Santa Monica, California, United States
artabove
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 would sort of jump around a bit with the new water or temperature change. It was the kind of fish that keeps moving. In other words, I had to be sure the top was secure so he wouldn't jump out accidentally because we had a few close calls. He was a carnivore, so I fed him worms, krill and pellets; he would get rather aggressive when feeding, which was amazing to watch.<br><br>What I loved about this fish is that he was constantly swimming back and forth, always reflecting the light. Also, he had “whiskers” (called barbells) that were interesting to see. You have be sure there is a lot of open space for this swimmer, so the aquarium can’t have a lot of big things blocking its path.<br><br>When he got too big, I realized I did not have the proper living conditions for him and sold him. I'd say you have to be pretty advanced to keep caring for a Silver Arowana because it can get to be up to 3 feet long and must have a very big aquarium. He truly was the most beautiful fish I ever had and gave us many hours of enjoyment. But I highly suggest doing lots of research if you plan to bring one of these amazing fish into your home. He was easy to keep, but they're pretty special and you don't want to cramp them or feed them the wrong thing. By the way, my pictures don't do justice to how beautiful he was. Please google for images of the Silver Arowana to see them.){kind=link}
. Finally, the vet recommended putting him down. But Kaiser was so fun until then -- very intelligent and affectionate. I wish we had the opportunity to have cared for him and enjoyed him much longer.){kind=link}
 but what was great was how they ate up those little tiny snails that sometimes come into your aquarium on new plants and then seem to proliferate. One thing I had to watch is that often the other fish would eat the food before it got to the bottom, which where these loaches feed. So I would feed the others in one end or the tank, and while they were eating I’d drop food into the other end so it would drop down while the non-bottom fish weren’t looking. I’ve heard they can grow to be about a foot long, but mine never got more than about 4 inches.<br><br>Clown Loaches stay on the bottom of the tank for the most part and they are pretty active. They really like to have companions, so it’s best if you get at least two. I learned the hard way that it is critical to keep the water in the tank super clean, warm and very aerated. This is because for some reason the “ick” (Ichthyophthirius) infestation seems to like them. So keep an eye on these guys so if they do get ick, you can handle it early on since they can also be sensitive to medication since their scales are really tiny.){kind=link}
 began over a thousand years ago. Now there are over 20 major varieties. The big ones are stunning to watch and the little ones did not disappoint. <br><br>To continue my story, my Koi fish were of the Showa Sanke variety but they’re usually called just “Showa.” I picked this breed because I loved seeing the black background with white and orange on the body and head. One had a lot of black, the other more white. The orange was reddish orange on the one with more black and more orangey on the one with more white. <br><br>Mine seemed very smart and learned to recognize me (the one who brought their meals). They would actually take food from my finger tips! And to my surprise they grew pretty fast, probably because they are in the carp family (domesticated carp). I was fed them Koi food, pellets. By the way, the breeder told me that the reason Koi pellets float is because the fish must come to the surface of a pond to eat them, thus they can be checked for ulcers and parasite while they’re eating! They also liked to eat lettuce and watermelon. I’ve often seen people throwing bread into ponds but never gave bread to mine.<br><br>They swam around a lot and were not hiders. When they became too large for my aquarium, and we still had not moved into a house where I could create a pond, I realized I needed to find a home for them. They were about a foot long each! After doing some research, I realized that any old pond would not do; they needed proper oxygenation and what’s called “off-gassing” in small water ponds so they would not die over the winter months. Finally, since my fish were no longer babies, they were accepted at a beautiful spiritual center with a very large, well kept pond (a small lake, really) where other Koi and turtles and swans live. I was so sad to let them go, and they’re probably two or more feet long by now.){kind=link}