A cichlidian, me? Most ardently

It hit me only a while back. My mobile/cell phone has a built-in camera! A camera. The kind with which you can take pictures! (The other kind would be Italian for "room", una camera.)

So I kind of went all wild.



Here's my pride and joy. My 200-litre tropical tank. Notice my elegant lighting system which allows plants to grow out of the tank. Theoretically, that is - those that are seemingly coming out are actually vines of golden pothos that I put in so they'll grow roots.

The lamps are HID lamps, with many times more light than the regular fluorescent lamp tubes that aquarium shops usually forcefully sell to aquarists. They also last many times longer, and don't lose their luminosity like fluorescent tubes do.

HID lamps are also much more expensive, but in the long run they're cheaper than fluorescent tubes. You have to change your tubes preferably every year if you are a plant enthusiast, and want your plants to flourish, because by that time they will have lost half of their lighting power. HID lamps, on the other hand, don't lose virtually any luminosity until they completely go out at once. And that takes 10 years on average!

Both lamp types are problem waste, so there's no way you can be environmentally friendly anyway. HID lamps generate more heat than fluorescent ones, but that's not really an issue in Finland since the summer time is quite short anyway.

I had trouble snapping photos of my babies, i.e. my four Herotilapia multispinosa, or "Rainbow cichlids". They're incredibly shy.



I realized that they actually can see outside their tank. I can sit there, watching them from 10 cm's distance, and they're not bothered. But as soon as I draw out my phone camera, no matter how slowly, they freak out! And vanish in the bushes.

But in this one they are looking towards the surface, thinking they'll be getting food any second. I was luring them with their favourite delicacy, frozen red mosquito larvae.



I know what you're thinking - who could resist long, slimy and nutritious little worms?



They probably look gross to anyone who isn't an aquarist. I am personally desentisized to their feel and appearance. I feed them by finger, because that way it's easier to control the portion size. They're not alive anymore, you can buy them frozen from aquarium shops.

Live bugs are much more fun to feed to your fish(es). They wiggle, so I can't just scoop them from a mug with my finger, but they're definitely worth it if you can find them in a pond or a ditch. The fish will get this ravenous, crazy gleam in their eyes and they keep bumping into each other because they're so excited about food that can swim away.

They just love hunting after their food. Frozen bloodworms are the second best thing, since my cichlids often aim for the same worm and end up getting stuck by their mouths. They're a lot of fun to watch. Not exactly the brightest crayons in the box.

(Picture 4: www.cals.ncsu.edu)