Baby swordtails were born

I discovered baby swordtails at the bottom of Medium Pond on 30 December. Here's one on New Year's Day. It's about 2 mm long.

Cory catfish buddies

Giant arapaima

It's my year-end holiday, and I went to the zoo. Here are the giant arapaima in the moat of the Primate Kingdom at Singapore Zoo.

Gone too soon

21 December 2011. Conspicuously missing at breakfast this morning was the largest of my swordtails. I found her on the floor behind the pond :( She must have jumped out for some reason. Medium Pond will not be the same without her.

Cory catfish

The next batch of inhabitants are two Cory catfish for Small Pond and a rainbow panchax and three more golden white cloud mountain minnows for Big Pond. Here are the cories in their rock garden.

Hillstream loach in Big Pond

Love you, Hillstream loach!

Wavy picture of Hillstream loach

Hillstream loach on a stone at the bottom of Medium Pond.

Slug

One night I found a slug slugging it's way around the rim of Big Pond. Now and then, I find little millipedes in the water, but not often. The panchax I bought recently might like them for a snack when he gets bigger.

Platys and golden white cloud mountain minnows

After the fancy guppies come four red Platys and five golden white cloud mountain minnows for Big Pond.

Fancy guppies and Hillstream loaches

Next came four fancy guppies and three Hillstream loaches for Big Pond and Small Pond.

Air!

The three ponds got sponge filters operated by air bubbles installed. This provides both filtration and aeration. The action of the sponge filter is gentle, which is good for little fish as they won't get sucked in and mangled.

Swordtail baby close-ups

Baby swordtail survivors

Too much anti-chlorine can kill! Unfortunately that's what I did to the poor Medium Pond swordtails. Happily, some babes survived. And the two plecos. Toughies! Some of the swordtail babies were just eyeballs with tails then. Now they are between 3 and 6 cm long.

Plecos settle in

Because the water pump had been removed and the air pump had not been installed yet, the water's surface was smooth - good for a clear shot of one of the young plecos. I just peeked in on them today (almost 6 months after these photos) and both plecos have grown about double. Pleco A does not have a lyre tail, but Pleco B has a long one.

Adonis plecos

My first acquisitions are two Adonis plecos. They are to live in Medium Pond.

Road block

A cave-in and flood in the apartment put pond plans on hold.

Pond inspection

Having visited Aquarama, it was time for a pond inspection back home: dribbly fountains and slimy pond plants!

A visit to Aquarama 2011

Aquarama 2011 was held at the end of May, at Suntec City, Singapore.