's also because males are prettier, same reason you haven't seen female bettas outside specialty shops until recently).

3) They don't sell them at any local stores (they didn't even know what they are and were positive I was discussing a killifish, not a perch), and liveaquaria.com is out of stock and can't promise I'd get anything when they're back in stock, let alone an appropriate gender ratio.

Fine. I will put something else in there. But now the tank is cycled, let me at least get some sacrifices to toss in and find out if the tank really is ready for fish. I've heard white cloud minnows recommended for this period, since they're cheap (several for $1 cheap), schooling fish. I make it all the way to Petco and found out that they're $2 a pop for not great specimens. Oh... well I can pay that.

Then I find out they're not tropical fish. They can adapt to a tropical aquarium, but they prefer water at 72º. At its coldest, my aquarium gets to 76º. I'd need a flippin' chiller to keep these fish. I can probably keep them in my 78º aquarium, but I don't think I should.

At least I can keep oto cats. If anyone has them in stock ever.

I may also move this aquarium to an office, so originally I was thinking I'll just put in schooling fish then move it. Right now the aquarium is behind me when I sit at my desk, so I don't see it unless I walk over to look at it. Not a great place to put most fish because what's the point in having cool fish if you don't see them?

But I just had a great thought for an office aquarium: pea puffers.

Warning for violence to snails.

...I have no idea what I plan to do for now, of course, but I'll figure something out. I shouldn't buy pea puffers now because I don't get to see the aquarium most of the time and, honestly, Angryfish watches my every move in the apartment already. I don't need more fish watching me.