Side Hustle

Celebrating $52 of aquatic plant sales!

I am proud of the fact that my fishkeeping hobby can generate some side revenue. I hope I can keep helping fellow aquarium enthusiasts by giving them advice and encouragement.

I should have someone coming by this weekend as well... hopefully that doesn't fall through!

The Daily Life of a Fish Mum

This morning we picked up Merlin the Fish, the butterfly male betta I won from a contest held by a local breeder. I've placed him in a ten gallon aquarium temporarily, while I find my bearings. I'm not sure what to do with the three tanks I have running at my parent's house right now. My stocking options are roughly this:

26 gallon Fluval in living room - BAT tank 
-buenos aires tetra x5
-zebra danios x7-8
-corydoras x5 (albino and elegens)
-otocinclus x4 (I HOPE)
-MAYBE cardinals? maybe? is the tank even large enough o_o
-amano shrimp x5? 
-mystery snail x1 (Faker)

Merlin's tank - Moon tank 3.0?
-male betta x1
-harlequin & lambchop rasbora x??? (I have a lot... need to count stock)
-nerite snail x1 (Snorlax)

Fluval Flex 15
-female betta x1
-ember tetra x3
-allllll my pygmy cories (don't know how many are alive still o__o)

I might put my oto's in the pea puffer tank of 37 gallons, depending on how established at the time of the move. I am planning for this Saturday.

Last night, Peter and I watched Everything Everywhere All at Once. It was a heartwarming story, and very funny. 

The movie helped me appreciate the smaller things in life, such as daily life with a loved one, even when the day is filled with mundane tasks. Peter has been working so hard to support our home. He made a delicious dinner last night and even made soup for us, which we ate with some macaroni today for lunch. I feel so fortunate to have such a kind man as my partner. And he even lets me litter the house with aquariums, ha ha ha.

June Updates

Hello! Not much to report these days. I've pretty much abandoned a lot of my daily blogging and journaling. I'm looking to change this in the coming days, although finding time and energy to write about my day or my feelings can be hard.

As a fishkeeping hobbyist, I am currently at 3 running tanks. A lot, I know... for most people. I have my main community tank, which is a modest 20 gallon, and two smaller ~5 gallon tanks (one is the rimless tank that I got from April's Aquarium). Today I am planning to pick up a free new tank from someone with Lan's help. 

Honestly, I rescued almost all my fish and I am looking forward to the future where I can purchase the breeds of fish I want. Some notable species that I am a fan of are harlequin rasboras, cardinal tetras, and... IDK yet, but I'm keeping my options open.

For my friend's birthday in May, we went out to Salt Spring Island and stayed at a lovely beachfront cabin: Mineral Springs Resort. I had quite a relaxing time seeing the sights on the Gulf Islands and I must say that island life definitely seems enlightening. We even got the chance to visit Qualicum Beach, which is where my first doggo Jacks was born! I still remember the day we drove to pick him up in 2010 like it was yesterday. :)

I am also going camping up at Lac Le Jeune this weekend with a couple close friends. I have felt the need to be close to nature recently, to recharge my mental batteries. Although I consider myself a city girl at heart, I much lament humanity's disconnect from Mother Nature. Hopefully this camping experiencing will aid me in my heart's search for contentedness. 

My First Betta

I started my fishkeeping hobby roughly 2 months ago, when the idea occurred that gazing at an aquarium would help lower my stress levels. 

I've always loved the ocean and was fascinated by sea creatures since I was a young child. Growing up, my parents kept a wide variety of fish, so naturally this choice seemed a perfect fit.

Since I am new to the hobby, I decided the best course of action was to adopt a fish in need. I scoured the internet and happened upon this intriguing ad for a female betta fish:

The person seemed genuinely concerned for the well-being of the betta, and so I, neither a child nor someone who shuns the responsibility of owning a pet, sent a message expressing my interest. Lucky enough, I was chosen to adopt the fish, who was named Moonstone, and even got the 5 gallon tank for free!

When I got her, Moonstone's tank was filthy. The only contents were multicoloured blue gravel that was covered in icky black waste. I wasted (haha) no time in sprucing up her tank, choosing Fluval stratum as the substrate and placing live plants inside. I prefer living plants and organic matter to plastic ones, both in my home and my aquariums. They offer such a comforting, natural vibe, and they benefit the tank's ecosystem too.

Being ever the indecisive one, the lucky betta got 2 different betta hammocks because I could not decide which colour was better, although she really only uses the green one in the right corner. I also got a cute tree decor with a heart shaped hole, and a charming crescent moon sticker to represent her name.

As Moonstone is a betta fish, she prefers to live without the company of other fish, but that doesn't mean she is alone in the tank. An rather large onion nerite snail by the name of Snorlax and a batman nerite inhabit the tank with her.

It's been roughly 2 months since we adopted Moonstone and she appears well. She eats a diet of betta crumbles with a weekly treat of a couple bloodworms or boiled peas. I've never owned a betta fish before, and after this experience I do agree that they are a lovely and easy fish to care for. Perhaps I'll adopt another once Moonstone has lived out the rest of her days.

Name: Moonstone

Species: Betta 

Gotcha day: March 6th, 2022