Happy Valentine's Day

Aquascaping, originally uploaded by Sunshine follows me.

So we carefully and lovingly aquascaped and set up our fishtank, and then let it run for about ten days to let the water mature.

Fishless cycling, a technique for preparing and establishing an aquarium, is in vogue at the moment, as MDH and I have discovered. It is supposed to be more humane than introducing cheap and hardy 'suicide fish' - little brave pioneers that are sacrificed in order to make ready the territory for future generations.

So MDH and I have been staring at a lovely plant-filled, but fish-free tank for the last ten days.

It's been very relaxing, watching the bubbles and listening to the quiet hum of the filter but I could hardly wait to introduce some piscine creatures into the Orb.

Today, there six sparkly little Neon Tetras that are happily exploring their new home. A Valentine's Day present from MDH.

Valentine's Day presents
Originally uploaded by Sunshine follows me.

Here they are, dithering behind the resident Java Fern.

Aren't they lovely? I can't wait until I can add some other fish into the tank and create a little community. Anybody have any ideas on what fish would be good in a small 30litre tank?

Happy Valentine's Day!