Fish Blog

This is Bean's personal blog where he blogs about his life and friends and things he likes. 🐠💕

[bettasaregoodfish]

Me: nice the oak leaves sank

Tycho:

[fish-plants-somuchmore]

He looks like a flower

[keebs]

hey reblog this if ur gay and u love fishkeeping

[beanvlog]

Update on the babies: they didn't make it. I can't find any in the tank and it's been days. Super bummed but I'll try again ✨

[beanvlog]

The eggs have hatched ! I've only found one baby so far but all the eggs appear to have hatched. 😁

[beanvlog]

This is Francesca but u can call her Franky

[beanvlog]

The community: cpds, peacock gudgeon, kuhlis, shrimp ✨

[beanvlog]

Here's what I've been up to fish frends.

I’ve been super inactive because I’m not on tumblr much anymore (the app stopped working for me for a few months) Since then, I’m sad to say Bean has passed. I can confidently say he passed of old age. I’m not sure how old he was when I got him but I had him for 2yrs. And his health was a very steady decline w very clear signs of aging and no other treatable illnesses. With that said, I also lost August the same month to dropsy. It took him quickly and I didn’t catch it in time to treat him soon enough. RIP my betta boys.

But fear not I still have many fish. I brought home a beautiful female betta, her name is Francesca or Franky for short. (I’ll post a video after this post)

I also remodeled Beans old tank and it is now a breeder/baby tank. I have some peacock gudgeon eggs that r days away from hatching. I’ll keep y'all posted.

And finally the community 10gal is still up and running. It’s honestly my fav tank rn it’s so lively and fun to watch. It’s got kuhli loaches, celestial pearl danios, 2 new peacock gudgeons, and an assortment of shrimp. I’ll post a video.

But that’s pretty much everything rn. I’ll try my best to be more active w this blog. But sorry if it takes me ages to reply to messages.

Thanks for sticking around 💕💕

[beanvlog]

I freaking love your blog and all the planted tanks and holy carpfins they are so beautiful!! I was wondering if you had any idea how people do that growing background wall thing where moss and stuff grows up the side on the tank!!!

I'm so sorry I've been gone for months and just saw this ask !! Thank u much tho 💕💕 and I don't know from experience how to do a moss wall but I've definitely seen tutorials online before.

[elfybean]

[beanvlog]

Omfg I got to witness my shrimp shed his exoskeleton today it was wILD !!!!!

[raveneuse]

[hella-free-space]

This isn’t just lighting, this fish actually has all those gorgeous colors!

Tumblr, meet Dianna! (Courtesy of LeeAnne Sachs, A Betta Group)

[beanvlog]

Me, showing off the new hide I got for my betta.

Dad: What are the ledges on the inside for?

Me: It's so he can rest on them.

Dad, giving me a puzzled look: On the inside?

Me: Yea, it's like a place that he can relax where he feels safe if he's stressed.

Dad: While you panic because you don't know where he is.

Me: ..... Yes.

[bettasandcoriesandplecosohmy]

What a good place for a nap!

[kai-ni]

Stereotypes of people who buy certain types of fish: Kai's store

Goldfish: Mom, dad or grandma/pa that just wants an ‘easy pet’ for their kid/grandkid, has a 2 gallon tank, and is shocked and awed when I point to the tag and tell them goldfish need at least 30 gallons and get a good 12 inches. Most will allow me to direct them to guppies instead. Small subgroup will become incensed with me and insist on the goldfish anyway.

GloFish: Small child whose parents are letting them pick or bratty teenager that points to them and goes ‘WOW, a PINK FISH!’ Always wants just one and I have to explain they’re tetra and need a large group. Small subgroup of people that ask for 8 of them and then come marching back to me from the register with ‘I had no idea they were NINE DOLLARS EACH! That’s INSANE!’

Cichlids: Always some 20 something who smells like weed and thinks they’re gangster. This must be just a local thing. Feeds feeder goldfish, is always in buying new cichlids, almost every week. Where do they all go, when each fish needs 55+ gallons? I’ve stopped asking, customer is high anyway. I wish there was a subgroup of people that know what they’re doing, but there isn’t. I’m glad we reduced our stock of cichlids.

Guppies: Actually the easiest to sell, most people seem to know what they’re doing if they want guppies, oddly. What I direct people to if they have around a 5 gallon and originally wanted a goldfish or something inappropriate.

Tetra: Either someone who wants 1 of each type and just wants ‘all kinds of different fish!’ in their tank, or someone with a 55-75 gallon that actually buys proper schools. There’s no in between.

Cory cats: ‘It cleans the bottom right?’

Plecos: SUBURBAN MOM that comes back and immediately barks at me ‘I need a sucker/cleaner fish!’ with no introduction, no polite greeting. Daily nightmare, 0/10.

Livebearers (mollies, etc): Either also the ‘I want ALL kinds of different fish!’ person with no idea what they’re actually doing who will put them with tetra OR people who have no idea what they’re doing but politely ask me and let me plan an appropriate hard water livebearer tank for them that fits our local water supply and will be the easiest to maintain for a beginner.

Koi: Never pond owners. Like, once I had a customer that had a 1700 gallon pond. Once. I do not sell Koi to people. I do not. No it can’t live in a 30 gallon tank, for gods sakes it gets the same size as your small child, maybe bigger.

[bettasandcoriesandplecosohmy]

I honestly think the cichlids and plecos are a universal constant. We haven’t started selling fish at the store I work at yet, but literally every time I go somewhere to buy fish there’s a high person purchasing cichlids and a mom wanting a “sucker fish.” I think it’s like a permanent installment.

[lostcargosupply]

Photos by Chasing Linnaeus

Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit a store a friend of mine just opened in Seattle, called Aquarium Zen.  Today’s grand opening has been a couple years in the making, and I was privileged to be asked to come in before the crowds to capture the energy of the place.  The boutique is less a fish shop than it is an experience.  In his words:

My goal when designing the space was to create a sort of alternate universe where the contrast between the chaos of urban street life would juxtapose with the tranquility of the aquatic life held within.  The idea was to create a natural sanctuary that is artificial but still resonates with the healing vibes you might associate with a walk in the forest or sitting by a stream.  The space itself is nearly a hundred years old and is loaded with character – exposed brick walls, skylights, old growth Douglas fir exposed beams and hardwood floors.  Not your typical pet shop.  

We cater to a style of aquarium keeping that originated in Japan called the “Nature Aquarium,” which tries to elevate the aquarium to an art form.

I wanted to create a space that celebrated nature and love for aquariums and to create an experience for our community.  In my mind, it’s a living art installation disguised as a pet shop.  The aquarium can be a lens into normally unseen realms of nature that are magical.  When executed with an artistic intention, the aquarium can create a transformative experience for the viewer, a timeless space and moment that is not soon forgotten.