New Fish at Walmart

Of course I am merely browsing through the fish at Walmart where aquariums are mis-marked and inaccurate fish information is provided.. when I come across a tank that states it has 'Silver Dollars' in it (and no the tank isn't filled with large silver coins). Myself having a rough idea of what the typical Silver Dollar fish looks like glanced into the tank not seeing any of these. I did however notice an interesting freckled specimen that I don't recall ever seeing before, so having little information about what fish are actually in this tank I did my best to research Silver Dollars. As luck would have it, it turns out it is not the typical Silver Dollar but what I believe to be fairly lackluster looking 'Spotted Silver Dollars' (apparently there are even 'Striped Silver Dollars' and a few other varieties you may came across in the Silver Dollar world).

Spotted Silver Dollars

The Spotted Silver Dollar is a fish native to the Brazilian Amazon and rivers in the French Guiana, and it can reach up to 13cm in length, but I have read some people claiming to have typical Silver Dollars which can apparently reach around 9in in length. I did find it peculiar that these fish almost mimic the ever-so popular Piranha or even the Pacu which are all Amazonian fish, and as it turns out they are actually closely related although these fish are mainly vegetarian with the exception of eating a few insects and possibly tiny fish that can fit in there mouths. Silver Dollars can apparently live up to 10 years, are a schooling species that's semi-aggressive, live in weedy dimly lit rivers, prefer a pH level of 5-7, like a water hardness level of 8-15dgh, and temperatures around 75-82°F (although 80°F seems ideal for both fry and adults).

Giant Silver Dollars

As luck would have it I did unknowingly photograph some Giant Silver Dollars while in the Amazon area at the Baltimore Aquarium!

Baltimore Aquarium

This past week I went to the Baltimore Aquarium over at Maryland's Inner Harbor and I wanted to share a glimpse of some of the photos I took there. If you're interested in going it's cheaper after 5pm on the weekdays ($12) and the parking garage had cost us over $20 (I believe there is cheaper parking available if you go to the Aquariums webpage). It was pretty busy when we went (the dolphin show got cancelled that day too) but you basically wait in line to purchase your ticket/s and then you have to wait in another line before they call your tickets group number outside the building.

Click to enlarge

I realize these thumbnails are on the small side, but if there's any image you'd like to see up-close just leave me a comment below describing which image/s you'd like to see and I'll add it onto this post.

How to Setup - a Canister Filter

I bought my first canister filter this past week through Amazon.com, it was on sale for I believe... $60 but was about $70 after shipping and tax. I personally have little to no knowledge on canister filters so, I had to figure out how to setup my new EHEIM 2211 (which I believe this model is not sold in the US for those of you inquiring about it). Instead of giving you my own long tutorial on this I'm just going to link you to the two YouTube videos I found on this... Part 1... Part 2.

Upon looking at how this unit works I can already tell you I'm not going to be a huge fan of it but ADA uses and recommends it so...that's why I initially bought it just to answer that question. As for what I don't like... I don't like how short the intake tube is, I personally prefer a tube that nearly reaches the bottom of my substrate (although I'm thinking I may be able to attach it reversed which may work well for my 10gal tank). I also don't think I like how the canister isn't made up of individual filtration comparments because I feel like if the filter media starts warping inward that the water will start to surpass the media altogether and send it right back into the aquarium. I also worry that the connected tubing may not be secure over time and that it may eventually leak out 10 gallons of fish water onto my carpet. I'm kind of wishing Eheim also took the time to cut or add in some additional tubing so that you don't have to cut it yourself for the control valves, makes me question the whole return policy of it. I also wish this had an automatic primer on it and worry what will happen if my power ever cuts off long enough that the unit doesn't automatically restart this filter when the power returns. How well will the 3 tiny aluminum-like clips hold together this canister? Other than that... I can't really find anything else to gripe about but than again... I haven't even finished setting this unit up due to the lowsy Eheim 2211 instructions.

Also, if you have any additional pointers for me on this then feel free to drop me a comment!