Penguins

[lollardfish]

Today, Nico saw his first real penguins. The penguins saw him, too, but they (and the gulls and terns) were really more excited about the fish that the keepers were giving the penguins. Nico, on the other hand, grabbed the front of his stroller and rocked back and forth with great glee. It's a "free flight" area, so the gray gulls (from South America) were wheeling about and shouting, and Nico looked up a lot and was very excited.

He also loves the fish, big fish swimming about in their tanks evoked similar reactions of concentrated excitement. It's a lot easier to focus on the fish in the blue than an animal in the rocky yard, and boy was Nico focused.

This means, I think, that we need an aquarium. We can't actually afford one right now, but maybe in the fall when we come back from Europe. Anything that stimulates my boy's brain is something we need. Fortunately, I did spend the money to get a zoo membership, so we'll be back. Maybe tomorrow afternoon! It's gonna be nice and warm.

Comments

[madtruk.livejournal.com]

HEya-

Craig has a great fish tank that he's maintaining, and Carrie and I have had one over the years here and there. Here's what I recommend (YMMV):

First, don't go crazy and get fish that need a heater, salt water, or special diets right away. This does not mean you're limited to goldfish, though.

There are lots of fish that require minimal upkeep (say a filter and a good cleaning every so often) that are easy to take care of and still provide lots of color and flash. We found, in the end, that a big tank wasn't for us and have settled on a hexagon tank that uses a small light at the and has a bottom filtration system. Easy to take care of and a variety of fish can live there. Currently its stored 'in-between' fish funerals, which happen...

If you do go crazy all at once, you may find the upkeep is a lot more than you expect, so talk to the experts at your local store.

End Chat> Time: 8:09 am CST...logging off...Retry? Abort? Fail?

[buttonlass.livejournal.com]

I want a plecostomus! They aren't real common but I helped care for one for three weeks once and they're a breeze. Plus they help keep the tank clean cause they eat algae. Apparently they take a slightly larger tank though so I may have to wait.

I will say bettas are vicious to other fishies. They attack each other or things that look like themselves or anything small or slow. I had no idea.

[laurel]

Bettas can be okay in a tank with other fish, you just have to be a little careful about which fish you have in there and make sure there are plants and things to hide in.

Bettas go well with plecostomus, oddly enough, or with little Cori catfish or other bottom dwellers because they don't resemble another betta (bettas really are only interested in fighting each other).

Bettas can also be fine with a small school of neon tetras or some other fish of that size-- with them, you usually have to worry more about whether they'll nip at the bettas fins. Guppies can be okay if they aren't the fancy kind with big tails (again, because a betta without the best vision might mistake it for a female or mail betta).

Bettas, despite the way they are sold and the stuff marketed for them, are happiest in a tank that's at least 3 to 5 gallons in size. And with a heater of some sort. They can survive in a tiny tank without a heater, but they won't be very happy.

I'd recommend something like an Eclipse aquarium setup-- they have the filter and light built into the tank and are very easy to maintain. 5-6 gallon ones can be found new for as little as $30 and more often for around $50 (remember, that includes the filter and light). Then you just need to buy gravel and some plants and maybe some other decor (all pretty cheap). A small heater will run $10-20 and will be necessary for most small fish. It can add up if you let it.

Some setups can be found on Craig's List or wherever, then you just have to be careful that you trust the gear isn't infected with a fish disease or something (buy from someone who seems to know their fish and gives you the history of the tank or else be very diligent about cleaning the gear in a safe way).