Creekside

We went to creekside park, it was hot, 90 degrees. Caught some fish for now they'll be using the 55 gallon, the ammonia spike won't hit until a few more days. The mantid Snips is dying, nothing can be done. He's too weak to catch anything, but for now he can move, slightly. He'll be dead by tomarrow if not before then. That leaves Mystery, and Phoenix in container 1. I named the three in container 2

Hatchet- had a bent antenna, but it seems to have been severed where it was bent at around a 40 degree angle. hence the name hatchet.

Ideal- The ideal mantid, his antennas, legs, claws, and body are unblemished. No defects that I can see. Also he eats well.

Munch- He's container 2's equivalent of container 1's Phoenix. Eats a bunch, as much as his tiny body can handle. Ideal eats less, but still he fills out.

All the remaining Mantid's look good.

A picture of a swan at Creekside



























I look soooo happy to be washing the plant substrate, which I mixed with the pond rocks, that were already in the tank ;) (I mixed them while they were inside the waterless tank).
I think it took around a hour and a half to finish setting it up from, when I began to wash the substrate. some of which was spent setting up this shot....

Some fishkeepers mind getting their hands/arms wet, which is kinda silly, if you keep fish you WILL get wet. Might as well get used to it. I don't mind it anymore, not even a nuisance to me. Actually when I need to get dry quickly I rolled down my sleeves, and rubbed them against my arms to dry them off. I'm a fishkeeper who actually enjoys getting his hands wet. The reasons for this are simple. First of all, using your hands is more precise, second, it's it's more flexible then any apparatus you can buy, and it's cheaper (unless you're keeping some fish which poses a danger to your hand, like a piranha). But, personally I've never gotten my hand injured by neon tetras :)

I almost forgot how calming of an effect the sound of running water has on me. *breaths deeply, exhales, saying ah, as one does with a calming effect*