Fear the Crab

Yep. Looks like ocean.

Continued ~

So, I started thinking about wanting an Ox baby, because I think Ox people are pretty cool. I am an Ox, so I know what I’m talking about.

But as I read up on whatever Chinese zodiac data there exists in the wide world of internet, I discover there are a few more specific details than just the stinky animal.

For example, based on the specific year you were born, you have one of five elements attached to the animal. Not only that, but you have two of each element. I am a “Yin Water Ox” to be precise. I will quote Wikipedia:

Water is yin or feminine in character, its energy is downward and its motion is stillness and conserving. It is associated with the planet Mercury, the north, winter and cold, darkness, night and the colour black. It is also associated with the moon, which was believed to cause the dew to fall at night. It is also believed to govern the kidneys, ears and bones. The negative emotion associated with water is fear, while the positive emotion is calmness. Its Primal Spirit is represented by the Black Tortoise.

In Chinese Taoist thought, water is representative of intelligence and wisdom, flexibility, softness and pliancy; however, an over-abundance of the element is said to cause difficulty in choosing something and sticking to it. In the same way, Water can be fluid and weak, but can also wield great power when it floods and overwhelms the land. In the birth and nurturing cycle, water spawns wood, and is spawned by metal. In the conquest cycle, water overcomes fire, and in turn is overcome by earth.

Wikip goes on to say that the year you were born determines how people perceive you, or how you choose to represent yourself. I guess that means people perceive me as being an Ox, which are supposed to be dependable, calm, methodical, patient, hardworking, ambitious, conventional, steady, modest, logical, resolute, tenacious. Can be stubborn, narrow-minded, materialistic, rigid, demanding.

I could agree with a lot of that, especially the later part.

Then there is the Inner Animal, which is determined by the month of your birth, and is said to be what motivates you. My inner animal (again, according to Wikip) is the Sheep: Righteous, sincere, sympathetic, mild-mannered, shy, artistic, creative, gentle, compassionate, understanding, mothering, determined, peaceful, generous, seeks security. Can be moody, indecisive, over-passive, worrier, pessimistic, over-sensitive, complainer.

I don’t know if that means I’m motivated by a desire to be righteous, sincere, etc, or even if indecision and all of my worries drive me to do things. Another website writes that the inner animal is the one we most want to be like. I do want to complain, often!

Finally there’s the Secret Animal, which if you’ve been following the logic so far, is figured out by knowing the exact hour of your birth. Seems we’re given a two-hour time slot (24 hours divided by 12 animals), and the secret animal is supposed to be your truest representation. I seem to have popped out at 2102, which makes me a Pig! Honest, simple, gallant, sturdy, sociable, peace-loving, patient, loyal, hard-working, trusting, sincere, calm, understanding, thoughtful, scrupulous, passionate, intelligent. Can be naive, over-reliant, self-indulgent, gullible, fatalistic, materialistic.

Fantastic!

On the subject of fishies, it seems that once the driftwood was removed, things have stabilized. The cories have gotten fat and piggish, constantly searching for food and exploring every little area. There have been no deaths, and one of the sterbae actually regrew his barbs (the other is still barbless, but alive and kicking). Argenta keeps laying eggs and being piggish herself, swimming up to the glass as soon as someone walks into the room with that “FEED ME!” swim.

Argenta has been harassing the cories, though. I’ve usually seen it happen when she has eggs, but lately I’ve noticed it during an eggless moment. The cories don’t seem to mind too much; that is to say, they merrily go about their business as if it never happened.

I do have plans for a large 150-gallon fish tank set up for docile schooling fish. Maybe 50+ of small tetras, like neons. Maybe 50+ pygmy cories. Maybe a few otos for algae control. Probably not guppies, as I’m not a big fan. I’m not interested in having a big tank for a big fish; I want a big tank filled with little fishes. I don’t want to worry about one type of fish eating another type, which is the big reason why I can’t keep Argenta with anything else in the tank (save the cories who are too big for her to eat).

I took out the Driftwood O’ Death from my fish tank. It will now pull duty as a desk ornament.

In place of the wood I have some smooth river stones (that I actually had to buy, curse my lack of initiative and dedication by not actually going to a river). I arranged the stones in the back corner on their horizontal ends and used them as a wall to hide the air-stone. I put the tallest (fake) plant behind in the corner, and behind the stones are some of the smaller plants to blur the line between the top of the stones and the glass.

Towards the front of the tank, along the side, I have more stones built to form some kind of Flintstones cave, using the slate as a roof. I put a plant in front of the cave to provide access and some semblance of protection for the cories. I did the same plant-door thing with the bell, which in turn was pushed farther back in the tank. Rounded the whole aquarium off with the plants along the back and in the corner, and now half of the tank is exposed. This seems to make Argenta a tad happier, and the cories still have access to areas both in the open and under cover of the plants.

Don’t know how this will affect feeding time, but we’ll see. For those who know where to find it, there’s a picture of the new tank set-up.

Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?

I have the Wood o’ Death in my aquarium. This morning I woke up and was about to feed the fishies when I espied one of the peppered cories head-first in a little pocket in the driftwood. The color was really faded and he (I say he because he was always smaller, and the males tend to be smaller) was missing some fins. Sure-tale signs of expiration, methinks.

He wasn’t stuck because it was quite easy to get him out. I think he died and ended up in the driftwood. Still, death persists in the shivering tank of watery doom. Maybe I’m just not cut out to keep fish.

If I lose anymore I’m probably going to give away the peppered and agazzis and keep the two sterbai. Those two are quite happy-go-lucky and despite me having taken them in with little finnage, have persisted nicely. Granted, I don’t know what will happen psychologically to them if the other cories suddenly disappear.

Argenta is big and fertile, as she keeps laying eggs. I think she’s also abusing herself against the filter, because she will swim up to the lip (where the filtered water comes in) then dart quickly away, gouging herself in the process. She does this rarely, like once a week when I’m there, so I don’t think it’s a skin condition.

Don’t know what else to say about it.

One of the cories died, so now I have 3. Maile gave me her two sterbai cories to up my total to 5, and now everyone seems a bit more active. Perhaps the similar markings lead each to believe there’s more than what really exist.

Argento is getting big. He also seems to have a gap in his gill cover, which from what I’ve read online, seems to be a minor genetic defect. Most reports indicate that the fish can still live to a ripe old age, so I’m not too worried.

I have approximately two more weeks of school left, and if all my grades are of passing level, I should receive my diploma in a couple of months. During that time I’ll have to find a job. I’ve only had one interview so far, with a private firm, but I’ve sent apps and resumes to many places.

Maile and I expect to be in Las Vegas late May, for vacation. My family is flying there, too, so it’ll be a nice outing.

Seems many people I know are living in or moving to the San Francisco area.

Titan von Longhaus
April 5, 1995 – January 30, 2006

Due to a rapid infestation of pond snails, and the untimely deaths of a few panda cories, I decided to donate the remaining pandas and pygmies and completely break down the 10 gallon tank. No more Poppy⁵ and Fezzik⁶, and I was sad to see them go, but I don’t think they were getting any happiness in a tank that crowded with snails.

I instead bought a 20 gallon tank, and this time I used a thin layer of sand as a substrate. I threw away the undergravel filter because it just kept giving me problems (likely because I wasn’t doing anything to get the most out of it). I added some taller plants, attached some healthy java fern to my old driftwood, and bought one of those big bell decorations, the kind that acts as a large cave, with plants attached.

I just added a new angelfish, and four of what they call Agassiz’s Cories. Maile helped to pick them out. Agassiz’s cories look like julii or sterbae cories, with lots of small dots peppered on their bodies. I don’t know the different variations of angelfish color patterns, but this one is semi-striped.

I’m trying to come up with names. So far I have Raya for the angelfish, and Estrella⁴ for the cories. Any suggestions are welcome!

EDIT: I have decided to name the angelfish Argento. At least, that’s now the new front-runner until I hear something better. The angelfish looks more silver than it does striped, though it does have some stripes.

‘Nudder EDIT: In keeping with the Italian theme, the cories are known as Pepe⁴, since their many dots make them look like peppered cories.

I have decided that my fish will receive names (again). The 5 pandas will all be known as Poppy⁵ because I like the name Poppy. The 6 pygmys will all be known as Fezzik⁶. Done.

After one panda decided to stick itself into the driftwood and die, another panda got fin rot. I bought some medicine that specifically treats fin rot, but after three days it (the fish) was gone. Its tail fin was completely missing. I’ve lost two fish, one to unfortunate circumstances, another to high stress and disease. It makes me sad.

I had just gotten through a super happy fun time, too, on inklink, where me and the staffers from CheesyMUD played pictionary. Pictionary online is uber fun, especially when we all play for sheer amusement. Kyrol managed to get a few answers correct on luck, because he was being sarcastic and it just so happened to be the word the game was looking for. I mean, how can you guess “derringer” when someone draws a walther-ppk? He even got “africa” because he was making fun of my crappy drawing of that continent. Too bad I can’t play when I’m at work; I’d laugh too loud.