Info AquaScape

Taking a quick break from the unapologetic night owl and I’ve long given up on changing his ways. In fact, I even gotten used to and fall asleep faster going to bed alone - no one's tossing and turning and snoring next to me. (^_ ) Mr. Gamer's and my schedules are off by several hours, but for our family of four, that's just the norm. The only duduk masalah is having, well, one-on-one time with each other! With mismatched bedtimes, our shared waking hours are shorter and usually occupied with taking care of our two young kids. By the time they're down for the night, I'm exhausted and ready to hit the sack myself, whereas Mr. Gamer still has a third of his day left to burn. Without meaning to, we can easily become two ships passing in the night, roommates that share chores, childcare, and not a lot of romance. (◞‸◟；) I've heard of this parenting practice called couch time where you spend at least 10 to 15 minutes every night having meaningful conversation...

Quarantining new fish seems like very obvious, super newbie advice, right? I mean, who doesn't quarantine? Look, I too read the manual, heard the warning signs, and obeyed the law. However, despite quarantining every fish, invertebrate, and plant that entered our house, I still managed to cause deaths. How is that possible? Let me give you three ways you may be incorrectly quarantining your fish: 1) Don't Use Your Display Tank for Quarantine Some people say that if you're setting up your display aquarium for the first time, it's fine to just directly add in your new fish for "quarantine." Don't do it! The whole point of quarantine is to keep your new creatures away from the main tank to prevent cross-contamination. Ideally, the quarantine tank should be in a completely separate room from any display tanks since germs can travel through air and water particles. If your fish get sick while being quarantined in your main tank, it can pretty expensive to...

When I got serious about the aquarium hobby two years ago , I did tons of research. I was determined to succeed and consumed books, websites, and YouTube videos on freshwater fish. Despite being armed to the gills with data, I was shocked to find myself making mistake after mistake. Some of them were newbie blunders, and others were more complex cases that even veterans deal with. None of the how-to guides had prepared me for the onslaught of trouble this hobby brings. So what did I do wrong? Nothing. Honestly, studying can only take you so far; hands-on experience is where the true learning happens. And I've definitely had my fair share of both successes and failures. Rather than write an overly detailed technical manual on everything you need to do right, I figured it'd be funnier to hear stories about all the ways things can go wrong. Welcome to the "50 Ways to Kill Your Fish" Series ! I hope you'll enjoy this series of mishaps and miscalculations that I...

Hello. My name is Anne, and I am a former aquarium addict. Oh my goodness, that sounds so terrible on paper. You're probably thinking of some kid's fish bowl with an upside-down lone goldfish dying in murky green waters. No no, what got me into aquariums was the vision of creating a living piece of artwork. Can you imagine having the top tank in your living room? O___O Jaw-dropping aquascape vs. algae-covered hot mess (Sources: Aquarium Info and Aquarium Care ) Here's the timeline of my descent into madness: 2015: The "My First Betta" Phase My son was gifted a betta fish for his birthday, and I was determined to do all the right research and provide the best environment for my, er, his new pet. Unfortunately, that studying led me down the rabbit hole of all these other cool tankmates I could potentially keep with the betta... why have one fish when you could have 20? Checklist: tank, gravel, colorful decor, filter, heater, fish... we're ready...

Anne (aka A Gamer's Wife) here. Wow, you would not believe all that I've been through since last year. Here's a few updates: 1) My husband is trying to get out of the video game industry That's right, folks. After two decades of being a video game developer, first in art then as a designer, K has decided to quit his "dream job." Making video games is hard work, both for giant companies and indie start-ups, and in this season of his life, he wants to spend more time with his young kids and have more creative control over his work. K dreams of making comedy videos, creating YouTube tutorials for painting miniature figures, writing a novel, patenting his many ideas, and more. So we'll see what direction God takes us. I'm currently back to working remotely for a marketing company as a technical writer, and my oldest kid has just started school (what?). I think because I've been writing so much for my job, it's actually gotten my own creative ju...

My husband K has begun gleefully introducing our two-year-old son Dexter to all things geek. You cannot imagine how disconcerting it was for me to hear a two-year-old Dexter suddenly chirp up in the car, "Mommy, Enterprise shooting the Reliant" (from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan). Uhhhh, what? Anyway, DC comic book superheros have become another source of interest for Dexter, which is why I just had  to make him his own Superman cape. The persoalan is that my sewing machine and I don't quite get along because I'm, uh, not so good with making exact measurements. Luckily, a cape doesn't have to fit perfectly, so there's a lot of room for fudge. Here are straightforward step-by-step instructions you can use to make your own: Materials Sewing supplies Sewing machine Fabric scissors Measuring tape Pencil or tailor's chalk Fabric (I got regular 100% cotton from Walmart) 2 yards of fabric for the cape (each yard can be a different color if y...

(AKA How to Treat Ich or White Spot Disease in Freshwater Fish) Top Takeaways Ich is one of the most common freshwater fish diseases.  Ich comes from new fish and plants. It takes 2 weeks to eradicate it. Some of your fish may die anyway, depending on their immune system and how early you catch it. What is Ich? Freshwater ich, also known as ick or white spot disease, is one of the most common diseases in freshwater aquarium fish. It looks like little white spots or grains of salt covering your fish's body. Other symptoms include frayed fins and tail, respiratory distress, low appetite, and "itchy" skin (fish rubs against tank walls and ground). What Causes Ich? Your fish is infected with a parasitic protozoan called  Ichthyophthirius multifiliis . It goes through a multi-stage life cycle: The protozoan attaches to your fish, forms a white protective cyst, and begins feeding. Once it matures, it bursts through the cyst wall, falls to the ground, and...