Deadly Fish And Other Poisonous Things.

There was an article in the herald Sun Newspaper on June 19 about a couple of deadly critters at the Melbourne Aquarium. One was a beautiful eclectic blue poison arrow frog; whose skin oozes a toxin lethal to anything it touches. The other was the puffer Fish, which contains a poison up to1200 times deadlier to humans than cyanide, with no known antidote.

Now at first glance that sounds real scary and something for us all to be very careful of, doesn’t it? However, on reflection, your, and my, chance of even coming into contact with either of these animals in thew wild or even in captivity, is very minimal to being almost impossible isn’t it? But what about other deadly and dangerous things that we come into contact with often, that we should be aware of and even more scared of?

On the very same page and right above this picture and article of the fish on page11, was an item headlined, “Pancakes Poison Four”.

In this article 4 elderly residents of a Nursing home were accidentally poisoned. Not fatally fortunately, but still caused great pain and suffering; all because someone used caustic soda to clean some dirty fry pans and didn’t wash them properly afterwards, before someone else used the pans to make Pancakes for the residents.

A pretty basic and simple accident concerning an everyday item, one would think, wouldn’t you? However it turns out that because the dangers of caustic soda are so well known, it was in fact ‘supposedly’ banned from use in that Home’s kitchen. A wise move it would appear, but a move that someone else arbitrarily ignored, it seems. A terrible thing I am sure you agree, but how often do we do the same or similar?

Oh yes we know a certain action is wrong but of course we think we know what we are doing, so it is quite safe and responsible for us to do it, isn’t it? But somehow, something occasionally goes wrong and it all blows up like this thing, doesn’t it? And at times like that, we begin to wish we had listened and followed all the rules, don’t we?

Remember, rules are there for everyone’s safety and while they may be a pain and a needless pain at times, they are there to protect everyone, and therefore it is best to follow the rules and protect both yourself and those you serve isn’t it? What say you?

Guppies are Fish too!

Although I had had Gold fish a few times back over the years, I had not gotten into Tropical fish until our last few months in South Africa back in 2002. And even then, as we were in a semi tropical climate at Port Shepstone, we kept them in a bowl in the lounge at room temperature.

Till then, I had also not known much about Guppies other than that they were very popular and easy to keep; and that unlike most fish who lay eggs, Guppies were among the handful of fish that give birth to live babies. It was during our brief time as Guppy owners in South Africa that we bred our own first little Guppies and became interested in them.

So it was no surprise then when we returned to OZ later that year, that when my niece asked if I wanted some of her Guppies that she was also rearing by the numbers, that I said Yes. Of course we still had to both get a fish tank and a house to put it in then, but eventually we did both and we started to go into Tropical fish a little bit more seriously.

These days we are more into little sharks and Catfish than Guppies, but when we first started out with the Guppies, we went to lots of trouble to raise the little ones and protect them from the other fish until they were big enough to be out of danger of being eaten as “Live food”.

However one thing we quickly learned, was that that really wasn’t that necessary as they soon started to fill and over fill the tank with their little ones. And it was only because the larger fish were eating a lot of the little ones that the Tank was not completely overrun with Guppies.

In fact some people breed Guppies simply as feeder fish for bigger ones, and many serious fish Fanciers hold them in contempt and distain as the mice and sparrows of the Fish World and do not take them seriously. One such person was my niece's husband, who liked his Catfish and cichlids and turned up his nose at his wife’s guppies. However I used to think that he was in the minority. Not so it seems now!

In June 11’s Herald Sun Newspaper there was an article about one particular Guppy at a fish show. The article read: “ A Guppy _$2 tiddlers often fed to more exotic fish _ has upstaged rivals 10 times its size to win “grand champion” at a country show. And rival fish breeders are in a frenzy.”

The article went on to showcase other fish breeder’s contempt of Guppies. Even the Guppy’s owner said he was surprised to win with a Guppy and said, “ I wasn’t expecting a guppy to get it. I had some nice cichlids, some catfish and goldfish … but I’m happy with the result.”

And so he should be. Although I have usually had to pay twice or even trice the $2 price mentioned, to buy my guppies, the prize money this Guppy brought home was $150. “Which is not a bad return on your investment”, as some one was quoted as saying.

And that is my thought for today. It doesn’t matter what you are into, whether the big things/fish or the small despised things/Guppies, but if you do your best and present your best, you too can be winners too. You may not always scoop the Grand prize, but you too will do all right in your chosen field, and get a good return for your investment, if you always give it your best shot. So this blog is dedicated to all us guppies out there. Keep swimming folks. We too, can be winners too if we persevere.

Big Fish Small Pond - Positives.

In earlier blogs I wrote about the negatives of keeping bigger fish in a small pond, today I am going to mention the positives, using not fish for my example but an old obscure Roger Miller song called, ‘Kansas City Star.”

In that song the singer was offered “a
better job at higher wages, expenses
paid and a car”. All of which he turned
down because although the offer was
good and far superior to what he
already had in many respects.
He turned it down because in the words
of the song, “But I'm on TV here locally
and I can't quit, I'm a star.” 

He couldn’t take the better job because
although in the bigger scheme of things
he was only a minnow, in his old place
he was a big fish. He was ‘’The Star”.

It is the same with biggish fish in a
small tank. There they stand out, where
as if you put them in a bigger tank with
bigger fish, they just get lost in the back
ground.

Sometimes our lives are like that too,
aren’t they? We all want to swim in the
big tank with the big fish, but when we
get the chance, we often find it is not
what we expected and wish we had
never left our small tank.

Sometimes we just have to be like the
guy in Roger’s song and really evaluate
just what we would have to give up to
get “higher wages, expenses paid and
a car”. Is what we will get, really worth
giving up all that we currently have?
Yes sometimes it truly will be better for
us to be in a bigger tank with more
potential for growth, but often we are
better off where we already are. The
secret is in knowing that fact.

 What about you now? Are you happy
where you are? If so, then stay there.
If not then move to the bigger tank, but
remember often there is no going back,
so do be 100% sure before you move:
Walter.

 KANSAS CITY STAR

(Roger Miller)

 Roger Miller

 Got a letter just this mornin' it was postmarked Omaha 

It was typed and neatly written offerin' me this better job 

Better job at higher wages, expenses paid and a car 

But I'm on TV here locally and I can't quit, I'm a star 

 Hah-ha I come on the TV a-grinnin,' wearin' pistols and a hat 

It's a kiddy show and I'm a hero of the younger set 

I'm the number one attraction at every supermarket parkin' lot 

I'm the king of Kansas City, no thanks, Omaha, thanks a lot 

 Kansas City star, that's what I are 

Yodel-leedle lay-dee, you oughta see my car 

I drive a big old Cadillac with wire wheels, 

Got rhinestones on the spokes 

I got credit down at the grocery store 

And my barber tells me jokes 

I'm the number one attraction at every supermarket parkin' lot 

I'm the king of Kansas City, no thanks to Omaha, thanks a lot 

 Kansas City star, that's what I are 

Yodel-leedle lay-dee, you oughta see my car 

I drive a big old Cadillac with wire wheels, 

Got rhinestones on the spokes 

I got credit down at the grocery store 

And my barber tells me jokes 

I'm the number one attraction at every supermarket parkin' lot 

I'm the king of Kansas City, no thanks to Omaha, thanks a lot 

 SPOKEN: Stay tuned, we're gonna have a Popeye cartoon in a minute 

Big Fish Small Pond - negatives.

As you probably know by now, I love pet fish and have had, and still have both tropical and Coldwater fish. As stated in other blogs, one problem with keeping fish is that you sometimes end up with fish that become too aggressive. Another problem is that there are just so many interesting fish out there that there is the problem of having to decide what types, varieties and even size fish you will have in your tank.

If you are fortunate and have the space, (& a lovely wife who will let you have more than one tank in the house,) that is not too insurmountable a problem and you can have separate tanks for different size fish. Smallish ones in one and biggish ones in another. {And if you are really lucky even a third tank for some others, who you would not normally put with your favourites.}

An altogether amicable arrangement, accept for one thing. What to do with the occasional fish that doesn’t clearly fit either designation and you have to decide whether to make it a big fish in a small pond or a small fish in a big pond?

Some people are a bit like this big fish - small fish Conundrum. Putting them in a small pond makes then the BIG Fish. If they are of benign character this is no problem. However if they are an aggressive specimen and have no bigger fish to keep that aggression in Check they can be disruptive to the whole eco system of the pond. Which being small offers little to protect the little ones from these aggressors.

How to handle the problem? Remove any and all aggressors either completely or to a bigger tank if possible/ practical, where they will be relegated to their proper place in the pond’s “Pecking order”. Alternatively move most if not all the smaller fish to a bigger tank where they will have the opportunity to ‘Shine” without constantly being bullied by not necessarily more important fish, just bigger aggressive ones.

Restoring and maintaining a happy environment is all important whether in a fish tank or the work place. Where do you fit in and do you need a change of fish tanks? Not necessarily for your own sake but for the sake of the others, because you have simply become too big (even if only in your own head) for the common good.

Again what can you do to restore the natural or safe environment? Over to You: Walter.

Too Aggressive?

As stated in other blogs, I love pet fish and have had many over the years, both tropical and Coldwater fish. Love em, even if “you can’t take a goldfish for a walk”! However, as with everything, there are occasional problems. One such problem with keeping fish, of either type, is that you sometimes end up with one or more that become too aggressive and bossy for a small communal tank and have to be removed or kept alone.

If you have the tanks and space this can be a viable and practical solution enabling you to keep all of them, just separately, that’s all. However, sometimes and mostly most often, this becomes too impractical as you can quickly run out of tanks or room to put all these tanks, or both. Thus a sacrifice has to be made. Either to get rid of the other fish and keep the aggressive one, or to keep the non- trouble fish and get rid of the aggressor. Neither is necessarily nice or desired, but often it is the only practical solution.

Sometimes I think life, (particularly in regard to work situations,) is a little like a fish tank. People from all different backgrounds and types and ages are put together in an artificial environment and told to get on with it. When everyone is swimming in the same direction every thing is fine but when someone tries to dominate or claim exclusive rights to certain areas, trouble can arise. Now a little aggression in life is a good thing and there are some people who I have met who need to find a little in their lives. Mostly however, we find one or two, otherwise fine and desirable specimens, who have just a tad too much aggression for the welfare of the whole group. And unless something is done to control or remove that aggression, the whole group will suffer and be stressed even if it is just trying to avoid confrontation.

How is your work situation? Is there an aggressor in it that needs to be reigned in? Worse, is that aggressor you?

Remember, a little aggression is a good thing, but too much of a good thing is not. Maybe you need to stop and smell the “seaweed” for a while and take a realistic stock of your present “Pond environment” and your role in making it a happy and productive place. What say you?

Cold-Water Fish In A Warm-water Tank.

As stated in other blogs, I love pet fish and have had, and still have both tropical and Coldwater fish. One problem with keeping fish is that you sometimes end up with fish that become too aggressive and bossy for a small communal tank and have to be removed or kept alone, and sometimes this becomes too impractical as you can quickly run out of tanks or room to put all these tanks, or both. Running both Cold water and Tropical fish means that you have to have separate tanks for both varieties, as each one doesn’t always like the temperature of the other’s water as I mentioned in Tropical Fish In A Cold Water Tank?

Now that being said, you can successfully (?) go the other way and put gold fish into a tropical tank if you have to, which I have done. Oft times to the amazement of others! However it is not recommended as a long-term solution, even though there are many short-term benefits. Benefits, such as increased activity and increased growth in size. However to counter all these increases, there is one major decrease and that is in life span. Yes putting a goldfish in warmer water will have short-term benefits but will also result in quicker mortality too!

So, how are you swimming today? Are you swimming in your proper environment and growing naturally or are you swimming in waters not properly suited to you? Oh yes you may even be reaping great short term benefits, but at long term costs as to your health and mortality.

Maybe today is the day when you need to move back to your proper conditions. Maybe watch your diet, your exercise, your free time, your stress levels, your - - - - - (You fill in the Blanks!) Anyhow, it is something to think about isn’t it? Walter

What’s Your Focal Point?

On and off, since I was a teenager I have had pet fish, as I have always loved them. Shortly before we found ourselves having to make the decision to leave South Africa to return to Australia, I bought some more Cold-water fish, in an attempt to lower my stress levels.

Obviously now, that wasn’t enough and the painful decision to pull the plug on our work there was made. However before we left South Africa for good, we moved to another site as temporary relief replacements. It was there that I discovered the joy of keeping tropical fish, even if it was only a few Guppies in a Bowl.

So when we did return to Australia and resettled again, I bought myself a big Christmas present, a 4-foot Fish Tank and set myself up with tropical fish. For a while there, we were constantly buying new fish but eventually we got the water conditions right and the fish not only lived but started growing too. During this period I also had the loan of a 6-foot tank for over 12 months and so the fish grew some more before they had to go back into the 4ft Tank. What this meant was that I had quite a number of large interesting fish.

Of course even with perfect conditions you loose fish and so it was with me over the 5 years since I started again. Anyway with the last move coming up we let the tank run down in numbers and have only started to restock now after every thing has settled.

We actually have quite a few in the tank again and quite a good and varied group too, but there is something missing. As I thought about it, I decided it was “colour” so I started to look out for any ‘colourful’ fish to fill the need. I am still looking but in my looking I have seen a lot of other interesting fish that are not necessarily ‘colourful’, and then I realized what was really missing in my fish tank.

Not so much ‘colour’ as ‘character”. Something different that was the focal point for people’s passing attention. You see, over the years I have had some interesting fish, particularly small sharks and catfish that have grabbed people’s attention, for their unusualness. It was these “interesting” fish that drew their attention to the tank even if they didn’t normally like pet fish. Now I currently have lots of varied tropical fish, but nothing, not one, that is ‘spectacular’ to automatically draw people’s attention to the rest of the tank.

How does that sit in your life situation, your work? Is your work, good, solid, plentiful, but without any real focal point, to attract people’s attention to your work with the hope of closer inspection of all your other ‘little fishes’?

Do you yourself even know what your focal point is or should be? Just another though to contemplate as I relax and enjoy my little 'fishies", hey? Walter

Tropical Fish In A Cold Water Tank?

For a person who doesn’t particularly like cold weather I could be seen by some to be living in the wrong place and State, but before you start talking about whether I should rather move to Queensland, let me say I love it here in Victoria and am in no inclination to move, just now thank you all the same. As for the colder months, well, fortunately we have access to good clean Gas Heat here and that suits me just fine. I like gas heating as it is quick and reasonably cheap, unlike electricity. Although having said that I do have some electric heaters too. But I mostly use them for the Fish Tank, so that I can keep Tropical Fish in an un-tropical environment. I like Fish and particularly tropical fish. In South Africa, in the place where we were for the last few months, it was possible to keep Tropical fish without heating the water, but not here in good old Victoria, Australia.

For a little while, in the summer at least you could probably keep tropical fish here without heating the water, but if you want to keep them alive during the winter months than you just have to have heated water. But not too much either or you will have roast or broiled fish instead. No for tropical fish there is a limited range of heat needed. The temperature needs to be just so and no more. Too much and they will die. Too low and they will die. Do it right and you will have little trouble. Do it incorrectly and you will soon have no fish!

How are you swimming? Are you a tropical Fish trying to swim in an unheated pool? You may survive for a little while when conditions are good but as soon as conditions change you will struggle and unless you can change the conditions, you will die, metaphorically if not literally.

In the wild some tropical fish move with the water temperature, and when it cools they move onto the warmer waters. If you have that opportunity then I suggest you take advantage of it and move with the weather. But where you can’t, make sure that your “Heaters” are in good working order long before winter hits.