Very Posh and High-Tech Leh!

The RH Fish Tank is "Very Posh" and "High-Tech" leh!

I visited the Bohemia Bunny (by Lynn Chan) today and read her "Real, Uncensored Hall Guide". Part 5 was published on Monday, and it was about our hall (Don't be offended by the "Roughly Hall" name, it's a non-association technique for bloggers, i think). Anyway, what caught my attention was her description of the fish tank in the middle of the article...

"On a totally unrelated note, they have a very posh and high-tech fishtank. Have fun spotting the little critters hiding in the plants." Lynn Chan (2005)

Wow... i mean... like... ermm... you know... WOW!

"Very posh and high-tech fishtank"... i'm at a lost for words.

I wonder what you RH residents think or feel at having read this. Thank you Lynn.

Doing Fine

Good news!
Vincent, the guy from Gratiola who did the rescape came on Saturday to check the progress of the RH Fish Tank. According to him the RH Fish Tank is doing better than expected! The plants were seen to be adapting and growing very well, and nothing seemed to be wrong with it.

However today i spotted some Green Spot Algae on the inside walls of the RH Fish Tank. It would probably be caused by an excess of light, but i'll have to ask Vincent before doing anything about it.

In the meantime please do enjoy the the finally-complete RH Fish Tank... and please do not leave your fingerprints on the glass; it's "only a fingerprint" to you but it's "a lot of effort to clean" for me. Appreciate it much if you could help remind your friends. Thanx!

Whiptail no more

The RH Fish Tank has unfortunately lost an interesting inhabitant, the Whiptail Catfish (previous post). It was found unmoving on the sponge of the powerhead, probably having died while at rest. Cause of death: unknown.

In the meantime there will not be new additions to the RH Fish Tank as the tank enters its maturing phase after the rescape.

Sam's Back!

That's right... Sam's back in the RH Fish Tank!
(Why the name "Sam"? Click here to find out)

A pair of Forrest Betta (Betta Pugnax), a male and a female, were added to the RH Fish Tank today to replace the two Betta Fusca (previous post) that jumped in recent weeks. They look almost exactly like the Betta Fusca, and almost similar in behavior the Betta Pugnax are not fighters but will live in harmony with the other community fishes in the RH Fish Tank. Also, they are mouth-brooders and if the conditions are right the pair will mate and mouth-brood; the male will keep the eggs/fry in its mouth, releasing them only after two to three weeks. However unlike the Betta Fusca, the Betta Pugnax are supposedly less timid, and less prone to doing the high jump, ie commit suicide.

Betta Pugnax: male top photo, female bottom photo


I hope these two do not commit suicide but live to a ripe old age... You can help by not making sudden movements towards the RH Fish Tank, or tapping on the glass because this scares them. Please tell your friends also if you see them doing this; with education the RH Fish Tank will be beautiful with no fish casualties.

Fluorite

No, this is NOT the substance you find in your toothpaste;
that's Fluoride (with a "d").


Fluorite is the name of the gravel that was added to the RH Fish Tank today. A layer (6kg worth of it) was sprinkled over the existing gravel so that it now looks reddish and darker than the previous gravel which was Lapis Gravel which looks like sand from a lousy beach.

Comparison between Lapis Gravel (top) and Fluorite (bottom)


A card was used as a tool to insert Fluorite between the Lapis Gravel and the sides of the RH Fish Tank, making it look as if the whole tank was filled with Fluorite gravel; actually only 6kg out of the 46kg of gravel is Fluorite. One side of the RH Fish Tank (next to the white water cabinet) was left un-carded so you can see the old and new gravel in two layers. The reason for adding the new gravel (the brand is Seachem, for those who might be interested) is to give the tank a more contrasting coloured look: green plants will stand out more, and the coloured fishes will look more alive!

You like it? Cool... me too. =)

D-O-N-A-T-E

Donations to the RH Fish Tank are always welcome, always.

How?
If the amount is less than $10: put your donations into the RH Fish Tank donations box when you're appreciating the fishes.
If the amount is $10 and above: approach KokTiong or Daniel, Daniel Kwok. Donations $10 and above will be listed on the Donations List in order to acknowledge the contribution, crediting the generosity.

What happens to the donations?
The green donations box will be cleared everyday (or every other day) by KokTiong or myself in order to keep the amount in the box minimal. Donations counting will be witnessed by a member of the Office Staff, then recorded in the Donations/Expenditure logbook. This procedure is to allow proper accounting of donations, to ensure that KokTiong and/or myself steal any donations. Donations will be used to purchase fish food, replace/add fish, acquire medication (if necessary), etc.

Want to steal the money?
The amount of money in the donations box will not be more than $10 at any one time, so stealing it would not be worth the risk. Getting caught = expulsion from hostel, and possibly a harsh punishment for theft, vandalism of private property, etc...

10c, 20c, 50c... enough meh?
A small donation from you will go a long way in helping keep the RH Fish Tank alive... imagine $0.10 a day from every resident in hall would make a very big difference to the RH Fish Tank. You can donate and make that difference.

Thank you! =)

Fancy a Glass of Worms?

Edit 15april at 1am: The Glass of Worms have since been removed from the RH Fish Tank for fear of pollution to the water. Thus those who managed to see it while it lasted, it was an interesting sight to behold; those who didn't, you'll have to make do with the picture here... the previous article will be left unedited, read on!

Yes, you read it right: a Glass of Worms...


"Why is there a glass of worms in the RH Fish Tank?!"
Explanation: I had previously bought, on four occasions already, $0.50 worth of tubifex worms from a shop in Clementi, and the amount was just enough to fill 3/4 of the inverted-cone which allows the fishes to finish their live food treat in two to three days. Today however i took a trip to a fish shop in Tiong Bahru to take a look (and eventually purchasing the Whiptail Catfish, see previous post), and decided to give the fishes a live food treat: "Uncle, tubifex worms 50cents please, thanx ah".

Upon returning, rinsing the packet of worms, and putting them into the inverted-cone, the worms OVERFLOWED! In order to keep the tubifex worms alive i took out half of them and put them into the glass, and put the glass in the RH Fish Tank under the inverted-cone so that the worms wouldn't have to be flushed/thrown away and the fishes could still have their fill.

Caveat: Those with a weak stomach or are averse to violence are advised to refrain from observing the feeding of live food (Live food feeding rated NC16; violent content).

Why feed Live Tubifex Worms? Read the previous Worms post.

The Whiptail Catfish, and some...

A new fish was introduced to the RH Fish Tank just today, the Whiptail Catfish (Sturisoma Festivum):

The Whiptail Catfish is a slender fish which is reputed to be quite an efficient algae-eater, and quite a good-looker too! Elegant and uncommon, its unique shape and algae-eating ability will provide for great viewing and appreciation.

9 Kuhli Loaches, 4 Hillstream Loaches and 4 Otocinclus
These were added to the Kuhlis (total now 18), Hillstreams (total now 7) and Otos (total now 5)already present in the RH Fish Tank. The reason? Some of them had over the months passed away (or disappeared without a trace) and i needed to get them in order to restore the equilibria for algae-eating (Hillstream Loaches and Otos) and leftover food scavenging due to an increased number of nooks and crannies in the new set up (Kuhli Loaches).
Click on the names of the fishes to link to previous posts on them: Kuhli Loach, Hillstream Loach, Otocinclus

The all-new RH Fish Tank...

New plants, new driftwood/rocks, same fish, same tank: The RH Fish Tank was today given a major rescape in preparation for the coming 3-month holidays and the year to come... Why?

1) Simpler Maintenance
Plants were chosen for their non-rampant-growing characteristics, allowing for less frequent trimming and re-planting.

2) Professional Look
Experts in the aquatic-scaping field were employed for the job because they knew what plants, driftwood and rocks to use, and where to put them for the best look.

3) Professional Consideration
While planning and scaping the all-new RH Fish Tank, these experts took into consideration the surroundings (including our two-way-viewing requirement), the lighting, the ambient and water temperature, the fish and shrimps, where to insert root fertilizers for the plants, advise us on liquid fertilising dosage, everything. Kok Tiong and I do not have such knowledge to successfully plan and execute such a scape.

4) Long-lasting Setup
This all-new RH Fish Tank look will last for another year or two at least without having to re-do anything major. Of course the water top-up and fortnightly water change is still necessary.

5) My Farewell Gift
This is my farewell gift to the RH Fish Tank, something i am proud to leave behind for the benefit of RH and the residents. The RH Fish Tank will be left in optimal condition therefore there should be no excuse for its failure in my absence. I hope everyone will take good care of it, enjoy it, and appreciate it.

Scaping Description (from my point of view)
The scaping is made to look like a natural river setting, with the rocks a part of the riverbed and the driftwood a fallen trunk/branch that has plants growing from it. There are numerous nooks and crannies for the fish/shrimps to hide (and make out) so that they would not be overly stressed as opposed to living in a sparsely planted tank with no hiding places.

Although this means that you will see less of the fish at one glance, this scape encourages you to look more closely and patiently. Being still and watching patiently will allow you to notice the fish as they peek from their hideouts because when the fish notice outside movement they would usually go into hiding or dart around; frantic behavior.

Photos
The water is a tad cloudy/dirty for a day or two because of the dirt disturbed during the rescaping, it will clear up and look better for sure:

A more professional looking shot,
although my photography skills not that good:

More photographs of the all-new RH Fish Tank:
Back-view
Far-view
Note: Photographs were Photoshopped

I sincerely hope you will enjoy and appreciate the RH Fish Tank as much as i have enjoyed setting it up and maintaining it for you...

Daniel,
Daniel Kwok.
RH Fish Tank caretaker 2004/5