Fish Tanks for Fun

One thing that has always been a part of monastic life has been caring for animals. In walking our aadheenam grounds you'll find wild birds, fish, cows, lizards and all assortment of other creatures, including the occasional sleeping cat. In the monastery you'll also find several large fish tanks in our kulam offices. We'll feature the Siddhidatta Kulam's beautiful aquarium in a future post. For now we will take a look at the recently created 55 gallon tank in the Media Studio. Aquariums can be an enjoyable living art form, as one aquascapes them and then populates them with a variety of happy fish. They also seem to add a certain calming energy to a space.

The Media Studio\

s recent 55 gallon aquarium'

It all starts with aquascaping the substrate. We use our healthy Wailua river sand and a variety of rocks from our gardens

The idea with this one is to create a little mountain scene

So many nice rocks to choose from. Each is unique.

Oddly enough, a lot of thought and care goes into selecting and placing rocks in order to gain a natural look and pleasing landscape

The initial mountain structure is looking is little small. White sand has also been added to accent the rocks and future plants

More rocks are added, and our monastery ponds are looked to for provisions of plants

These amazon sword-ferns grow rapidly in outdoor propagation tubs

A smaller 20 gallon tank full of fish and growing plants stands at the ready for its inhabitants to be moved.

more plants are added the tank is given time to clear and to begin to grow a healthy environmental life-cycle. A process greatly aided by live plants.

The fish produce waste, and the plants and bacteria in the filter help to process it, making the tank a stable environment for life

This mountain tree is made of a stick with underwater moss attached to it.

After several days the tank is getting clear and the fish, shrimp and snails are added. We\

re only using small fish, to give a sense of a large landscape'

It\

s a whole little world unto itself'

Colorful guppies enjoy the plants and rocks

moss and pearl weed grow alongside a \"log\"

A little snail scales a mountain

Our red tail shark (it\

s actually a carp) nibbles algae. He will eventually be the largest inhabitant '

A red cherry shrimp says hello

Red cherry shrimp act as scavengers for left over food and algae. They keep everything clean.

A dojo loach enjoys the sand

bristle-nose plecos eat the algae and keep the tank\

s glass clean'

there are some glow tetras too

Guppies enjoy a cucumber

a trumpet snail digs through the sand for edibles

a rams-horn snail inspects the glass

Such a colorful world

Two baby guppies

The snails also help keep the place clean

Some orange platties swim together near the top

All in a 13 inch wide space

A world within a world

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