Red1313

... or is it <WARNING WALL OF TEXT TO FOLLOW>

Due to an unfortunate change of plans all of my fishy babies are snuggled up in saskatoon while I'm home at the farm for the summer.
I'm making the drive (3hrs one way) to toon town once a week to do water changes and I have a reliable fish sitter who stops in two or 3 times a week to feed and check on things. So my summer has been looking as though it was going to be missing something. Until today that is.

See I've been toying with a couple of ideas since I made a trip into the city friday for milk-replacer (not saskatoon nearer city). Since I never did get my rescue goldies I strolled thru walmart and saw that they had in a shipment of baby goldies, (the size of my thumb-nail) after a moment of cuteness overload I of course had to peek in at the betta's (be strong my heart). And MTS started whispering in my ear again.

The evil plan...
I (casually) asked my mom if she'd ever thought of a gold fish pond. she mentioned that she would like an above ground pond (WOOT WOOT!!!). So since we have a number of old tractor tires laying around I've calculated that they would hold about 60 gals of water (lots for some goldies and I've conveinetly got a 60-65 gal tank sitting in my apartment that could keep them for the winter... (Ask me if I'm sane... WAIT I'm not done yet!)

So I could get my goldies but what about this lingering need for a betta fix? I just got and have been reading rapidly a new addition to the aquarium bible shelf "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" by Diana Walstad. It's actually really interesting and on my next trip to the city Friday I might try swapping one of my 5 gals (glass bottom curently) over to try out her soil idea. While I'm there I will have an empty 2.5 gal that I was going to switch over to a shrimp tank and or QT tank, or there's the cracked ten gal that I've got here at the farm that I could fix... decsisions desisisons...

Well that's the basic run on what my fish plans are for the summer and as for what I've been upto? Well my trip was amazing and asap I'll have a thread and pics up of that. I've got 11 orphan calves and 3 orphan lambs to raise (my summer paycheck there). I'm working with my horses and may have to retrain one of my mares from ground up if she doesn't start behaving.

I hope everyone here has been well and I can't wait to finally catch up on everything that I've missed. Welcome to all the new folks. So what are everyone's fishy plans for the summer?

Lucy

Red, you've been missed. It's good to hear fom you.

Red1313

Thanks Lucy it's good to be back!
... My sense of time may be off but did I read that you have two betta's now?

Lucy

lol Yes, I happen to see a girly on free cycle and well, you know how it is.

Red1313

lol do I ever
Glad to know one of the biggest enablers got caught by her own bug. can't wait to meet the new gal

Lucy

ahahaha. True true.
Great news about the pond. I hope you take lots of pics.

prairielilly

Hi and welcome back Sounds like you've got yourself pretty busy for the next few months...doing lots and lots of interesting things too! Your fin babies will still be there when you get back, and in the meantime you get to make new goldie friends

Red1313

Thanks.
My poor parents don't realise the danger they're in atm
rofl
Hope everything has been going well for you.

prairielilly

I've got six tanks all with live plants and healthy fishies atm...so yeah, I'd say it's going really well! (one is actually qt-ing a tetra recovering from fin rot - his whole tail went and no meds seemed to help, I was sure he was done for. I tried one last med on him, and now it's growing back, he should be good in a week or so!) Loving Endlers too I also got a new female betta, and she is the sweetest little thing!

Red1313

sweet!
Poor tetra, glad that you found a med in the end though.
A new baby girl to! That's awsome I shall have to search for pictures of her.

prairielilly

introducing...my latest snap decision
She's decided it seems to be a deep shimmery purple (I call her Princess Violet), and her fins are almost completely healed up. She also eats like a little pig, and no stress lines in sight

Amanda

Welcome back Red!! I too am looking into putting in a pond this summer for goldies. I'm setting up a 90 gal. this summer too. We're all going to be so busy with out MTS.

capekate

Hi Red,
you have been missed!
Sounds like your summer is pretty well planned out for you and its going to keep you busy til fall! Im sorry you will be missing your fin babies while on the farm... but it looks like you are coming up with a solution to that! hahah...
Best of luck.. and stop in and say hello when you can!

Red1313

Ooohhh!!!
She's adorable! I love her. Her personality reminds me of my girl mama


lol I hear you. before I can get the pond up mom wants to landscape and get the patio up... if I get to set up a pond at the end she might be surprised how quick that happens

lol I will definetly be doing that kate

MissMTS

Hey Red, I've missed you girlie I'm glad that your trip went well! It sounds like you have your work cut out for you this summer. I have a soft spot for farm animals and would love to see pics of yours if you happen to have any. How are your fish babies doing? I'm sorry you have to leave them for the summer, but it seems like you have things under control. I think a goldfish pond and new bettas are a great idea! I have been reading up a lot on Walstad's natural aquariums lately and have a couple of "natural tank" experiments going on right now. Good to have ya back!

Red1313

It's really good to be back
Walstad's book was really interesting (not sure if I like her idea of wc's only every six months though) but the rest of it makes sense to me. If I like the results of the 5 gal experiment I might set up the big tank like that as well. It would work well with the pond theme that I want to have with it. Let me know how your's works out...