Antlerquarium: go!

Art by Phano

Those of you who follow me on Twitter may have seen that I've not been feeling too great lately and that my fish project, though I started out with good intentions, has actually given me a lot of unwanted stress.

I've now properly planned out what I am going to do with said project and what fish species I will concentrate on.
Right now I have: six bettas/Siamese fighting fish, a comet goldfish, an African clawed frog, four fancy goldfish (a ranchu, a black moor, and two orandas), two balloon mollies, five cherry barbs, a corydoras catfish, a synodontis catfish and a tank with two Thai red-clawed crabs and a collection of guppies & white cloud mountain minnows.

I got a little stressed out (to say the least) with all of these fish, and I've decided now to cut down my tanks to minimize stress & to allow myself to concentrate fully on my fish.
I feel bad saying this, but I regret getting the guppies & minnows. They are lovely fish, but I don't think I can cope with small fish any more. They don't live very long and though other aquarists are perfectly happy with buying these fish for 'decoration' and replacing them (this is why they are so very cheap to buy in petstores as well), I'm not. I find it distressing and almost annoying, which sounds terrible, to find them curled up on the bottom of the tank every other morning/week, what have you.

I've decided my focus now is on bettas & balloon mollies, as well as my coldwater fish, the frog, and my two catfish. I will still look after the others, but once they go, I will not be replacing them.
I feel quite nasty talking about them in this manner, but I would rather people who feel they can give them better homes get these fish - though I worry as I've seen some splendid examples of extreme cruelty being done to guppies and the like.

It's kind of tough loving animals so much sometimes...

Again, I thank everyone for following me on this journey and with this project, and also a huge special thanks to those who have helped provide tanks & equipment.
I assure you, these will not be going to waste. I have friends interested in some of the tanks, plus I will be keeping one set up as a hospital tank, should anything happen to my fish.



I'm considering that my fish project will be as follows:
-Baby Biorb: Home to my fancy goldfish. Tank capacity states I can get two more - considering this, in time.
-100l Aquael Bow Tank: Six-way split tank housing my bettas. I am considering tank mates for them (my two catfish are possibilities), but also highly considering keeping it to just the bettas as suitable tankmates are generally the smaller fish...my cherry barbs will probably live here, too.
-30l Aquael Bow Tank: Larger and nicer home for my two balloon mollies, plus other balloon mollies I intend to get. Somewhat considering platys, too. But I think mollies are the way forward - I've had a lot of luck and experience with this species.

Then there's the mainstays of Alfredo the frog's tank, and Comet the goldfish's tank. Not sure where these will go - my fish room is also my bedroom and even though it sounds wonderful to have so many aquatic friends everywhere (which it is, don't get me wrong), it's also kind of overwhelming. That may just be me being weird, though.
And the guppy tank is currently on a bookshelf. Will see where we go with that one in time.

And so, Antlercat speaks.

Those who follow me on Twitter have already seen this, but I felt it was important to share here, too.



I feel I have to get something off my chest: I am not a lazy person. I am not a rude person. I am a good hardworking girl, who would work more if she could, but I have an illness that stops me from doing so. Therefore, I take on art commissions as it's extra money for me that I need.
I may still live at home, but I have bills to pay and travel expenses and food to think of. These commissions help me also by giving me a sense of worth that I also desperately need. I do want to do more commissions than I get, but that's life.

I post links regularly to my wishlist stating items I would like because I can't afford things that are luxuries. Most people can treat themselves to dvds now and then or supply their hobbies and interests. I am now unable to do this properly.
I know - "you can live without them" - but again, my illness dictates that I need distractions in my life. My fishkeeping is a hobby that is vital to my wellbeing. If I post tanks & equipment on mywishlist, know that if you buy them, it's a good cause: you're helping my wellbeing, you're helping me house fish and give them good homes.

If you don't buy me anything or can't: I don't mind. I still like you. It's silly to think otherwise. But if you disapprove of me simplystating that I am open for commissions or that I would like some things bought for me because I simply cannot afford to - then keep that to yourself, perhaps. It doesn't take much to push a depressed individual from their rare pedestal of happiness.

Thanks for reading :)

The Fish Project: A Rethink.

Everyone: I had quite a scare tonight.
I'm still shaking and feeling really weird about it.

My tropical tank needed cleaning:

I spent a long, long time doing this, and put the heater in.

Usually, the heater takes roughly round 40 minutes to get to the correct temperature required for my fish. So, after waiting that time, I put four of them back in. They started to panic and swirl around - before sinking to the bottom.

At first, I just stared. It really freaked me out to see them like that, then I grabbed them out of the tank & put them back in the original bowl they had been waiting in. Very, very slowly, they began to stir again - and, touch wood, they are okay now.


Vega even kissed my finger when I checked on him - and I just felt like the worst fishowner ever.

With all of this in mind, I've decided to rethink my fish project. Being reminded of just how delicate fish really are made me feel suddenly very aware that a project such as this cannot be one tackled as head-on as I intended.

Though last night I made a large order for that bulk lot of tanks, I have now decided it was possibly not the best idea.
I wanted to study mainly tropical fish, and in those tanks, I wouldn't be able to provide what I feel is sufficient heating.
I've attempted to cancel this order, but I am not 100% sure the wholesalers where I ordered from even do cancellations. I'm very nervous about this as it was a chunk of money (from art commissions) that could have been put to much better use.

My friends have been supportive and told me not to abandon this project, but I can't help but feel somewhat daunted by it now.
In theory, I have space for two other tropical tanks (one small, one large) and a handful of 'small tanks' which would house coldwater fish & semi-tropicals such as the minnows and danios I was talking about.

After having a think about it, I've decided to add some items to my wishlist that will be ideal for my project's needs and, much more importantly: a whole lot better suited to the fish and their welfare, too.

The Wishlist Items
[ REMOVED DUE TO CHANGE OF PLAN re: FISH PROJECT! ]

My wishlist, containing all of my fish products can be found here:
Amazon Wishlist

Again, I don't expect anyone to buy anything from this wishlist.
I constantly struggle with whether it's "right" to post wishlists or requests in this vein, but I'm also constantly told by friends not to worry about it.
After all, I am just saying "I would like this" or "I need this", and I have been very public about my health and money issues, so...I need to get over it, really!

That said: while I don't expect anyone to buy anything, I do ask that if you can spare it, right now help with this project would be greatly appreciated.
Encouragement is one thing, but I am the type of person who pines easily and gets very frustrated if I can't get on with something straight away. I don't know, maybe it's part of my depression, but either way, it eats at me.
Having wasted money on those small tanks (I feel I've wasted it - especially if I can't get the order cancelled), now I see what is actually needed for the project, it's kind of irritating for me not being able to go ahead and order them and set up these safe homes for my beloved animals.

So, I just want to remind everyone that anything bought from my wishlist (no matter how much or how little it costs) will not go ignored - I repay everyone who buys something with an art commission to the price of the item bought, and I want to throw in extras (not sure what yet, I'll have a think) to anyone who donates to the fish project by helping me out with the items shown above.

I must confess: I'm not at my best right now. I've been ill over the weekend, and I am starting back at work on Wednesday. While this is a positive thing, I do feel very anxious about it after being away for so long, and I guess at times like this, I am at my most vulnerable.
I promise, I'll write something a little less...angsty?...in my next blog post.

Thank you once again if you can and do decide to help out with the fish project.

Antlercat's Fish Project (needs better title)

Really, "Antlercat's Fish Project"? That's so long-winded!

Anyway: I've been mentioning this 'fish project' for a little while now on my Twitter and it's finally time I spill what it's actually about.

I've been keeping fish (coldwater and tropical) since Summer of last year.
This project has been not only fun, but also really rewarding - keeping and looking after these beautiful creatures has really helped me deal with my depression.
Sometimes, just watching them swim around or interact with each other helps curb my worries and makes me feel a lot more relaxed.
In exchange for their infinite presence of zen and happiness, I like to provide with them with the best love and care that I can. My fish mean a great deal to me, and I hope that shows.


On top of that, I also love science.
I think that's kind of an arbitrary mention, hense the name of my blog, but still :P
One of my big dreams is to be a scientist. Pretty vague, that, so I guess I need to figure out what field exactly. My heart leans towards astronomy and nature, but my head also leans towards aquatic biology, too.
I can't afford to do any Open University courses any time soon, mind.
While I am going to be taking some free courses via my iPad at a later date (a blog post regarding this to come!), sometimes, the best way to learn is to just do it yourself - and being hands-on and really tackling something I love is one of my favourite things to do!

So, I've decided: fish project is the way forward.
This project will entail me buying a bunch of tanks in bulk from a wholesale stockist (these will be small tanks, but I have researched this project in full and care for the welfare of my fish above everything else - research is key when it comes to keeping any pet, and I know what I am doing), and various species of both tropical and coldwater fish.

This is an expensive hobby, and indeed an expensive project to undertake too, so I am so thrilled and happy to announce that my friends have been an incredible support and great backbone when it comes to this new project.
I've raised the cash to afford the bulk set of tanks plus other supplies thanks to their unwavering help and generosity - thank you so very much.
(Incidently, I have listed various items for this project on my Amazon wishlist. If you want to help out too, they are here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/registry/wishlist/ELL9VJSK9BEA?tag=vglnk-uk-c28-21 thank you!)



I suppose I should explain more about what I'll be doing with this project...
Essentially, it's to observe fish and to study their behaviour when presented with various stimuli, and exposed to various conditions.
This may sound cruel, but I can say this 100%: this is a completely HUMANE project and my 'experiments' are of a personal nature for me to learn more about fish and how to look after them well.
I would not put living creatures in any jeopardy, regardless of their species, size or whatever. I'll be posting about these fish regularly, and keeping everyone updated on their health and their happiness :)

I will also be looking at breeding my fish (particularly my betta & guppies).
Any fry will be kept in seperate tanks away from hungry adults, and most likely either kept & given happy lives, or sold on or donated to fish stockists or friends!

The fish I am looking at getting are as follows:
-Betta
-Danios
-Tetras
-Corys
-Platys
-Guppies
I have experience with all these species, and have looked into their preferences extensively.

I should note that the heat & cleanliness tanks will be personally regulated by myself.
As many people have told me when I worry: fish have been kept for years and years without heating or filtration equipment. While I do not particularly recommend others do this (particulary those inexperienced), I know what I am doing, and will be keeping a sharp eye on my animals' conditions.
A full supply of medicine and test equipment is already in my possession or on order, and I have a specific area set aside in my room which will be heated in order to keep the fish at their maximum comfort and happiness.
The reason the breed-specific tanks are without internal heaters & filters is purely due to size - I would NOT do this if I felt it was going to put the animals in any danger.
Just further clarification.



Depending on how well this project goes will determine for me whether or not I'm ready for the 'big guns' - I want to eventually save up the (massive amount of) cash for a marine tank, which will be a coral biosystem housing seahorse and compatible fish species.
I have a special affinity for all aquatic creatures, but seahorses have been a fond favourite of mine for many years - my second tattoo was of a seahorse and it's my most noticeable piece of body art, too!

I will not be without help in this project either!
Hired with me for this silly seacreature science experiment are my immediate family members who I live with (particularly my dad, who has been very helpful so far with the maintenence of my (as of yet) five tanks), and friends plus also someone the internet commonly knows as 'the Snox', whose also helped out with the finances and supplies, plus mass encouragement!



Thank you for reading.
I am very excited to start sharing with you all the progress of Project Fish (whatever I end up calling it, geez)!

Merry Loveday!

A little bit late to the party, but wanted to share the Valentines commissions I did this year as a special little one-off offer!





They cost £5.00 and I am pretty happy with the demand and success that they got!
Thanks so much everyone!

And, despite it being belated, I hope everyone did indeed have a great Valentines Day - whether you celebrate it or not. I certainly did :)