My Five Gallon Aquarium Adventure

Title: My Five Gallon Aquarium Adventure
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As I mentioned at the end of American Bald Eagle Tales 2012, I began a new adventure that lasted from April of 2012 to October of 2013. I shared the story in the summer of 2013.

Last year I added some new pets , and I wanted to share about my aquarium on here .
I hope you all enjoy hearing about and seeing pictures of my aquarium . I will begin another story about my eagle friends it has been an eventful year.
I just have a lot of catching up to do, but my next item on my list was to begin a story about my fish .
It has been quite an adventure and experience, but also very rewarding.

Part One
When The Adventure Began

My aquarium adventure began last April , when an old interest in having fish and an aquarium was brought back . When I was a kid fish were more than fish to me, they were my pets, because I could not have a dog, so I quickly became attatched to the fish that I helped my dad take care of . It was exciting for me to go to the pet shop and help my dad pick out the aquarium , and he taught me what I needed to do in order to care for another living thing, or a bunch considering we had a twenty-five gallon , and later on down the road a fifty-five gallon.

I had my favorites , a spotted corydora I named Pepper, a plecostomus, I don't remember his name , but I do remember Sammy my dojo loach , I loved him . I also bonded with the fish at the surface of the aquarium , and then I had my own gold fish named Goldy , and when I was in highschool for my animal science class I kept some guppies,and two bottom dwellers for a project. Then, my dad and I kind of gave up keeping fish , and I enjoyed my parakeets that I raised over the years.I really thought my fish keeping days were over, I still thought they were pretty to look at, but I also remembered the work it took to take care of them. Yet, I liked the idea of having a fake one, and that led to my jelly fish lamp , then I watched a cool show on Animal Planet , that was called, Tanked . The show was about these two guys who designed all kinds of aquariums . I watched them select the fish, and how pretty the fish were , which made me remember the fish I helped care for with my dad, and even though I loved my jellyfish lamp , I also missed having fish.

So, one day while shopping at a local Walmart , as we passed by the area that has all of the pet supplies and the fish
I talked to my mom about having a small aquarium a five gallon in my room with a few fish. She agreed to the idea,I wanted to ask her, because I always ask for permission, plus I was going to need her support in the future.I was so happy when she told me I could have a small one in my room .

Stay Tuned

*Proud Fan Of Alexei Yagudin * ;)

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Re：My Five Gallon Aquarium Adventure

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            Part Twenty- Seven 
Toby And Sebastian 's Tale From November 21st To November 30th 


On Wednesday, November 21st,  Sebastian seemed happy, and I was happy.  When I fed Toby, I left a little piece for Sebastian too.
On the next day, November 22nd, it was Thanksgiving, and I was really excited when Sebastian ate a little bit of food.  I also gave each of them a small
piece of a algae pellet , just to give them a little something special.  It was a very good day, and before we ate our Thanksgiving dinner for two, we talked about what we were thankful for.  I told my mom that I was thankful for Sebastian , God's blessings , and Petie.  I was also thankful that Sebastian seemed to be settling into his new home .

On Friday, November 23rd, when I fed Toby, I noticed that Sebastian did not seem too interested in the food.  So, we went to Petco and looked for something different. While we were doing that, I was told that Scooter had survived!  I was excited to hear that, so we went with our fish expert to the tank, and she lifted up the rock.  After she lifted up the rock she found him belly up.  So, I knew I had made the right decision on that Tuesday, because he would have been suffering a long time.  She took him out with a fish net, and placed him in a little black bag.  I said my good byes and I told him that I loved him, and I blew him a kiss , before she took him to their "fishy freezer."   They did that, so that the veterinarian could see the fish and determine how the fish died.  She also told her other co-worker what had happened.  So, that was a bummer, but we moved on and she helped find a package of brine shrimp, after my mom and I looked for a Christmas gift ideas for Petie.   I grabbed him some treats too which was a start.  She told me how much of the brine shrimp to put in, which was very little, and I just thought that maybe the brine shrimp would stimulate Sebastian 's desire to eat more.

On Saturday, November 24th, I tried a pinch of the brine shrimp, maybe even smaller than a pinch, and even with the tiny amount , the brine shrimp went everywhere.  Sebastian got a little excited, and poor Toby just wanted to dodge the stuff, he did not like it falling on him.  So, later on that day, I performed the monthly cleaning of the aquarium, by just wiping the outside with my soft cloth.   The only cleaning I did on the inside, was to fish out the brine shrimp that needed to be removed.  That night like every night, I said my good nights to Petie, Toby, and Sebastian.
Sunday, November 25th,  was pretty un eventful, I checked on Toby and Sebastian, and I fed them before I went to church.  That was all that pretty much happened, nothing exciting and no drama, and I really liked it.  All that was left to do on that day was to say good night to Petie, Toby, and Sebastian before I spent time in prayer thanking God for the peaceful day.

On Monday, November 26th, when I turned on their light, I had to scold Toby for chasing Sebastian.  However, I also forgave him , I fed them and nothing else happened on that day, and I was very grateful .  I just hoped that Toby was not chasing Sebastian away from his food.   That night we had our good night routine, and I prayed about what happened, and I asked God to watch over Toby and Sebastian.

On Tuesday, November 27th , I turned on their light, and all was good.   I fed them, and later on that day, I just added some more water and I tested the water's properties.  I was very happy with the results, they let me know that the water in the aquarium was good.  

Then on Wednesday, November 28th, it was pretty much the same as the day before, not much happened as far as the five gallon aquarium was concerned.  It was just a normal day.  I fed Toby and Sebastian, and that was pretty much it. 

On Thursday, November 29th, there was harmony in the watery world of Toby and Sebastian.   I fed them, and that night we had our routine .
Then on Friday, November 30th , it was Toby's fourth month Anniversary !   I wished Toby a happy special day, I also fed them and just let them be, until that night when we had our special bed time routine. 

Stay tuned next week to find out what happened in December in my five gallon adventure!
God Bless! 
     

*Proud Fan Of Alexei Yagudin * ;)

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Re：My Five Gallon Aquarium Adventure

Date Posted：09/18/2018 1:28 PMCopy HTML

      ‍Part Twenty- Eight 
                                                       December 1st- December 8th 

‍  On Saturday, December 1st, I just performed the weekly water change, where I removed some of the water and added more. Sunday, December 2nd, was just a day of rest, and of course I fed Toby and Sebastian.  Monday, December 3rd, was pretty much the same as the day before, there was peace and harmony in the aquarium. On Tuesday, December 4th, Toby was ready to eat his portion , and Sebastian ate some of his own too.  I was glad to see him eat, so I was not too concerned , because Sebastian couldhave been saving some for later.  Other than that, it was another peaceful day in the aquarium. The only thing that happened on Wednesday, December 5th, was something I thought was pretty cool.  The cool thing happened during the bed time routine.  I blew kisses to Toby and Sebastian, and they gave me winks in return.  Thursday, December 6th, was another uneventful day , all I did was feed Toby and Sebastian at their appointed times.  That was the same case for Friday, December7th, only on that day I fed them a shrimp pellet.  On Saturday, December 8th, I fed Toby and Sebastian an algae pellet. I also used my trusty siphon to remove some food that was left over, and I swapped out some dirty water.  Then later on that night, we had our special bed time routine.  So, the first week of December was a pretty quiet one, and I really enjoyed those days where, there were no fish chasing each other around, or fish in distress, and especially I enjoyed days with out dead fish drama.

The second week of December had some shocking surprises for me.
Stay tuned for next time to find out what they were.

God Bless! ‍

*Proud Fan Of Alexei Yagudin * ;)

Rank：Diamond Member
Score：1177
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Register：04/19/2018 2:01 AM

Re：My Five Gallon Aquarium Adventure

Date Posted：09/21/2018 1:51 PMCopy HTML

         ‍Part Twenty- Nine December 9th - December 16th 

‍The second week of December had some surprises that were pretty shocking for me.   On Sunday, December 9th, when I woke up that morning to get ready for church, I noticed that something was floating at the surface of my five gallon aquarium.  I thought it was either Toby or Sebastian, so I hurried and turned on the light.  I was really expecting the worst, but it just turned out to be Percy, my live plant that was floating on the surface.  I wondered who did it, until I saw that Sebastian looked pretty pleased with himself.  I just laughed and gave him a little scolding, before I forgave him and re-planted Percy.  Then, before I left for church, I fed Tobes and Sebastian, and the rest of the day went on without anymore surprises. On Monday, December 10th, I was relieved to see that Toby and Sebastian were good and that my plants were still in place.  I fed Toby and Sebastian that morning and night, after I blew them their kisses. 

On Tuesday, December 11th, I checked on Toby and Sebastian, before I fed them.  Well, on that morning I fed Toby.  After lunch, I tested the water and the results from the test were good.  I was pretty happy about that.  Later on that night, while I was saying "Good night", to Toby, I watched Sebastian while he swam back and forth.  He looked like a guard on watch , but I really did not see any signs of distress or red flags.  He was just swimming normally back and forth towards the back of the aquarium.  So, I said, "Good night, Sebastian", and Toby and Sebastian kisses.  Then, I spent some time in prayer before I went to sleep.  The second surprise that was not only unpleasant, but totally shocking, happened on Wednesday, December 12th, and it was once again in the morning.  I did not even know what had happened until I turned on their light.  That was when I saw that Sebastian had died, and he was not belly up, or floating on the water's surface, or in any other position that we find fish laying in after they had passed away.  No, it was the way that I found him that was the most shocking, he was standing straight up, or floating straight up on his tail! I think I was too shocked to even cry.  I just looked at him for a few more minutes, then I went to my mom and I told her about Sebastian.  Then, I fished Sebastian out, and she helped me put him in the plastic bag he came home from ‍Petco in, and I called ‍Petco‍, and they told me to bring him back.  I was sad, but at least I was able to take him back, and I also hoped to find out some more answers. 
I told Petie what happened, and after my morning routine was done, I took some water out of my aquarium for testing, and we went to ‍Petco‍.  The kind worker there told me that Sebastian had a disease, she did not specify what kind, but she did tell me that I might have been changing the water too much.  She also thought that we should switch our water over to the bottled drinking water that was in the stores.  She still tested my water, and she thought I could have another fish, but I opted to buy another living plant instead.  I also bought some more test strips, after she helped us find a hardier plant, and we found one that was bigger and tougher in appearance.  After we paid for our purchases, we went to ‍Publix‍ and we bought their brand of bottled drinking water that came in huge heavy jugs.  So, we paid for what we bought there, and on the way out , we gave some money to ‍The Salvation Army‍ and a nice clown gave me a candy cane.  That was a bright spot in my day, and another bright spot was having ‍Subway‍ for supper.  The third bright spot came later, after I swapped out some of my water, and poured in the new bottled drinking water, and I had planted our new plant that was called a ‍Bleheri ‍.  Mom and I thought that it was really tall, but Toby fell instantly in love with it.  I had never seen Toby behave the way he did, and it was a good thing, he was happy.  He immediately swam on the plant's leaves , and went up as far as he could go , then he flipped himself over onto his back and started sucking on the leaves from underneath.  For one second I honestly thought that Toby was going to go to the very top and out of the water, but he stopped and made his way down the plant.  He made me laugh and smile again.  That night, I blew kisses to Petie and Toby, spent time in prayer , and I went to sleep.

On Thursday, December 13th, I woke up still feeling a little sad, but I still had Petie and my little clown Toby.  He was doing well, and Petie was happy, so I cleaned his cage , and I started to decorate my room for Christmas.  I fed Toby too, and we went shopping for our family that we picked out at our church, to buy gifts for their Christmas.  I had a mission to find the boy a foot ball , and I found a really nice one.  We also shopped for some clothes for him, I really enjoyed shopping for others more than shopping for myself.  That night, I said, "Good night," to my boys, had my bed time prayers, and I went to sleep.  Friday, December 14th, started out as a normal day, I greeted Petie and Toby, and I fed Toby, before I spent the day decorating my windows for Christmas. Then, that afternoon, I heard something else that was pretty shocking and horribly sad.  I was watching the tv and the screen went to Breaking News, and the news had a report about a school shooting, that happened in Newton, CT at Sandy Hook Elementary.  Twenty-six people had been killed, including the gun men whom was a teacher's son!  Then, I heard the saddest part, twenty of the killed were children.  I leaned more about the children, and it was just terrible.  I kept everyone in my prayers, it really made my fish issue seem so small and my problem seemed less important, it really put things into a different perspective, so that is why I included the memory in my five gallon adventure.  On Saturday, December 15th, I fed Toby, after I had my breakfast, and he was still doing well , so I just allowed him to be happy, and I had to admit it was nice not to have to do any water changes.  On Sunday, December 16th, when I woke up I fed Toby. He was alive, happy, and he still had his healthy appetite .  He also still loved his new plant and that made me happy, then later on I took a sample out of my aquarium to be tested at ‍Petco .  ‍After they tested my water there, I was told that my PH level still needed improvement, and their advice was to do a 20% water change, and I was also advised to stop using the ammonia remover.  So, when we came home, I did the 20% water change , and that night I said my special "Good nights," to Petie and Toby.  I also spent some time in prayer, before I went to sleep.

To Be Continued!
Stay tuned next week to find out more of what happened in December !

*Proud Fan Of Alexei Yagudin * ;)

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Re：My Five Gallon Aquarium Adventure

Date Posted：09/28/2018 3:05 PMCopy HTML

       Part  Thirty
                         December 17th- December 22nd 

On the morning of Monday, December 17th, I fed Toby  and he was still happy , which made me happy to see that he was doing great.  A family friend from church also came to see my mom to give her a birthday gift, but she liked Toby and my aquarium.  Nothing else happened that day, and that night I wished Petie  and Toby good night, before I blew them kisses.  On the morning of Tuesday, December 18th, I was in a good mood and I sang along with the Christmas music on my radio.  I also fed Toby, then later on that same day, I did a water test, and I saw that the results showed signs of improvement.  I also swapped out 20% of the water, and I changed my aquarium's lid's light bulb to a Florescent light bulb. 
Then, that night, I blew some more kisses to Toby, spent time in prayer, and I went to sleep.  On the morning of Wednesday, December 19th, after I woke up and I made my bed, I fed a very busy Toby.  I still loved to watch his little tail wag as he explored his watery world.  The rest of the day went swimmingly well, and that night I gave Petite kisses , and I blew some more kisses to Toby, and I had my bedtime prayers, before I went to sleep.

On the morning of Thursday, December 20th, I woke up, checked on Toby, then I fed him , and he still seemed content , so I spent the rest of the day helping my mom with decorating our big Christmas tree, which was really wonderful , because as I said before I did not have any fish issues or drama.   So, later on that night, I blew kisses Toby, spent more time in prayer , and I went to sleep.   The morning of Friday, December 21st, was chillier , it finally felt like Christmas was coming.   Toby did not mind the chill in the air, he was in his home, so he was just swimming happily along .  I fed Toby when he needed to be fed,  in the morning and in the evening, before I also had to help my mom cover some of sensitive  plants.   Then on that night, I blew more kisses to Toby, spent more time in prayer, before I went to sleep.   On the morning of Saturday, December 22nd, it was my 35th birthday.  Toby was still happy, and I fed him, then I spent the rest of the day decorating my room for Christmas.   I decked out my daybed, and I added some sprayed on snow to the greenery.   It was pretty, but it was also messy.   I also set up my own Christmas tree.   I did wonder if Toby would get scared of the Christmas lights , and I was so relieved when he watched me put them up, and he even seemed to like all of the lights lit up.   Petie also  watched me as I decorated .   Later that evening, my mom and I celebrated my birthday.   I also picked out an outfit for church the next morning, I fed Toby, gave Petie kisses, before I blew kisses to Toby, had my bedtime prayers, and went to sleep .  

Stay tuned next week to find out what else happened in December!
God Bless! 
 
‍‍

*Proud Fan Of Alexei Yagudin * ;)

Rank：Diamond Member
Score：1177
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Register：04/19/2018 2:01 AM

Re：My Five Gallon Aquarium Adventure

Date Posted：10/05/2018 1:15 PMCopy HTML

 ‍      Part Thirty-One December 23rd- December 29th 

On the morning of Sunday, December 23rd, I fed Toby before I left for church.   Then, the only other things that happened  on the rest of that day, were when I fed Toby , and blew kisses to him.   I also spent more time in prayer, before I had a peaceful night's sleep.   On the day of Monday , December 24th, I got ready for my church's Christmas Eve Service, I also fed a happy Toby, and I took care of a chipper Petie .    Then, I tested the water in Toby's environment and it turned out with the best that I had ever had!  The GH or  General Hardness was 120, the PH was where it should have been, the NH was 40, and the Nitrates were where they should have been too.  I was so happy, but I could not go to Petco, so I finished getting ready, and my church celebrated the birth of Jesus .  Before we came home, we looked at Christmas lights, and that night, I wrapped the presents , that I got for Mom and Petie, fed Toby, hugged my mom, and I blew kisses to Petie  and Toby , before I had prayer and I went to sleep.  

Tuesday, December 25th, was Christmas and when I woke up, I thanked the LORD for my blessings.   I fed Toby, wished Petie a Merry Christmas, then the rest of the day was spent celebrating Christmas, and catching up with my family back in Indiana.   Toby did not have any issues, or problems , it was wonderful.  On Wednesday, December 26th, Toby was doing great, and he did not have any issues .  So, it was another day of peace.   On Thursday, December 27th, I  Toby and that was pretty much it, and I thanked GOD for the peaceful days in my prayers, before I went to sleep.   Friday, December 28th, was my nephew's 22nd birthday, and another day to enjoy fish aquarium harmony, I just fed Toby, and all I had left to do was blow kisses to Petie and Toby, before I spent more time in prayer and I went to sleep.   

On Saturday, December 29th, we went to Petco and after my water was tested there, she had some good news and bad news to tell me about.   The good news that I heard was that my PH level went up, and I thought that was really good news.   However, I was not too happy after I heard the bad news, the bad news was that the Ammonia level also went up.   So she told me to add in the remover again.  I really had hopes of bringing home a new friend for Toby, but that did not happen.  I told her to tell the fish I wanted to go hide, and that she could sell the rest of the fish.  She did that too, she went up to the holding tank and said, "Go hide."  So, even though I was bummed, I still chuckled at what she did .   I was also determined to take the best care of Toby and Petie. That night, I fed Toby, and had the rest of my night time routine with Petie and Toby, before I spent more time in prayer, and I went to sleep.  

Stay tuned next week to find out how the rest of December went !
God Bless! 

*Proud Fan Of Alexei Yagudin * ;)

Rank：Diamond Member
Score：1177
Posts：1177
From：USA
Register：04/19/2018 2:01 AM

Re：My Five Gallon Aquarium Adventure

Date Posted：10/12/2018 1:09 PMCopy HTML

      ‍Part Thirty- Two December 30th- December 31st

‍On Sunday, December 30th, Toby and I celebrated his 5th month with us!  Well, I celebrated , I was excited, I had never had a fish survive that long.
After five months, Toby was still with me.  He was a pretty happy fish, and he still had his healthy appetite.  I still wanted to get him a friend, maybe even a few more fish friends.  However, I went to my church , and we all worshiped the LORD, and I put my desire for more fish away, while I focused on giving GOD all of the glory, and I listened to the message for that day.  Where I was reminded that GOD has the whole world in HIS hands, and that HE is and forever will be in control.  When we came home, I did not have anything else to do with the aquarium.  I just had to feed Toby for that night.  Then, i had my special bedtime routine with Petie and Toby, before I spent time in prayer before I went to sleep.

On Monday, December 31st, the last day of 2012, I fed Toby, I had my breakfast and I took care of a happy Petie.  Then, the rest of the day was spent helping my mom , and we took down our outdoor Christmas decorations, before we put everything back into their boxes.  Then, later on I checked my e-mails, and I had one from ‍Petco ‍and I went to my mom, before I excitedly told her that I had earned my next $5 Rewards!  That meant, that I could go there again and get a discount on a new fish, or supplies.  But, we ate supper, and I helped her take down the Christmas decorations from our fireplace.  After we put the Christmas decorations from the fireplace away, I watched the movie, Despicable Me with Petie, and I thought it was really good, I also thought that he was not really a bad guy .  Mom and I also watched the New Year's Eve countdown, as we waited for the famous ball to drop.  Until, the New Year came in, then we hugged each other at midnight , and we wished Petie and Toby a Happy New Year!  Then, I changed my calendars over to my new 2013 calendars, before I prayed for everyone that I knew, the world, our nation, and then I went to sleep.


Stay tuned next week, when I begin sharing about my five gallon adventures that I had in 2013!

Until Then,
God Bless,
Enjoy your weekend!

*Proud Fan Of Alexei Yagudin * ;)

sunshine-02
Rank：Diamond Member Score：1177 Posts：1177 From：USA Register：04/19/2018 2:01 AM	Date Posted：09/04/2018 2:49 PMCopy HTML As I mentioned at the end of American Bald Eagle Tales 2012, I began a new adventure that lasted from April of 2012 to October of 2013. I shared the story in the summer of 2013. Last year I added some new pets , and I wanted to share about my aquarium on here . I hope you all enjoy hearing about and seeing pictures of my aquarium . I will begin another story about my eagle friends it has been an eventful year. I just have a lot of catching up to do, but my next item on my list was to begin a story about my fish . It has been quite an adventure and experience, but also very rewarding. Part One When The Adventure Began My aquarium adventure began last April , when an old interest in having fish and an aquarium was brought back . When I was a kid fish were more than fish to me, they were my pets, because I could not have a dog, so I quickly became attatched to the fish that I helped my dad take care of . It was exciting for me to go to the pet shop and help my dad pick out the aquarium , and he taught me what I needed to do in order to care for another living thing, or a bunch considering we had a twenty-five gallon , and later on down the road a fifty-five gallon. I had my favorites , a spotted corydora I named Pepper, a plecostomus, I don't remember his name , but I do remember Sammy my dojo loach , I loved him . I also bonded with the fish at the surface of the aquarium , and then I had my own gold fish named Goldy , and when I was in highschool for my animal science class I kept some guppies,and two bottom dwellers for a project. Then, my dad and I kind of gave up keeping fish , and I enjoyed my parakeets that I raised over the years.I really thought my fish keeping days were over, I still thought they were pretty to look at, but I also remembered the work it took to take care of them. Yet, I liked the idea of having a fake one, and that led to my jelly fish lamp , then I watched a cool show on Animal Planet , that was called, Tanked . The show was about these two guys who designed all kinds of aquariums . I watched them select the fish, and how pretty the fish were , which made me remember the fish I helped care for with my dad, and even though I loved my jellyfish lamp , I also missed having fish. So, one day while shopping at a local Walmart , as we passed by the area that has all of the pet supplies and the fish I talked to my mom about having a small aquarium a five gallon in my room with a few fish. She agreed to the idea,I wanted to ask her, because I always ask for permission, plus I was going to need her support in the future.I was so happy when she told me I could have a small one in my room . Stay Tuned Proud Fan Of Alexei Yagudin ;)
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Rank：Diamond Member Score：1177 Posts：1177 From：USA Register：04/19/2018 2:01 AM	Re：My Five Gallon Aquarium Adventure Date Posted：09/14/2018 1:36 PMCopy HTML Part Twenty- Seven Toby And Sebastian 's Tale From November 21st To November 30th On Wednesday, November 21st, Sebastian seemed happy, and I was happy. When I fed Toby, I left a little piece for Sebastian too. On the next day, November 22nd, it was Thanksgiving, and I was really excited when Sebastian ate a little bit of food. I also gave each of them a small piece of a algae pellet , just to give them a little something special. It was a very good day, and before we ate our Thanksgiving dinner for two, we talked about what we were thankful for. I told my mom that I was thankful for Sebastian , God's blessings , and Petie. I was also thankful that Sebastian seemed to be settling into his new home . On Friday, November 23rd, when I fed Toby, I noticed that Sebastian did not seem too interested in the food. So, we went to Petco and looked for something different. While we were doing that, I was told that Scooter had survived! I was excited to hear that, so we went with our fish expert to the tank, and she lifted up the rock. After she lifted up the rock she found him belly up. So, I knew I had made the right decision on that Tuesday, because he would have been suffering a long time. She took him out with a fish net, and placed him in a little black bag. I said my good byes and I told him that I loved him, and I blew him a kiss , before she took him to their "fishy freezer." They did that, so that the veterinarian could see the fish and determine how the fish died. She also told her other co-worker what had happened. So, that was a bummer, but we moved on and she helped find a package of brine shrimp, after my mom and I looked for a Christmas gift ideas for Petie. I grabbed him some treats too which was a start. She told me how much of the brine shrimp to put in, which was very little, and I just thought that maybe the brine shrimp would stimulate Sebastian 's desire to eat more. On Saturday, November 24th, I tried a pinch of the brine shrimp, maybe even smaller than a pinch, and even with the tiny amount , the brine shrimp went everywhere. Sebastian got a little excited, and poor Toby just wanted to dodge the stuff, he did not like it falling on him. So, later on that day, I performed the monthly cleaning of the aquarium, by just wiping the outside with my soft cloth. The only cleaning I did on the inside, was to fish out the brine shrimp that needed to be removed. That night like every night, I said my good nights to Petie, Toby, and Sebastian. Sunday, November 25th, was pretty un eventful, I checked on Toby and Sebastian, and I fed them before I went to church. That was all that pretty much happened, nothing exciting and no drama, and I really liked it. All that was left to do on that day was to say good night to Petie, Toby, and Sebastian before I spent time in prayer thanking God for the peaceful day. On Monday, November 26th, when I turned on their light, I had to scold Toby for chasing Sebastian. However, I also forgave him , I fed them and nothing else happened on that day, and I was very grateful . I just hoped that Toby was not chasing Sebastian away from his food. That night we had our good night routine, and I prayed about what happened, and I asked God to watch over Toby and Sebastian. On Tuesday, November 27th , I turned on their light, and all was good. I fed them, and later on that day, I just added some more water and I tested the water's properties. I was very happy with the results, they let me know that the water in the aquarium was good. Then on Wednesday, November 28th, it was pretty much the same as the day before, not much happened as far as the five gallon aquarium was concerned. It was just a normal day. I fed Toby and Sebastian, and that was pretty much it. On Thursday, November 29th, there was harmony in the watery world of Toby and Sebastian. I fed them, and that night we had our routine . Then on Friday, November 30th , it was Toby's fourth month Anniversary ! I wished Toby a happy special day, I also fed them and just let them be, until that night when we had our special bed time routine. Stay tuned next week to find out what happened in December in my five gallon adventure! God Bless! Proud Fan Of Alexei Yagudin ;)
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Rank：Diamond Member Score：1177 Posts：1177 From：USA Register：04/19/2018 2:01 AM	Re：My Five Gallon Aquarium Adventure Date Posted：09/18/2018 1:28 PMCopy HTML ‍Part Twenty- Eight December 1st- December 8th ‍ On Saturday, December 1st, I just performed the weekly water change, where I removed some of the water and added more. Sunday, December 2nd, was just a day of rest, and of course I fed Toby and Sebastian. Monday, December 3rd, was pretty much the same as the day before, there was peace and harmony in the aquarium. On Tuesday, December 4th, Toby was ready to eat his portion , and Sebastian ate some of his own too. I was glad to see him eat, so I was not too concerned , because Sebastian couldhave been saving some for later. Other than that, it was another peaceful day in the aquarium. The only thing that happened on Wednesday, December 5th, was something I thought was pretty cool. The cool thing happened during the bed time routine. I blew kisses to Toby and Sebastian, and they gave me winks in return. Thursday, December 6th, was another uneventful day , all I did was feed Toby and Sebastian at their appointed times. That was the same case for Friday, December7th, only on that day I fed them a shrimp pellet. On Saturday, December 8th, I fed Toby and Sebastian an algae pellet. I also used my trusty siphon to remove some food that was left over, and I swapped out some dirty water. Then later on that night, we had our special bed time routine. So, the first week of December was a pretty quiet one, and I really enjoyed those days where, there were no fish chasing each other around, or fish in distress, and especially I enjoyed days with out dead fish drama. The second week of December had some shocking surprises for me. Stay tuned for next time to find out what they were. God Bless! ‍ Proud Fan Of Alexei Yagudin ;)
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Rank：Diamond Member Score：1177 Posts：1177 From：USA Register：04/19/2018 2:01 AM	Re：My Five Gallon Aquarium Adventure Date Posted：09/21/2018 1:51 PMCopy HTML ‍Part Twenty- Nine December 9th - December 16th ‍The second week of December had some surprises that were pretty shocking for me. On Sunday, December 9th, when I woke up that morning to get ready for church, I noticed that something was floating at the surface of my five gallon aquarium. I thought it was either Toby or Sebastian, so I hurried and turned on the light. I was really expecting the worst, but it just turned out to be Percy, my live plant that was floating on the surface. I wondered who did it, until I saw that Sebastian looked pretty pleased with himself. I just laughed and gave him a little scolding, before I forgave him and re-planted Percy. Then, before I left for church, I fed Tobes and Sebastian, and the rest of the day went on without anymore surprises. On Monday, December 10th, I was relieved to see that Toby and Sebastian were good and that my plants were still in place. I fed Toby and Sebastian that morning and night, after I blew them their kisses. On Tuesday, December 11th, I checked on Toby and Sebastian, before I fed them. Well, on that morning I fed Toby. After lunch, I tested the water and the results from the test were good. I was pretty happy about that. Later on that night, while I was saying "Good night", to Toby, I watched Sebastian while he swam back and forth. He looked like a guard on watch , but I really did not see any signs of distress or red flags. He was just swimming normally back and forth towards the back of the aquarium. So, I said, "Good night, Sebastian", and Toby and Sebastian kisses. Then, I spent some time in prayer before I went to sleep. The second surprise that was not only unpleasant, but totally shocking, happened on Wednesday, December 12th, and it was once again in the morning. I did not even know what had happened until I turned on their light. That was when I saw that Sebastian had died, and he was not belly up, or floating on the water's surface, or in any other position that we find fish laying in after they had passed away. No, it was the way that I found him that was the most shocking, he was standing straight up, or floating straight up on his tail! I think I was too shocked to even cry. I just looked at him for a few more minutes, then I went to my mom and I told her about Sebastian. Then, I fished Sebastian out, and she helped me put him in the plastic bag he came home from ‍Petco in, and I called ‍Petco‍, and they told me to bring him back. I was sad, but at least I was able to take him back, and I also hoped to find out some more answers. I told Petie what happened, and after my morning routine was done, I took some water out of my aquarium for testing, and we went to ‍Petco‍. The kind worker there told me that Sebastian had a disease, she did not specify what kind, but she did tell me that I might have been changing the water too much. She also thought that we should switch our water over to the bottled drinking water that was in the stores. She still tested my water, and she thought I could have another fish, but I opted to buy another living plant instead. I also bought some more test strips, after she helped us find a hardier plant, and we found one that was bigger and tougher in appearance. After we paid for our purchases, we went to ‍Publix‍ and we bought their brand of bottled drinking water that came in huge heavy jugs. So, we paid for what we bought there, and on the way out , we gave some money to ‍The Salvation Army‍ and a nice clown gave me a candy cane. That was a bright spot in my day, and another bright spot was having ‍Subway‍ for supper. The third bright spot came later, after I swapped out some of my water, and poured in the new bottled drinking water, and I had planted our new plant that was called a ‍Bleheri ‍. Mom and I thought that it was really tall, but Toby fell instantly in love with it. I had never seen Toby behave the way he did, and it was a good thing, he was happy. He immediately swam on the plant's leaves , and went up as far as he could go , then he flipped himself over onto his back and started sucking on the leaves from underneath. For one second I honestly thought that Toby was going to go to the very top and out of the water, but he stopped and made his way down the plant. He made me laugh and smile again. That night, I blew kisses to Petie and Toby, spent time in prayer , and I went to sleep. On Thursday, December 13th, I woke up still feeling a little sad, but I still had Petie and my little clown Toby. He was doing well, and Petie was happy, so I cleaned his cage , and I started to decorate my room for Christmas. I fed Toby too, and we went shopping for our family that we picked out at our church, to buy gifts for their Christmas. I had a mission to find the boy a foot ball , and I found a really nice one. We also shopped for some clothes for him, I really enjoyed shopping for others more than shopping for myself. That night, I said, "Good night," to my boys, had my bed time prayers, and I went to sleep. Friday, December 14th, started out as a normal day, I greeted Petie and Toby, and I fed Toby, before I spent the day decorating my windows for Christmas. Then, that afternoon, I heard something else that was pretty shocking and horribly sad. I was watching the tv and the screen went to Breaking News, and the news had a report about a school shooting, that happened in Newton, CT at Sandy Hook Elementary. Twenty-six people had been killed, including the gun men whom was a teacher's son! Then, I heard the saddest part, twenty of the killed were children. I leaned more about the children, and it was just terrible. I kept everyone in my prayers, it really made my fish issue seem so small and my problem seemed less important, it really put things into a different perspective, so that is why I included the memory in my five gallon adventure. On Saturday, December 15th, I fed Toby, after I had my breakfast, and he was still doing well , so I just allowed him to be happy, and I had to admit it was nice not to have to do any water changes. On Sunday, December 16th, when I woke up I fed Toby. He was alive, happy, and he still had his healthy appetite . He also still loved his new plant and that made me happy, then later on I took a sample out of my aquarium to be tested at ‍Petco . ‍After they tested my water there, I was told that my PH level still needed improvement, and their advice was to do a 20% water change, and I was also advised to stop using the ammonia remover. So, when we came home, I did the 20% water change , and that night I said my special "Good nights," to Petie and Toby. I also spent some time in prayer, before I went to sleep. To Be Continued! Stay tuned next week to find out more of what happened in December ! Proud Fan Of Alexei Yagudin ;)
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Rank：Diamond Member Score：1177 Posts：1177 From：USA Register：04/19/2018 2:01 AM	Re：My Five Gallon Aquarium Adventure Date Posted：09/28/2018 3:05 PMCopy HTML Part Thirty December 17th- December 22nd On the morning of Monday, December 17th, I fed Toby and he was still happy , which made me happy to see that he was doing great. A family friend from church also came to see my mom to give her a birthday gift, but she liked Toby and my aquarium. Nothing else happened that day, and that night I wished Petie and Toby good night, before I blew them kisses. On the morning of Tuesday, December 18th, I was in a good mood and I sang along with the Christmas music on my radio. I also fed Toby, then later on that same day, I did a water test, and I saw that the results showed signs of improvement. I also swapped out 20% of the water, and I changed my aquarium's lid's light bulb to a Florescent light bulb. Then, that night, I blew some more kisses to Toby, spent time in prayer, and I went to sleep. On the morning of Wednesday, December 19th, after I woke up and I made my bed, I fed a very busy Toby. I still loved to watch his little tail wag as he explored his watery world. The rest of the day went swimmingly well, and that night I gave Petite kisses , and I blew some more kisses to Toby, and I had my bedtime prayers, before I went to sleep. On the morning of Thursday, December 20th, I woke up, checked on Toby, then I fed him , and he still seemed content , so I spent the rest of the day helping my mom with decorating our big Christmas tree, which was really wonderful , because as I said before I did not have any fish issues or drama. So, later on that night, I blew kisses Toby, spent more time in prayer , and I went to sleep. The morning of Friday, December 21st, was chillier , it finally felt like Christmas was coming. Toby did not mind the chill in the air, he was in his home, so he was just swimming happily along . I fed Toby when he needed to be fed, in the morning and in the evening, before I also had to help my mom cover some of sensitive plants. Then on that night, I blew more kisses to Toby, spent more time in prayer, before I went to sleep. On the morning of Saturday, December 22nd, it was my 35th birthday. Toby was still happy, and I fed him, then I spent the rest of the day decorating my room for Christmas. I decked out my daybed, and I added some sprayed on snow to the greenery. It was pretty, but it was also messy. I also set up my own Christmas tree. I did wonder if Toby would get scared of the Christmas lights , and I was so relieved when he watched me put them up, and he even seemed to like all of the lights lit up. Petie also watched me as I decorated . Later that evening, my mom and I celebrated my birthday. I also picked out an outfit for church the next morning, I fed Toby, gave Petie kisses, before I blew kisses to Toby, had my bedtime prayers, and went to sleep . Stay tuned next week to find out what else happened in December! God Bless! ‍‍ Proud Fan Of Alexei Yagudin ;)
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Rank：Diamond Member Score：1177 Posts：1177 From：USA Register：04/19/2018 2:01 AM	Re：My Five Gallon Aquarium Adventure Date Posted：10/05/2018 1:15 PMCopy HTML ‍ Part Thirty-One December 23rd- December 29th On the morning of Sunday, December 23rd, I fed Toby before I left for church. Then, the only other things that happened on the rest of that day, were when I fed Toby , and blew kisses to him. I also spent more time in prayer, before I had a peaceful night's sleep. On the day of Monday , December 24th, I got ready for my church's Christmas Eve Service, I also fed a happy Toby, and I took care of a chipper Petie . Then, I tested the water in Toby's environment and it turned out with the best that I had ever had! The GH or General Hardness was 120, the PH was where it should have been, the NH was 40, and the Nitrates were where they should have been too. I was so happy, but I could not go to Petco, so I finished getting ready, and my church celebrated the birth of Jesus . Before we came home, we looked at Christmas lights, and that night, I wrapped the presents , that I got for Mom and Petie, fed Toby, hugged my mom, and I blew kisses to Petie and Toby , before I had prayer and I went to sleep. Tuesday, December 25th, was Christmas and when I woke up, I thanked the LORD for my blessings. I fed Toby, wished Petie a Merry Christmas, then the rest of the day was spent celebrating Christmas, and catching up with my family back in Indiana. Toby did not have any issues, or problems , it was wonderful. On Wednesday, December 26th, Toby was doing great, and he did not have any issues . So, it was another day of peace. On Thursday, December 27th, I Toby and that was pretty much it, and I thanked GOD for the peaceful days in my prayers, before I went to sleep. Friday, December 28th, was my nephew's 22nd birthday, and another day to enjoy fish aquarium harmony, I just fed Toby, and all I had left to do was blow kisses to Petie and Toby, before I spent more time in prayer and I went to sleep. On Saturday, December 29th, we went to Petco and after my water was tested there, she had some good news and bad news to tell me about. The good news that I heard was that my PH level went up, and I thought that was really good news. However, I was not too happy after I heard the bad news, the bad news was that the Ammonia level also went up. So she told me to add in the remover again. I really had hopes of bringing home a new friend for Toby, but that did not happen. I told her to tell the fish I wanted to go hide, and that she could sell the rest of the fish. She did that too, she went up to the holding tank and said, "Go hide." So, even though I was bummed, I still chuckled at what she did . I was also determined to take the best care of Toby and Petie. That night, I fed Toby, and had the rest of my night time routine with Petie and Toby, before I spent more time in prayer, and I went to sleep. Stay tuned next week to find out how the rest of December went ! God Bless! Proud Fan Of Alexei Yagudin ;)
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Rank：Diamond Member Score：1177 Posts：1177 From：USA Register：04/19/2018 2:01 AM	Re：My Five Gallon Aquarium Adventure Date Posted：10/12/2018 1:09 PMCopy HTML ‍Part Thirty- Two December 30th- December 31st ‍On Sunday, December 30th, Toby and I celebrated his 5th month with us! Well, I celebrated , I was excited, I had never had a fish survive that long. After five months, Toby was still with me. He was a pretty happy fish, and he still had his healthy appetite. I still wanted to get him a friend, maybe even a few more fish friends. However, I went to my church , and we all worshiped the LORD, and I put my desire for more fish away, while I focused on giving GOD all of the glory, and I listened to the message for that day. Where I was reminded that GOD has the whole world in HIS hands, and that HE is and forever will be in control. When we came home, I did not have anything else to do with the aquarium. I just had to feed Toby for that night. Then, i had my special bedtime routine with Petie and Toby, before I spent time in prayer before I went to sleep. On Monday, December 31st, the last day of 2012, I fed Toby, I had my breakfast and I took care of a happy Petie. Then, the rest of the day was spent helping my mom , and we took down our outdoor Christmas decorations, before we put everything back into their boxes. Then, later on I checked my e-mails, and I had one from ‍Petco ‍and I went to my mom, before I excitedly told her that I had earned my next $5 Rewards! That meant, that I could go there again and get a discount on a new fish, or supplies. But, we ate supper, and I helped her take down the Christmas decorations from our fireplace. After we put the Christmas decorations from the fireplace away, I watched the movie, Despicable Me with Petie, and I thought it was really good, I also thought that he was not really a bad guy . Mom and I also watched the New Year's Eve countdown, as we waited for the famous ball to drop. Until, the New Year came in, then we hugged each other at midnight , and we wished Petie and Toby a Happy New Year! Then, I changed my calendars over to my new 2013 calendars, before I prayed for everyone that I knew, the world, our nation, and then I went to sleep. Stay tuned next week, when I begin sharing about my five gallon adventures that I had in 2013! Until Then, God Bless, Enjoy your weekend! Proud Fan Of Alexei Yagudin ;)