Just some of the stuff that we have done with our aquarium backgrounds.......pinned it , stamped on it , cut it , only thing we have not done is shoot and eat it!!!! i also threw in a few bits and pieces of infos on the livestock that i had played around with,i will try to be as honest and as accurate with the infos as i can but hey ! sometimes one just can't control that mysterious streak of fooling around and doin something funny ! So don't believe everything that u read here , for Heaven's sake please don't blame me if all yr livestocks decided to join King Arthur in Avalon because i am not in the insurance business !!! . 

* Amazon Tree *

A Garden of Eden for Boraras Urops , Brigittae , Ottos , Badis Badis , Galaxies , Orange crayfishs , Crystal black n Crystal red shrimps..........a lot of greens kind of like Jungle Boy's  playground .

* Rainforest *

Rainforest - Creating a imaginary flooded Amazon River basin with lots of dead tree roots , rocks and some Amazon swords for a tetras,corydoras n catfishes's underwater santuary !

*Canyon Rock *

A rocky background with nooks n crannies , a mossy dreamscape for a shrimp tank . Bright lights from above casting shadows from overhanging ledges and mosses for a good hiding place for some R n R ! . 

*Puzzle Rock *

 Cichlids 's set-up                                        Planted wall for hanging plants.                      200X60 Puzzle Rock background.

*Malawi *                                                                  

                     Great cichlids 's set-up !                                                       Cichlids with Modular Rocks.            

 *Rockwall *

A very simple n nice layout , a lot of legroom for rocks n plants due to the very slim Rockwall which is only 10mm in thickness !

*Nano Aquariums*       -         Our Nanowa  Series.... ...........plug and play...................................

In this day and age of the population explosion , it makes sense to look at things in a microscopic way......making sense???

Cherry shrimps , rocks , 1 - 3 mm substrate , Boraras sp. , driftwoods , mosses ,aquatic plants n  Riccia. Our very own Mini Series , not those US$300 million , 225 Episodes series that runs for 7 years !

*What the Fish ?*

* Cockatoo Cichlid -  Apistogramma Cacatuoides * -   A truly miniature Cichlid from the rivers and streams of South America . Fully grown adults are only 3 - 31/2 inches in length . It is quite easy to tell apart the male from the female just by looking at the colour and finnage. Males have longer dorsal and tail fins and much better colouration than the female. A very petite and aggressive fish , especially the male who is not afraid of anything and everything . One point to note is that they are really , really fierce when they are spawning, so it's a good idea for all others to stay out of the way !!! . A few local fish shop do keep these beauties in stock and the going market rate is around US$10 each regardless of the gender but most will buy a pair . There is a high chance for a single male and female to spawn if the right conditions are present like water and food supply .One sure win way of making them spawn is to create a Harem for the single male , get a couple of females and let him choose to his heart's desire !! , that i can confidently guarantee a marriage with babies or you can sue me ! . Having a pair in your tank is a real eyeful , one good thing is that they will not shy away if you are near the tank and not like those paniky ones who shoots away at the slightest movement ! This kind of reminded me of my Botias , haven't seen them in ages !  Hope they are still around ! .

Boraras Uropthalmoides  - aka Mosquito Rasboras or Exclaimation Point Rasboras ( Miniature Tuna of the Freshwater World ! ). One of our most beautiful and striking Asian Rasboras . Survivng in small pools of highly acidic  water .Adult size hardly reaches more than 1 inch ! . Rated as one of the smallest Rasboras in the Whole Wide World of which the smallest is the tiny Paedocypris Progenitica ( i think so , i am not a Scientist or a Marine Biologist , would i still be doing this if i am a Scientist ? ) . Just about the right size and shape for a Nano Aquarium.

Boraras Brigittae -  Another mosquito rasboras or the local name of Chili rasboras . A good fit for the Nano fad also , suitable size and colour to compliment the planted nano tank . A contrast of green and red makes an eye-catching display. Looks like a cross between the Uropthalmoides and the Maculatus , tends to wander all over the place , not a candidate for the shoaling school !!

Boraras Maculatus - aka Dwarf Rasbora -  A few cousins of the Urops are of course the Boraras Brigittae , Boraras Maculatus , Boraras Merah and maybe the newly discovered Microrasboras Galaxy , the Burmese Celestial Pearl Danio . Looking at these guys it kind of brings back a lot of memories of our childhood from the days gone by . Lazy afternoons , going barefoot with a tin can and a net catching these beauties in the rivers and streams in our very own backyard ! Nowadays ,  Urbanization have made it rather difficult to locate these poor fellas in our concrete jungle ! . In this day and age ,if you want to own some you have to pay for it ! , extinction is undeniable ! Survival of the Fittest ... i think when we are long gone , they will still be around for a long , long time  . Rightly so , they been around much, much longer than us !

Tips : Being a kind of shoaling fish , it is best to purchase at least 5 - 10 for a community tank . A 4ft  bio-tope tank can easily accomodate 100 of these little fellas with room to spare. When they are release into the tank for the very first time , there will be utter chaos in motion ! You won't see any shaoling but these guys darting all over the tank without any co-ordination and giving a very messy look which is not very pleasing to the eye. Don't panic ! as with all living things , they need a couple of days to orientate themselves to their new surroundings . Hopefully , they will settle down and practically show their " true colors " and start to shoal !Also a part time shoalers if i might say.

Sphaerichthys Vaillanti -   Top Cat , Indian Chief , Leader of the Pack , Last Man Standing , Best of the Best ! Call it what you want but easily the most colourful and most beautiful of all the Gouramis ! Very streamline and small ,a black horizontal band across the eyes makes it looks more sinister , fiercer and more powerful ! None of the other Gouramis comes close except maybe the Chocolate Gourami. Adult can reach a size of about 3 inches but rarely in captivity . Females are much more attractive than the males with vertical red , black and white marking. A great example is the Ancient Japanese Katana 's handle , I guess that's why they are called the Samurai Gourami ! Very suitablely named i might add . One important point to note is that it is the male who is the mouthbrooder , the fashionable in-thing now , the House-Husband ! . Imagine starving yourself for 2 weeks or so ! No more wine , women and songs , No more bachelor's party !!!

Sphaerichthys Osphromenoides - Chocolate Gourami - A kissing cousin of the Samurai Gourami ! A slightly smaller fish compared to all of the other gouramis . Most comes in light to dark brown in colour with a reddish hint from certain areas where they come from as u can see from the pics that i hv posted . Breeding them is difficult but still possible with the right conditions . In their breeding garb u can easily see why they r one of the most sought after gourami in the fish world ! .                          

Tips :  It's 110% guaranteed that it's the female who is the mouth brooder whereas for the Samurai Gourami it's the complete opposite . A classic example of a mischevious Angel who got bored and did something different on a monotonus job of creating 'life'.This one will definitely causes Charles Darwin a big headache on his theory of Evolution ! A traditional wife versus the modern House-husband. Another step towards legalising Gay marriages ???

After about 2 weeks in the female's mouth , fully formed fry are gradually released . A splitting image of their parents with a brownish hue and a vertical transparent stripe down the middle of the body, who measured just about 5mm in length ! . These old dog's eyes might be playing tricks on me but everytime i look at their eyes there is always a blueish tint ! Reminds one of 'Old Blue Eyes ' the distinguished Mr Paul Newman . Really cute and fascinating babies who will ultimately be included into my 'Advent Children' list . Another notch on my six-shooter ! Another time , another place , another challenge !

Red Lizards - L10A -  Whiptails that grow to not more than 4 - 5 inches when fully grown !. A really sleek and elegant looking miniature catfish from South America. According to market experts , the color of the males are a darker brown and the females are a bit reddish brown in color. When in a mating seaon the males will sport some bristles on the side of the face. One really funny thing about these Red Lizards is in the way they move backwards, rocking from side to side and using their pectoral fins to move backward a step at a time. It reminds one of some Harley Davidson's  bikers trying to guide their bikes into a parking lot ! If you have seen it , you will know what i mean ! A note of caution , if you happens to see it do not laugh out loud or you will have not the lizards but a 6.7' , 275lbs and heavily tattooed monster called 'Tiny' coming down on you really , really hard ! A case of the Red Lizzies and the Kiddie bikes.............Just smile.....................

Tips : Latest info 31/8/2010   Retail Price  :  Kids 1-2 inches  us$5.00   ,  Adults 4-5 inches  us$7-$10.00. If you are looking for them at our Local Chinese aquarium shops , just ask for 'Helicopters' as this is the local slang for Red Lizards instead of  'A kind of South American Miniature Red Whiptail Catfish that do not grows bigger than 4 inches with a stringly tail at the end ' A bit of a mouthfull don't you think ? A big thank you to the genius who coined that nickname !.

Cons :  A habit of hiding in the daylight hours and only coming out in the dark searching for food! 

Road Crews - Unsung Heroes   - Neocaridina Heteropoda - aka Red Cherry Shrimp ,  Caridina Japonica - aka Yamato Shrimp , Caridina Cantonensis - aka Tiger Shrimp ,Oto Cats - aka Miniature Catfish , Ghost shrimps , Nerite snails  n SAE - the Siamese Algae Eaters .

One of the most under rated creatures in the Aquarium tanks are undoubtly those who works behind the scene to clean and keep the tank's water perimeter in tip top condition.Yamatos and Oto cats are particilarly good in controlling the explosion of green algae to a manageable level. All shrimps are basically good at clearing left over food and all edible stuff from the surroundings including dead fishes and their very own husks which is a source of protein! but it dosen't mean that they do not need shrimp food from time to time.One of the most important component contributing to this lean and clean envoirnment is of course with the hand that rocks the cradle ! To go hands-on , to get yr hands wet n dirty with a sponge or brush will ultimately leads to a very clean tank ! The tasks that these creatures ( including the hands of the master ! ) performed will eventually lead to a crystal clear water and algea-free tank for a clean n clear view !

Tips : Be very ,  very careful in whatever u put into the tank be it aquatic plants , mosses or even any equipments or whatever that is in contact with yr tank . Many types of algae hv pores that are really really tiny and some with a single tiny strand it can grows to take over an entire tank. Prevention is better than cure !  It is really a heartache to allow all that time n efforts to go to waste n start all over again ! .

PS :  U hv to excuse me for the sub-standard pic of  'The Hand ' just ignore the reflections and blurry stuffs and treat it as arty ! i am doing it the best that i can with one hand holding the sponge in the tank n the other with a iphone trying to get the best angle with a gangly gait !. Please do send me one of yr own pic using the same style n technique if u think u can do better n i will give u a 110% discount storewide !,to put it simply whatever u buy is free and on top of that i will pay u 10% of the total amount , rocket science ?

Froggies - Kermit's bros but gourmet food for the Aros !

What a pity ! Handsome fellas who will be ended up as snacks for the Arowanas. i think if u were to take a conservative estimate of the numbers that been eaten , it could easily be on par or even surpassed the GDP of Japan ! A mind blogging 10 - 20 trillions if i  were to give a rough figure off the top of my head!. u might ask what good these guys can do , well for one there might be a lot less Malaria n Dengue fever !!. i also heard but will not n don't plan to do is that if u were to kiss one it will turn into a Handsome Prince !! If u do a simple calculation that fr Day 1 n if all of them were to be transformed into Princes , u could easily line them up shoulder to shoulder n they would hv stretched fr Earth to Mars n back with a couple of millions on the side as reserves !!! Are there any Brave Souls out there who will give it a try ? i don't mean goin to Mars n back but to give a Kiss to a frog ! As the Motto of a certain Boy Scout's group bravely declared ' Who Dares Wins '. A prime candidate to be nominated n included into the Endangered Species catagory of the WWF ( not Mr Steve McMahon's World Wrestling Federation even though Hulk Hogan , Jimmy 'the fly' Stuka n Andre the Giant r all endangered species!!! ) Are there any Warriors out there who are willing to risk life n limbs to prove a point ??? There will be no discrimination against anyone , both Gender can apply ! Hey , in this modern day n age there are not many things that can cause us to bat an eyelit but u hv to do me a favour n count me out , i am just an Old Fashion Straight guy !

Hara Jerdoni  - Is this the name of a A-Go-Go dancer ???   -   Miniature Moth or Anchor Catfish of Asia

Call me naive , a bit stupid or anything you want but just don't embarrass me ( i am a human being , i have my ego you know )....the very first time that i heard of the name 'Hara Jerdoni ' i honestly thought that it's the name of a A-Go-go dancer ! Miniature catfish that do not grows to more than 3cm when reaching maturity . Local slang for these cute little buggers are referred to as the ' aeroplane fish ',  looking at it from the top-side one can easily make out the shape of an aeroplane or a space ship ! . Colour ranges from light brown to very dark  black . At our LFS , prices for these are us$1.00/pc or 5pcs for us$4. Sandy substrate with driftwoods  and some hardy plants should be a good envoirnment for these guys . Tank mates that are most suitable are members of the Darios and of course some of the miniature Boraras  sp . A very likeable fellas these guys are and what more it looks exactly like the logo of one of my favorite band , the everlasting ' Queensryche '. i think i better not say too much or else these fellas (  Hara Jerdoni ) will sue that band for copyrights infringement !!! They will win hands down after all they have been around for eons where as the band is only around for less than half a century !!!!!

                 ....look - alike ???

Tips :  If you are planning to add these buggers to your big tank  just make sure you buy in the double digits at 10 - 100 pcs at one go , if you are loaded just grab a thousand pieces or more !!! . Too few and you will be ended up seeing them at maximum 2 -3 times a year !!! Imagine buying them to look at and ending up straining your eyes and wasting your time trying to locate them !!! This is no joke just believe me for this one time !!.

Sturisoma Panamense or Aureum or Festivum ??? - South American Whiptail Catfish

One of the most striking Whiptail Catfishes from South America. Adults can grow up to a length of nearly 6-8 inches long.As with most catfishes , the males are easily identified by the bristles on their cheeks when they have attained a certain size. A black stripe running from both sides of the body beginning from the mouth to the end of the tail creates a very 'Sinister look ' but giving off a sense of power and elegance.An added bonus is that they have 2 filaments instead of the usual 1 that most whiptails have at the end of their tails.

One outstanding behaviour of this particular specie of Whiptails is that they tend to have all their fins fully stretched open at all times , a look of being lively and alert ! Some confusions on the name and specie of this catfish are too numerous to mention . For one , it has been called the Royal Farlowella Whiptail , two slight differences are that the true Farlowella's snourt is longer and the mouth is located quite a distance from the tip of the snourt and all fins are kept pretty close to the body at all times. Maybe by just adding 'Royal' or 'Farlowella' the value goes up by a couple of bucks ! who knows! i am no expert myself ! Just think about it , Norma Jean or Marilyn Monroe , which one sells ? and not to mentioned about the guy who adds 'Art' in the Company's name , i guess everything goes up by 200% !  i rest my case !  At most times , it's smart to act stupid , shut your mouth and just blindly follows the majority as i always do ! If you were to ask Elton , i think he would have called them 'Honky Cat ' ! Locally refered to as one of the Helicopters also . For the truth , the whole truth and nothing but the truth , you have to go to Wikipedia ! Good luck ! One of the truth about this particular fish is that they help to keep the algae population to a manageable level and provide eye-candy to the tank.If you own a couple of these sleek buggers and it makes you happy to call them 'puppies' ! as the 'Tick' says 'Just do it !'. After all we are living in a Democratic and Multiracial Society !.

Pros :  A very visible specie who goes about their business of grazing on the driftwoods and aquatic plants . Not easily spook by sudden actions or sounds like most fishes do. Can often easily be seen hanging about oblivious to the activities in or out of the tank !!

Note : Anyone who has been into fishkeeping for awhile will definitely comes across this strange but funny phenomenon.Of all the different kinds of fishes that we keep thru the times , there will bound to be a stage where u will realise that for all the livestocks that come n go that there is always one or two that stays with u ! . It might be a single platy or a single 2inches neon tetra , it might look really out of place with yr present theme but just take it that this is yr lucky charm ! Well , this Whiptail gal of mine hv been with me since she was a baby where as all those that came before n after her had already gone to heaven! i practically raised her all her life even if she says goodbye today due to her old age it will still leaves some pretty good memories !!!

Farlowella Acus ? -  The Pinocchio of the Whiptail catfish 's  world !

Aaaarrrrggghhh finally!!! , laid my hands on a couple of ( i think so ) the real deal Farlowella Acus . If u take a closer look , one can easily see that the snourt is much , much longer than many other species of Twig catfishes ! Not a very striking looking catfish which always keep all their fins close to their bodies at all times but it reminds one of the number of lies that one had told and will be telling just by looking at the snourt which kind of resemble the one that Pinocchio had, if u know what i mean !!! . One irritating thing is that they can practically glue their bodies to a surface , be it driftwood or glass to be impossible to net them , an alternative is to just catch them by hand!! An alien look that betrays a close lineage to the Dinosaurs that died out a couple of millions years ago ! Some not so decent pics that u can compare with the other species......great pics i only reserved for movie stars and celebrities!!!

Hemiloricaria Parva - One for the Road - another 'Helicopter' .......a locally used slang for these suckermouth catfishes........A very stream-line and aerodynamic looking catfish. Evolution must have really transformed this specie into what it is today. Don't be mislead by their behaviour of them mostly staying motionless in one place , if needed be , they can be really fast and cut thru the water like a speeding bullet ! You will find out just by trying to net them . Patches of grey and black makes for a really good camouflage for fading into the masses of driftwwods , rocks and aquatic plants. Adults can attain a maximum size of around 5 inches.

Cons :  Will stay hidden most of the time and only coming out to look for food ! 

CRS - Caridina Cantonensis - Crystal Red Shrimp  n  Crystal Black Shrimp

A miniature fresh water shrimp from the region around China and East Asia . Grading of these beauties are from A , B , C , S , SS , SSS. A really good SSS or above grade can fetch a crazy top dollar which one cannot even imagine !. I think the  secret to breeding good grade CRS are clean and cool water. Take extreme care of the quality of the water , a small mistake like contamination by fertiliser or any foreign elements can have a very fatal effect on them . Whole population can easily be wiped out in a matter of days and whatmore it's a heartbreak and top dollars down the drain.Generations and generations of inbreeding have produced a delicate and low immune system to fight off most diseases and extreme changes in water conditions .Taking a tip their scientific name and place of Origin , one can safely comes to a conclusion that by speaking Cantonese ( A local Asian Dialect ) to them , can one expects to achieve a more successful breeding programme??? R there any experts out there who hv tried???.

Miniature freshwater Shrimps - Guest stars

Heavy Metal , Rock n Roll , Progressive , Opera n whatnot .....red , blue , yellow , green , brown just like in music so many genres , so many different types to choose from....to each his own ...........Shrimps that are coloured ranging more than there are colours in the rainbow , these guest-starring shrimps are a class act in their own right .There are also tons of people who are into these shrimps . Playing second fiddle to the CRS but also at the same time giving them a good fight ! . Identifying these buggers are not easy at all , they can change colour at will under different light level to adapt and match their surroundings. What good this will do to all those retailers is that they can market the same shrimps under 10 different colours and 10 different prices ! i hv bought so many types and on so many occasions that i hv completely lost track of what i hv in my tanks ! .It suddenly hits me that i didn't realised that i hv been buying houses and putting childrens thru universities for our local fish shops's owners ! . Hopefully , things will stop here without them bringing up the subject of their grandchildren's kindergarden fees !!! . Take a look at the pics above and decide for yrself on the colour that u want them to be , it's subjective just like Abstract Art ,  afterall Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder  ! . 

Cambarellus Patzcuarensis - CPO - Mexican orange dwarf crayfish

Small and cute , a very petite crayfish from the Americas , Mexico to be precise . Looking at the striking color it seems that it might be a mutant strain from their original peppered color . i don't think they can survive long in the wild with their flashy and loud color and that i can say with confidence ! . Adults can grow up to a length of about 3 - 4 cm long . A pretty good contrast of color for a planted tank especially between the greens of the aquatic plants and this orangey bugger but it is a completely bad idea if u are looking into making a ' bouillabaisse ' for two , i think it's gonna take a thousand or two to make a single serving ! Whatmore they cost around us$6 - $10.00 each !!!. Honestly speaking , it's very relaxing looking at these guys foraging for food scraps and any edible stuff that they can get their hands ( claws ) on !!! . 

Note : A very fascinating thing about these guys is that they have the ability to generate new body parts like limbs and pincers in a very short time ,one day he's a one arm swordman the next he's Conan the Barbarian ! ,  just imagine what this knowledge can do for the human race ! The genius who can unlock this secret will end up with the Nobel Prize , that my friend is no secret ! Do u still believe we are the most intelligent beings on earth ?  

Badis Badis or Dario Dario ??? ..........Chameleon fish......Scarlet Badis...............

A true chameleon fish , not only changes in color but makes u wonder at their apperance . Look and stare all u want but i can bet u that u can never tell wether it's a gourami or a betta . The males of this species behave very much like the Siamese fighting fish when they r trying to mate with the females . Brilliant coloring , the flaring of theirs fins , chasing and biting their females are very similar traits borrowed from the Bettas ! . Hovering left and right with their flashy colour looking like Alice Cooper or if you want the modern version of Mr Adam Lambert's  'eye shadow' trying to impress their females or fighting the macho males make this guy a prime candidate for the bright lights of Bollywood and whatmore i don't know wether it's true or not but i heard that this guy is from India ! Just a friendly warning to Mr Amitabh Bachchan n Mr Rajinikanth , watch yr back ! , Jai Ho ! the new Superstar is in town ! 

Note : This guy is very territorial , will attack any intruders who intrude into their chosen area.