I'm making an effort to surround myself with living things. I love my apartment so much but it does get a little bit lonely sometimes, and being surrounded by plants and animals (that don't violate the 'no pets' rule) make the loneliness go away.
The latest addition, to celebrate the end of finals week, are a couple of fantail goldfish in a 5-gallon tank.
Aren't they pretty? This is totally an adventure for me, having a whole big tank to take care of. I've usually gotten goldfish in a bowl or a really small tank... and they have never lasted very long.
I was talking to the people at the fish store and fish actually need a lot of space and fresh oxygen, things they don't get in a fish bowl. They also need a certain amount of bacteria in the water, and if the water is too clean they will die. I had to condition the tank with bacteria before I put the fish in... doesn't that just seem counter intuitive?
Their fins are so long and flowing, I've decided to think of them both as girls (although they may not be and I might end up with baby fish someday...) I don't know what to name them yet. Any ideas?
I got their whole set-up at a pet store in Medford, Nui Kai Pets... even the nice piece of gneiss to decorate their tank. (That's a geology joke... I've been hanging out in the mineralogy lab too long. Gneiss is a type of metamorphic rock that forms with bands of light and dark minerals.)
The lumpy thing next to their tank is a thunder-egg that was given to me by a classmate who took a trip to Eastern Oregon over Thanksgiving break. I haven't broken it yet... I'm waiting until either a) I find someone who knows how to use a rock saw and is willing to cut it for me, or b) I can't stand to wait any longer.
I'm so excited to have these two. I hope I am as good of a 'fish-whisperer' as my dad is. Dad, remember all those times Bubbles was near death? You always saved him.
This is Bubbles... we had him for years, much longer than fish usually live. And he was HUGE by the time he died. He just kept growing and growing.
These guys better not get that big... They won't fit in their tank.
The solid gold one is like a little super model. She kept pausing in front of the camera when I was taking pictures. The other one wanted to be as far away from it as possible. Do you think fish know when you are taking their picture?
I've also recently gotten some composting worms. Now that I have some free time (with no classes until January 3rd!) I'll take some pictures of the worm set-up and get them up here.
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