There are a lot of myths and superstitious in fish keeping hobby. A lot of people started this hobby and learn from their mistakes. The mistakes often lead to the sacrifice of the poor fishes. I have to admit that I am no exception. Those days, there was no internet. However, I hope by sharing the information online, the same mistake can be avoided by other people. Yes, there are also a lot of forums on the internet these days that will be helpful. Some of them are already in my links. So, it's no longer an excuse to repeat the mistakes.
Here are some basic information:
1. Get a bigger tank - It's easier to maintain a bigger tank than a small one. Minimum is a standard 2 feet tank (about 15 gallon) which is also cheap except for branded ones. If disease hits your tank, it will spread slower comparing with a small tank. In additional to that, you will have more selection in terms of fishes, driftwood, rocks, etc
2. Do not change 100% of the water. Fishes need bacteria to live. Just like human, if there's no bacteria in our bodies, we will die! If you don't believe me, please do some research.
3. Get rid of chlorine before using the tap water in your tank. You may add anti-chlorine or leave the water overnight for 24 hours to remove the chlorine.
4. Do not get a large fish for your tiny tank. Some fishes sold may look small at the LFS (local fish shop) because they are still juvenile. They may turn into a giant eventually. I do not recommend an oscar/goldfish/flowerhorn/arowana/etc to be placed in a 2 feet tank. Even small active fishes such as tiger barbs and zebra danios are not recommended for a 2 feet tank - they need more space.
5. Fishes compatibility - do some research before purchasing any fish. Make sure they're not too aggressive, too shy or incompatible with your existing fishes.
6. Planted tank always looks nicer, healthier and more natural, provided you choose the right plant, supply sufficient amount of light, nutrient, substrate and for some cases...CO2 (carbon dioxide). Plants help absorbing unwanted elements discharged by the fishes.
7. It's always good to have a filter. Even a cheap internal box filter run by an air pump is better than none but it's not effective for a big tank. The best filter I come across in Malaysia is Eheim canister filter but you must be willing to pay for the price. I don't fancy the China made filter run by a power head siphoning the water to a box on placed above the tank because the current is usually too strong especially for a planted tank. It maybe suitable if you plan to keep loaches that love strong current but please don't quote me - I have not tried it myself. Furthermore, the power head generates heat increasing the temperature of the tank.
8. There is a debate regarding whether to add salt or not for a freshwater aquarium. My answer is yes and no. It depends. If you have a planted tank, my answer is no. If you keep Mollies, my answer is yes. If you have a bare tank with other livebearers (i.e. guppies, swordtails or platies), it's optional. If you keep cories, the answer is no. In other words, it depends on what you're keeping. However, I notice a lot of LFS (not all) in Malaysia use a lot of salt in all their tanks (not one table spoon or two but a handful of salt). Before purchasing the fish, check with the LFS whether they use salt in their tank. If the species is not supposed to live in brackish (mixture of salt water + fresh water) environment, you will have to slowly reduce the amount of salt over the weeks and eventually stop using it. Species that do not like salt should not be kept in brackish environment in the long run.
9. What are the good beginner's fish? Usually people tend to start with guppy, swordtail, molly, platy, neon tetra or even goldfish. My answer is neither of them. These days livebearers (guppy, swordtail, platy and molly) often carry disease because they're not well taken care of at the farm. So they're no longer as hardy as you expect. I personally think neon tetra is facing the same problem now. Goldfish generates too much waste - it's definitely not a beginner's fish. No tiger barb too unless you only want to keep a group of tiger barbs in your tank. My list of beginner's fishes are:
- Honey gourami (very hardy but it does not like water current)
- Betta/fighting fish (very hardy but it does not like water current and cannot mix with other species especially the ones with bright colour)
- Ember Tetra (beautiful tiny red fish. Best keep in a group or 6 and above)
- Lemon Tetra (they may act aggressive among themselves but harmless. Best keep in a group or 6 and above)
- Head & Tail Light Tetra (greedy and beautiful if you have moonlight. Best keep in a group or 6 and above)
- Yellow Phantom Tetra (best keep in a group or 6 and above)
- Gold Barb (they need a bigger tank because they're very active. Best keep in a group or 6 and above)
- Zebra Danio (they need a bigger tank because they're very active. Best keep in a group or 6 and above. Not the dyed version)
- Harlequin Rasbora (one of the best schooling fish. best keep in a group or 6 and above)
- Espei Rasbora (one of the best schooling fish. best keep in a group or 6 and above)
- Hengeli Rasbora (one of the best schooling fish. best keep in a group or 6 and above)
- Cherry Barb (best keep in a group or 6 and above)
- Glowlight Tetra (best keep in a group or 6 and above)
10. Do not buy any fish that you can spot dead fish in the tank. You could be bringing back disease and sick fish if you do so.
Fishes that I hate and do not recommend to anyone:
1. Dyed fish - a product of mutation and human cruelty by "tattooing" the dye onto the poor fish
2. Water-Bubble Eye/Celestial goldfish - Anytime the eye burst, it will die.
3. Balloon variety of fishes i.e. Balloon molly, balloon goldfish, etc - Another product of human cruelty.
4. Flowerhorn - Another mutant.
5. Blood Parrot Fish - And another mutant.
6. Goldfish in general - they're poo factory.
7. Man-made glow in the dark fish - We have enough natural glow in the dark species. Why create another mutant?
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Hidden Facts In Our History
"History is always written by the winner" - this is a fact!!
I was inspired to write my opinion after reading an article from The Star newspaper today (15 May 2008). The article was about a female Malay communist leader, Shamsiah Fakeh. I am neither a communist sympathiser nor a person trying to discredit the country. Some people often accuses me as a traitor for writing negative elements or digging the dark sides of the country and exposing them to the public. I can tell you why I am doing so - I love this country so much that I want the best for the country. If nobody criticises, how is the country going to improve? For instance, when you were kids, if you teacher did not criticise your poor handwriting, how were you going to find out your handwriting was poor?
I know a lot of Malaysians are over sensitive about criticism regardless they're politicians or general public. I hope Malaysians could learn to be more opened-minded. Learn to accept criticism with opened-heart, study the criticism and correct the mistake. The same goes for our country's history. It is unwise to censor the history from the general public. It is more important to identify the mistakes of our forefathers and prevent repetition of their mistakes than sweeping them under the carpet to hide them.
Back to the original topic. I believe our history books have been discrediting the communists for decades in the past. There is a good reason the government has been doing so. The communists killed or murdered a lot of people in the past including their own comrades. I don't believe that the British and the government were the "angels" either. All wars are dirty anyway.
The British "used" the communists to fight the Japanese during second world war. When the war ended, the communists did the greatest mistake by killing Japanese collaborators - I believe this act might have killed innocent people in the process and some leaders might have misused their power. Anyway, the communists deserved to be credited for fighting the Japanese occupation.
The initial motive of a lot of the communists joining the arm struggled was for the benefit of the country - they were merely trying to fight for independence of the country from the British or Japanese. Unfortunately, they were eventually called traitors, murderers and totally being discredited in their struggle. I understand the world is not a fair place but these forefathers of ours deserve a little bit of respect in their unselfish act. Many of them did not do it for fame, money or power - unlike many politicians of today. They deserved to be mentioned in our history despite of some mistakes they did. We can learn and avoid repeating their wrongdoing.
To those who fought and lost their lives for independence, regardless of ideology, I hope you rest in peace. To those who fought and still alive such as Shamsiah Fakeh, I salute you and thank you!!
I was inspired to write my opinion after reading an article from The Star newspaper today (15 May 2008). The article was about a female Malay communist leader, Shamsiah Fakeh. I am neither a communist sympathiser nor a person trying to discredit the country. Some people often accuses me as a traitor for writing negative elements or digging the dark sides of the country and exposing them to the public. I can tell you why I am doing so - I love this country so much that I want the best for the country. If nobody criticises, how is the country going to improve? For instance, when you were kids, if you teacher did not criticise your poor handwriting, how were you going to find out your handwriting was poor?
I know a lot of Malaysians are over sensitive about criticism regardless they're politicians or general public. I hope Malaysians could learn to be more opened-minded. Learn to accept criticism with opened-heart, study the criticism and correct the mistake. The same goes for our country's history. It is unwise to censor the history from the general public. It is more important to identify the mistakes of our forefathers and prevent repetition of their mistakes than sweeping them under the carpet to hide them.
Back to the original topic. I believe our history books have been discrediting the communists for decades in the past. There is a good reason the government has been doing so. The communists killed or murdered a lot of people in the past including their own comrades. I don't believe that the British and the government were the "angels" either. All wars are dirty anyway.
The British "used" the communists to fight the Japanese during second world war. When the war ended, the communists did the greatest mistake by killing Japanese collaborators - I believe this act might have killed innocent people in the process and some leaders might have misused their power. Anyway, the communists deserved to be credited for fighting the Japanese occupation.
The initial motive of a lot of the communists joining the arm struggled was for the benefit of the country - they were merely trying to fight for independence of the country from the British or Japanese. Unfortunately, they were eventually called traitors, murderers and totally being discredited in their struggle. I understand the world is not a fair place but these forefathers of ours deserve a little bit of respect in their unselfish act. Many of them did not do it for fame, money or power - unlike many politicians of today. They deserved to be mentioned in our history despite of some mistakes they did. We can learn and avoid repeating their wrongdoing.
To those who fought and lost their lives for independence, regardless of ideology, I hope you rest in peace. To those who fought and still alive such as Shamsiah Fakeh, I salute you and thank you!!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
3 Feet Tank Update: Add Java Fern
I went to AI (Aquatic International) which was an international fish exporter/importer. I was there hunting for Kuhli Loaches - yeah, the snake/worm-liked fish. I was disappointed to find only 2 skinny Kuhli Loaches in a tank labeled "Kuhli Loach". Eventually while observing all the tanks, I spotted 3 fat Kuhli Loaches in another tank's filter. I asked for permission to catch them and purchased them since they looked healthier despite living in the filter. In terms of price, it's almost double the price I normally paid for. Anyway, I could not resist them. They're all under quarantine in a pail now.
I also purchase RM10 of Java Fern. It looked very healthy. Hopefully this time I can keep it alive. I had bad luck with Java Ferns in the past - some of you may not believe me since it's one of the easiest plant to grow.
Here's my 3 feet tank after adding the new Java Fern in the background:
I also purchase RM10 of Java Fern. It looked very healthy. Hopefully this time I can keep it alive. I had bad luck with Java Ferns in the past - some of you may not believe me since it's one of the easiest plant to grow.
Here's my 3 feet tank after adding the new Java Fern in the background:
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Noisy Midnight Ghosts
There are a lot of noisy "ghosts" at the nearby Mamak restaurants whenever soccer season arrives. They remind me of Poltergeist.
Imagining, you're sleeping soundly at 3am-4am, suddenly you jump out of your bed because a group of "ghosts" shouted "GOAL!!!!" thinking the apartment was on fire. If you're a light sleeper, you could not sleep in the first place because the television set was blasting off really loud in the middle of the night.
I wonder where are the brains of those Mamak operators. It's fine if they want to run their business 24 hours but disturbing the peace after 12am - 7am is unacceptable. Where are the police? Well, I can tell you my experience. I called them once and the response I received was "Biasalah" (It's normal). Isn't it their duty to prevent people from making noise after midnight? I bet the policemen were watching and yelling "Goal!!" in the middle of the night too. This is the reliability of our police force!! They rather waste their time on something ridiculous like arresting people for their dress code.
I think all the Mamak restaurants should be banned from turning on their television sets after 12am. Since they cannot control their customers from making noise, they should not be allowed to switch on the television sets. If they can afford to have a sound proof restaurant, they can go ahead. The midnight noise rule is applicable to night clubs & pubs. I believe this should be applicable to all kinds of restaurants, shopping complexes and shops unless they can operate without any noise.
Imagining, you're sleeping soundly at 3am-4am, suddenly you jump out of your bed because a group of "ghosts" shouted "GOAL!!!!" thinking the apartment was on fire. If you're a light sleeper, you could not sleep in the first place because the television set was blasting off really loud in the middle of the night.
I wonder where are the brains of those Mamak operators. It's fine if they want to run their business 24 hours but disturbing the peace after 12am - 7am is unacceptable. Where are the police? Well, I can tell you my experience. I called them once and the response I received was "Biasalah" (It's normal). Isn't it their duty to prevent people from making noise after midnight? I bet the policemen were watching and yelling "Goal!!" in the middle of the night too. This is the reliability of our police force!! They rather waste their time on something ridiculous like arresting people for their dress code.
I think all the Mamak restaurants should be banned from turning on their television sets after 12am. Since they cannot control their customers from making noise, they should not be allowed to switch on the television sets. If they can afford to have a sound proof restaurant, they can go ahead. The midnight noise rule is applicable to night clubs & pubs. I believe this should be applicable to all kinds of restaurants, shopping complexes and shops unless they can operate without any noise.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Rules & Regulation
I personally think that there are a lot of ridiculous rules and regulation in our entertainment and art sector. Sometimes I would laugh my head off talking about it. Those rules and regulation actually restrict the creativity of our artistes. I am not referring to pornography....I am referring to ridiculous examples as follows. They could be the current or the old rules and regulation. I am glad the old ones are history. I hope nobody will repeat it again...let's bury them for good.
1. Supernatural element was banned because they're non-Islamic. I wonder what has happened with the rules now! It's all in the mind of the minister.
2. No Caucasian looks allowed on advertisement. I guess the minister wanted someone who looked like him...ugly!!!
3. No alcohol advertisement. I have no objection but why do I see them these days????
4. Besides four letter words, I believe songs with words such as "cigarette", "sex", "alcohol", etc are not allowed on the radio. Do we need such restriction?? What if the lyric is "we don't need no cigarette!!!"??? Please don't blame the DJs, they're innocent. Trust me, a lot of them don't like the restriction too. Blame the minister and the radio authority.
5. No blues jeans allowed in advertisement. It's considered too Westernise. I didn't realise this until a friend told me. I hope this rule is buried deep down in hell.
6. Long haired men were not allowed on tv. No heavy metal rockers...rockers have to keep their hair short to be on tv. I guess even Jesus was banned
I guess the list will be endless if I don't stop listing them now. I would like to urge those who set the rules and regulation to use their brains wisely and rules & regulation should be consistent. We cannot afford to have a rule added because one minister says so. Remove another rule because the minister says so. Those are not rules and regulation!!! Those are the minister's personal preferences!!!!
1. Supernatural element was banned because they're non-Islamic. I wonder what has happened with the rules now! It's all in the mind of the minister.
2. No Caucasian looks allowed on advertisement. I guess the minister wanted someone who looked like him...ugly!!!
3. No alcohol advertisement. I have no objection but why do I see them these days????
4. Besides four letter words, I believe songs with words such as "cigarette", "sex", "alcohol", etc are not allowed on the radio. Do we need such restriction?? What if the lyric is "we don't need no cigarette!!!"??? Please don't blame the DJs, they're innocent. Trust me, a lot of them don't like the restriction too. Blame the minister and the radio authority.
5. No blues jeans allowed in advertisement. It's considered too Westernise. I didn't realise this until a friend told me. I hope this rule is buried deep down in hell.
6. Long haired men were not allowed on tv. No heavy metal rockers...rockers have to keep their hair short to be on tv. I guess even Jesus was banned
I guess the list will be endless if I don't stop listing them now. I would like to urge those who set the rules and regulation to use their brains wisely and rules & regulation should be consistent. We cannot afford to have a rule added because one minister says so. Remove another rule because the minister says so. Those are not rules and regulation!!! Those are the minister's personal preferences!!!!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Going Aqua
No, I am not turning into an "Ah Kua" (fag). Just sharing my recent aquarium setup.
I started this hobby since I was 5 or 6 years old with some bettas my dad brought home. Although I quit the hobby in the 90s for more than a decade but I have eventually returned to my root. I have to admit I did it the wrong way in fish keeping in the past. Thanks to the internet that I have learned the proper way.
Keeping fish is no longer a cheap hobby because it involves lots of high tech stuff. The hobby is not just about keeping a goldfish in a bare tank. It has grown very advanced these days.
I "adopted" an abandoned standard 3 feet tank from my neighbour. It is now my sixth tank. It's still in a very good condition. Free tank but it's not free to set it up. Trust me, I spent a fortune for it. This tank of mine is considered a low tech setup because it does not even use any CO2 and I am only keeping low light plants with low maintenance. Here's a list of the expenses (minus water bill, electricity bill, fishes, fish food, fertiliser, petrol and time):
1. Used 2215 Eheim filter: RM250
2. Lighting with two 36 watt PLLs: RM200
3. Driftwoods + Rocks: RM80
4. Holland Sand: RM80
5. Plants: I got some of them free and paid a friend RM10 to cover his transport. I have saved a lot due to my friends
6. Stand: RM75
7. Paint & Brush: About RM20 (I repainted the newly purchased stand because of some scratches)
List of plants:
1. Narrow Leaf Ferns
2. Anubias Nana
3. Philippines Ferns
4. A tiny clump of Weeping Moss I think (I added in unintentionally)
5. Subwassertang (sea grass)....hmm, it sounds like German...perhaps it's in German
List of fishes:
1. Yellow Phantom Tetras
2. Boraras Maculatus
3. Kuhli Loaches
4. Cherry Barbs
5. Ottocinclus Affinis
6. Siamese Algae Eaters
Sorry, I hardly count the number of fishes in my tanks.
Thanks to Nasir for the plants, guidance and spending hours with me selecting driftwoods. Also thanks to Sonia for the plants.
During the phrase of testing the tank for leakage:
The tank as of today. Cycling process has just ended:
I started this hobby since I was 5 or 6 years old with some bettas my dad brought home. Although I quit the hobby in the 90s for more than a decade but I have eventually returned to my root. I have to admit I did it the wrong way in fish keeping in the past. Thanks to the internet that I have learned the proper way.
Keeping fish is no longer a cheap hobby because it involves lots of high tech stuff. The hobby is not just about keeping a goldfish in a bare tank. It has grown very advanced these days.
I "adopted" an abandoned standard 3 feet tank from my neighbour. It is now my sixth tank. It's still in a very good condition. Free tank but it's not free to set it up. Trust me, I spent a fortune for it. This tank of mine is considered a low tech setup because it does not even use any CO2 and I am only keeping low light plants with low maintenance. Here's a list of the expenses (minus water bill, electricity bill, fishes, fish food, fertiliser, petrol and time):
1. Used 2215 Eheim filter: RM250
2. Lighting with two 36 watt PLLs: RM200
3. Driftwoods + Rocks: RM80
4. Holland Sand: RM80
5. Plants: I got some of them free and paid a friend RM10 to cover his transport. I have saved a lot due to my friends
6. Stand: RM75
7. Paint & Brush: About RM20 (I repainted the newly purchased stand because of some scratches)
List of plants:
1. Narrow Leaf Ferns
2. Anubias Nana
3. Philippines Ferns
4. A tiny clump of Weeping Moss I think (I added in unintentionally)
5. Subwassertang (sea grass)....hmm, it sounds like German...perhaps it's in German
List of fishes:
1. Yellow Phantom Tetras
2. Boraras Maculatus
3. Kuhli Loaches
4. Cherry Barbs
5. Ottocinclus Affinis
6. Siamese Algae Eaters
Sorry, I hardly count the number of fishes in my tanks.
Thanks to Nasir for the plants, guidance and spending hours with me selecting driftwoods. Also thanks to Sonia for the plants.
During the phrase of testing the tank for leakage:
The tank as of today. Cycling process has just ended:
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