Thank Goodness for Phyton!

Looking at pretty fish in a fish tank is one thing. Taking care of them it's a whole other story.

Caring for 4 fish tanks means, changing 25% of 125 gallons of water every other day. That is ONLY if the water is in good conditions... Otherwise, add another 5 - 10%.
My sister and I were already developing muscles in our arms. - Which is not a bad thing, but pretty tiring. By the time we finished with the tanks there was no energy to do anything else.

Changing the tank water was quite an adventure. We would have to suck out of a dirty hose to suck out my fish kaka... pretty disgusting.
So my sister and I would take turns and laugh to see who would suck and swallow the water! Hilarious and yet disgusting!

So on Sunday, my sister and I went to the fish store to buy some fish food and to ask for a few recommendations on stabilizing the ammonia in the water. After explaining our struggle with the water condition and all that we have to go through, our friend the fish man, started laughing.
Why? well... the picture below just says it all. It's a mirror of our faces when we take care of our tanks...



I definitely can relate to their Ad!

Thank goodness for this product called Phyton that we no longer have to suck on this dirty water!

Discus Gender

Breeding Discus is not an easy task. Although we've successfully pared a few couples, there was something i was never able to figure out - their gender.

Which one is the female and which one is the male?
It was always confusing and certainly not as easy to guess as i was able to with my Angel Fish. I researched on multiple websites, and none talked about gender.
Some said that paring was possible between the same sex, which made it even more difficult to guess.

A shot of luck hit us when our growchy pet store owner gave my mom and me some tips. He said that finding the gender is one of the stranges and challenging parts of knowing and caring for Discus.

There are 3 things you should look at when looking at their gender. However, even after identifying those 3, you may still be wrong.

The crown
If it's square shaped, it's a male
If it's rounded, it's a female

The tummy
If it's square shaped, it's a male
If it's rounded, it's a female

The upper fin
If it's pointy, it's a male
If it's round, it's a female

If you still can't identify their gender out of these 3 characteristics, the next thing is to analyse your pair if you are lucky to have one.
a pair is constantly laying eggs, while the water and enviromental conditions are also great, then you have found yourself a pair of the same sex.

Adoption by default

During the last 2 years of my last relationship my "other half" and I had decided to try our luck with a fish tank. A fish tank became two, two became three, and three became four. Soon we were successfully hatching eggs! and mastering the art of a Fish hobbyist. I always enjoyed seeing and admiring the tanks every night while my "other half" would take care of everything. But after my "other half" was gone I found myself adopting the Fish by default.

How on earth am i going to take care of these "things"! I said to myself in a moment of panic. I barely knew how to turn on the light. All i knew was the twice a day feeding and the water change theory every other week. I felt like the useless and helpless widow who depended on the husband for every little thing.

Today, not only do i enjoy admiring My Fish every day, but I can truly understand what Fish can teach you and bring to your house.
I have to Thank my parents for being so supportive, for helping me figure everything out and keeping them alive. If it wasnt because of them I would not have the joy of waking up to the sound of my "Natural alarm clock" - one of My Fish bouncing the pebbles every morning.
and still sit on my couch to admire My Fish.

In this post, I'd like to share a life gallery of My Beautiful Fish and pass on what I've learned.