Blue is a rare color in nature, especially in freshwater fish. It is really hard to find. My best theory says the reason for that is because blue things stand out in nature and are more likely to be eaten—but that’s just a theory.

So, anyway, if you’re tired of red and yellow, or black and silver, here is my list of blue fish you can put in a community tank (note, this list excludes varieties that are difficult to keep, like African Ciclids or Discus).

SEVEN: Zebra Danios have blue and yellow stripes. They’re pretty cool, but the blue only shows up in direct sunlight. I like Zebra Danios. I bought a whole bunch and put them in my 20 gallon tank, but they have been disappearing. I think my Red-Claw Crab has been having a little midnight snack. I digress.

SIX: Also on my list are the Powder-Blue Gouramis. These are really kind of washed out, and not really a vivid blue, but they are blue nonetheless.

FIVE: For a less washed-out shade of blue you can try some three-spot gouramis. They have one spot on their tail, one spot in their middle, and their eye makes a third spot. Here’s a pic of one I got from About.com

FOUR: Did you know you could get blue Mickey Mouse Platties? I was very impressed, so I bought a whole bunch. I have six of them. In the right light they really show their color. In normal light they look powder blue. Here’s a pic:

THREE: Next on my list are Opaline Gouramis. I read in my fish book that these guys can be fairly aggressive. They grow to six inches. I bought one, thinking they were pretty cool. I got the bluest one I could find. He was only half the size of the yellow gourami in my tank, but he soon asserted himself at the top of the pecking order. Man, feisty! He is now the same size as the yellow gourami.

TWO: Neon Tetra. I hadn’t realized how brilliant blue these guys can be until I passed a tank full of them in a pet store. They’re not pure blue, but they have a brilliant, iridescent blue stripe. Very attractive. I wish they got bigger. I won’t buy them. Here’s a nice pic from aquariumfish.net (one of my favorite sites)

ONE: Betas are next on my list. If you want pure blue in a freshwater fish, this one is hard to beat. Unfortunately, they are not compatible with everything. It will attack anything that has looks remotely like another beta. This includes anything with long fins, or fins that stick up (like angel-fish). These fish can be super aggressive. They flare out their gills and spread out their fins. It is very dramatic to watch. To their detriment, they are really tiny, and their long fins make them fairly slow swimmers, so they are easily bullied by other aggressive species (especially tiger barbs). They mix well in a small community tank with peaceful fish that DON’T look like betas, like white clouds and neons. Gouramis and bala sharks also do all right. It’s too bad they aren’t more peaceful. Their vivid colors would make them super popular.

I had a beta once. He attacked my angel-fish. Apparently angel-fish look very aggressive the way their fins splay out, so the beta thought they were challenging him to a fight. I had to move the beta to the 20 gallon tank, but that tank has a mirror in the back and he kept attacking his own reflection and wouldn’t eat. Finally I took him to a pet store and unloaded him. That’s when I got the blue platties. The pet store owner told me that customers commonly complain about betas attacking angel-fish. Go figure. Here is a pic from somewhere on the web.

If you are a little more advanced, you can definitely do better than this list. African Cichlids sport some pretty amazing colors, and are definitely king of the freshwater blues, IMO. Also, breeders have managed to create some very striking breeds of blue discus (you have to order them over the web). Discus can be a PITA if you aren’t that serious about keeping fish. They are expensive and disease prone—definitely not worth it if you are only half-way committed. Someday I’ll give them a try, if I ever live somewhere that the tap water isn’t super, super hard.

Frogs Part 1

This is part 1 of a three-part series.

I took my kids to the local pet store last summer, a mom and pop outfit named “Pet Planet.” They have a wide selection of every kind of thing you can find at Petco or PetSmart. I am always on the lookout for anything unique that isn’t a fish—not that I don’t like fish, but critters add quite a bit of character to an aquarium. In the past, I have had ghost shrimp, red-claw crabs, snails, fiddler crabs, African dwarf frogs, and one very elusive bamboo shrimp that I saw a total of two times.

On that particular day they had two tanks full of tadpoles. I felt really excited and got my kids’ attention.

“See these? These are tadpoles. They turn into frogs.”

Of course, you can’t say such a thing without your kids insisting that you buy some, so I got two and took them home. I dumped them in the 20 gallon aquarium and let them do their thing.

Tadpoles are kind of awkward and dopey. They lack fins, so they have a hard time staying upright, and they waddle as they swim. The two that I bought spent most of their time foraging in the gravel, or laying like a slug at the bottom of the tank, looking half dead.

After a couple of weeks, they sprouted back legs. They look like tiny flippers, that come in at the base of the tail. They gradually elongate into fully developed legs. It was fascinating to watch. I took photos of one as he developed. Here you can see his back legs. They still aren't functional.

The front feet come a couple weeks later. They form inside the body at first, then a large bump develops on either side in the center of the body.

Then the front legs sprout right out. It happens over about 6 to 8 days. Here he is again now with fully developed front arms. You can also see his eyes are starting to look more frog-like.
After that, things happen pretty quickly for the frog. They lose their gills, their lungs develop, and their tail shrinks as they metabolize it back into their system. During this time, the frog cannot eat because the mouth is also undergoing a major metamorphosis from the rasping mouth of a tadpole to a mature mouth much like the one that terrestrial animals have.

Here you can see this one's almost done. I stuck him in a yellow bucket so I could get a really good look. He's already an expert jumper!

A little research told me that in nature, many frogs spawn in puddles and streams that dry up and disappear in a few weeks’ time. They do all their development in those few weeks. They might still have their tails, but they can hop, and they will be fully capable of fending for themselves.

I also learned that frogs spawn several times during the warmer months. Quite often, tadpoles that are born during the latter part of the season will halt their development as the weather grows colder, and winter comes they wait it out just like a fish. When it warms up in springtime, they will resume their development, and be fully developed by May.

This last part is important to keep in mind if you keep tadpoles. They develop very quickly in a heated tank, and very slowly in an unheated tank. In fact, one of my tadpoles developed completely into a frog, and the other one (which was the same age) stayed a tadpole for two months. He turned into a frog in the space of two weeks when I plopped him in the larger tank (which is kept at 85 degrees).

Here's the same guy, now, all grown up. He's just under an inch long.

Frogs are fun. In part 2, I'll talk about setting up a frog tank.

How to Fix a Leaky Aquarium

It turns out that aquarium leaks are pretty easy to fix, even ones that look pretty severe. As long as the glass panels are not cracked or badly chipped, you can do it yourself and fix the largest aquariums for well under $10. The real cost is going to be measured in time. It is best if you can empty the entire tank, but you might not have that luxry. All in all, the whole process is pretty easy. In fact, if you have ever re-caulked your bathroom tile, fixing an aquarium leak should be a snap.

I happened to be perusing a local second hand store, called Deseret Industries, and I found a 65 gallon aquarium for only $7.00. It was pretty dirty, but there were no cracks and it seemed to be in pretty good shape. I could take it home, clean it up, then advertise it on Craigslist. Even if it had leaks, I could sell it to someone who kept reptiles and still make a killing. All in all it was a safe deal.

The first thing I needed to find out was whether or not it leaked. I put it on the floor of my garage and filled it with the garden hose. I soon found out why someone had gotten rid of it. The leak was pretty severe, and in no time at all I had a major flood in my garage. I felt really sorry for the previous owners. 65 gallons can cause an extensive amount of water damage. I had quite a challenge ahead of me.

You will need the following items:

• A tube of silicone sealant. Use only non-toxic, 100% silicone, clear sealant.
• A razor blade scraper

The sealant is the most important part. It should cost you between $3.00 and $5.00. Not a bad investment, all things considered.

Some other things you might need:

• Acetone (nail polish remover) for cleaning the area around the leaky spot
• Paper towels
• Felt tip marker (to mark the leaky spot)

REMEMBER: This job will take some time. You aren’t going to fix an aquarium leak in 10 minutes.

Some things to consider:

• The patch will work best if you fix the leak from the inside of the aquarium.
• The patch will be the strongest if you re-seal both the inside and the outside.
• The patch will look best if you re-seal the whole edge where the leak was found—not just the immediate area of the leak.

You can try to do this with your fish still in the tank, but it will be best if you can safely move your fish somewhere else. All of the chemicals used in this process are toxic until they have dried up or cured. Go down to Target and get a large plastic bin. You can hang your filter and heater from the side and your fish can live there happily for several days.

Preparation:

1. (optional) mark the spot where the water is leaking with a marker or a grease pencil.
2. Drain the aquarium completely and empty it out.
3. Clean the area around the leak. Make sure there is no algae, or lime deposits, or salt creep. Use a sponge to get the area wet, then scrape it clean with a razor blade.
4. Make sure the spot you are going to seal is completely dry. Wipe the spot off with a towel and then let it sit for an hour or two.
5. Using the razor blade, cut the silicone away from the leaky area. Cut away an additional one or two inches beyond the leaky area.
6. Clean away any grit or grime that had accumulated underneath the old sealant.
7. (optional) Cleanse the area with a bit of acetone applied to a paper towel.

Apply the sealant:

1. (optional) If you want the new seal to have a nice, even edge, you can apply a strip of masking tape along both sides of the area.
2. Apply an even bead of silicone sealant to the area, a little less than 1/4 inch wide. Make sure the sealant gets forced into the crack between the two pieces of glass.
3. Using your finger or a tool, smooth the bead over to give it a nice rounded shape. This also forces some of the sealant into the crack.
4. Strip away the masking tape immediately after you are done.
5. Let the sealant dry for 24 hours.

Testing the seal

1. Fill the tank up completely.
2. Let it stand for another 24 hours.