#I HAD a spare tank but it was a 5 gallon

[eldritch-spouse]

PINNIE...pinprick...pinpoint

Shapeshifter anon here, as a pardon for bombarding you with asks I give you ‘Chronicles of a Shapeshifter’ - I hope it’s funny and you have a nice laugh ❤️

Day 1: Morell - I tried to do a live version of Ratatouille, but I don’t think he was very happy. I managed to dodge the cleaver he threw by jumping out the window and grabbing on to Pebble.

Day 2: Gallon - Brought a fish tank with me and placed it on some spare table top on the bar. I turned into a Spanish Dancer Nudibranch and kept Gallon company during his shift. 

Day 3: Nebul - I wandered through Nebul’s shop as a desert rain frog. Whenever a customer tried to grab an item I popped out from behind and squeaked at them. Purpur tried to grab me, but I just hopped around the shop, through Nebul’s legs, and then around a customer a couple times (the whole day).

Day 4: Vinnel - I participated in Vinnel’s show as a polar bear. Accidentally hit a guy with some entrails, but I think he liked it? The temporary power outage didn’t happen because SOMEONE hit a severed head into a power box ACCIDENTALLY.

Day 5: Grimbly - Was a hedgehog in the halls and tripped Grimbly ONCE (maybe more, not too much, definitely fewer that 30). I let him put a big hot pink bow on me as an apology.

Day 6: Santi - Became a bird of paradise and seduced all his potential customers. Was a hit with bird monsters. Swimming in b*tches, but I’m a player not a lover, so Santi eventually got them back.

Day 7: Frank-e - Was THE goat at Frank-e’s rave. Ate a few monster’s hair, my mouth is still tingling (it’s been 3 days). 

Day 8: Sybastian - what better way to play hide-and-seek with the minimics (mini-mimics) then to become a chameleon. Had to hide from Sybastian when he came charging to the mimic that squeaked when I caught it.  

Day 9: Belo - I turned into a great potoo and had a staring contest with him. Later became a shima enaga and sat on his head for the rest of the day. Took a mouthful of feathers (the ones closest to the root of his wing) as a keepsake/trophy. 

Day 10: Patches - During the day I walked up to Patches as (surprise) a horse. I think he actually believed I was one because he tried to lure me in with some apple slices, like I couldn’t see the reigns in his other hand. I took the apple slices and a piece of his face. He chased after me with a lasso but I ran away every time he got close. —Stitches - Stitches stole some other horse and I tagged along (as a horse) to help cause some mayhem. He attempted to do some show pony tricks on me...

Day 11: Krulu/Admin - Was a raven and played with admin when she had some time to relax. Would repeat her words and roll around. Let her carry me and dress me up, as much as I didn’t want to be put in a raven-sized Clergy uniform. 

(Bonus) Day ??: I don’t know how long I’ve been down in this basement, the days have all blended together. The only consistent thing is the bagel shower twice a day(?). I’ve talked with some of the other basement dwellers and a plan is forming. With the stale, concrete tough bagels we hid under the floor boards we plan to-/\|//||\\|//\\| the rest of the entry has been torn out...

You plan to lay real fucking low and not give the others any dumbass ideas.

You know we have free Healthcare here, don't you?

[Cute stuff though.✨You're using all my titles, thank fuck you don't know my full name. *phew*]

[waterskies]

Well I think it's safe to say that the 5 gallon is overgrown 😅

I don't think I'm going to trim it though. I'm thinking about moving everything in here, except for the substrate, into either one of my spare 10 gallons or the spare 20 gallon I have. Then I think I'm going to put an anubius and some bucephalandra in the center. Debating on a carpet of dwarf Sagittarius or just plain sand. Then, for livestock, I'm thinking a betta and some ramshorn snails. I haven't had a betta for a while. Something was wrong with my last guy, and he only lived for a few days. Never really got him to eat, sadly. So, I've been wanting another one, I've always had one since I started this hobby, so it feels odd not having a little betta face to look at and feed.

What do you guys think? What would you do with this tank?

[berf-a-smurf]

I’ve really been trying to avoid posting this but I’m desperately seeking help. I need to make rent, utilities, gas, insurance, and groceries for December.

CA$ 0 / CA$ 1500

(ETA: loan received Nov. 25; no longer desperately seeking financial aid.)

Interested parties, please read below the cut.

[ TLDR:

I’m struggling hard. Please consider browsing my photography for sale (http://mwac.logicality.ca) or sending some spare change my way via the methods listed under “HOW TO HELP” near the end below or on my purchasing page (http://mwac.logicality.ca/purchasing.html). Thank you immensely 🫶

]

My story

[TW: mention of suicide. Sensitive persons, please skip to “[END TW]” below.]

In July, I left my job as a bottled water (of the 5 gallon type) delivery assistant to attempt taking my life. I sweet talked a cab driver to take me and a nitrogen tank into the middle of nowhere.

For vulnerable people: that is not to give you ideas; instead PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE reach out to someone (my dad has since surprised me with his support; you never know who is really there for you until you ask) or even message me. Genuinely, sincerely, I will do my best to help everyone who messages me 🫶

My nitrogen tank and I sat in the woods for hours while I contemplated my plan. I felt so alone, like my disappearance would really mean nothing to anyone. My struggles and lack of skills (not to mention relentless imposter syndrome) would never let me keep a job. I was so hopeless. I continued on with my plan. I moved onto cleaning up my pictures. If my body and belongings were found, I wanted my family to have the good pictures to remember me by. No dumb screenshots, no nudes, etc. I didn’t get to the part where “my life flashed before my eyes”, but I stepped through it one picture at a time.

My pictures reminded me that I was capable of travelling and that there was so much beyond Canada that I still wanted to see. My pictures reminded me that I am capable of connecting with people and I shouldn’t leave my sister behind. And that I’ll find another partner to love as deeply as my ex. I remembered things I’ve achieved and that I’m capable of some pretty cool things.

I called 9-1-1 and asked for a police officer to pick me up and bring me to the psych ward. (I deemed them the best option as our paramedics are already stretched thin and our firefighters were busy with the province burning.) They ended up sending 3 squad cars - one with a dog to find me in case I did end up offing myself before they got there. They did the standard handcuffing, questioning, searching my person and belongings, and had me agree for them to seize the nitrogen tank.

[END TW]

They brought me to our hospital for more questioning, blood samples, the works. I stayed the night before being transported to the next town’s hospital’s psych ward. I was there for two nights and the whole thing crippled my belief in our mental health care system. But they got me referred to a psych clinic in my town so there’s that.

Even though my psychologist says it’s too soon for me to be working, I’ve had no choice but to seek employment. The water company was open to hiring me back but I haven’t heard from them since. I’ve also not heard from the places I’ve applied at. I received one of two months of EI that I applied for - I reported a day’s worth of work I did for one of my dad’s customers and they cut me off and I keep getting told that the adjudicator will reach out but it’s been months now.

I am continuing my therapy plan and continuing to apply for positions. It’s getting down to the wire now, though, and I may lose everything if I can’t get through December.

For transparency, my breakdown of expenses are as follows:

$815.00 for rent due Dec. 1st (water, sewer, garbage included)

$107.59 for Telus internet due Dec. 1st

$128.77 for car insurance due Dec. 7th

~$40.00 for electricity (I currently have a $30 credit on my account but am projected to use about $70 worth. My apartment is electric heat so the bill climbs as the temperature drops.)

Groceries are about $40/week

And the remainder is for gas for me to go to my in-person therapy appointments, attend work interviews, and visit my parents who live out of town.

TO HELP:

I am selling my photography for CA$5 per image as wallpaper or CA$30 per image as wallpaper with rights to print and post. More info on my purchasing page.

I also warmly accept donations of any size through PayPal.Me or Interac eTransfer.

Personal PayPal (https://www.paypal.me/joshmdm)

Photography PayPal (https://www.paypal.me/MiedemaWithACamera)

eTransfer to miedemawithacamera@gmail.com (I worry that bad actors would maliciously email my personal inbox or use it distastefully so I’m only providing my MWAC one)

I only ask for money you can spare. If your finances are tight, please like and reblog.

Thank you thank you thank you a million times from the bottom of my heart for reading and a million more in advance for any and every penny I’m offered. 🫶

To avoid doing an FAQ, please ask questions in the replies.

I wish you the best possible day!

[1spooky-dad]

Today, i was invited to my teacher friend's fourth grade class to bring in fish for their aquarium. I had set it up before school started, and it's been cycling for a good 3-4 weeks.

The kids have been so anxious about when they would be getting fish for it. Every morning, they'd rush to see if there were fish in it yet. My friend had told them that there would be fish in it by the end of September, so you can imagine their fury when they walked in this morning - the last day of September - and there were still no fish.

We'd planned for this, of course. Betrayed as they were, they didn't see me sneak by the cafeteria when they went to lunch, fish in hand. While they ate and went to recess, i did a quick water change and acclimated 3 mollies, 15 danios, and 5 Corydoras. It's a 20 gallon tank, so they've got lots of room, and i planted it out with lots of anubias, java Fern, and dwarf hair grass. They've got a lot to explore.

With 5 minutes to spare, i stuffed myself under my friends desk and text her to let her know everything is ready. Moments later i hear her outside the class, using the pinnacle of teacher-voices, "ok fourth grade! Let's calmly and quietly go back to the classroom, and get ready for the next lesson!"

The shuffling and loud whispering of 9-10 year olds follows. I can't see them, but i listen as they return to seats and rummage through backpacks until-

"THERES FISHIES IN THE TANK!!!!!"

And with that single child's yell, the class erupted into utter chaos. Children cheering, yelling, and scrambling to the back of the classroom to see for themselves. My friend acts just as shocked as them for effect.

"we must've been visited by the fish fairy!"

Some kids scoffed at that, up until i sprang out from under the desk and yelled "I AM THE FISH FAIRY!"

To which they screamed at, because a stranger just appeared out of nowhere and yelled at them. Pandemonium. Truly.

The following 2 hours, i gave them a talk about fish care and ecosystems, and all sorts of science things, and apparently it was kind of the most well behaved my friend had ever seen them. She was genuinely surprised to see so many of them actually raising their hands before speaking, and that there were barely any side conversations. Now that i think about it, i am too. Cause that's. That's 2 fucking hours of kids sitting still and listening and asking questions. With minimal interruptions.

I mean, given, my autistic ass is So Happy to talk about my hyperfocus in animal care, that i absolutely did not limit myself to talking about fish, like i was supposed to. And kids, of course are terrible at keeping on track. So perhaps it was my willingness to jump from marine life to snakes to birds to spider and back to fish, and snakes again, and oh that reminds me did you guys know this about frogs? But I'm shocked i had most of those kid's full attention.

I let them fiddle with things as i talked, cause i fiddled with things. Half the time i didn't notice if they raised their hand or not (though often my friend would stop them and make them raise their hand before continuing. Then both me and the kid would give her a funny look. I'm sorry friend, i was in Talking About special interest mode.) As soon as they learned i was THE person who cared for all the animals at Petco, they jumped at every chance to get me to talk about every other animal under the sun, and we're So Enthralled that i had an answer for nearly every "what's your favorite (thing)" question that they asked. I could have stood there answering all those questions all day, had my friend not cut us off to get us back to talking about the class tank when a kid asked me what my favorite planet was. (I told them i didn't have a favorite planet, but that the moon Eris was my favorite space object. That's how far i got into that subject before my friend cut me off, because she knows that Deep Space Objects is ANOTHER hyper specific interest of mine, and if they got me talking about black holes, we'd never come back)

This is all to say, god i fucking love working with kids. Ive really missed it. I'd never want to be an actual teacher, but I'm so good at being that weird adult who shows up in a kids life and teaches them the wildest things. The outdoor educator is so strong in me, and it really shows in which kids were my favorite. My friend loves the kids who are quiet and don't interrupt, whereas my favorites were the ones who wouldn't shut up, even if i constantly had to tell them not to interrupt me. I'm just so enthralled with seeing the passion and excitement to learn!! The quiet kids, while i didn't have to tell them to be quiet, they never asked me anything (except one timid girl who i could barely hear, bless her heart) i wanna yoink those loud chatty kids and set them off into the wild and show them bugs under rocks and dig a hole with them. I wanna teach them, but not in some stuffy classroom where they gotta sit still. These kids would flourish in an outdoor classroom where you learn hands on.

God this is such a long post but today was so fun and makes me wanna be some sort of sub or guest speaker so much more.

[zachfrailey]

Yeti Crossroads 27L Backpack Review | Maybe the Best Bag I Ever Owned

[updated May 5, 2024]

I'm a big Yeti fan. I use their drinkware daily, tote their coolers and Camino carry-all bags to the grocery store, beach and back, and even have a couple Loadout 5 gallon buckets that I use for all sorts of tasks around the house and yard. So when it came time for a new backpack for every day carry and travel, I had to throw the Crossroads into consideration. Eventually I pulled the trigger and ordered the Yeti Crossroads 27L in Camp Green.

As a longtime carrier of a super lightweight Patagonia Black Hole 25L backpack, I wanted something a little tougher and durable for my travels. Before pulling the trigger, I researched a lot of bags, and when the Yeti Crossroads became a finalist I was unable to find many good side by side comparisons of the pack next to the bags I already own. So hopefully this review from a Patagonia (and PeakDesign) carrier can help someone out who was in the same boat as I was.

Yeti Crossroads 27L vs. Patagonia Black Hole 25L

First up, we'll look at the side-by-side comparison of the Yeti Crossroads 27L and the Patagonia Black Hole 25L backpacks. It's tough to compare these two bags that are so different. The Patagonia Black Hole is designed to be as thin and light as possible- and I love it for that. However, I was finding my electronics (namely my Macbook) to be getting beat up inside the bag when traveling. Lightweight it is, built to take a beating it is not. This was my main reason for the bag change. The Yeti pack is built like a tank, but with that protection you sacrifice weight. But for me, it's a sacrifice I am willing to make.

Yeti Crossroads 27L vs. PeakDesign 30L

Next, we'll look at the side-by-side of the Yeti Crossroads 27L and the PeakDesign 30L backpack. The PeakDesign has a very specific use for me, and that is to haul around my photography gear. I don't load it out every day with my photo kit, and on those days I am just carry my Macbook, hard drives and work supplies around, it's just overkill. Even loaded for an everyday carry, the shape of the bag kills my shoulders. One of the big negatives of the Yeti pack I was seeing in reviews was the strap design, but I have had not near the shoulder fatigue as I have carrying the PeakDesign pack. Don't get me wrong, the PeakDesign bag is phenomenal for what it is built for- photography- and I will continue to use it as such. But it will no longer double as an everyday carry.

Everyday Carry

I have a fairly minimal every day carry, and like to keep it all contained to cubes. This all fits beautifully into my Yeti pack, with room to spare. In the main compartment of the bag, my Fuji X100V packs into the Patagonia cube with some batteries, a PeakDesign Tech Pouch holds cords, my mouse and other random computer accessories and a hard case carries my external hard drive. The bag's front pocket carries my Thule pouch (with meds, pens and Field Notes book, and the top zipper contains my Beats Studio Pro headphones in case. A well-padded and suspended laptop zipper area fits my Macbook Pro 16" with ease.

Interior

An almost clamshell opening makes loading and unloading the pack a breeze. And a quick access space in the top of the bag for air travel is something I can't live without. This Yeti 27L pack has some great volume up there, along with a tethered strap for keys.

Interior Bottle Pocket

With its own zipper opening in the side of the bag, there is an internal water bottle pouch. I was very skeptical of this at first, but after a couple days of carry I now love it. No more does my bottle get stuck on things of fall out of my bag if it tips over. This is a 16 oz Yeti bottle, which fits great when the bag is loaded up with my other gear.

Back Padding and Straps

The only big negative I saw again and again in reviews was the strap padding of this pack. After wearing this for a few weeks I can say it is a non issue for me. The straps are light and thin and do not cause any fatigue to my shoulders. I could see it maybe being an issue with the larger pack fully loaded out, but to me these are perfect. The back of the bag is comfortable as well, with the same lightweight padding as the straps. My favorite feature of the back is the luggage passthrough and I can't wait to put it to use on my next air travel.

As you can tell, I am a big fan of this bag after just a few weeks of EDC. At first I had a little sticker shock at the $230 price tag, but after viewing a lot of other bags with similar features, this bag is priced in line with the class.

I plan to continue to use my Patagonia Black Hole bag for things like hiking, biking and strenuous activity and the PeakDesign for photography assignments, but I have found my new Every Day Carry.

With the toughness of the material this bag is built with, I no longer worry about the security of my laptop and electronic inside. Built like a tank with a good looking profile, I can see the Yeti Crossroads 27L lasting a lifetime.

[5/4/2024 UPDATE]

I recently returned from an international trip and carried this bag on as a personal item and thought the experience of flight, foreign travel and customs deserved it's own little blurb in this review. Considering one of the main original reasons I purchased this bag was for travel, I am pleased to say it was an absolute breeze to tote through airports, shuttles and flights.

The 27L Crossroads bag provided plenty of space for all of my essentials that I didn't want to leave my side during the trip- medicine bag, sunglasses, Beats Studio Pro headphones, passports, water bottle, camera, chargers/batteries/etc. I actually found the internal water bottle pockets extremely user friendly on the plane and in TSA. Normall, I have a bottle bouncing around, getting caught on the seat or tray. Storing the bottle inside give this bag a sleek and comfortable profile that travels smoothly. The luggage passthrough on the back of the bag was tremendous. I loved throwing the bag over my luggage to roll through the airport (that may be normal for some readers, but I have never had a backpack with this feature before and it was a main selling point for me). A common concern about the Crossroads backpacks is the light padding on the straps, but I had zero issue with comfort when this bag was loaded down for the return trip. To help compress the load, I used the compression straps for this trip. For my every day carry, I remove them for ease of access on the sides. I used this backpack for everything while on the trip- it went to the pool, beach and excursions in the Mexican countryside, performing each task admirably and with room to spare. At the start of one day I even had a compliment on it in the elevator. I feel confident now saying that this is the best backpack I have ever owned.

Review stats:

Looks- 9.5/10

Toughness- 9.75/10

Price point- 7/10

Interior layout- 9/10

Laptop sleeve- 10/10

Everyday carriable- 9.25/10

[New update] Airline score- 9.5/10

Overall- 9.25/10

[cories-in-the-house]

Garlic

It’s one thing after another with my fish. I noticed Garlic seemed a little off since the Sesame ordeal, but couldn’t tell if something really was wrong. He spent more time sitting around, while Crouton and Dumpling have been actively sniffing around as much as they usually do.

Earlier today, I saw Garlic seemingly having buoyancy issues—he had trouble sitting upright at times, tilting a lot to one side. I started to suspect swim bladder disorder, but only just started noticing the tilting today and not in the days before, and it wasn’t frequent today, so I didn’t know what to think. I figured he may be stressed either from one less cory in the school or my tank not having blackwater because of all the recent water changes for Sesame. So, I added tannins to the tank to make it murky and dark since my fish loved it when I had it that way.

When I came home after picking up my brother, I was beyond shocked to see Garlic laying completely on his side, not moving. I thought he was suddenly dead. I grabbed my net to scoop him, only for the water movement to spook him into action and I was horrified to see him go into a “death spiral”. Death spirals are when cories can’t control their buoyancy while swimming and they start spiraling in circles—it is usually indicative of swim bladder disease along with organ failure.

I didn’t have a hospital tank set up yet, so I quickly set up water and a spare heater in my 5 gallon bucket with very few media from the main tank, a partial dose of Kanaplex, then placed Garlic inside. He initially stayed on his side, unmoving but breathing, but since then he has been able to keep himself upright and swim carefully. I’ve since gone to Petco and set up a real hospital tank with an airstone and the heater. Garlic has not spiraled or even had trouble sitting upright since “recovering” in the bucket, so I’m not sure what to expect at this point.

I don’t know what the fresh hell is going on and why this is happening. I’m wondering if he caught something from Sesame, or if something was in the tank and he caught it a while back before showing. My water quality has not been downright poor. I had that spike a few weeks ago, but my ammonia and nitrites have been 0 since then with every water change. The water has been exceedingly clean now.

Garlic has made such great strides since my getting him in the summer—growing back his barbels, being an active happy little swimmer. I would be devastated to lose him after he’s done so so well, but as far as I’m aware once a cory exhibits death spiraling, it is often too late. I’m going to be traveling to Washington for a few days with my mom for something already pre-planned and very important, so I’m going to see if I can teach my stepdad to do water changes—if Garlic is still even alive by Thursday.

Once we come home, I plan to get more cories soon after to put in the main tank to support the school size. Being down two cories in so little time has been confusing and worrying to Dumpling and Crouton. I’ll update you all, again.

[snowflake-sage]

Jesus christ, who the hell does that to a betta!!! God people suck!

Here's my boy, lonk, I've had him for over 2 years, and he is very very spoiled, i take his care very seriously. I don't know why people just, do that, to a fish

He is so beautiful omg 🥺 yeah I have no idea why people are so shitty, but it’s nice seeing so many of you guys care about animals, it’s so refreshing knowing there are good people out there who love their pets.

If we are sharing our fish babies lemme show you guys mine , the dark one is Dragon, and the light colored one is Wish (I call him Wish Fish, and yes I know his tail has a chunk missing, he’s a rescue he was gonna be put down at the store I work at and I felt bad and had an extra tank so I brought him home, he came like that )

[fishproblem]

I have a lot of “spare” setups. So I gave away the shrimp hex tank to a friend who wants to raise a baby betta. For a tank I spent $4 on and a $5 filter and a free light, the setup served me really well. Even though I talked mad shit about how much I hate hex tanks for the whole five years I had it, it’s kinda bittersweet to see it go!

Then I went into my parents’ basement and sorted the gear I brought home from my late friend Quan’s aquariums. I put together two ten gallon setups for two other friends who want to try keeping bettas. I’m glad the stuff will go to good use, and I hope it brings them some of the joy it brought him. I’m excited to share and maybe someone else will catch the bug like he did.

[theramseyloft]

Escher’s final update

Escher was put to sleep at south Pointe Animal Hospital this past Friday.

Because of their small size, the hospital has had to employ a curb side only service model, so I was expecting to have to hand my little girl out the car window and wait for her sad little body to be brought back to me, so that I could perform her necropsy at home.

when I opened the window, instead of reaching to take her from me, Dr. Mayer simply stood at the prescribed 6 foot distance and asked “I assume you’d like to be with her?”

When I asked if it was ok for us to, she solemnly informed me that the surgical suite was being prepped for us, and we could bring her once we were ready.

Highland would have put her to sleep for free, but I so firmly prefer the way South Pointe handles euthanasia that I am happy to financially support them.

On the surgical table sat the little 5 gallon glass tank with a fluffy towel folded at the bottom.

It’s fitted with a glass plane for a lid that has two holes in it for the anesthetic tubes.

Escher was nestled onto the towel and covered with a fleece baby blanket to keep her relaxed and comfortable while she drifted off to sleep.

Dr. Mayer and her staff took the time to make sure she was soundly asleep before lifting her out, and covered her head with a mask made for small animals both to remove the risk of a return to consciousness and to allow us to hold her.

The entire process took nearly an hour.

All to make absolutely certain that she would never feel the needle, or any other pain, in her last moments.

I cannot express the comfort that their compassion brought me in those terrible moments that twisted my gut with doubt.

The night before this, her jaw had started to lock and any attempt to take a step threw her into a 15-40 second fit of disoriented flailing.

Her pain was so obvious that I lamented having brought her home instead of ending her suffering at the end of her appointment.

But that morning, as she sat still, she looked so much like any curious little bird that I was in agony wondering if I was acting too early.

If I was about to just kill her just for having balance issues...

I agonized over whether or not I had made the right decision until I actually sat down to perform the necropsy.

I’ll spare you all the literally gory details.

Cancer was confirmed.

Peritoneal cancer is insanely rare.

The Peritoneum consists of the lining of the abdominal wall and the web of connective tissue suspending the abdominal organs.

Along with physically holding up the abdominal organs, it produces the fluid that supports them and allows for comfortable movement with in the abdominal cavity.

Escher’s Peritoneum was so obscenely thickened that its overgrowth was both engulfing and constricting her organs.

The overproduction of fluid filled her abdominal cavity like a water balloon, putting so much pressure on her chest cavity that her heart and liver were being deprived of oxygen.

This is why I perform necropsies on every bird that dies or needs to be put to sleep.

If the condition turns out to have been treatable, and the decision to euthanize was the wrong one, I will recognize those symptoms if I see them again, and know at least one treatment to try that might save that individual.

And in a situation like Escher’s, it’s confirmed beyond any shadow of doubt that what I did was free her from terrible pain and ease what would have been an inevitable, hideous death into drifting off to sleep and just not waking back up.

Peritoneal cancer is unspeakably rare.

I could only find human specific studies on it and like two on rodents.

From what we could find, it’s largely genetic, and effects individuals with ovaries the vast majority of the time.

Symptoms are nearly identical to ovarian cancer, and the survival rate in humans is 47%, with intensive chemotherapy, IF it’s caught early enough.

When it shows up in the even more infinitesimally rare cases involving those born with out ovaries, it spreads there from some place else.

It doesn’t start there.

Since both Ferdi and Astrid have had fatal health issues crop up in the hens of their lines, and this type of cancer has such a strong genetic component, we will be reshuffling the retirement priorities a bit.

Birds with both Ferdi and Astrid’s blood in them will be most strongly favored for retirement.

Followed by those with high percentages of Astrid’s blood

Then those with high percentages of Ferdi’s.

We are already making arrangements for new blood to add to our program in their place.

And we have let clients with related birds know what we found as soon as we found it, and how it could potentially effect their birds or their progeny.

I still want Old German Owls and Old Dutch Capuchine blood incorporated into the Ami project.

I’ve found unrelated Old German Owls, and am on the waiting list for offspring.

Now I just need to find an unrelated fit line of ODC.

It’s been a hellish, agonizingly painful week...

Hopefully, tomorrow will bring some much needed rest.

[betta-every-day]

Man Beastie is such a gorgeous fish!! How did it go keeping fish in college and then moving back home with them? I’d be so terrified that I’d break the tank moving it or my fish wouldn’t last the ride home

Thank you! I think this is my... 6th? Time bringing Beastie up or back from college. 2 of those times we took a plane! I kinda have it down to a science now, so it's not as stressful anymore. My college is 5-6 hours away if there's no traffic, but the flight takes around 2 hours (Beastie and everyone is probably in holding containers for 4+ hours between going to the airport, waiting, flying, driving home, etc.).

When I first move up to school, my family drives with me so I can bring a lot of stuff up with me. This includes my aquarium, which I keep in a reused styrofoam crate that works well for me. I leave it there between spring and fall semesters considering I usually fly home.

When I fly, I pack all the plants in ziplocks and then have the fish/snails/shrimp in containers in my backpack (yes, you can take fish on the plane. You can have over the maximum 3 oz or whatever of water since it's definitely water if the fish are alive!). I also take the filter, and the media in a ziplock with a bit of tank water. Then when I come home, I set everyone up in a spare tank (this time an old acrylic 5 gallon I had) with a spare light and heater. It actually works pretty well!

I left the fertilizers up.at school because I can't take that much fluid on the plane, but the system has been working pretty well for me :)

[splendenscommabetta]

on the subject of fish as "easy beginner pets"

folks, it's not necessarily a lie. as with every hobby, you're gonna see different levels of commitment, especially on the fishblr corner of the internet, but if you're just starting out and you want a simple pet that doesn't demand a lot, won't wreck your stuff, and still lets you take on a good sense of responsibility, fish are the way to go. now, obviously you have to do your research, but don't feel like you can't get a new aquatic buddy because your set up isn't a planted 20 gallon paradise. i got my first betta when i was eight, and i had no idea you were supposed to even have a filter. i cleaned his tank religiously, fed him regularly, and adored with my whole heart- he was living in a five gallon bare bottom tank with as many decorations as my third grade wallet could spare and he lived four healthy, flashy years.

here is what constitutes fish abuse:

a tank smaller than 5 gallons

not feeding them enough

being super lax about water quality- yes, with a lot of dedication, your fish can survive without a filter, but make sure you shop around first and at least attempt to find something that'll work with your tank size

not treating their water with dechlorinator

not having a heater if you live anywhere outside of, like, the equator

and there you go! if you're on a budget, fish are significantly less expensive than many mammalian pets, and all things considered, they're relatively low-maintenance. yes, be careful, and yes, be aware of how you treat them, but fish are decidedly easier to take care of than some of the posts i've seen on here make them out to be.

your fish is going to be okay, as long as you approach this the right way and heed the warnings. don't let intense fishkeepers scare you off from trying out a pet fish! you don't have to compare yourself to them and you're not abusing your fish by keeping them in a container you can afford to maintain.

[eabunnymund]

So yesterday I missed my 6pm transfer bus by like 20 seconds, got off one bus just as my transfer was pulling away, and I reeeeaaally did not want to wait a whole hour for the next bus. It was Sunday, so even though I got off work at 5pm and SHOULD have caught the 5:45 transfer at the mall to Lake Nona and then biked home and would get home by 7:30 but nooo the bus to Lake Nona doesn't run on Sunday I have to head to Kissimmee and catch yet another transfer into saint cloud from there. And! Since the bus doesn't run I can't bike to the bus stop, so usually I'm lucky enough to catch a ride from my family to the airport and head to the mall from there. However at night I have to uber from the closest stop so I only pay the $10 I have set aside for it in my budget.

Since last night I didn't want to wait I looked up how much it would be from the transfer stop, it's usually in the range of $45 from my work, $30 from the mall, $25-50 from the airport depending on demand. Downtown Kissimmee at that time was $17, and surprise! I had a $5 credit from a previously canceled uber because they sent me someone 45 minutes away for a 5 mile trip. So I uber home, get there early enough that the sun is still out! Big deal in my daily life. I go check on my plants because it's been raining like hell all week.

My seedlings are drowned, none still live. Ah well, it was an early start on Florida fall planting no less, but when I went to dump the water

Wiggles.

Its Florida, so first thought was "mosquitoes got to it fast" but they were awfully fat for the noodle bloodsucker larvae that I'm used to. Fat wiggles means frogs? But Q murders frogs in our yard? Who would brave the terror of a Jack Russel just to have sexy times in a flooded planter?

Well last time we had frog wiggles in our pond the goldfish ate them all and we said we'd scoop a few for the kids to watch next time so I poured half in a little fry tank I have and dumped the rest in the pond for snacking time. Good luck mystery babies, find hidey spots.

I put the little tank up to check later when the murk settles and I get a clear view. If its bugs it goes in the pond, if not we will spare them for science.

I come home from work today, got half the day off yaaaay! (I so need it) and I check the babies.

I think it's safe to say we have froggies.

Once they get a little bigger we'll halve it again, they'll have a better chance if they're bigger in the pond anyway, but I'm surprised there was so many. That is a LOT of frogs to fit in a teeny half gallon planter.

The kids are going to be so excited.

[somar78]

A Brief History of the Austin Champ – Everything You Need To Know

Introduction: To Build a Better Jeep

My first, and only, working experience with an Austin Champ was on a farm down in Australia where I was helping the property owner with some vermin control. We were racing across a sheep paddock doing at least 30 mph, although it felt like a lot more, in hot pursuit of the aforementioned vermin with me riding shotgun, literally, sitting on the bare metal of the Champ’s rear. Sitting is probably the wrong word, hanging on for dear life might be closer.

Suddenly the farmer yelled out an expletive and “HOLD ON”. No sooner had he bellowed that than we came to a ridge hidden in the crop and the Austin Champ was airborne a few feet off the ground. Suffice to say that gravity being what it is and an Austin Champ having no ability to fly whatsoever we landed with an almighty thump made all the more painful as my backside impacted with the hard steel of the Champ. Though my bodywork sustained a degree of painful injury the Austin Champ continued unharmed and unabated, a tribute to British engineering.

History is fascinating in part because it takes so many twists and turns that you just wouldn’t expect. That’s the difference between history and fiction: fiction is planned and sequential whereas history contains twists and turns that a human being just couldn’t imagine, until they happen. The origin of the Austin Champ has elements of that. Over in the United States back in 1940, as the Department of War realized that the nation was going to be in a major war sooner rather than later, they got stuck into preparations in the fast lane. One of the pieces of equipment they knew they were going to need was a multi-purpose scout car.

The Department of War sent out requests for designs for such a vehicle to no less than 135 manufacturers giving them 11 days to respond with a bid, 49 days in which to have a prototype ready, and 75 days in which to produce an initial run of 70 vehicles. The specifications for this new vehicle were that it had to be a four-wheel-drive capable of carrying a crew of three, have a wheelbase of 75″ and a track of no more than 47″. The empty weight of the vehicle was to be no more than 1,300 lbs and it had to be able to take a payload of 660 lbs.

Above Image: A Bantam Jeep, towing a 37 mm Gun M3, jumping over a small hill in New River, North Carolina, United States, Circa 941.

Of those 135 manufacturers who were asked just one, American Bantam, which used to be American Austin, took up the challenge and they created the Bantam BRC 40, a “Jeep” that could tow a field gun so fast it was able to get both itself and the gun airborne. So it was actually American Bantam, which had previously been a branch of British car maker Austin of England, which created the first “Jeep”. And it would be through another twist of history that one of those American Bantam “Jeeps” would be captured by Japanese troops during their invasion of the Philippines and sent home to Japan where it was copied and then improved on by Japanese car maker Toyota to become the Toyota Land Cruiser.

Over in Britain however they found themselves starting World War II in a Jeepless condition, and so they had to get their Jeeps from the United States and some of these early Jeeps were in fact American Bantam (i.e. American Austin) BRC 40’s, which were nicknamed the “Blitz Buggy” after the Blitz, the Nazi’s rather unfriendly practice of flying over Britain and dropping bombs on people.

Once the war was over however and the Nazis had been suitably dealt with, the British Army decided that they wanted a vehicle like the Jeep but better: a purpose built combat vehicle that could do rather more than a Jeep. And so in that aura of “the British are best at everything” sort of thinking they began the process of creating their very own “Rolls-Royce of Jeeps” complete with an actual Rolls-Royce engine.

Development On The Austin Champ Begins

The British Army lost no time in getting to work on their new multi-purpose light combat vehicle. Just because the World War was officially over didn’t mean that the nation was in a time of peace. The Maoist Communists were still fighting to take over mainland China, and would succeed in 1949, they would then go on to play a significant role in the Korean War the following year.

The relations with the Soviet Union became increasingly unfriendly and the Cold War developed. The world had not suddenly become a safe place at the end of the war and the British Army knew they needed to prepare and re-equip so they could competently deal with more conflict.

The creation of the Austin Champ was one part of the process of re-equipping and work on it began shortly after the end of the Second World War in the late 1940’s, with work officially beginning in 1947. The proposed vehicle was to be “Car, 4×4, 5 cwt. FV1800-Series”. It was to be able to function with complete reliability in all possible theaters of British Army operation whether that was the arctic, the deserts of Africa, jungles of South-East Asia, or anywhere else. The first prototype was the Nuffield Gutty and it was fitted with a horizontally opposed four cylinder “boxer” front mounted engine which was also planned to be used in the planned Nuffield Morris Mosquito small car.

The Nuffield Gutty served to point the way to the design improvements needed and the British Army Fighting Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (FVRDE) undertook the task of creating a new design to fulfill the Army’s requirements.

The design team was led by Charles William “Rex” Sewell and included Alec Issigonis who designed the suspension system and who would later design the Austin/Morris Mini, 1100 and 1800 series of civilian passenger cars for British Motor Corporation (BMC).

The first thirty prototypes of the new vehicle were made by British car maker Wolseley and named the  “Wolseley Mudlark”, presumably because they were intended to be a vehicle well suited to larking about in the mud. These Mudlarks were fitted with the Rolls-Royce B40 No. 1 Mk 2A petrol/gasoline engine. There is some debate as to whether there were only thirty Mudlarks made, one was listed as being a “saloon” which would mean an enclosed car and it may have been additional to the thirty.

The FVRDE “Austin Champ” Design

The Fighting Vehicles Research and Development Establishment left no stone unturned in their quest for the “Holy Grail” of a new combat vehicle that front line soldiers could trust their lives to. There were to be just three trucks given the “CT” Combat designation. The smallest of these was to be the “Truck, 1/4 Ton, 4×4, CT” which would be more commonly referred to as the “Austin Champ”.

Next up in size was the “Truck, 1 Ton, 4×4, CT” which was manufactured by car and commercial vehicle maker Humber.

The third and largest of the “CT” Combat vehicles was the “Truck, 10 Ton, 6×6, CT” which was manufactured by truck maker Leyland and commonly known as the “Leyland Martian”.

The British Army “CT” Combat vehicles were made with a view to ensuring the designs were standardized and coordinated so that there was maximized parts interchangeability thus minimizing the range of spare parts that were needed to keep them operational, simplifying provision of spare parts for vehicles on active service.

The new vehicle was designated the FV1801a as the first model of the FV1800 Series. Translated, the full name of the vehicle “Truck, 1/4 Ton, 4×4, CT, Austin Mk.1” reads as “Truck, with a 1/4 ton carrying capacity, 4×4 = four wheel drive, CT being short for CombaT, and “Austin Mk.1” meaning that this was Austin of England’s first manufacturing effort.

The Rolls-Royce B40 engine for the Austin Champ was based on a 1936 Rolls-Royce design that had been created with absolute reliability in mind. The pre-production and early production Austin Champs were fitted with the same engine as the Mudlarks; the B40 No.1 Mk 2A using the BSF (British Standard Fine) thread system on studs, bolts and nuts etc.

These were crossflow inlet over exhaust in-line four cylinder engines with a capacity of 2,838cc and featured a cast aluminum cylinder head with screwed in hardened steel valve seats. This would change after the 1949 standardization to UNF (Unified Fine) threads for later production Austin Champs to use the UNF thread engine B40 No.1 Mk 5A [UNF]. This engine featured some manufacturing simplifications, used a cast iron cylinder head, and was painted light blue with “UNF” cast into its rocker cover.

Early production engines were manufactured by Rolls-Royce at their Crewe factory but most Austin Champs were fitted with the later Austin manufactured engines made to the Rolls-Royce designs. The engine drew its fuel from a 20 Imperial gallon fuel tank. Fuel consumption was expected to be around 15 mpg giving a range of 300 miles, although if being driven enthusiastically fuel consumption would drop into single digits and the vehicle range would be somewhat shorter.

The engine, transmission and electrical system were all waterproofed so the vehicle could operate submerged to a depth of six feet. The air intake featured a folding snorkel that could be raised if the Champ needed to do a water crossing.

The transmission of the Austin Champ was quite unusual. The gearbox was a solidly constructed all synchromesh five speed unit. This was connected to a standard Borg and Beck clutch with a mechanical linkage for optimum reliability and ease of repair. From the clutch was a drive shaft to connect to the rear mounted transfer box and differential assembly.

The need to place the transfer box at the rear and make it in unit with the differential came from the cruciform shape of the chassis which precluded attaching the transfer case to the gearbox in the more common way. This led to the Austin Champ gaining a rather unusual feature: the reversing gear was located in the transfer box meaning that the Champ had five forward gears, and five reverse gears. So, the Champ could do over 50 mph forwards or backwards, which could be rather handy if one needed to beat a hasty retreat.

The Austin Champ’s suspension was fully independent front and rear using double “A”  arms (i.e. wishbones) with torsion bar springing. The system, designed by Alex Issigonis, had the torsion bars set longitudinally under the center of the cruciform “X” shaped chassis and fitted into the base of the “A” arms. It was an ingenious design that provided good wheel travel for off-road driving and good handling whether on the rough or on a road.

Steering was by rack and pinion, brakes were non-servo assisted hydraulic drums by Girling with a single hydraulic circuit to simplify maintenance. The drive shafts to the wheels used Bendix Tracta constant velocity joints. The front and rear axles were in a cradle sub-assembly to enable easier repair or replacement in the field.

The electrical system on the Austin Champ was 24 volt in accordance with the standards set by an agreement between the British, Canadians and Americans. Electrical parts and systems were by CAV, Delco-Remy, Simms, and Lucas (sometimes referred to as “Lucas, Prince of Darkness” by those who had to fix them), and instrumentation was by Smiths of London.

The bodywork of the Austin Champ was designed to structurally integrate with the chassis and provide supplementary structural stiffness. It was made by British Company “Pressed Steel” who made automotive bodywork for Rolls-Royce, Jaguar, and various other car makers.

The equipment provided for the Austin Champ varied depending on its role. It was provided with a simple “Rexine” PVC covered cloth top and side screens for a measure of protection in rain, hail, sleet and snow. The windscreen was able to be folded forward from the underside to assist with de-fogging and the whole windscreen could be folded flat onto the bonnet/hood if the top was down. This was a necessary feature for a military vehicle as one would be quite likely to want to be able to fire a rifle or pistol without having a windscreen in the way. It was also a useful feature for civilians doing vermin control or wanting to reduce the vehicle’s height so they could drive it through the shrubbery into more inaccessible places.

Standard equipment would include a shovel and a pickaxe for digging one’s Champ out of a sticky situation, and the vehicle was fitted with a carrier for a 20 liter jerrycan for water.

The Austin Champ was optionally fitted out for a variety of roles. The vehicle could be set up as a FFR (Fitted For Radio) vehicle with a 50″ sliding table, battery mountings etc.

The Austin Champ was also fitted out for armaments in much the same way as the American Jeep. Armaments could range from a .303 Bren Light Machine Gun, .303 Vickers Water Cooled Heavy Machine Gun, 7.62mm NATO Browning machine gun, or for an adversary who was being particularly troublesome an ATGM (Anti Tank Guided Missile).

Versions of the Champ included those fitted out for ambulance transport, cable laying, and a fire fighting model called the Firefly which carried a 60 Imperial gallon water tank.

The “Truck, 1/4 Ton, 4×4, CT, Austin Mk.1”, which became known as the Austin Champ entered production on 1st September 1951. The British Army contracted with Austin to produced 15,000 of them and both the Army and Austin were happy with the deal. The Army was happy because they at last had their “British is Best” perfect small combat vehicle complete with Rolls-Royce engine and the ability to do 50mph in reverse, something the American Jeep could not do. Austin were happy because of all those lovely crisp British Pound notes flooding into their company bank account.

The happiness was not to last however as the shortcomings of the Champ began to show themselves. This expensive combat vehicle proved to be heavy, and unexpectedly prone to rear axle failure. It was also discovered that the humble Land Rover was able to do almost everything that the Champ could do, and the Land Rover was about half the price of the £1,200 Champ. The Army had to face facts and decided to curtail their contract with Austin in 1955, so only 11,732 Champs were made. Land Rovers became the standard British Army light vehicle and the nice crisp British Pound banknotes flooded into Rover’s coffers instead.

The Champs were moved from front line Army service to the Territorial Army by the mid 1960’s and were all put up for sale by 1968. So despite their amazing cross country performance, such as I experienced with my farmer friend and our airborne Champ, they did not have a long service life with the Army.

The Civilian Version of the Austin Champ

There came to be some confusion over the names and specifications for the military and civilian versions of the Austin Champ. This is in part due to the fact that the Champ did not remain long in military service before it was declared obsolete and the vehicles were sold off to the civilian market. So there finished up being a mixture of military and civilian Champs in private hands. This in part led to military and civilian vehicles all being referred to as Austin Champs regardless: and it must be confessed that calling the vehicle by its military name “Truck, 1/4 Ton, 4×4, CT,” or “FV1801a” (Fighting Vehicle 1801a) is a bit of an effort, while “Champ” has personality.

The civilian models of the Austin Champ were either fitted with the Rolls-Royce engine or the civilian 2,660cc Austin A90 engine. Electrics on the civilian Champ were by Lucas as they were for the majority of British cars of the time and the electrical system was 12 volt rather than military 24 volt.

Austin did not only produce the Champ however and seeing the success Rover were having with their Land Rover Austin decided to create a model that was in some respects like a cross between the Champ and the Land Rover. It was called the Austin Gypsy and despite its independent suspension it did not prove popular.

Austin Champ Specifications

Engine: Rolls-Royce B40 2,838cc inline Inlet Over Exhaust crossflow four cylinder petrol/gasoline producing 80bhp @ 3,750rpm.

Transmission: Five speed all synchromesh manual gearbox with mechanically actuated Borg and Beck clutch. Rear mounted transfer box with reversing gear and differential as an integrated unit. This provided 5 speeds both forwards and in reverse. The civilian version had optional provision for a power take-off from the transfer box.

Brakes: Girling drum brakes with single hydraulic circuit.

Steering: Rack and Pinion

Chassis and Body: Cruciform box steel chassis, steel four seater body with stress sharing between body and chassis. Length 12′ (3.66 meters), width 5′ 5″ (1.65 meters), Height 6′ 8 1/2″ (1.87 meters).

Suspension: Independent all around with double “A” arms (wishbones) front and rear. Longitudinally mounted torsion bars.

Conclusion

The Austin Champ was all it was designed to be but turned out to be expensive, and not to have the absolute bullet proof reliability that had been hoped for it. It was and still is a superb cross country vehicle and probably holds the world speed record for a standard production vehicle in reverse gear. The Champ has acquired a dedicated following by owners who appreciate the vehicle’s qualities and so there are significant numbers of Champs which are well looked after. It was a great attempt by Britain to build the perfect “Jeep”, but like so many human efforts at creating perfection, it didn’t quite live up to the high expectations people had for it.

Photo Credits: FVRDE, US Army, Austin, British Army.

The post A Brief History of the Austin Champ – Everything You Need To Know appeared first on Silodrome.

source https://silodrome.com/austin-champ-history/

[sunshinexlollipops]

So I plan on getting a betta fish and I was wondering what you do for yours? I’ve seen your axolotl tank but not your fish and I’d love to see that!!! I’m trying to get ideas for my new baby! (I know basic care as well but mostly I wanna get the set up just right!! >.

Oh, good timing anon, I just redid their tanks recently!

So my betta, Nico, (he is a rose gold half moon betta) his 5 gallon Fluval Spec was getting pretty rough. The LED light is pretty high powered so I can have algae problems rather back to back (mostly with growth on decor and not my water turning green).

Here’s a pic of it before I started cleaning.

I couldn’t exactly clean it off my Pennywort (the lily-like plant at the top of the tank) because it was attached to the roots, and they were so delicate it would just break or kill them off. So I made the decision to toss them bc there was, unfortunately, no way to spare it. :(

I had a lot in here after I dismantled my 20L (I had other bettas but they unfortunately passed away over time and when the last one went, my sister took it for her axolotl until she moved him to a 75gal, and now my axolotl is using it) so there were a ton of plants in there. Farrrr too many, honestly.

So o threw out what wasn’t doing well or I just didn’t want anymore and I simplified it down to this!

I got black sand because the white was covered in algae and looked disgusting and there wasn’t a way to clean it up and get it back to white really. So I scrapped it and moved to the color that hides everything lmao.

The only thing I purchased apart from this new black sand was a narrow leaf java fern (it’s the one on the right, with the long leaves in the 1st photo) but everything else was the on-hand or in the previous set up! :)

Nico also got a new ivory mystery snail to help clean up the driftwood as it settles in the water!

As for my friends betta Tobias, he was having fin issues because of his decor. It was plastic and he is a half moon bumblebee male, and so his fins were getting torn up by rough plastic and his decor was actually losing paint anyways.

So I decided to toss his weird mixture of rocks and simplified his aquarium as well. He’s in a Top Fin 3.5 gallon aquarium. :)

It’s got a curved edge so that’s why there is a little distortion!

I got new rocks, air stone, and a fabric plant for him today, but otherwise everything else was also items already in use or in my house that I had lol.

Hope you enjoyed the mini tour! :)

[betta-beta]

Oh, I almost forgot, I reorganized the Death Star. 

The box of equipment I had under my old tank stand didn’t fit under the new one, so I bought a couple more, smaller boxes from IKEA, resorted everything, and relabelled them. I put the old box under my bed, along with my quarantine tub, so now I have two spare 5 gallon tubs, should I need them. 

I just need to find someone to take my old tank off my hands, now.

[fishproblem]

Hi! You seem like a rather experienced fish keeper, and I'm a novice. I am planning on keeping 5-6 celestial pearl danios/galaxy raspboras in a 20ish gallon tank. I am thinking of trying a planted tank... what plants would you recommend? My budget for the whole thing is around $150-200. And do you have any...(whispers) aquarium secrets? Stuff that might not be mentioned in online fish guides?

Hi! Finally I am Experienced! With that budget, you have some options! For a frame of reference, it “only” cost me about $55 to heavily plant my 6 gallon high tech with some sorta difficult, sorta costly plants. It cost about $15 (if that?) for the cabomba in my 30 gallon. My shrimp tank? Basically free garbage clippings.

I would SO recommend you go planted. The reason why is coincidentally also exactly the aquarium secret that I’ll be sharing with you. Natural always wins. Responsibly stocking a tank can feel hard to live with when it means relatively few fish in a large space - not so when you’ve created an all encompassing ecosystem. Maintaining a healthy chemical balance is so much harder when the environment you’ve created is made of plastic than when it’s the real deal. Basically, the biggest joy and the biggest success I’ve gotten from this dorky, beautiful hobby is looking at a tank and seeing nature. Not ADA aqua design nature tank kinda stuff, but a thriving, complicated, interdependent ecosystem. If it works in nature, it can work in a tank (at scale, of course!).That’s why I love plants so much. They do so much to process toxins in water and harbor microfauna. Botanicals, too! Tbh, my crayfish tank is making me so happy lately and it’s legit just a mucky pond.

As far as easy plants, watersprite has historically been a killer addition in low/ medium light. Grows like a weed, looks great, fills the tank. I’ve had mixed success with java fern. I’m finding cabomba aquatics to be really agreeable in high light. You have a really cool opportunity to create a biotope aquarium, given that you’re planning a species only tank. If you haven’t already, I’d research the exact location your fish come from. Watch video footage. Watch the fish being harvested in the wild on YouTube. See if you can use driftwood and stones to replicate their environment. Is the natural substrate sand, gravel, or mud? Are there pebbles that are worn smooth from fast moving water, or are the stones rougher? Consider the presence of decaying organic matter. Leaves that fall from trees above can be included in your aquascape, and are great for tanks. Finally, I’ve found Buce plants search option to be suuuuuuper awesome. You can search their (significant) plant inventory by continent.

If you haven’t been on the tannin aquatics website, their blog (the tint) is just spectacular. There’s a lot of thought as consideration about replicating natural ecosystems, and I’m honestly inspired af by what that guy does all the time. I also spend a TON of time on fishlore - the community there is kind, welcoming, and very centered in common sense and lived experience. It’s been an invaluable resource and an awesome place to hang out online. And now, my final fishkeeping secret: buy everything you possibly can used. Craigslist, fb marketplace, ebay, whatever. I’ve until recently been doing this on a strict budget, but even now that I have spare cash it’s amazing how much farther it goes shopping sales and buying used.

Research, have fun, don’t sweat the small stuff, and don’t use medication unless it’s truly dire. Water changes will solve 99.9% of your problems (really. Even if you just did one). Thorough research ahead of time will prevent 99.9% of your problems. And if you want plant trimmings, send me another message! I have some watersprite and cabomba to spare. Duckweed too, if you’re into that.