RH Fish Tank

A New Beginning Epi 6

2008-10-23T21:30:00.010+08:00

Day 04 - Final Aquascaping (more new flora)

(181008)

*from the left<< >> of the left*

*a rummy nose deep in sleep<< >>from the right*

*from the right<< >>of the right*

*a white cloud moutain minnow in shallow open waters<< >>SAE at rest, balancing on a 3-pt contact>>

*from top left<< >>wood shrimp feeding where the current is strong*

*frontal*

Blooped,
Mantis.

A New Beginning Epi 5

2008-10-21T20:41:00.004+08:00

Thank You, Donors

correct as at 23rd Oct 08...

Blooped,
Mantis.

A New Beginning Epi 4

2008-10-12T06:38:00.001+08:00

Adoption and Donation

Blooped,
Mantis.

A New Beginning Epi 3

2008-10-10T04:39:00.002+08:00

Day 03 - Aquascaping (more new flora)

(091008)

introduced more new plants... previous batch of plants doing fine... :)
laid a new layer of nutrient substrate in front right of tank (notice black layer)
also a small layer of small grey pebbles in front left

Blooped,
Mantis.

A New Beginning Epi 2

2008-10-10T04:24:00.006+08:00

Day 02 - Aqua-scaping
(061008)

introduction of some new aquatic plants... more descriptions of plants will be posted when all planting is completed...

(sorry for bad quality... :/)

Blooped,
Mantis.

A New Beginning Ep 1

2008-10-10T04:02:00.005+08:00

Back in July 2006... This was what it was like...

... and it went through a series of changes...

Today... a time of new refreshing...
To undergo some major re-scaping, re-shaping, re-planting, re-communing

Day 01 - Re-scaping
(011008)

no new edition of flora and fauna; just some re-adjusting
murky water... substrate yet to settle down

Blooped,
Mantis.

bye bye fishies...

2008-08-19T19:51:00.003+08:00

(Un)fortunately I'm unable to look after the fishtank anymore since i've graduated..

Sadly during the 3 months break I was too busy working at the hall office and job hunting...the tank deteriorated due to some problems with the water quality. Did a last cleanup though just before orientation started to welcome the new freshmen, and I think I managed to fix the the water problem before I left..

Gone will be the days where we ex-final years watch the fishes live their carefree lives. I THINK (:p) i'll miss carrying pails of water to clean the tank, scrubbing the algae, smelling the stench of sludge in the filter..haha..

But I'm really glad I had the opportunity to look after the tank..discovered a new hobby and had lots of fun researching and visiting fish shops! Nothing beats watching the fishes swimming around after a tough day..I didn't blog about the tank as much as I would have wanted to, but I'm not really a blogger by nature..

Before I end this last post:

Thanks Dank for trusting me enough to continue your 'legacy' :D.
Thanks to everyone who have ever paused to enjoy the tank! Seeing you guys watch in interest makes the pail lugging worthwile..
And thanks to Jacob, Kelvin and Liren for helping me out with the tank sometimes. Sorry Mr. Chua & Mr. Guo, but I'll have to leave the tank in your hands now...
Most of all, thanks to my parents who gave me enough $$$ so that I was able to fund the tank..haha..

I *heart* Raffles Hall!!!

Post exam updates

2008-05-07T03:16:00.005+08:00

Have been trying to research the names of all the plants in the hall tank but it's been tough, especially since most aquatic plants look the same in drawings. Hope to post up on that soon, but in the meantime, here's some additions to the tank:

2 x Wood Shrimps @ Atyopsis moluccensis

Wood shrimps can grow up to 8-12cm in length. It's also know as the 'Asia Filter Shrimp' or 'Bamboo Shrimp'. If fed enough food, they will turn a nice dark red and develop a white line down their back. It is also a filter feeding shrimp, "and has two pair of specialized webbed, fan-like, appendages instead of claws. They use these to filter algae and microorganisms from the water, effectively acting as a biochemical filtration system". Damn cool right!

1 x Red Whiptail Pleco @ Rineloricaria fallax Hemiloricaria sp. L010a

Usually grow up to about 12cm, but apparently the one we have will not grow as big. It's a reddish colour compared to the normal black coloured one. The whiptail pleco is from the catfish family.

Besides these 3 additions, we also bought 2 Thai Gourami to replace the Honey Gourami, but they died shortly after, possible due to attacks from other fishes as they were too small to be a threat(when I saw one of it part of the tail was nibbled off)

The Polka Dot Loach body pattern has been gradually changing since we bought it. Spots are already starting to form on it's body. Below is one of the pictures that I managed to take, but they're too active to get a clear shot. It'll be exciting when more changes take place :D

Filter down

2008-04-22T14:59:00.004+08:00

Our Eheim Pro II 2026 suddenly decided to die last Friday. Managed to get a second hand filter Jebao 918 for $25. It's more than a year old, but it's bigger than the Eheim one that we have.

Although we already got a replacement filter, we tried to open up the old filter in an attempt to fix it. I happily unscrewed all the screws and found out that I could remove the impeller without unscrewing anything. *dot dot dot*. But the magnet to the impeller was cracked (there's another crack on the other side). Decided to get a replacement part for it to use as a spare. And found out that the replacement part costs more than the second hand filter. Gah...

Still alive and swimming

2008-03-18T13:26:00.013+08:00

It's been 1.5 months since the last post, and unfortunately, I didn't post earlier as I was trying to take some photos of the new fishes to go with the post. But knowing fish, they can't stop swimming, so it's SUPER hard to take a decent photo with my phone. Finally borrowed a camera from someone, not that it made it any easier though. Gah!

But hurrah! Managed to take a few photos which are satisfactory, so now I can finally update on the latest fish resident list:

Polka Dot Loach (Botia kobotai)

Thought that this was a Dwarf Chain Loach..but it's NOT! Turns out to be the Polka Dot Loach. Actually got a heart attack at first because I thought it was the Emperor Loach, which can grow up to 13cm (OMG) but I think it looks more like the Polka Dot Loach. Also because I realized that the fish shop labelled it as Botia Kubotai..haha. But it doesn't make it much better because this loach can grow to 13cm as well!!! @*#!&^#*!!! The cool thing though about this fish is that the markings on it's body can change over time. See pic below (taken from http://www.loaches.com/) on how it could look like in the future:

Cool huh? Hope it won't grow to 15cm too fast too soon though...especially since I bought 4 of them...>.<. This is an important lesson to make sure you really know your fish before making the purchase!

Other additions to the tank within the past month include:
50 x Cherry Shrimp
10 x Tiger Shrimp
3 x Endlers
1 x SAE (Siamese Algae Eater)
1 x Mini Puffer
2 x Snail

A few more pics below that I managed to take:

The lone Flying Fox which is normally mistaken for the SAE. Can be differentiated by the lack of of the black stripe at its tail.
It's bubbling! Check out the line of air bubbles coming out of the leaf. With the right amount of light and CO2, you'll be rewarded by the wonderful sight of your plants bubbling like a witches cauldron.Yamato Shrimp @ Takashi Amano Shrimp. Cool name for a cool shrimp :p. Has helped to rid the tank of hair algae, and works fast too. Unfortunately has been getting lazier since they were first added, and keep stealing the fish food away from the other fishes.

The most updated photo of the hall tank.

Stay tuned for the next post: the hall tank plant guide!

More new residents :D

2008-02-01T00:41:00.000+08:00

Since one of the old 'fake' SAE died some time back, we decided to get another mate for the other fake SAE. (There is the fake siamensis that looks like the real SAE, but the black stripe does not go all the to the tail) However, we didn't get to see any fake ones, only real ones. So we ended buying a true SAE and 2 Chain Loaches!
Chain Loaches are suppose to feed on snails (which will help to keep the snail population in check) and can only grow to a maximum size of about 2.5 inches I think. I've been looking around for them for super super long! So obviously i'm quite happy about the purchase :p. Sadly one of the Chain Loach has ich. I think all the fish I bought from the same tank from the same fish shop will have ich (the Rummy nose with ich came from the same tank). So we'll have to monitor the loach to make sure it's ok. Lately the water temperature has been going up so it should be ok soon. Will upload pics of the Chain Loach the next time.

------------------------------------------------

Had a funny conversation when I was acclimatising the new fish. 4 female handballers saw me putting the fish in and asked:
hballer: New fish ah?
me: Yup! This one supposedly eats snails (points to chain loach)
hballer: Orh, at least not nice to see also got use la..
me: Ah? Not nice meh? I thought quite cute.
hballer: Issit? I don't think so leh...ee! What's that? (points to the kuhli loach)
me: That's a loach also...not cute meh? I think quite cute leh
hballer: ee..like snake! I think quite 恶心!
me: har..then like that is Jacob 恶心 also? :p
Guess who the handballers was it? (a) Stella (b) Fu Qi (c) Low San (d)Ying Ting.
Haha..this made me realize that beauty really is in the eyes of the beholder, especially when it comes to fishes.

This isn't a koi pond!!!

2008-01-05T19:00:00.000+08:00

Today when I went to feed the fish, imagine my horror when someone already fed them. Even worse, he/she fed them enough for 3 meals!I fished out this amount of food!! Twice!! I know at Suntec you can feed the fish food whenever you want but it doesn't work this way here! This isn't the first time I've discovered that someone else fed the fish. If I didn't happen to be there, all the excess food would have dissolved into the tank, caused accumulation of waste and disrupt the ecosystem of the tank. The fishes may have looked hungry, but they always act hungry. They will just keep eating and eating and eating! I've cut and pasted this excerpt from one of the websites so that EVERYONE will know why we shouldn't feed the fish unless authorised to do so:

Problems associated with overfeeding
Accumulated uneaten food and fish waste pose a number of problems, as listed below. First, they can result in lethal changes in the water chemistry. The breakdown products are toxic and can stress fish, making them prone to other diseases. Overeating, itself, can cause health problems. Finally, the pond or tank can become very unsightly, not pleasing to the eye, or the fish.

High ammonia and nitrites - The protein in uneaten food and fish waste is broken down into ammonia and nitrites, which are extremely toxic to fish.
Low oxygen levels - When organic material (uneaten food and fish waste) decays, it is an aerobic process, meaning it uses oxygen and produces carbon dioxide. This means there is less dissolved oxygen in the tank or pond for the fish to use.
Low pH levels - Just as the breakdown of organic material lowers the oxygen level, it also lowers the pH of the water because acids are produced during the process. Since each species of fish has an optimal pH range, those fish that prefer an alkaline pH are especially stressed.
Fin rot - Fin rot is a condition in which the fins can develop a moth-eaten, shaggy appearance. It most often occurs when fish are stressed, which is a common result of overfeeding.
Fatty liver - Fatty liver, or hepatic lipidosis, is a disease more commonly seen in African cichlids and rainbowfish, and is the result of overeating. It affects the function of the liver and can result in death of the fish.
Improper digestion - In ponds, the amount and type of food must be changed as the weather becomes colder. Below 60°F, you should feed wheat-germ-based food exclusively to your koi, and since bacterial processes will gradually slow, the amount fed should be decreased. Below 50°F, the bacteria in a fish's digestive system are no longer able to process food and you should stop feeding altogether.
Algae bloom - Algae growth is one of the most common problems seen in ponds and aquariums. The number one cause is overfeeding. Unsightly blue-green and red algae multiply when there are large quantities of dissolved organic material, nitrates, and phosphates in the water, common occurrences when fish are overfed.
Cloudy water - Cloudy water in either a pond or tank is usually due to decaying organic matter. If due to overfeeding, the water will generally clear if the fish are not fed for 2-3 days (for most fish this is not a problem).
Mold - If the gravel, plants, and other décor have white, cottony material growing on them, the problem may be mold or fungus. As with algae, these organisms grow when there are increased levels of organic material in the water.
Planaria (flatworms) - Planaria are small white or tan worms that are good indicators that water quality is not optimal. They are most often found in tanks where overfeeding has occurred. Although generally considered harmless, they will eat fish eggs.
Clogged filters - Filter systems are designed to remove the normal amount of waste materials and breakdown products from the water, not correct the excessive problems that occur with overfeeding. Uneaten food and waste materials can collect on the filters, continue to produce toxic products, and clog the filters thereby reducing their capacity to function even more

So keep this in mind guys, and hands off the fish food! Don't make me check the security video tape!

Rudolf, the Rummy Nose Tetra

2007-12-23T17:20:00.000+08:00

Since the tank has somewhat stabilized after the renovations, we went to the fish shop to check out for some new additions for the fish tank. We got a new plant (not sure of the name, see pic), 10 x Yamato shrimp to help eat up the hair algae, 2 new Otos to keep the lone one company and 3 x Rummy Nose to add to the small group of Rummy noses. So now there should be enough to pull a sleigh :D.

Unfortunately we didn't realized till we got back that one of the Rummy Nose had white spot @ Ich (Ichthyophthirius multifilis). It's a parasite that burrows into the skin of it's victim, feeding on blood and dead epithelial cells. The irritation caused by the burrowing parasite causes the skin of the fish to swell and produce white cysts seen as a small spots. Fishes are more susceptible to it when under stress or living in unhealthy coniditions, or when the temperature is colder.

I didn't realize what it was till Jacob pointed it out to me, and by then we had already released the fish into the tank. However, some fish owners say that once it runs its course, the fish will be fine, so I decided to let the fish be. It infected another one of the new Rummy Nose, but yesterday once the temperature increased we didn't see anymore white spots (yay!) so I think the fish will do fine.

Another unfortunately, the Otos weren't so lucky and both died. One died just after I think as we didn't see it around after that. We saw the dead body of the other yesterday afternoon. I think Otos are quite sensitive, so I think I won't try to add anymore into the tank.

The Yamato shrimp however have been hard at work, and there has been a obvious decrease in the hair algae (another yay!). It's quite amazing to see how strong these shrimp are, as they can fight with the fish for food and always attempt to drag the food into a corner for themselves. Greedy manz...

Greedy Yamato @ Amano Shrimp (Caridina japonica)

One of the Pygmy Cory died too :(. So we're left with one lone one. Maybe will try to get it some friends :). I haven't identified the new plants in the tank yet, but will do a post of it once i've figured the names out. In the meantime, Merry Christmas!

RHenovation

2007-12-12T02:58:00.000+08:00

If you've had the chance to walk past the fish tank recently, you would have seen the changes made to the tank! After our final paper, Jacob and I made a trip to the fish shop with some of the other guys to shop for new plants. That night itself we removed the left-most piece of the driftwood and planted the new plants in that area. We also placed a layer of grey-ish stones in that area. I really like the new plants, makes a difference from the uniform green colour previously. We didn't change anything on the right side of the tank, and the centre piece of driftwoods are still the same. We just removed most of the old plants since there were too many and saved a patch of Windelovs that were tied to a small piece of wood for the centre.

Now the tank feels so empty :p. We're planning to add more 'caves' to the tank for the fishes to hide in. That'll be another mini project for us during this break. Happy holidays everyone and stay tuned!

Puffy, the Snail Slayer

2007-12-03T18:47:00.000+08:00

Last Wednesday Kelvin bought a mini puffer for the hall tank. In case you don't know what one looks like, here's a picture of it:

Dwarf (Malabar) Pufferfish (Carinotetraodon travancoricus)

Some questions that might be crossing your mind now are...
Will it puff up if it's aggravated?
Nope, it's not that kind of puffer. However, if it get's stressed the colours on its body become darker. So please don't put your hand into the tank and poke it just to see if it balloons up.

How big can it grow?
This breed will grow to a maximum length of about 3cm. So no worries about a giant puffer terrorizing the tank

What does it feed on?
We got the puffer to help control the burst in snail population. However it does feed on other food such as brine shrimp or bloodworms. And nope, it can't eat those big snails in the tank, only the baby ones. However, when the snails run out it might start nipping on the tails of some of the other fishes.

If you've time, do observe it in the hall tank (that's if if you can find it first). It's really cute and cool to watch the way it swims about and if you're lucky, you'll catch it in action during its snail hunt!

Also, just like to add that we have concluded that the fry in the fishtank were given birth to by the Platy. This is because other than the endler, the only other fish in the hall tank that are livebearers (i.e. don't lay eggs to breed) are the Platies and the Mollies. Its unlikely that one of the fishes laid eggs because the temperature of the tank is too warm. Haha..so it couldn't have been baby pencilfish or mountain minnows (Awww..).

Another update! Once the exams are over, we plan to replant the tank! Which means new plants, and a new landscape for the tank! Check it out during the holidays :D

Multiplyin' !!!

2007-11-24T23:42:00.000+08:00

Recently we seperated a few baby fishes that we saw swimming around. This was to ensure they didn't become sashimi to the other bigger fishes. Imagine our surprise when today we saw lots and lots of fries! They were hovering over the metal mesh we were using to grow one of the plants. (See slightly blur pic below)

Upon closer observation, I realize there were about 20+ of them. We're not sure who are the parents but we suspect them to be pencil fishes (from the way they hover about). Now we've got a full set of Staedtler pencils :p.

We'll have to wait for them to grow bigger to confirm if they are pencil fishes. Meanwhile, we can enjoy observing them while they are still small and cute.

For a side update, out of the 2 new Otos we brought in, 1 survived. From the looks of it, it'll be sticking around for quite awhile too, as it appears to be doing well now. The lone Oto can be seen sucking around such as in the picture.

Also bought 2 new SAEs today! They're like, half the size of the 2 original ones in the tank.

This will most likely be the last additions we'll be making to the tank for now as it's getting quite crowded with high fertility rates. I hope to 'renovate' the tank a little to make more swimming space for the fishes. But this will have to wait till after the exams. Happy mugging everyone!

got fish?

2007-11-04T23:14:00.000+08:00

Today me, JJ and Liren went to the Tiong Bahru fish shop, called Wu Hu Shui Zu. To those of you who are keeping fish in hall now, this shop is pretty cool, because they've got quite a variety of fish, and different from the ones in clementi. I like the shop also because you can walk properly through the aisles without having to keep going 'excuse me excuse me'. It's also because the fish look quite well kept. Certain fishes might be more expensive here (eg. rummy noses are cheaper at the clementi fish shop)

Kuhli Loaches (Pangio kuhlii) (credit photo to my trusty w810i)

I got 3x Kuhli Loaches! (yay!). Don't wanna practise favourtism here, but Kuhli Loaches are like the coolest fishes in the tank. The ones I got are comparatively smaller than the original ones in the tank. It can grow up to a maximum of 4 inches, so think it's got about another inch to go.

Got this bit of info from http://www.loaches.com/species-index/pangio-kuhlii: "All kuhlis need well-established aquaria and should not be considered for newly start-up tanks. Lots of hiding places with soft substrate. Best kept in groups, the larger the better. Three fish is the absolute minimum it should be kept together". Phew, good thing I got 3 then. Maybe the old one died from loneliness. Although the loaches don't move around much in the open, but they're quite fascinating to watch when they finally make an appearance.

Otocinclus (Otocinclus affinus) credit photo to www.aquaticscape.com/articles/algae.htm

Also got 2 x Otos! Oto @ Otto is short for Otocinclus. Got them to hopefully help me combat the algae that keeps growing on the glass. If not i'll have to keep scrubbing like crazy every once in a while. Was going to buy more but Liren wisely advised me against it as they tend to die easily.

Also got this bit of info from http://www.fishpondinfo.com/otto.htm: "People often have trouble keeping newly purchased otocinclus alive. This is due to a number of reasons. First, most ottos are caught in the wild so they have to suffer long trips to get to the aquarium store. Then, often the stores do not take good care of the fish. They may keep them in clean tanks with nothing to eat but whatever prepared foods that the care giver dumps into the tank. Ottos prefer to eat soft algae and will not do well if they do not have any. So, by the time someone buys a few ottos, they are often weak and starving. If they are then added to a tank without algae, they soon die. If the tank does in fact have algae, the ottos may eat most of that in short order and then starve, even with supplemental feeding." Hopefully this time round the otos can survive and live a good and long life. Definately not short in supply of algae in the hall tank, but not sure if it'll eat spot algae. If these 2 survive, i'm definately going to get a couple more though.

I'm thinking of getting a puffer for the tank coz there's too many friggin' snails! I'm waging a war against them after they botak-ed some new plants that I got. (grr...) Stay tuned for updates!

Note: Wu Hu Aquarium can be found at Blk 71 #01-39, Seng Poh Road. Singapore 160071.

New Everything!

2007-10-26T18:17:00.001+08:00

To those of you who have been checking on the blog regularly, thanks for your interest! Unfortunately my !@#%@#$&^ laptop crashed again so I haven't been updating the blog like I should have been. Since the last post, there has been lots of new additions :D and subtractions :(.
New fishes!

White Cloud Mountain minnows (Tanichthys albonubes) x 50

It is a member of the carp family (family Cyprinidae) , native to China and Vietnam. The species was discovered at white cloud mountain, hence it's name. It grows to a maximum size of 4cm. It has high resilience, which makes it good for beginners and minimum population doubling time less than 15 months.

Platys (Xiphophorus maculatus var) x4

We got these Platy's when a few of us visited Wen Jing's Uncle's fishfarm. (Thanks to the Yeo family!) It is a hardy and easy fish to take care of, but will eat its young if they are small enough. Think this explains why some of the baby endlers are missing >.<. Platys apparently breed easily so we might have a more Platys soon. sometimes a male Platy may be more dominant and chase the others away, so it's better to have ratio of 6 females to 2 male (every RH guy's dream).

Of the 4 Platys we have, the variations we have are:
1 x Sunset Tuxedo Platy (see pic)
2 x Sunset Platy (one of them only has 1 eye)
1 x Hi-fin Sunset Platy

Black Molly (Poecilia latipinna) x 3

We got these Mollies together with the Platys. Black Mollies are also hardy fish. They are a hybrid version of the Silver Molly. Black Mollies are schooling fish, and do best with 3. They are supposed to be livelier and healthier if some salt is added to the water, but the ones we have are already super active. If you've been checking out the tank you'll see that they are constantly swimming and chasing each other around.

Honey Gourami (Trichogaster (Colisa) chuna) x 2

Peaceful and cute fish! They usually swim together in our tank. The colour is really nice, with the tails and the edges of the fin red with a yellow body. It can grow up to 6cm in length. White Cloud Minnows and Corydoras are supposed to be good tank mates for them. Yet another easy fish to breed. The male will build a bubble nest among floating plants. The male has more intense colour than the female. Will have to get some floating plants if I want them to breed.

Cherry Barb (Puntius titteya) x 1

This is a donation from JJ. It's best kept in groups of 6 or more (give us more JJ!) as the male will turn bright red. The males apparently will also do a little dance, where usually the 2 largest males will erect their fins and swim in a circle like boxers. At the moment we only have 1 lone one. It can also school with other fish although not as closely. I'll most probably get more soon before it gets too lonely.

Pygmy Cory (Corydoras pygamaeus) x 4

I bought 4 more of these to keep the lone one in our tank happy. They supposedly prefer to be kept in a very large school, and enjoy playing tag with each other. However, I rarely see the ones in our tank swimming together. They grow to a maximum size of 2.5cm. They're really cute and are always going through the nooks of the tank. Sometimes they can be spotted resting on a leaf.

Leopard Cory (Corydoras trilineatus) x3

Also known as Three-lined Cory. I bought these to keep the Cory in our tank company too, but realized only later that the one in our tank was a Corydoras Sterbai (dammit). They can grow up to a max of 6.1cm and best kept in a school of 6 of more. They are supposed to have high resilience but the ones I bought died 1 by 1 :(. Think one of them fell sick and died. The other 2 fed off the sick one and died too within a week.

And may they rest in peace...

Since the beginning of the sem, quite a few fishes have died too, namely:

2 x Blue Platy which came with the other Platys.
6 (possibly more) x Cardinal Tetras. Could have died from feeding off the sick Leopard Cory after it died or because they were pretty old.
The Kuhlii Loach!! Sadness...think it's one of the oldest fish in the tank, if i'm not wrong as it's been around since the 1st year the tank was started.
3 x Leopard Cory that I bought recently
Rams. It seems that all the Rams that are added into the tank don't leave long.

Possibly other fish could have died which escaped my detection because the other fishes cleared up the bodies too quickly.

Note: Credits to various websites for most of the pictures. I couldn't get clear pictures of the all the fishes due to the limited capabilities of my handphone's camera function. Hope to get BOP's assistance soon!

Sighted Loach

2007-09-05T15:37:00.000+08:00

After long last, the Loach is finally
sighted! It was caught on film by our National Geographer
wannabe using his Nokia 6233.
Never thought that it would live till so long. Its body length is about the length of my index finger, think it can't grow any bigger, so no worries about it becoming a Loach Ness Monster :D. I found out that it normally comes out when there's some food lying nearby. Check out the videos below for what it does best: Eating and being shy

The Loach feeding off an algae pellet.

The Loach making a momentary guest appearance

Had some problem with the dang google video function. Then realized how dumb I was to not use YouTube in the first place >.<.

2007-08-25T17:46:00.000+08:00

The RHeturn of the Fishtank!
After about a year of not updating the blog, I hope to keep the blog regularly updated from now on :D. Rest assured that although the blog has been dead for about a year, the fishes and the tank have been alive and swimming.

Some fishes have gone missing though, for some weird
reason *scratch head* and no body to be found.
In the reported Lost list we have:

The Gurami(s).
Sadly, Liren's Pai Kia and Joyce's Huang Jieying is nowhere to be found :(. Have they finally eloped? Or did they commit suicide and the hall cleaner just swept it up? Or were they murdered in cold blood? I guess we will never know..

The Rams
The Rams keep going missing! I don't get it! The first 3 that we bought were around for about 7-8 months? Then I only found the body of one of them.
The other 2 were missing. Thus during the 3 months break,
I bought a new pair but they went missing within 2 weeks! The mystery continues...

Loaches
I did find one dead one before .
There was still one more sighted after that occasionally,
but it seems to be gone now.

All the Shrimp
They keep going missing! Must have all become fish food. But now i've got bigger shrimps..muahahaha.

As I shall soon no longer be in power, and pretty much only a $#(@&* FYP to keep me occupied, I hope to be able to dedicate more time to the fish tank. (yay)

-> In the next post, updates on the new additions to the tank :D

new residents soon...

2006-09-01T17:59:00.000+08:00

We'll be going to buy some new fish over this weekend
to add on to the fishtank family... so stay tuned!

Fishies!

2006-08-25T16:18:00.000+08:00

happy fishies

more happy fishies

fishies feeding

And as part of the newly thought of Adopt-A-Fish Programme, we have...

Liren's "Pai Kia"...

..and Joyce's "Huang Jieying"

They have been very generous by buying a Gurami each for our fish tank. So if you'd like a fish named after you, just leave a comment to indicate your interest in donating to the fish tank :D

here's the pai kia and ms. huang socializing with the loach

we'll be having a fund raising soon for the fish tank fund..so support us!

RHevival

2006-08-25T11:46:00.000+08:00

for those who didn't know of the previous tanks' condition, the old cabinet was in quite bad condition after it got wet.

The old cabinet couldn't close, and could have collapsed anytime as the structure was already weakened (quite scary to think of all the fishes and plants lying on the floor in front of the office)
The browns stains that you see is due to water soaking the wood

So thanks to our ever supportive alumni, Daniel Kwok, we managed to get a NEW CABINET!

Since it exactly like the old one, I think not many people would have realized that we changed it :/

So after a night of some tough labour (many thanks to all those who helped), we managed to get it done within a night

Here's how the tank look right after we filled it up with water again.

Too bad we don't have any pictures of the tank before we started the clean up..then you can see the difference :D but just take a look at the above pic and imagine the colour of the water to be brownish green.
Unfortunately, I think we lost quite a few shrimp (as they were too small and might have got poured out with the dirty water. One of the fishes committed suicide too, as we found it lying outside of the pail that we put it in. Maybe it couldn't stand the water anymore, coz as Y3 puts it the water was like shit in it's purest form.

After about 24 hrs, the tank is almost as good as new!

To: Alumni and Friends of RH

2006-07-30T14:10:00.000+08:00

If you are an alumni of RH, this post is for you.

Have you heard of the RH Fish Tank in front of RH office?
Are you regularly asking about the RH Fish Tank?
Did you enjoy the RH Fish Tank; do you still enjoy it?
Do you continue to speak of the RH Fish Tank?
Would you wish to see the RH Fish Tank continue being beautiful?
Do you wish you could lend a hand but didn't know how to?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above...
do consider assisting in the continued success of the RH Fish Tank!

Would you contribute to its upkeep and maintenance?
Your humble donation of $5-10/month will allow us to contract a seasoned aquascaper to visit the RH Fish Tank fortnightly; he will care for the aquatic plants, professionally clean the tank and filter, add fertiliser, nutrients and/or medicine when necessary, as well as advise us on the RH Fish Tank in general. In essence, there will not be pressure on any RHesident to drop his studies/activities for continued RH Fish Tank success (time spent on major repairs due to negligence, fund raising, etc.)

Would you?

A Brand New Chapter!

2006-07-28T02:47:00.000+08:00

You have to see it to believe it;
the rejuvenated RH Fish Tank!

Although less populated than before, it is now filtered by an Eheim Professional II canister filter (i like this filter very much, and thank you SCRC!) and it is sitting pretty atop a brand new (albeit expensive) cabinet!

First a new cabinet had to be bought to replace the damp and rotting old one which was unstable and could have collapsed at any moment. Then it had to be de-watered > de-planted > de-soiled > de-populated > cleaned > shifted atop the new cabinet > re-soiled > re-planted > re-scaped > filled with water > connected to new Eheim Pro II > populated... all done in 8hours! It is now up and running! Thanx to all who helped out in your big or small way; even your pails contribution was vital to the success of this operation!

Dear Freshmen, welcome to Raffles Hall!
Immerse yourself in its tranquility,
appreciate its beauty,
contribute to its future,
participate in its excellence!

The prestige and our pride is clear for all to see;
The RH Fish Tank, truly an RH icon!

It's Back!

2006-07-12T20:29:00.000+08:00

There once used to be vibrance, activity... and life.
Now it is in a state not too desirable.

BUT! Things have taken a turn for the better!

A volunteer has volunteered to begin learning about the RH Fish Tank, learn all about planted aquaria, and begin reviving the RH Fish Tank! In the coming weeks you will see improvement to the quality of the fish in the RH Fish Tank!

Within the next month (or two) RHesidents will enjoy a fully refurbished RH Fish Tank then everyone will get to enjoy and appreciate (again) the pleasantness, the tranquility and the beauty of the RH Fish Tank!

The maintenance and upkeep of the RH Fish Tank will be discussed again after the refurbishment: (i) aux? (ii) committee? (iii) external contract? Any recommendations, feedback, comments, criticisms thus far?

Happy?

2006-01-30T00:44:00.000+08:00

Happy Lunar New Year!

Albinos, Donations and Repairs

2006-01-14T11:57:00.000+08:00

Albino Corydora
Ten Albino Corydoras (Albino Aeneus) were introduced to the RH Fish Tank on Monday! Albino Corys are omnivores (eat meat and vegetables) and feed at the bottom, occasionally swimming around and shooting up to the surface to get some fresh air.

We hope you like them!

Donations
A donations booth will be set up soon to collect donations for a flagging RH Fish Tank fund due to the filter change and cabinet repairs. Save up now to help the RH Fish Tank!

Update on Repairs
The damp wood panels have been left uncovered to allow for it to dry. However in order to speed up the drying process, we request for you to lend us a drying blower if you have one. It would greatly speed up the drying and facilitate an earlier patch-up.

It is 2006

2006-01-07T18:54:00.000+08:00

If you happened to walk by the RH Fish Tank on Fryday or Saturday you would have noticed that major external tank works were ongoing, and repairs were effected for these main problems:
1) Filter was faulty
2) Cabinet was getting damp
3) Cabinet door hinges broken

Faulty Filter
The old filter was leaking a little and this caused the cabinet to soak up the leakage bit by bit. This would result in warping and instability of the whole cabinet if not corrected early, thus it was decided that the filter had to be replaced. KokTiong went to buy a new filter (Dymax canister filter suitable for 4-5ft tanks) yesterday and we set it up today.

Damp Cabinet
Having solved the leaking, we tore away the formica laminate at the back where the dampness was most severe, and turned the fan to force-dry the area. We'll have it patched back when the wood has completely dried.

Broken Door Hinges
Unscrewed the old/broken hinges and replaced them with new (shiny) hinges. The doors will be re-installed when the wood patch-up has been completed.

Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to all RHesidents, and we wish you a great semester ahead!

...anyone knows anyone interested in taking up the challenge of being the next RH Fish Tank caretaker? If you do, email rhfishtank@gmail.com

Happy New'Mas!

2005-12-30T01:42:00.000+08:00

Happy Christmas
(and 26th December holiday)
...and...
Merry New Year
(and 2nd January holiday)
to YOU!

Have a great holiday season, and may you have much happiness (appreciating the RH Fish Tank, among other things) in the new year!

Happy Holidays Raffles Hall!

2005-12-06T17:26:00.000+08:00

This one month provides you time for the well-deserved break you need midway through the academic year; treasure it and spend your time wisely!
Here are some tips...

Tip1: Grab a good book (next semester's text book, a storybook, a biography, a self-help) or the day's newspapers, sit at the piano lounge by the RH Fish Tank, and read...
Tip2: Grab a few friends (preferably RH friends), a deck of cards, sit at the piano lounge by the RH Fish Tank, and play Singapore Bridge...
Tip3: Grab a chair (preferably comfortable and clean), switch on the fan and turn it towards you, sit in front of the RH Fish Tank, and admire the fishes/shrimps in the RH Fish Tank...

Enjoy your holidays, and see you again in RH next semester!

Is it Yellow and Striped?

2005-11-29T23:34:00.000+08:00

Yes, we purchased a single new addition for the RH Fish Tank today:
a Yellow/Black striped (baby) Horned Snail

We got the cute little snail because of its unique colour, shape and cute little size, and also because it is a useful addition to help combat the spot algae on the walls of the RH Fish Tank; keep your eyes peeled for it!

Baby Endlers

2005-11-26T16:31:00.000+08:00

Have you noticed the small/tiny fishes swimming near the surface of the RH Fish Tank? They look like tadpoles but with a much smaller body, colourless and tiny.

They are the babies of the Endlers Poecilia (refer to previous post).

In two months we'll be able to tell if they're male or female Endlers;
they will grow up colourful if male, and not-so-colourful if female.
Photo of the Endlers Poecilia: Male, Female

If you're still in the midst of your exams, ALL THE BEST!
If you've already completed your exams, happy holidays to you!

.. this blog's not dead yet!

2005-11-19T14:49:00.000+08:00

It appears there is no demand for the "Understanding Planted Aquaria" series, thus Dank won't start/continue with the idea.

However, do stay tuned...
RH Fish Tank updates to follow in a week or two!

Understanding Planted Aquaria

2005-10-16T22:55:00.000+08:00

Upcoming on the RH Fish Tank blog...
Project "Understanding Planted Aquaria" by Dank.

The multi-part Planted Aquaria informative series will cover:
1) Mechanics of a Planted Aquarium
2) Chemistry in a Planted Aquarium
3) The Fishies, Shrimps and Snails
4) The Greens of a Planted Aquarium
5) Aqua-Scaping a Planted Aquarium
6) Maintaining a Planted Aquarium
...and more!

Tune in to this series over the following weeks/months to find out more in order to further understand Planted Aquaria, and ultimately the RH Fish Tank. Hopefully it will enable you to appreciate the RH Fish Tank to a greater extent as you pass it by each day...

Is this a good idea? Should Dank do it? Would you want to read it?
Leave your comments

Filter Changed!

2005-10-04T13:38:00.000+08:00

The filter was changed today... albeit only temporarily.

Some of you might have seen someone this morning sitting on an overturned pail in front of the RH Fish Tank in the company of two black-coloured filters and a small puddle of water... that was Dank changing the filter. He took leave from work today (he needed a break, and the RH Fish Tank required a filter change) and spent 3 hours replacing the old Eheim 2217 to a second-hand Jebao 615. The Jebao 615 was kindly donated by Cheng Yewkam. The old Eheim 2217 was beginning to get inefficient due to old age, it's flow rate weakening, thus providing insufficient filtration to the RH Fish Tank. Thus it had to be changed.

The Jebao 615 is intended as a temporary filter, and will be replaced with a new filter once we have sufficient funds. The reason we are not using the Jebao 615 premanently is because in the event it breaks down (it is quite old), the whole RH Fish Tank ecosystem will crash, killing the fishes and shrimps within a day. Thus the Jebao 615 is only a temporary solution.

(Click to view previous post on RH Fish Tank equipment)
(Click to view all the equipment on Flickr)

Donations Drive, AY2005/6 Sem1

2005-10-02T19:54:00.000+08:00

Dear Friend of the RH Fish Tank,

The constant little donations that you have made ($15 for the past two months) have been invaluable in the upkeep of the RH Fish Tank, and we thank you for it. However the amount of donations collected thus far is only sufficient for the normal upkeep of the day-to-day necessities (purchase of fish food, fertiliser for plants, etc), and is insufficient for major repair/replacement purchases required every year...

Thus, we would like to appeal for your kind donations towards the RH Fish Tank for the following:
1) New Filter, Estimated cost $120
2) New Surface Skimmer, Estimated cost $12
3) New Food Timer, Estimated cost $30
4) Refill of CO2 canister, Estimated cost $15

Why Do We Need These?
1) Filter: the old one is inefficient and almost not working. Continued use of the old one could be a time bomb 'cos when it dies the whole ecosystem might crash (ie: fishes all die).
2) Surface Skimmer: the old one is broken (old age) and it does not skim filter the surface as efficiently due to the broken slates. This leads to the possibility of big pieces of dirt/leaves getting sucked into the filter, disrupting the function of the filter.
3) Food Timer: the old one is prone to ant-invasion. A better-made model would better prevent ants from getting to the food.
4) CO2 Canister: Periodic refill.

A donations drive would be initiated soon to facilitate your donations, and every donation would be recorded for audit purposes and transparency.

The RH Fish Tank Team would like to thank you in advance for your generosity...

A New Semester!

2005-08-25T23:44:00.000+08:00

Greetings to the freshmen of Raffles Hall, and welcome (one and all) to the RH Fish Tank blog! This update is long overdue (no one had the time to update it, and Daniel was out of town the past 6 weeks), but late is better than never, so do read on...

Want to help?
Kok Tiong now holds an important appointment in RH and might not have as much time to maintain the RH Fish Tank as he had previously, but he's been doing a great job thus far (since Daniel left).

If there are any of you RH residents willing to learn the ropes with regards to helping out, please do feel free to approach Kok Tiong or email rhfishtank@gmail.com, we would be glad to teach a willing learner and would definitely appreciate the help!

Missing Pictures...?
Apologies to all who have visited but found the pictures not available. The server they were stored in got wiped recently, all the photos were erased, and no one was able to relocate and re-link them. However Daniel had some time off today so he decided to store the photos on a more permanent online photo album: Flickr. The photos are re-linked and up again!

There aren't any descriptions attached to them on Flickr at the moment, but it will (may) be done soon as time goes by so that it will be more complete. Please be patient!

Enjoy!
All the best to the new semester, have fun in RH, and I hope you will enjoy the RH Fish Tank as much as I have enjoyed bringing it to you!

Half of 2005

2005-06-23T20:47:00.000+08:00

"Half of 2005" is not "the numerical division of 2005 by 2"...

Half the year is gone and half the 3-month long vacations have passed (for you undergraduates).

The RH Fish Tank still stands well and good,
the fish in the RH Fish Tank still swim healthy and fine,
the plants in the RH Fish Tank still grow tall and bright,
the caretakers of the RH Fish Tank still caretake ever so diligently...

When you return from your holidays, or when you next pass it by,
the RH Fish Tank will still be filled with clear fresh water,
the RH Fish Tank will still be alive with tropical community fish,
the RH Fish Tank will still be taken care of for your viewing pleasure...

Happy holidays, and happy "half of 2005" to you. May the following days, weeks, months and years be good on you, and may you be good to the RH Fish Tank.

Daniel,
Daniel Kwok.

All's well...

2005-05-20T22:36:00.000+08:00

Fauna (Fish, Shrimps and Snails) are doing well and fine; no disease, no unnatural deaths, no inter-species attacks...

Flora (Plants) are doing well and fine; growing very healthily as inspected by Vincent from Gratiola (the people who did the rescaping in April).

3-month Holidays...

2005-05-07T19:25:00.000+08:00

It's the start of the 3-month long holidays and the first real test for the RH Fish Tank caretakers where there won't be lectures/tutorials/exams to keep us in Raffles Hall; KokTiong going home in Malaysia, Daniel starting work.

Lights-on
Due to the greatly reduced traffic during breakfast/tea/dinner the lights-on timings will be changed:
New lights-on times... 8-11am, 6-10pm.

Feedings
Automatic Feeding will take place at 7pm everyday.

Maintenance
Water changes and other miscellaneous maintenance will be carried out by Daniel for another month until Koktiong gets back from M'sia, Koktiong after he gets back from M'sia, and (surprise, surprise) YiYong who will help Koktiong out. Yeap, YiYong's gotten his interest piqued during the exam period when he spent a lot of times taking break from studying, appreciating the RH Fish Tank.

Emergencies
During office hours you can inform the office and they might decide to call any of us, but after office hours please do feel free to call either of us Koktiong, YiYong or Daniel.

Updates
The RH Fish Tank blog will be updated by Daniel for a month (or two) more at least until KokTiong or YiYong takes over the updating... so keep checking up here for more information!

Happy Holidays to you! =)

Simple & Expensive

2005-05-05T15:13:00.000+08:00

I am referring to the Betta Simplex, or common-named Simple Mouthbrooder. The pair of Betta Simplex was brought in to take the space vacated by the pair of aggressive, shrimp-eating Betta Pugnax. The reason for the title "Simple & Expensive" is because one pair costs $30 (but we got this pair in exchange, at no extra charge, for the Betta Pugnax as compensation for our eaten shrimps).

~~Betta Simplex pair will be introduced into the RH Fish Tank within the next 3 days.~~

The Betta Simplex is a smaller member of the Betta family and their maximum size is 5cm. The Betta Simplex is also a mouthbrooder, meaning that 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. Their natural habitat is Thailand, and you can read more about their habitat here (an article i found while searching for info on the Simplex).

Differentiating between the male and female Betta Simplex:
Male has a stripe along the length of the ventral (bottom-side) fin and along the edge of the tail fin, Female doesn't have the distinct stripe.

Comparing the previous Bettas in the RH Fish Tank...
Fusca: won't eat fish, ~~won't eat shrimps~~, ~~won't jump~~
Pugnax: won't eat fish, ~~won't eat shrimps~~, won't jump
Simplex: won't eat fish, won't eat shrimps, won't jump (hope, hope, hope)

Although they are smaller than the previous Bettas (any new names for these since "Sam" is now gone?), the Betta Simplex are still the biggest fish in the RH Fish Tank and we hope their stay will be long and most importantly PEACEFUL. Please do notify us of any peculiarities you see if you happen to notice anything amiss, thank you.

Shrimp Snackers!

2005-05-02T14:26:00.000+08:00

Bad news. Shrimps not seen recently? Shrimps being snacked. Bettas.

Put them together and it means:
The Bettas are snacking on the shrimps, and that's the reason you have been seeing lesser and lesser shrimps recently.

Scenario
(Note: explicit carnivorism described, do not read if queasy-inducing)
Last week i visited a shop which sold (REALLY GREEN, so green you would think they were highlighted green) green shrimps and mosquito shrimps, and i decided to add some to the RH Fish Tank because they were really unique. After conditioning them and introducing them into the tank... the Betta Pugnax made a sushi meal out of 3 of them within 2 minutes!!!

-pull hair in frustration-
Ok, relax, calm down...
-breathe, breathe-
...and i was wondering why the shrimps hid so well all this time.

Solution
I will be taking out the Betta Pugnax on Tuesday, returning them to the shop, and replacing them with a pair of smaller Betta Simplex which will (most definitely) NOT snack on shrimps. Hopefully they are non-jumpers as well, 'cos the Pugnax were great non-jumpers. Then later on this week i will add some more shrimps again.

Utmost apologies to those who witnessed the act. It was not a pretty sight. There will ultimately be peace in the RH Fish Tank, i promise.

Very Posh and High-Tech Leh!

2005-04-27T00:05:00.000+08:00

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

2005-04-25T22:16:00.000+08:00

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

2005-04-18T09:47:00.000+08:00

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!

2005-04-16T19:37:00.000+08:00

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

2005-04-16T19:24:00.000+08:00

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

2005-04-15T16:35:00.000+08:00

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?

2005-04-14T23:50:00.000+08:00

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...

2005-04-14T23:33:00.000+08:00

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...

2005-04-10T16:45:00.000+08:00

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

in RHM...

2005-03-30T19:01:00.000+08:00

Released Wed 30 March 2005, at tea time 415pm, Raffles Hall.
Due to some miscommunication the just-before-final edit was published (no blame implied towards the RHM team; in fact, great job RHM!), but the message was essentially the same to residents of Raffles Hall. For the sake of you who were not able to get your hands on a copy of the Raffles Hall Magazine (RHM), here is the final edit of the article for your reading pleasure.
Enjoy...

----------------------- start of article/interview--------------------
The RH Fish Tank
It has been a while since I have seen things lively around Raffles Hall. There have been times when residents have tried to add ‘life’ to the hall but without success; the pond/fountain at the entrance of our hall was one of those failed missions. However, this semester brings a change to that: we have all seen the testament to that – the lively fish tank situated in front of the office.

The RH Fish Tank is maintained with care and pride by mainly two residents – Daniel, Daniel Kwok and Kok Tiong. The idea of having a RH residents’ fish tank was started by Daniel, Daniel Kwok. He was the main powerhouse who instigated the whole process. Now that we are reaching the end of the semester, what’s going to happen to the RH Fish Tank? If you haven’t already realized, Daniel, Daniel Kwok is a final year and won’t be around next year. The tank needs daily care as well as funds – so who’s going to be taking over? No one can answer these questions better than Daniel, Daniel Kwok himself.

Hi Daniel (Daniel Kwok)!

(click on the hyperlinked questions to see the answers)

in RHM: What's the Cost?

2005-03-30T18:58:00.001+08:00

How much does it cost to actually maintain the tank?
Let me break it down for a better understanding of the cost/expenditure from the beginning:
$641.90 Setting up the tank, including purchasing of the glass tank, cabinet, gravel, plants, basic equipment (filter, lights, fans, etc)
$211.70 Cost of the first batch of fishes/shrimps
$19.50 Cost of fish food in 2005
+$89.10 Cost of fishes/shrimps in 2005
$962.20 Total cost up till today (excluding miscellaneous stuff purchased with our own money like tubifex worms, whiteboard marker, scissors, etc)
Monthly upkeep would average about $25 for the purchasing of fish food, batteries for the automatic food timer, medicine if necessary, and tubifex worms on occasion.

How do you get the funds all this while?
Since I came up with the idea of the RH Fish Tank I never expected to recover the money I would eventually spend.
In the beginning I was using my savings to fund the RH Fish Tank because I wanted it to materialize before I graduated… As you would have experienced in Raffles Hall, you want something, you do it yourself. Therefore I got the necessary approval (NOT hall-allocated funds), and I got going. A week after the RH Fish Tank was set up, I set up a donations booth with the help of some kind friends, and to date we have collected a total of exactly $599. I used a lot of my own equipment and tools, and I have since considered them a complement of the RH Fish Tank (with a total cost of at least $200).
When I finally graduate the money I have invested in the RH Fish Tank will remain with the RH Fish Tank and whoever the next caretaker is…

(Back to main RHM article)

in RHM: Why?

2005-03-30T18:58:00.000+08:00

Hi Daniel (Daniel Kwok)! Before going on to the more important issues, can you tell us why you wanted to put a fish tank in the Comm Hall? You have several tanks in your room filled with shrimps and fish already, so why another one in Comm Hall?

There were two reasons I set up the RH Fish Tank: (1) bring some color and life to the otherwise gloomy Hall, and (2) to give RH residents something to be proud of and have a sense of ownership over.
(1) Raffles Hall was quite “dead”: there was no life, there was nothing truly beautiful about the hall besides its central location and inherent greenery (we’re surrounded by grass/trees, even our hall t-shirts are green!), however there was nothing “alive” in Raffles Hall though.
(2) Face it RH residents: do you have anything in Raffles Hall you’re truly proud of? Besides the friends around you with whom you treasure your time with (playing bridge with, rehearsing for concert and events with, etc), there’s nothing you’re really proud of, are you? Do you go out there and say “I’m staying in Raffles Hall and I LOVE IT because of __________!”?I was hoping to give something to Raffles Hall that would bring the residents closer together, something they could relate to, something they would be proud to be a part of.

(Back to main RHM article)

in RHM: Ownership? Future?

2005-03-30T18:57:00.001+08:00

Also, there are some concerns about the ownership of the fish tank. Is it yours, Kok Tiong’s, Raffles Hall, or the residents’?
Before I graduate I intend to discuss this matter with the incoming JCRC to determine what’s best for the future of the RH Fish Tank in Raffles Hall. Was it a good idea, in retrospect, to have the RH Fish Tank after 6 months in existence?
There are three possible options:1) RH Fish Tank belongs to me ultimately. Any extra funds required, I will settle. In the event it has to be removed in the future I would be responsible for taking it away.
2) RH Fish Tank belongs to the next caretaker (Kok Tiong), and in the following year the following caretaker (chosen by Kok Tiong). This way the RH Fish Tank caretaker would be fully responsible for it, money- and fish-wise such that there would be less chance of negligence.
3) RH Fish Tank belongs to RH residents. This would be complicated, and I don’t suppose the JCRC would want to figure out how to balance the delicate issue of forming a volunteer committee against the issuing of… I shall not interfere with political complications.

What’s going to happen after you leave?
After I leave, Kok Tiong will be the RH Fish Tank caretaker: performing maintenance and other RH Fish Tank stuff. On occasion I will drop by to see what I can do to help. When he thinks it’s best to pass the responsibility on, he will train up another person to take over, as I have trained him. Hopefully, this continues throughout the years and the RH Fish Tank would be a part of the Raffles Hall, something you can be proud to call “Our RH Fish Tank”.

(Back to main RHM article)

in RHM: Can I Help?

2005-03-30T18:57:00.000+08:00

How can residents help to maintain the tank?
Residents can help by obeying the simple rules of the RH Fish Tank:
Don’t feed the fish; they will be fed by the caretaker.
Don’t tap/knock/touch the glass; you leave unsightly fingerprints, and it scares the fish.
Put aside $0.10 a day to donate to the RH Fish Tank fund so that the RH Fish Tank will survive after I leave. If you put aside $0.10 a day, you would be able to donate $3 a month; 400 RH residents would theoretically be able to donate $1200 a month! I’m dreaming…
Read the RH Fish Tank blog to learn more about the fish and their habitat!

(Back to main RHM article)

in RHM: Sam? Is It Easy?

2005-03-30T18:56:00.000+08:00

On a lighter note, did you know that some residents actually name the fish after a few fellow residents? One of the newer fish – the biggest one (Betta Fusca) - is named ‘Sam’. Does ‘Sam’ take up too much space or eat up other fish?
That’s new… I didn’t know Sam was in the tank; and no, the Fusca doesn’t disturb the other fish more than Sam disturbs the other residents. However, I have heard of other names for the fish/shrimps… Samantha? Or was it Elizabeth? It doesn’t really matter what you name them as long as you can identify and appreciate them. J

Which fish is the hardest to take care of? Is it the Chocolate Gourami? It seems to be a ‘high maintenance’ sort of fish.
There isn’t a particular “high-maintenance fish” because the RH Fish Tank is a community of fish, and care has to be given to the tank as a whole… I’d like to say that it’s not simply “Step1: Add Water, Step2: Add Fish”.
But to answer the question about the Chocolate Gourami, yes, it is one of the more delicate species in the RH Fish Tank because it doesn’t take well to the constant stresses of being shocked by knocks/taps on the glass.

Do you encourage other residents to have their own fish tank? Why or why not?
No; not unless they have a passion for learning about them, how to care for them, how to provide a proper environment for them to live in, and how to treat them in times of illness. Many-a-times people keep fish because the fish look good when healthy and swimming around, but when the fish fall sick, the owners just leave them to suffer and die; would you like that to happen to you?

(Back to main RHM article)

in RHM: Blog? Donate? Lastly..

2005-03-30T18:55:00.000+08:00

RH Fish Tank also has its own personal blog. Can you tell us more about that?
I set up the RH Fish Tank blog (www.rhfishtank.blogspot.com) so that RH residents can read and learn about informative and educational stuff regarding the RH Fish Tank. Information includes description of the flora and fauna, pictures of the fish in the tank, the various purposes of the equipment used, upcoming events or updates, and more!

Hmm, so how do the residents donate to the RH Fish Tank?
We haven’t set up an official system yet but I’m looking into options at the moment. Still, if anyone would like to donate, you can contact either Kok Tiong or myself, and your generosity will definitely be appreciated by us and the fish!! =)

Any last words to the residents?
The fish in RH Fish Tank told me to relay this message…
“The RH Fish Tank belongs to you, we hope you’ll respect and appreciate US!”

(Back to main RHM article)

Chocolate Fusca

2005-03-24T23:01:00.000+08:00

Chocolate Gourami and Betta Fusca...

1 Betta Fusca died on Tuesday, it committed suicide by jumping out of the RH Fish Tank; found by Kok Tiong at the piano lounge carpet, dead. Kok Tiong insists it's the male which jumped, i have absolutely no idea, but the remaining Betta Fusca is going to be a little lonely all by itself.

1 Chocolate Gourami died on Tuesday as well, found floating at the surface skimmer; i suspect it couldn't adapt to the new environment and starved to death because it didn't take to fish flakes however delicious-smelling they were. The other fishes like the flakes though; just watch at feeding time, you'll understand why.

Our condolences to the kin of the Betta Fusca and Chocolate Gourami.

(click here to see previous Betta and Gourami entry)

Mailing List!

2005-03-18T23:17:00.000+08:00

Ever missed out on some significant happening in the RH Fish Tank because you didn't visit the RH Fish Tank blog? Do you want to be informed of RH Fish Tank updates the moment it happens? Now you can be notified immediately!

Simply subscribe to the RH Fish Tank Mailing List, and I will email you whenever there are updates to the RH Fish Tank blog! Enter your name and email address, click "OK", and you're done!

No spam from the RH Fish Tank caretakers, only RH Fish Tank news and updates.

Fish/Plant Shopping...

2005-03-15T20:43:00.000+08:00

Today we went on a fish and plant acquisition spree;
56 fishes and 2 plants bought:

Dwarf Rasbora (Boraras Maculata)
These are very small fish which frequently swim in schools. We got 50 of them to add life to the top portion of the RH Fish Tank as they are top-feeding and very active fish. The Boraras Maculata is as big as you see it, therefore these small fish are usually bought in large quantities; i was fighting the urge to buy 100 of these cuties.

Chocolate Gourami (Sphaerichthys Osphromenoides)
RH Fish Tank once had a lone Chocolate Gourami but it died of Ich in October, hopefully the 4 new Chocolate Gouramis added today will survive long term. The Chocolate Gourami is a top-feeder, getting its name from its rich-chocolate body colour. A fish sensitive to water quality, the Chocolate Gourami is a very demanding fish to keep. They will show signs of stress when water conditions are not right, thus do not be surprised if they do not survive too long. The Chocolate Gourami is a labyrinth fish, meaning that they have a labyrinth-like chamber in their head which allows them to breathe air from the surface instead of just the dissolved oxygen in the water.

Brown Betta (Betta Fusca)

These Brown Bettas are cousins of the common Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta Splendens) you see in fish shops everywhere, however the Betta Fuscas are not fighters and will live in harmony with the other community fishes in the RH Fish Tank. A pair of them (one male, one female) was added to add some variety to the otherwise colourful and schooling fish. 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.

Eustralis Stellata
Two stems of the Eustralis Stellata were added to the right side of the RH Fish Tank because the previous occupant of the spot, the Hygrophillia Difformis (bright green with broad, jagged leaves) was growing too fast and deep-rooted to be easily maintained. We decided to replace the rampant Hygrophillia Difformis wth a more easily maintained plant, thus the Eustralis Stellata.

Red Tiger Lotus
The previous Red Tiger Lotus contribution by Tweety in December (click here to see previous Red Tiger Lotus entry) did not survive, reason unknown. Therefore upon seeing it at the shop today, i decided to give it another try to add a broad red-leafed plant into the RH Fish Tank. The Red Tiger Lotus is situated on the right side where the previous one was, at the corner of the Erect Moss.

Email. FAQ. Suggestions. Donations!

2005-03-14T11:49:00.000+08:00

Official RH Fish Tank account!
If you've got suggestions, comments or complaints for the RH Fish Tank caretakers please send an email to rhfishtank@gmail.com. Only the RH Fish Tank caretakers will read the emails; currently Chee Kok Tiong and Daniel, Daniel Kwok.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The FAQ tool which was previously on the right panel has been removed because it was not used and is taking up precious web space. Most times questions were asked and answered in the Tag area, which is perfectly fine; an alternative would be via the RH Fish Tank Gmail account.

Suggestions
If you've got suggestions on anything with respect to the RH Fish Tank, please do approach any of the RH Fish Tank caretakers, or send an email to rhfishtank@gmail.com...

We're always looking forward to your suggestions in order to make the RH Fish Tank a better home for the fishes, as well as a viewing pleasure for you!

Donations!
We would like to set up a booth soon for the collection of RH Fish Tank donations in order for the RH Fish Tank to survive through the 3 months mid-year holiday (purchase of food, medicine, batteries for the equipment, maintenance).

You can contribute:
save $0.50 a day from today till the day the donations booth is set up, as well as volunteer to man the booth and encourage RH residents to donate!

Is that a Guppy? Babies! WORMS!

2005-03-10T18:30:00.000+08:00

Is that a Guppy? No. The new addition to the RH Fish Tank is NOT the common Guppy.

The Endlers Poecilia (Poecilia sp. Endlers) is a fish which is similar in size and behavior as the common Guppy, and according to other fishkeepers' experiences the Endlers Poecilia can product offspring with the common Guppy; however the offspring are not fertile, therefore by definition the Endlers Poecilia are not of the same species as the common Guppy. These fishes were born in my personal fish tank and these were the fishes i was waiting for to grow bigger.

Mature Male Endlers (picture above) are very colourful with Orange, Yellow, Black and neon Blue patches, with two Orange streaks on the tail; Mature Female Endlers (picture below) have no significant colouration but are almost one and a half times bigger than the males.

6 Endlers were added to the RH Fish Tank:
3 suspected Females and 3 Males.
The 3 females are classified "suspected" because at the moment the only identifying feature is the blackish patch at the end of the abdomen (stomach) which i can see. They are still young and can only be confirmed to be females when they mature and have no significant colouration.
Of the 3 Males, 1 is a Mature Male (full colour developed) and the other 2 are Adolescent Males (colour starting to develop, starting with the Orange streak on the tail).

These are very active top-feeder fish meaning that you will be able to spot them darting around at the top of the RH Fish Tank. Endlers Poecilia have a high sex drive and you will very often see the mature males chasing the mature females for some action. Mature females may give birth to live young almost every month, and may give birth to up to 40 fry at one birthing. These hardy and very colourful fish can live up to 2 years.

Enjoy the non-stop action provided by these new additions!

Babies Alert!
There have been baby shrimps spotted in the RH Fish Tank, and the first person to notify of their existence is Quy! Thanx Quy, great observation! (my sincere apologies to Quy for previously crediting the discovery to someone else, my mistake)

I have not been able to determine if the babies are Neon Green, Cherry, or Malayan Shrimps because of the lack of colouration or identifying features. We will have to wait till they mature before their colours and identifying characteristics are more visible. In the meantime try to spot these cute critters as they grow up in our very own RH Fish Tank!

Wwwwwormssssss..!!!
Yes, worms.
We have fed the fishes in the RH Fish Tank live tubifex worms, twice in the past 3 weeks. They are fed via the inverse-conical tubifex worm feeder positioned in the usual feeding drop zone (within the square-straw) so that the fishes will know that the wriggling things = food.

Why feed them live tubifex worms?
Fish like fresh food and we would like to give them a variety of food as much as possible.

To observe the fishes feeding:
(1) Watch from a distance, (2) don't scare the fishes with sudden movements, and (3) enjoy watching them feed.

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).

Midterm (break) Update

2005-02-25T12:17:00.000+08:00

A well deserved 6 days of no official lessons for most of us, the midterm break came and went... whether you spent the break fruitfully or not, let's move on and work hard in the second half of the semester!

Craving for some RH Fish Tank updates?

MIA; Missing In Action?
Having not seen the Mosquito Shrimp, BumbleBee Goby and the Candy-Striped Goby for two months already, i have decided to classify them "MIA, assumed dead". Our heartfelt goodbyes to them for their presence will be missed. (click the names above to see their pictures)

Green Shot
I was finally able to take decent shot of the
Neon Green Shrimp (Neocaridina cf. Babaulti)
sitting atop a Crispatula leaf. After many many clicks of the shutter and numerous attempts to enhance the picture with Photoshop, i managed to find a nice one (although i captured it on camera while it was defacating). Try taking photos of them who won't listen to your instructions to keep still, it ain't easy!

Although the Neon Green Shrimp doesn't look totally green, there is usually at least a slight tinge of green, and you will be able to differentiate the Neon Green Shrimp from the Malayan Shrimps
(see Malayan Shrimp picture) by looking at the back: The Malayan Shrimp has a distinct off-white strip/patch in the middle running from the head down to the tail, whereas the Neon Green Shrimp doesn't have such a strip/patch.

New Fishes will be added soon!
I am currently raising some fish babies in my personal fish tank, and once they are old/big enough I will introduce them into the RH Fish Tank. This will take 3 to 4 more weeks...
What fishes are they and how do they look like? You'll have to wait and see!
Keep a lookout for these new (and colourful) additions!

Puffer Poopoo Valentine

2005-02-15T11:15:00.000+08:00

The Dwarf Puffer which was introduced last week... is surviving well and fine! (click here for previous Dwarf Puffer entry)

Why the wierd title? Just to catch your attention, hope it worked.
The Puffer is a male, it ain't a poopoo, but it sure is one happy Puffer: the non-beneficial snail population has visibly decreased after the introduction of the Puffer (no more snail sightings on the Erect Moss after lights out). Also, there have been no signs of the Puffer fin-nipping other fishes: good Puffer. An updated picture of Mr Puffer (posing in our own tank) will be posted up once i get it to pose for some shots.

In the meantime...
here are some updated pictures of our latest tank inhabitants:
Kuhli/Coolie Loach (Acanthophtalmus Kuhli Kuhli)

Sparkling Gourami (Trichopsis Pumila)

(They unknowingly posed for shots on Valentine's Day 140205.
Click to view full picture)

Dead or alive?

2005-02-08T01:55:00.000+08:00

You might've seen some fishes floating on the surface, or sitting motionless at the bottom of the RH Fish Tank... getting picked at by the shrimps or the Corydoras; dead fish.

What happened to them?

I can't tell for sure but i have a few assumptions as to their death, and a few causes i can rule out... so here goes:

What did NOT happen...
i) Puffer Fish Attack - the other fishes are well and fine, and there are no signs of fin nipping (torn fins due to puffer biting), no signs of puffer aggression.
ii) Fish Disease - the other fishes show no sign of disease till now, and the variety of fish that died means that it is not a species-related disease.
iii) Old age - the fishes could have grown much bigger than they were when they died. The Cardinal Tetras are less than a year old, can live past 2 years at least, and can grow up to twice the current length. The SAEs were relatively large, but i've seen them grow to at least double the size at death.

What could have happened...
i) Poisoning from Dwarf Puffer Carcass - the previous Dwarf Puffer died last week and we failed to remove the carcass from the tank. The fishes that nibbled at the Dwarf Puffer carcass could have been poisoned by it. Although the shrimps ate it too, i think they were immune to it, or so i assume.
ii) Nitrate/Nitrite Poisoning - because we have been adding fishes into the tank quite regularly (10 Kuhli Loaches, 10 Sparkling Gouramis, 20 NeonGreen Shrimps, 1 Dwarf Puffer) we could have added in excess of the tolerable bio load of the RH Fish Tank; amount of fish waste produced > amount of waste the plants/beneficialBacteria can absorb/use. The nitrate/nitrite level in the tank was probably already high, but when the Dwarf Puffer died last week the decomposition of the carcass caused the harmful nitrate/nitrite levels to spike (increase suddenly) and the whole ecosystem "collapsed", causing the older and not-so-sturdy individuals to succumb to the nitrate/nitrite poisoning.

Any Remedy? I have since...
i) removed the carcasses - to prevent further decomposition to add to the harmful nitrite/nitrate levels,
ii) changed 40% of the water - to remove the ammonia, nitrate, and nitrites in the water, and put in fresh/clean water, and
iii) added some special liquid - to neutralise the harmful chemicals and balance the other minerals in the water.

Hopefully there will be no more deaths among the fishes in the coming days. Should you see anything out of the ordinary, please feel free to put it up on the forum or the RH Fish Tank blog... because the caretakers of the RH Fish Tank might not be around 24hrs, and you might spot something we've missed. Thanx... and happy fish watching!

...and Happy Lunar New Year to you!

I'll Huff and I'll Puff

2005-02-02T02:28:00.000+08:00

There's an addition to the RH Fish Tank! A fish with an interesting personality, a fish with a craving for snails... the Dwarf Puffer, or Pygmy Puffer.

Dwarf/Pygmy Puffer (Tetraodon Travancorius)

The Dwarf or Pygmy Puffer (Tetraodon Travancorius) is a freshwater puffer fish that feeds on live food, but the main benefit of the Dwarf Puffer in the planted aquarium is its snail-eating ability. There have been many occasions where we saw many small (non-beneficial) snails coming out from hiding when the lights go out, that is the reason we introduced the Dwarf Puffer into the RH Fish Tank.

However, the negative side of the Dwarf Puffer is its aggressiveness towards anything that moves, including fish. Hopefully it will learn to co-exist with the other fishes in the RH Fish Tank. Should you notice any unfriendly behaviour, please do notify us so that we can take corrective action (isolate the Puffer, take it out and into our personal fish tank, etc).

In the meantime, you can enjoy the helicopter-like movement of the Dwarf Puffer as it flutters around hunting for snails...

Headstanders couldn't adapt!

2005-02-01T01:48:00.000+08:00

Unfortunate but true, the Spotted Headstanders could not adapt fast enough to the competitive feeding environment in the RH Fish Tank, and they died of hunger.

Being naturally downward-facing fish, they never saw the food that dropped from the food timer; resulting in the other fishes (Cherry Barbs, Cardinal Tetras, Rocket Pencilfish, etc) finishing the food before the Headstanders could get any. Our condolences to them four.

New Additions to The Tank!!!

2005-01-18T02:01:00.000+08:00

There is a new species that has just been added to the RH fish tank! See if you guys are lucky enough to spot...

Kuhli/Coolie Loach (Acanthophtalmus Kuhli Kuhli)

Ten of these are added on Friday, 14th January 2002. Very similar to a miniature sea snake, a Kuhli Loach (Acanthophtalmus Kuhli Kuhli) is a bottom-feeder, and can grow up to 3 inches long. Usually distinctive by it's orange and dark brown stripes, these loaches are very shy fishes, presumeably hiding under the driftwood moss. That is why you seldom see them around. Consider yourself lucky if you can catch a glimpse of these fishes. However, you may have more chance seeing them at night and when the lights are off. They were recruited because the fish shop uncle said they can help clear snails.

New Year Updates!!!

2005-01-05T01:38:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Hope you guys enjoyed the new year. Fishes also need to enjoy the birth of 2005. And with that, several fishes are added to the tank community. Everybody, say 'Hi!' to:

Sparkling Gourami (Trichopsis Pumila)

Ten of these are added on Tuesday, 4th of January 2005. The Sparkling Gouramis (Trichopsis Pumila) are labyrinth fishes, which means they can breath atmospheric air at the surface and might swim to the surface of the water for a breath. They are distinctive by the dark mid-line stripe and spots of neon blue and green. Recommended by the fish shop owner to clear pesky non-beneficial snails. These little 1.5cm fishes are usually hard to spot because they are always behind/under plants looking for food.

Spotted Headstander (Chilodus Punctatus)

Four of these are added on Tuesday, 4th of January 2005. The Spotted Headstander (Chilodus Punctatus) is very distinctive as the opposite of the Rocket Pencilfishes that are in the tank. Instead of hovering 45 degress nose upwards (Rocket Pencilfishes), the Spotted Headstander hovers 45 degrees nose downwards, like doing a headstand. Very fascinating to view! Also recommended by the shop uncle to clear pesky non-beneficial snails.

Kok Tiong

Merry Christmas!

2004-12-24T13:36:00.000+08:00

It's been three long weeks since the last update: Overdue? Missed it?

Well.. nothing major was done to the RH Fish Tank, no rearrangements, no additions, etc. One Singapore Wood passed away two weeks ago, the Food Timer required a battery change and food refill, and a food-containment straw square is affixed under the Food Timer.

The food-containment straw square was made by simply connecting two plastic transparent straws and shaped into a square, fixed underneath the food timer. What does it do? It's meant to contain the food in the square until 1) the fish eat it, and 2) the food sinks to the mid- and bottom-levels for the other fishes. This prevents the food from floating throughout the tank and getting sucked into the Surface Skimmer, eventually ending up in the filter and rotting there.

In the meantime (until the semester starts) Mr Chee Kok Tiong will be stand-in caretaker of the RH Fish Tank. He will take charge of all RH Fish Tank matters until 10th January 2005. This will enable him to learn the ropes in preparation for his taking over when I graduate in May 2005. Assist him by informing him of any irregularities and encourage him by tagging stuff ok?

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to all, especially to the RH Fishes in the RH Fish Tank, and not forgetting Raffles Hall Residents!

Did the plants MOVE?!

2004-12-01T23:49:00.000+08:00

If you think you thought you saw some plants moved from where it was yesterday, and the day before, and all previous days... you're probably seeing it right.

After a trip to the fish (and aquatic plants) farms in LimChuKang today, and getting two new plants, Tweety and myself re-arranged the plants on the right side of the RH Fish Tank for a more pleasant viewing experience. Re-arrangements done:

The Erect Moss (the big clump of stringy plant previously on the right side) is now in the centre.
The Hygrophilia Difformis (the leafy plants previously stuffed against the wall behind the filter outlet, on the right side) is now planted into the gravel next to the Erect Moss.
The Mini Moss (the mini clumps strapped to the white plates on the gravel previously at the back and in the middle) is now on the right side. The other two plates in front remain unmoved.
The driftwood (the piece of wood previously in the centre... how else to describe?) is now positioned on the Erect Moss bush to add some height to the scaping. We tried to make it look as natural as possible... sorry if it doesn't look natural, we tried.
A new plant is introduced: Red Tiger Lotus (sponsored by Tweety). It is very small now, sitting pretty at the right corner of the Erect Moss bush. In time this beauty will have its leaves growing wide, and it may grow upwards towards the light, floating on the surface if i do not trim it to keep it short.
A new plant is introduced: Java Moss (sponsored by Tweety). It is grown on the new piece of driftwood which is sitting on top of the newly positioned driftwood. We hope that in time the fast-growing Java Moss will flow downwards and create a moss-waterfall effect.

The water would have looked cloudy during dinner today, a result of our re-arranging efforts (dirt from the gravel is disturbed and floats around). The dust should settle, the filter overworked for a night, and the water should be clear again tomorrow.. hopefully without any casualties.

Enjoy the new aquascape...!

Equilibrium. Tranquility. All is fine...

2004-11-30T17:48:00.001+08:00

The RH Fish Tank is experiencing a (very) good period of stableness; no unforced deaths, all fishes healthy and prospering, no algae outbreak... all is well. Thank you for not doing anything detrimental to the fish habitat (although someone did switch off the main power sometime before breakfast today, might be the new security guard).

I hope you guys have enjoyed viewing the fishes/shrimps, and seen them get bigger and more friendly in there. They now readily rush for the food when it's feeding time; watch them as 4:59 as they prepare for the food, then at 5pm when the food drops they all rush forward to have their fill.

Occasionally, usually on some late nights, i will put in a variety of specially prepared food for the shrimps. It will be placed behind the moss so that the fish won't have a chance to steal the food from the shrimps. So far i've put in a carrot bit, cucumber slice, and more oftenly Algae Wafers. These are specially prepared for the shrimps to prevent poisoning them or altering the water chemistry, so don't put anything in without consulting me first ok?

If you would like to sponsor a type of fish (a PEACEFUL species not currently in the RH Fish Tank), please contact me and i will discuss the possibility with you: advise you which type of fish is suitable, introduce you the website to do your fish research to learn abit about them, how much they'll cost, when i'll be getting it, then finally will let you put them into the RH Fish Tank.

Peace... to the fishes in the RH Fish Tank (and to you as your enjoy their company).

Where's Yamato?

2004-11-30T17:41:00.000+08:00

The two (2) Yamato Shrimps that were the very first inhabitants of the RH Fish Tank have been taken out of the RH Fish Tank. They might be the reason the plants have holes in them; Yamato Shrimps are reputed to be hungry enough to devour plants. The algae-eating job will now be left to the Malayan Shrimps and the rest of the algae-eating crew.

No more Yamato Shrimps will be added into the RH Fish Tank because i feel that the Malayan Shrimps and the rest of the algae-eating crew will be able to more than handle the algae.

GobyGoby

2004-11-24T21:45:00.000+08:00

BumbleBee Goby
The BumbleBee Goby (Brachygobius Xanthozona) was an inhabitant in the RH Fish Tank since day 1. It is usually hiding, thus most would have a tough time spotting it. A cute and strikingly coloured fish.

Candy-Striped Goby
The Candy-Striped Goby (Awaous Strigatus) was added into the RH Fish Tank on week 2. It eats algae and leftover food at the bottom of the tank, and is part of the algae eating crew. Usually taking shelter under the Java Fern Windelov (Large leafy plant on the left side of the tank), occasionally seen hanging onto the glass walls.

There's a Mosquito?

2004-11-19T20:33:00.000+08:00

Yes, there's one Mosquito Shrimp (Palaemon Scarletti) in the RH Fish Tank, added today. The other 19 will be added next week, or the week after.

It's behavior is unique because it swims with its front limbs hanging as if it is hovering, and lands itself ever so delicately on its longer front limbs; much like a mosquito.

RH Fish Tank Shrimp Population (19nov2004):
Malayan (Rainbow) Shrimp x60
(Neocaridina sp "Malayan")
Cherry Shrimp x20
(Neocaridina Denticulata Sinensis)
Singapore Wood Shrimp x2
(Atyopsis Moluccensis)
Yamato Shrimp x2
(Caridina Japonica)
Mosquito Shrimp x1
(Palaemon Scarletti)

Giant Shrimps!

2004-11-19T02:13:00.000+08:00

The biggest sized shrimps you see in the RH Fish Tank are...
Singapore Wood Shrimps (Atyopsis Moluccensis).

They are NOT "prawns".

There are two Wood Shrimps, and each have four filter-like limbs with which to filter out algae/microorganisms to eat.

They aren't very active, and can usually be seen standing around being greedy, putting its feeding limbs into its mouth every few seconds.

Feeding: once a day now

2004-11-15T20:43:00.000+08:00

Some of the fishes have been noticed with bulging tummies almost all the time these days; i suspect they're overfed. Thus i have reduced feeding to once a day (5pm only) from 16 Nov 04 for two weeks, then i will reassess the feeding situation.

Why not reduce the amount of food while feeding twice a day?
If i reduce the amount of food, the faster and top-feeding fish will get to the food first and finish up the limited amount of food before the food bits can reach the bottom-feeding fishes (like the corydoras and shrimps). This way the top-feeders will get fatter while the bottom-feeders will starve.

Why feed the same amount of food once a day?
If i keep the amount of food the same while feeding once a day i am assured that all the fish will get to eat because the top-feeders will eat their fill and ignore the rest of the food bits as they fall to the bottom. This will ensure everyone gets to eat at each feeding.

Are they pregnant, or fat?
Some have wondered if the female Cherry Barbs are pregnant instead of fat, but i cannot confirm either until i reduce feeding for two weeks. After two weeks if the female Cherry Barbs still have their tummies then we can probably assume they're pregnant... By their behavior alone i can't tell if a fish has a tummy because it's pregnant or because it's fat.

So Horny!

2004-11-14T20:31:00.000+08:00

There are two basic types of snails: Good, and Bad.

Good
...when they eat algae
...when their population is controlled
...when they don't eat the plants

Bad
...when they eat the plants
...when they reproduce like crazy
...when they lay unsightly white and indestructable eggs

Previously there were a handful of snails in the RH Fish Tank, they were not yet "bad" because they are not yet reproducing uncontrollably. However their appetite for algae is limited.

Today i introduced 3 Horned Snails, do not be surprised if you see them in the RH Fish Tank. They are bigger than the existing snails, have horns like mines, their appetite for algae is good, and they do not eat the plants (i think). They are big enough not to be eaten by snail-eating fish in the future, yet will not reproduce uncontrollably (lower sex drive). They look like this:
[Left Pic: Shell view, Right Pic: Underside view]

White Spot/Ich

2004-11-12T22:01:00.000+08:00

Situation:
Blueish water expected in the RH Fish Tank on Fryday, Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday (12, 13, 14, 17 Nov 2004).

Reason:
Medicinal treatment for WhiteSpot/Ich (parasite on fishes). Symptoms include visual small white spots on fish body/fins, rubbing/scratching itself against surfaces due to irritation of parasites. Treatment is administered over a week because of the life cycle of the parasite ~ 1 week.
More information on disease can be found at http://www.fishdoc.co.uk/disease/whitespot.htm.

No cause for concern... everything should be fine in a week.

RH Fish Tank needs 1.5L bottles

2004-11-12T13:55:00.000+08:00

We need about 14 (or more) 1.5L bottles. Please:
1) Rinse with tap water a few times (do NOT use soap)
2) Put clean & empty bottle inside the white cabinet next to the RH Fish Tank

I will label each pair of bottles "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc" then fill them up, leaving them inside the cabinet.

What we need to do is...
1) use the bottles labelled "Monday" to top up the RH Fish Tank on Monday
2) fill up the empty bottles with tap water
3) put the bottles back inside the cabinet
4) allow the chlorine (harmful to fish) inside the bottles to evaporate
5) repeat steps 1-4 with the respecively labelled pair of bottles per day
...a checklist will be put inside the cabinet to record the topping up.

Leaving the bottle capped but not tightened (turn the cap a few rounds to ensure water trickles, not gushes, out if upturned) allows the chlorine to evaporate from the water. After one week of letting the water stand (bottles untightened) the water will be suitably de-chlorinated for topping up the RH Fish Tank.

Donations: Thank YOU

2004-11-10T20:41:00.000+08:00

To you who donated: Thank you!

No matter what the amount, your contribution ensures the RH Fish Tank will survive till the next academic year..

Update:
Total Cost to date $941 (including fish)
Total Donations to date $530 (including RFs & Hall Master)

From today onwards the RH Fish Tank Donations box and record book will be in the Office. Should you desire to donate to the RH Fish Tank monetarily, please approach the Office or myself. Monthly upkeep of the RH Fish Tank will total approximately $20 (fish food, topping up of the CO2 cylinder, plant fertiliser, miscellenous stuff).

Updates to continue in this RH Fish Tank blog and the Whiteboard situated next to the RH Fish Tank.

Daniel,
Daniel Kwok.

of Snails and Cherries

2004-11-09T17:12:00.000+08:00

Snails
Some of you have mentioned seeing SNAILS in the RH Fish Tank. Is it normal? Did someone throw them in? Here i answer your queries...

Snails are everpresent in an aquatic environment when there exist plants. When i buy the plants from the fish shop, there might be snails still crawling on the plants. Even if there aren't any snails on the plants, there might be snails EGGS (transparent, and able to survive dryness for hours) stuck to the leaves. The only way to remove the snails/eggs is to dip the whole plant into BLEACH or CHLORINE for a few minutes in order to destroy them, but this will also kill 20% of the plant, or 100% if i'm not careful in implementing the treatment. Thus i decided on the milder and safer technique of dipping the plants into SALT solution before planting them into the RH Fish Tank. Alas this didn't work as the snails survived.

But rest assured, a handful of snails is normal, and will eat up algae. Too many and they become pests, then i'll have to look for ways to remove them:

Puffer Fish: they eat snails very effectively, but once the snails are gone, they bite fish/shrimp fins, then eventually die because fish/shrimp fins aren't filling enough.
Loaches: they eat snails effectively, but they also dig the gravel, unearthing plants in the process; terribly damaging to a planted aquarium.
Anti-Snail lotions: they kill snails, but they are also harmful to fish/shrimps because it is a sort of poison; definitely no-no in RH Fish Tank.
Manually hand-removing snails: effective in that they are physically removed, but snails reproduce tremendously fast; tiring in the long run.
Coolie Loach: not well-documented but known to eat snails, yet peaceful towards fish/shrimp and not known to dig. This is the option i will be trying in a few weeks when the snail problem gets worse.

Cherries
The Cherry Shrimps are in the RH Fish Tank! There are 20 of them, reddish in colour, and they look like this...

(pictures are of Cherry Shrimps in my personal fish tank)

Why start the RH Fish Tank?

2004-11-06T22:53:00.000+08:00

Many reasons:
1) I love fish/shrimps and fish tanks
2) I wanted to contribute to RH in some way
3) I was bored
4) Wanted to see what Raffles Hall residents were made of
5) Wanted to challenge myself with a big project

...therefore since i couldn't have a big fish tank inside my room, and since RH could use some beautifying, and since no one (up till now) was willing to do something for nothing for RH, i decided to set up the RH Fish Tank.

My hope is just that everyone takes care of the RH Fish Tank, don't put anything in, don't take anything out, don't leave fingerprints... and help make the RH Fish Tank a long-term success.

Daniel,
Daniel Kwok.

Lights On & Feeding timings

2004-11-04T11:20:00.000+08:00

In view of the possibility that some of you have 8am classes in the morning and would like to see the fishes before lessons, i have set the timing of the morning lights-on period and feeding as follows:

Lights On 7-9am & 4-10pm

Feeding 5pm
Happy viewing of the fishes!

There'll be a final RH Fish Tank Donations collection booth set up on Tuesday (9 Nov 2004) TEATIME and DINNERTIME for those of you who still wish to contribute to the RH Fish Tank, thereafter the Office will assist in the collection of contributions.
Thank you Office!

Equipment in the RH Fish Tank

2004-11-03T22:01:00.000+08:00

Filter System
A Filter System is required in most fish tanks to clear the dirt floating in the water in order to provide a clean environment for the fishes to live in, and for your viewing pleasure. The Filter System of the RH Fish Tank is no exception and it consists of a Canister Filter, Input pipe and the Surface Skimmer, and the Output pipe.

Canister Filter
The filter used in the RH Fish Tank is the Canister type (other types are: Overhead drip filter, Hang-on overflow filter, Internal filter, Bubble filter) , Brand/Model is ~~Eheim 2217~~ Jebao 615 (click here to see Jebao 615), and it is situated in the cabinet. Inside the filter are many layers of filter material: Coarse sponge to filter our larger pieces of dirt, Finer sponge to filter out smaller particles, Coral Chip and Volcanic Rocks to condition the water, and a material which encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria.

Bacteria?! Yes, bacteria.
Beneficial Bacteria (BB) is essential in any fish tank because although they are microscopic and invisible to the naked eye, they are an important part of the filtration system because physical filter media (filter sponge) will only remove dirt particles, but the BB will convert the poisonous Ammonia (a result of fish/shrimp waste) into harmful Nitrites, then converts these Nitrites into more tolerable Nitrates. The plants will utilise some of these Nitrates but over time the Nitrates will accumulate in the water, thus the requirement to change 10-20% of the water at least once a fortnight. Without the BB, the Ammonia and Nitrite level will be too high and the fish/shrimps will die.

Input Pipe and the Surface Skimmer
As the name implies, the Input Pipe takes water from the RH Fish Tank via the Surface Skimmer into the Cannister Filter. The Surface Skimmer sucks in water from the bottom through the filter sponge and from the top surface skimmer, removing dirt which floats on the surface. The Input Pipe and Surface Skimmer is situated on the Left of the RH Fish Tank in a corner.

Output Pipe
The Output Pipe is a pipe with holes to spread the output of water, circulating the water throughout the tank.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
All plants require CO2 to produce oxygen in photosynthesis, and the aquatic plants in the RH Fish Tank are no different (yes, the plants in the RH Fish Tank are real). It is essential for CO2 to be pumped into the RH Fish Tank because the CO2 produced by the respiring fishes is insufficient for the plants and without this external CO2 source, the plants will die. The CO2 set consists of a CO2 Cylinder, a Regulator w/Solenoid, and a CO2 Reactor.

CO2 Cylinder & Regulator/Solenoid
A pressurised Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Cylinder is the source of the CO2 being pumped into the RH Fish Tank. Because the cylinder is pressurised (compressed CO2 inside) the CO2 output must be regulated by a regulator (similar in function to those used in diving equipment). The regulator has a Solenoid affixed, the purpose of the Solenoid is to turn on the CO2 output when the light is switched on (lights + CO2 = photosynthesis), and turn off the CO2 output when the light is switched off (no photosynthesis). The Solenoid is plugged into an electrical timer shared with the lights, switched on from 7-10am & 430-9pm daily.
[see picture in "Canister Filter"]

CO2 Reactor
This green cylindrical container inside the fish tank (on the left of the RH Fish Tank) is a device used to mix the CO2. The gas which spins inside the top of the reactor is CO2. The water which is expelled by the internal pump (black colour) expels water, spinning this water with the CO2 and forces the CO2 to mix with it. The black spinning balls in the reactor aids the dissolution of CO2 into the water. The water is then output through the black L-shaped hose at the bottom of the reactor. This CO2-rich water is then circulated around the tank, enabling the plants to utilise the CO2 for photosynthesis.

Fans
Purpose: to lower the temperature of the tank water.
The average atmospheric temperature in RH is approximately 29deg Celsius, which is too high for the plants and shrimps. They prefer temperatures between 25deg-27deg. The two computer fans at the back of the tank increases evaporation, releasing the warmer water, thus cooling the overall water temperature to around 26deg-27deg, cool enough for the growth of the plants and for the comfort of the shrimps.

Lights
Purpose: to illuminate the tank for your viewing pleasure, and for plants' photosynthesis.
There are 2 lights atop the RH Fish Tank and each light holds 3 light tubes of 36watts each. This makes it a total of 36x3x2 watts of light, more than enough for your clear viewing of the fishes, and for the plants' photosynthesis. These lights are plugged into an electrical timer in the cabinet and will be switched on from 7-10am & 430-9pm daily.

Food Timer
Purpose: feed the fishes in the RH Fish Tank at 730am & 5pm daily.
The Food Timer contains fish food and will spin at pre-programmed times to drop food into the RH Fish Tank. As the timer on the Food Timer is not callibrated to the minute, please expect a +/-5min error in fish feeding timing. Please do not attempt to adjust the timer or it might malfunction with misuse.

Indicators
These small but useful devices help to warn us in the case of unwanted water properties...

pH Indicator
The pH Indicator allows us to check the pH level of the water at a glance (with reference to the mini pH colour chart on the back of the RH Fish Tank). The ideal pH range is 6.5-7.

Ammonia Indicator
The Ammonia Indicator allows us to check that the Ammonia level in the RH Fish Tank is acceptable. The round circle in the middle of the four colours (yellow, green, light blue, purple) changes colours according to the level of Ammonia in the water, Yellow is Safe - Purple is Toxic. The colour should always be yellow.

(Click to view all the equipment on Flickr)

Fishes and Shrimps!

2004-11-02T13:35:00.000+08:00

Mid-level Schooling Fish
These fish add colour and life into the fish tank because of their colour and/or behaviour.

Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon Axelrodi)
Adopted by Hall Master, Prof Seah
All-time favourite colourful community fish

Rummynose Tetra (Hemigrammus Rhodostomus)
Adopted by Hall Office
Uniquely coloured community fish

Cherry Barb (Punitus Titteya)
Adopted by Ms Gan and Block 3
Attractively coloured community fish; Males are red, Females are orange/yellow

Rocket Pencilfish (Nannostomus Unifasciatus)
Adopted by JCRC
A fish with an interesting behaviour: hovers at 45deg in schools

Bottom-dwelling Foraging Fish
These bottom-feeders help minimise pollution by foraging around the gravel for uneaten food which would otherwise increase the Nitrate and Ammonia levels when they decompose.

Pygmy Corydora (Corydoras Pygmaeus)
Adopted by Ms Hendricks and Block 4

Panda Corydora (Corydoras Panda)
Adopted by Block 6 (Prof Teo don't want to adopt although he donated for the cause)

Algae Eating Fish
These fish help keep the tank clean by eating the algae which contest with the plants for nutrients and carbon dioxide. The algae also make the tank look ugly.

Oto, Xiao Jing Ling (Otocinclus Affinis)
Adopted by Dr Patrick and Block 5
Algae eater, usually seen on leaves or the glass

Siamese Algae Eater, SAE (Crossocheilus Siamensis)
Adopted by Dr Patrick and Block 5
Algae eater, usually seen on leaves or the glass, larger than the Oto

Hillstream/Butterfly Loach (Beaufortia Kweichowensis)
Adopted by Mr Carson and Block 2
Uniquely shaped algae eater, usually seen on smooth surfaces like the filter or glass, unlike its more common "suckerfish" lookalike, the Hillstream Loach will not grow larger than 5cm

Shrimps
Adopted by Daniel, Daniel Kwok.
These crustaceans are an essential crew of the algae-eating brigade as their primary source of food is algae.

Yamato Shrimp (Caridina Japonica)
Hardworking algae-eater which might sometimes eat newgrown leaves if hungry; the largest of the crustaceans inside the RH Fish Tank.

Malayan Shrimp (Neocaridina sp "Malayan")
Hardworking algae-eater which do not have as voracious appetite as the Yamato Shrimps but are a great algae-eater all the same. Sometimes known as the Malayan Rainbow Shrimp due to their ability to change colour as their mood/environment changes. The distinct whitish stripe on its spine is its most obvious identifying feature.

Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina Denticulata Sinensis)
A cherry-coloured shrimp which will add colour to the shrimp community. The Cherry Shrimp is a favourite among shrimp enthusiasts as it breeds readily and is an easy shrimp to keep, my second-favourite shrimp...

Mosquito Shrimp (Palaemon Scarletti)
[coming soon]
A shrimp which is an interesting addition to the RH Fish Tank not because of its algae-eating ability (workrate: 2/10), but because of its mosquito-like appearance with its pointed red nose, and its mosquito-like behaviour as it hovers around, my favourite shrimp. Watch out for it!

(Click here to see the Fauna in the RH Fish Tank)

Acclimitising the fishes

2004-11-01T23:52:00.000+08:00

Will be getting the fishes from the fish shops at 2pm, then it's going to be the tedious task of acclimitising them to the RH Fish Tank water...

Acclimitising new fishes
Water from the fish shops (source tank) has a set of chemical properties which are different from the water of RH Fish Tank (destination tank); pH, Nitrate levels, kH, gH, Ammonia, temperature, etc. In the transporting of fishes from source tank to destination tank they would have already been through much stress (to be netted out of the source tank, put into the plastic bag, roll/sloshed around in the car, introduction into a totally new home, etc), we wouldn't want to stress them even further by giving them different water to adapt to, therefore we have to acclimatise them.
How to acclimitise the fishes?
1) Pour away 80% of the water that is inside the plastic bag (Estimate the amount of water in the bag remaining to be 2x),
2) Pour in 1x of RH Fish Tank water,
3) ...wait 10min...
4) Pour in 2x of RH Fish Tank water,
5) ...wait 10min...
6) Pour in 2x of RH Fish Tank water,
7) ...wait 10min...
8) Scoop the fishes out of the plastic bag using a net, put them into 100% RH Fish Tank water.

Introduction of fishes at 8pm
RH Hall Master, Resident Fellows, and JCRC will be putting the fishes into the RH Fish Tank at 8pm on Tuesday...

Please...

2004-10-30T01:36:00.000+08:00

DO NOT put in any fishes: fishes which are unplanned for can and will disrupt the fish tank community and could possibly kill all the fishes inside the tank. No nemos, no colourful guppies, no arowanas, no pirhanas, no luo hans, no unauthorised fishes please.
DO NOT put in any food: food fit for human consumption is usually not fit for ornamental fish consumption and will more likely kill them than fill their little tummies. No leftover TastyCorner burger bits, no rice grains, no bread pieces, no chocolate cubes, no food please... Should you desire to see the fishes feeding, there are 2 times when you can see them during their meal times: 830am & 5pm daily.
DO NOT leave your fingerprints on the glass walls of the RH Fish Tank: you will not only stress the fishes by showing them your scary fingers, you will also leave an unsightly (and usually oily) stain on the glass surface which will cause the tank to look not-so-pristine. These fingerprints usually require a considerable amount of effort to remove (I clean them up after you all the time) and you wouldn't appreciate it if you were the one to be cleaning it up would you?
DO NOT knock/tap on the RH Fish Tank: you might not hear/notice the slight tap you make on the glass walls but remember that within the glass walls is water, and a slight tap would reverberate the liquid to every part of the tank. Imagine this - you are inside your room when suddenly someone 100 times your size gives your room a slight tap; the critters inside the fish tank are living harmoniously in their beautiful fish tank when suddenly a loud thunderous knock shakes them to their bones.
DO take care of the tank as if you own it: because you do... every Raffles Hall resident has a share in the success and wellbeing of the RH Fish Tank. The RH Fish Tank was set up not for the pleasure of one individual, but for the overall good of the hall; a little something to make the hall a brighter place to live in, an extra something for us to be proud of.

Yours sincerely,
Daniel,
Daniel Kwok.
RH Fish Tank caretaker 2004/2005

First post on RH Fish Tank blog!

2004-10-30T01:11:00.000+08:00

Since the RH Fish Tank website is yet to be set up (due to the impending exams for others, and the lack of creative talent on Daniel's part) this Blog shall suffice for updates of the RH Fish Tank for now...

29 October 2004 (Fryday)
2pm: The cabinet was finally affixed with a set of locks, top quality workmanship courtesy of Mr Carson Goh (Blk 2 RF). Thankfully no equipment was stolen/permanently borrowed during the duration of lock-absence.

...just a brief recap from inception to today...

Sometime in September
The idea of the RH Fish Tank seeded during tea time somewhere in September by Daniel, Daniel Kwok...

14 October 2004 (Thursday)
2am: RH Fish Tank proposal sent to JCRC for approval... this is when the whole thing officially started.

22 October 2004 (Fryday)
7pm: RH Fish Tank was bought second-hand and transported from Bedok North by four Raffles Hall residents: Clare Kwan, Kok Tiong, Cheng Yewkam, and Daniel, Daniel Kwok. After an extensive 2hr cleanup of the tank and its accompanying cabinet, 40kg of gravel was added in and the tank was officially set in its place. Why put in the gravel immediately, you might ask... we were afraid of theft, thus decided 40kg of sand was not worth the effort to steal the tank.
10pm: The accompanying equipment was cleaned and sterilised, and the accompanying fish and plants were made comfortable by Daniel in his room, ready for the day they would be reinstated into the tank. Cleaning/Washing ended at 2am that night.

25 October 2004 (Monday)
6pm: RH Fish Tank first filled with water. Kok Tiong and Daniel filled the tank half-full with water, then set up the equipment: the filter and CO2 mechanisms. Next to enter the tank were the plants. Planning had been done over the weekend as to the positioning of the plants and we set out to create as aesthetic a scape as we could, the result of which you see today (30 Oct 2004). After the plants were in place, we filled the tank full with water. It was 9pm when we were done.

26 October 2004 (Tuesday)
1pm: RH was to have a formal dinner that night, and the tank would not be populated with fish yet...? As RH Fish Tank caretaker, the possibility of putting in the fishes was not even considered because the fishes would probably die within a few days as a result of the unsettled water (a new fish tank has to be cycled/conditioned for at least a week before the introduction of fishes). Thus only the lights were set up to illuminate the tank for a no-fish display that night.