#also axolotls are aquatic and I think of plants as aquatic

[tiedsh0es]

headcanon that plants are a mismash of a lot of different animals dna- and ONE! One of those is an axolotl.

[pupstim]

btw with how Bad is tugging around Rusty this would 100% be how he acts with A1, the qsmp A1 egg tumblr has adopted. I don't think he'd lead them to spawn or anything but he would just lead that child once he sees she's not turning into the code and just drag her with him someplace safe.

Someone brought up that A1 wouldn't be shy or anything but most likely confused and feral and I just love that. She would not be expecting Bad to help her when she hid behind him but he did but now she doesn't know if she should trust him and tries to run. He just lasso's her though and watches her for an hour or two all the while she's hissing at him.

A1 would be so confused, smacking him with whatever she could get her claws on and shooting arrows at him all the while he just takes it and keeps walking with her in the same calm voice not even reacting to her lashing out and hurting him and it only confuses A1 more. Where was the potions of weakness, where was the threats of shocks or muzzles or collars, where was the lava for when they were bad.

He doesn't do any of that instead still talking to her in the same gentle voice stopping at a clearing that would be a safe distance away from the Federation employees. They stop at a small clearing with a little river and I think it's the river that gets A1 to stop struggling so much. It's full of all this aquatic life and so much sea grass, A1 has never seen anything like it. During the distraction Bad builds her a little hut because he's not going to just leave her there. He doesn't know exactly what she is but she's not acting like how Bad knows the code disguised egg acts. She's not tried to type to him at all, instead doing her best to get away from him and she was already covered in these awful cracks nothing like the eggs Bad knows. He's still cautious though keeping his distance but all she does is watch the fish swim.

It breaks his heart so when he gently pushes A1 into the reinforced wood hut he built for her, he also scoops up a couple of fish for her, making a small little pond in the home to put the fish in with some kelp and glowstone so she can watch them swim.

And he just... keeps her there, they are both so confused at one another because A1 keeps expecting the violence and experiments to begin again but Bad is just so gentle with her, he keeps doing these odd things with her, making food with her, singing songs, telling stories, taking her out and adventuring with her, going to the ocean when she is naturally drawn there and taking her to a dripstone cave once where she found a brown Axolotl that she calls Steak. And Bad is confused because he keeps expecting the horrific code to burst forth, killing him taking his items or demand to be taken to Dapper and Pomme, but instead A1 just usually sits there quietly with her fish, usually keeping one hand in the water to feel them nibble, she looks to him so distrustfully and he has to keep the lasso on her when they go out because she tries to bolt first chance and maybe he should just let her go because yea the code but the thought of this little egg with these awful burnt looking cracks just wandering around out there alone just screams against his dad egg instincts. He can't do it, so instead he just... keeps her.

He keeps her and bonds with her, leading to him giving her more gifts, usually different plants or animals or food. She doesn't seem to like fighting, more interested in swimming or exploring, reminding him of Dapper with how much she goes after animals once they begin to trust one another more. And eventually he forgets to Lasso her when they go out but she sticks by his side and it just continues to grow from there. He teaches her to build, good block type and when he finds out that she can't write or read? He dedicates a whole hour to just teaching her. He makes sure she always has fire resistance potions on her and when they rarely go caving he walks ahead to make sure to take out any lava she might see. He begins to love and trust A1 and she begins to love and trust him in turn and the final nail in the coffin is when he tells her a story of her siblings and how crazy they are and it just.. clicks for her. She's never going back to the facility, she's never going to get hurt again or be experimented on again. She has siblings, she has a family, she has a DAD. And she bursts into tears over this because she went from drowning in lava to being surrounded by the most intricate beautiful aquarium with moss, dripstone leaves and so many flowers her and Bad picked out together. She went from having nothing to having everything and it was all because of him.

Bad of course freaks out about her crying trying to ask her what's wrong but she just calls him Dad and it just clicks for him too. Then they're both crying and hugging one another in the home they built together. And Bad would name her Lovely, gotta keep the adjective naming theme going.

I think after that Lovely would still be nervous about meeting her siblings, but she would devote so much time and energy into working with Bad to make perfect rooms for them in her home. It's her home and she wants to share it with all her siblings.

Dapper and Pomme would of course know something is up, maybe thats how they find out about Lovely, they follow Bad one day and find this little hut with a mystery sibling. Maybe they know something is up with them a little weary at first and Lovely is so scared because Bad is busy with something and she's got two new people here all of a sudden. But I think they would know that this is just another egg, not a code. And then Dapper and Pomme would look to one another, roll their eyes because OF COURSE their dad adopted another egg. And they introduce themselves talking to Lovely asking about them and Lovely gets to show off the rooms she designed for them both.

Bad comes back to a hut with 2 more kids than he left it and his kids would give him so much shit for not telling them he got another egg. They're all joking of course and Lovely gets pulled into it as well, and its just... They're a family, she has a family. She has a family!

She has a family that protects her and loves her and won't let anything bad happen to her. They eventually convince her to go to the main island to meet everyone else and Bad swears he won't let the federation take her. And he doesn't, the first time Cucurucho spots Lovely and comes towards her, Bad is suddenly there, being loud and obnoxious as always and when Cucurucho tries to ask about Lovely he begins to throw shade onto cucurucho for forgetting her. Lovely hung out with Cucurucho so much, has given Cucurucho so many flowers and fish and omg Cucurucho says they want to take care of the islanders but can't be bothered to remember their favorite egg. He gaslights that bear so much that cucurucho leaves, absolutely convinced that they have seen Lovely before, and Lovely has always been there, and they've gotten so many gifts from Lovely. He's got pictures to prove it!

Bad doesn't say a word of this to the other parents but somehow they all just know, they all know that that is OUR EGG. Bad tries to introduce Lovely and say my egg and the other islanders are like, nope Our Egg. And Lovely finds themselves with like 20 more parents and just as many siblings it feels like.

There are still some days that they need to be left alone, huddled in their hut, one hand in the fish tank to just keep themselves present. Days they can't seem to get their legs to stop shaking, can't even look at lava at all, needs to be constantly splashing themselves with fire resist potions. But those days are getting fewer and further apart, and she knows as well that her family is right there with her, keeping her company in her hut, covering up lava, hugging and holding her steady when she can't seem to stand, giving her fire resist potions and always always there to give her hugs and love. She just... has a family and a future now.

-----

sorry for the rambling but god this got away from me, if you like this then please go check out @qsmprambling ! They came up with the idea first and their post on it is so good (click here for it)

@shadowfloofster is writing a fully fleshed story too so make sure to keep an eye on them :)

[thereareeyesinsidethetrees]

explaining all of the names in my pinned post cause why not (excluding eyetrees cause the explanation for that one is in the post itself)

under a cut cause there’sssssssssssssssssssssssss

a lot

creature - i am therefore i think- wait. no that’s not. i therefore think am. yEAH!!,

mako - mako! a type of shark! i like the color of mako and i like its shape and texture too!

egret - a type of bird! only problem with this one is that it’s pale yellow in color, but y’know! bird!!

ermine - stoat winter edition. pretty word. pretty creature. very nice and pretty and soft

squid - 🦑 (squids are cool!! plus the color is nice. yippie)

fisher - type of- what the fuck are they called. hhuh. OH MUSTELIDS!! yeah that’s the one! anyway. they’re cute and fisher is close to ‘fletcher’ which is not one of my names but i like to carry it around with me anyway. it’s very nostalgic and nice

marten - another mustelid. ADORABLE. I LOVE THEM. AHHHHH

moths - i like moths! i also like plural names. moth? nope, moths

bug - i am what i am (afraid)

anomaly - i am what i am (a freak /positive)

chiton - type of funky aquatic creature. they’re real neat!

isopod - i like isopods (big ones though not. not the tiny ones). i have a giant isopod as my computer wallpaper. neat little critters

xylem - i barely struggled through that part of biology i don’t know. part of plants. it’s a pretty word and i like it for that

spooky - spooky scare yippie

spooklight, ghostlight/s - a type of light phenomenon! suspected to be from car headlights, but y’know

? - question makr

petrichor - smell of soil after/just before rain! favorite smell. love rain. love the word. good times

ford, stanford - blorbo

lee, stan - blorbo

mason - blorbo and i keep forgetting to add mabel but y’know what that’s fine

ghost - lil bug you play as in hollow knight!

hollow - lil bug’s extremely ill sibling!

broken - lil bug’s extremely dead sibling!

mossy - moss charger in greenpath

nosk - lil bug’s- oH WAIT NO THAT’S NOT-

hunter - slugcat from rain world!

nsh - iterator from rain world! name stands for ‘no significant harassment’

suns - another iterator! full name is ‘seven red suns’

inv, enot - secret slugcat! funky lad

pebbles - another iterator! full name is ‘five pebbles’

iko - from a game called islets! main character

greybird - from islets! birb

icarus - y’know the story

lycaon, lycan - werewolves are our jam! the ‘lycaon’ spelling comes from king lycaon, the supposed first ever werewolf. i just like the name and werewolf-ness, i don’t. he did fucked up shit (though luckily he’s just a mythological figure as far as i can tell)

kinito - from that game, y’know the one. take me to the void axolotl boy!!

cetus - cetus the constellation! represented by a whale and/or sea monster. personal connection

saturn - favorite planet! as with all of these, pretty word

stardust - pretty word!!!

random note at the end: none of these names are in order of importance, not here and not in the pinned post. ideally (unless you need to use one consistent name), you just sort of pick whichever from the list to use in any given moment!

[sourwormsaresour]

Headcanons on the type of pets La Squadra would own?

Holy shit this was too fun to make, especially with giving the pets names.

Sorbet and Gelato have their own Crusty-White-Dog™ that's a Maltese Terrier named Armani. The dog hates and barks nonstop at everything deemed threatening (aka, everyone and particularly the rest of La Squadra) and yet those two will claim she's the sweetest thing in the world. True to her name, they deck her with Armani branded clothes, either specially made dog fashion or they had a DIY done to make it look like an Armani outfit- down to the bright pink leash she wears dripping in the Armani logo. She eats the finest dry kibble and only drinks Ferrarelle Sparkling water; she will know the difference if you switch it up. She's the epitome of "I demand pets but only do so with your eyes" to everyone. Despite loving Sorbet and Gelato the most, she demands all their attention on her and she will cockblock those two if she catches them being affectionate to each other instead. Despite having a nice bed, she always sleeps between the two of them and will whimper if they kick her out of the bedroom so they can get intimate. Those tear-stained eyes always look like they've seen everything, despite being constantly babied by her owners. If Armani could, she would kill everyone.

Risotto, the biggest man in Vento Aureo, has a little Syrian hamster he called Ace. He thought that a pet with a shorter lifespan would allow him the perfect balance of having a pet but not being very attached to it compared to pets that live longer- he was wrong. If you ever come into Risotto's office as he worked, either you are greeted with Ace running around in his green hamster ball, walking around Risotto's desk as he worked, or running in the hamster wheel behind the desk. Ace's tank is an old Aquarium tank Pesci gave to Risotto that is now full of soft bedding, toys, and Risotto frequently cleans it. There are days where Risotto just spends hours watching his hamster walk around the room, eating little treats, and staring at Risotto with its beady eyes. It's gotten to the point where you can't walk into Risotto's office without noticing a lone sunflower seed or piece of bedding on the ground that Risotto didn't notice until you pointed it out. Every time Ace passes from old age, Risotto buys a new Syrian hamster and calls that one Ace. He hasn't kept track of how many hamsters that came and went so far, but treated every one of them as if they were the first Ace. He takes pictures of Ace doing the most relatively boring things and will share them with his members.

Illuso got a Sulphur-crested cockatoo named Scapino as a joke. He thought they didn’t require much attention but later felt bad when he found out that they need specific proper care. He proceeds to care for it as if it was his child. Illuso taught his bird how to speak and swear at people, specifically swearing at Formaggio and occasionally at Ghiaccio. This man will shower his bird with the best treats (expensive nuts, dried fruit, chicken bones) and has a special bar for it to perch on when they're in the shower together. This bird has free reign all over Illuso's place and wears a little anklet thing to verify that it has an owner should it escape. The two of them have spa days together and it’s one of the most wholesome things in the world to witness. Scapino will actually join Illuso on missions too, staying in the mirror world the whole time, and it provides him some comfort from his social anxiety. Sometimes Scapino sits on his shoulder as he walks. Illuso trained it to stay and hide in the mirror world so that it wouldn’t fly away or blow his cover when he’s working. But the bird will fly around in there and will watch anyone that’s getting murked in front of him with no remorse and commenting on it too. Imagine you’re dying in the mirror world and your last moment is this fucking bird looming over you going “night night, motherfucker”. JESUS CHRIST. 

Prosciutto used to be on the whole “pets are unnecessary” train but he had considered looking at breeders for the best quality dog. And then one rainy day he found an abandoned Portuguese Water Dog puppy in an alleyway and at Pesci’s insistence took it in. Turns out the puppy was bought by a rich family for their kid but then abandoned when the kid wasn't interested in it anymore. Prosciutto insisted that the dog was going to stay for one night and then sent to the pound first thing in the morning. It's been years now and the little dog is now a big fluffy good boy named Pon Pon. The second biggest chunk of Prosciutto's paycheck is for this dog; I'm talking grooming services with paw-ticures, an all-organic raw diet, the nicest beds that even a human would wish they can sleep on. Pon Pon is properly trained with all the basics and tricks, because Prosciutto doesn't want to deal with a misbehaving dog, but it will use puppy eyes against the old man now and then. He give you the best smiles if you call him a good boy and if you glance at the right time you can see Prosciutto smile for a brief moment. Had he lived longer, he would have made Pon Pon famous on Facebook like Boo the Dog. Prosciutto will also not admit that this dog has helped him get laid a few times, because every person he did bring home always got a kick out of Pon Pon.

Ghiaccio has a pet snake- an albino ball python named Bianco. Ghiaccio was also on the “pets are unnecessary” train too but mainly because he can't stand loud pets (i.e. Illuso and Sorbet and Gelato’s pets). When Risotto suggested he get a snake, Ghiaccio looked into it, researching and meticulously setting up the proper enclosure  and found himself going to a local reptile expo to find Bianco for sale. He’s fascinated by his snake to say the least, and would use leftover containers or Tupperware for Bianco to spend more money on proper equipment or food. Ghiaccio is really involved in online reptile forums and frequently debates with people on topics such as the best substrates to use, whether live rodents are better than frozen, ethics of breeding certain species, etc. He often gets worried when Bianco becomes picky and Ghiaccio would spend sleepless nights trying to get his baby to eat. Ghiaccio would walk around with his ball python wrapped around his neck or lets him slither around in his room under supervision but he mostly leaves him alone in the enclosure. There are times where he would claim he has the best, smartest pet and everyone just rolls their eyes like “yes the white fettuccine that got stuck in a toilet paper roll an hour ago is so smart”. But they let him rant about it. It’s kind of cute to say the least.

Pesci is the definition of people whose entire LIVELIHOOD is making his room into an aquarium. His room is full of strictly maintained, cleaned, and decorated tanks full of various types of aquatic animals. I’m talking Dwarf Puffers (Antonio, Portia, Jessica, Bassiano, and Solanio), Albino Gold Axolotls (Moe, Larry, and Curly), Red Ear Sliders (Franco and Ciccio), Clown Fishes (Browser, Mario, Toadstool, and Koopa), Brazilian Sea Horses (Tom and Jerry), a Blue Betta Fish named Valentina in a 30+ gallon aquaponics tank that grows a variety of plants each season- to name a few. He rebuilt his entire room to keep everything running and even had Melone help him set up timers for lighting and temperature control. Pesci will cry if you somehow made the pH level off by 1 or did not care for his animals properly when he’s away. He’ll even lecture you about bad tank setup. He's a prominent member of the aquarium  community in Italy and will regularly redecorate each tank to suit the year and mood. This is where he’s spending his cut on the 20 million lira job: caring for his mini aquarium room. He occasionally gives away his pets’ offsprings for extra money (he doesn’t breed but sometimes he ends up having a ton of baby animals he can’t take care of) and would have been a YouTuber for his fish content. Now that I think about it, Pesci reminds me of my mutual @nexter2nd. Please go follow them.

Melone has a Holland Lop bunny and you cannot change my mind. He actually had a pet bunny growing up, another Holland Lop named Echo and Grep, and his current one is named Sudo; all three are named after UNIX commands. He has a large dog crate he diy-ed to be a roomy enclosure in his room for her that he cleans frequently but also allows Sudo free reign of the room when she wants to go out. Because of his job, he makes sure all his wires are covered so his bunny isn't tempted to chew them and watches his bunny diligently whenever she roams around. Easter time is when the denim jacket, pastel bows, and flower crowns come out and Melone makes sure to take a lot of photos. He also housetrained his bunny and taught her a few tricks, similar to how he trained Echo and Grep years ago. Sudo is spoiled in terms of getting a lot of pets, new toys, and feasts on the finest veggies and delicious hay. Melone also makes sure the first thing he teaches his Juniors is to not harm the bunny. Surprisingly, he's against breeding Sudo and has her neutered. This is mainly because he doesn't have the time to breed and raise more bunnies but also he hates the idea of selling the grown bunnies off afterward. 

You know that Formaggio has a cat: the little Russian Blue cat named Sweetie Baby. Sweetie Baby was a kitten that he found outside his home. The little thing was the sole survivor of its litter and nearly starving to death, so he took her in thinking he will bring her to the shelter when she recovers; that cat now lets him live in HER apartment rent-free. Despite feeding her cheap dry food and constantly shoving her into bottles, he treats her like a queen otherwise. He will dress her up in little outfits (much to her annoyance) and often would be too aggressively affectionate towards her. Still, there are moments where she would cuddle with him during the later nights and allow him to put on one iced-out bow he just spent a quarter of his paycheck on. Walking to his apartment and even the backdoor of La Squadra’s HQ means carefully walking through the stray cats mewling at your feet, because Formaggio will feed any cat he sees. Initially, Risotto wanted the cats gone, but then he finds out the cats doubled as security when he watched some robber attempting to break in but getting their eyes scratched off instead.

[beardycarrot]

Hello, I've noticed you own an axolotl and would like to ask for some advice to taking care of it?

Sure, did you have any specific questions?

The important points are that they need cold, clean water, have a tank with a large footprint all to themselves (or another axolotl of the same size), and that you shouldn't put anything smaller than their head in the aquarium unless you're okay with them swallowing it.

So, let's go over what those things actually mean.

Axolotls are native to lakes in Mexico, which they prefer to live at the bottoms of. Because of this, they're adapted to cold water without much light... so you'll need a special setup for them. You can buy an aquarium cooling system, but it's a lot easier to just set up a small fan and point it at the surface of the water. This causes the water to evaporate, cooling it. You'll need to add new water more often than you would with other aquariums, but it's by far the simplest solution. When I decided to move my axolotl tank last week, I bought an old desk to serve as an aquarium stand, because it had a convenient place for attaching the fan.

Being bottom-dwellers is also why you want a tank with a large footprint. While fish swim around a lot, axolotls spend most of their time lounging on the bottom, so don't get much use out of vertical space. A ten gallon aquarium is okay for a baby, but once they're bigger, a twenty gallon long is ideal. If you've got a forty or fifty-five, even better.

Axolotls are pretty sensitive to water quality, and poop A LOT, so you'll need to clean up after them in a way that's not really necessary with most aquatic pets. You will, of course, need to nitrogen cycle their tank before putting them in... but the problem with that is aquarium plants, which I'll get to in a minute. Once your tank is set up with the proper bacteria (which you can buy in bottles, actually), the best way to maintain it is to actually remove the axolotl poop as soon as you see it. Just keep an eye out for what looks like a brown Tic Tac, and suck it out with a turkey baster. If the water gets too dirty, either from poop being left in for too long or the nitrogen cycle not functioning as intended, axolotls can suffer ammonia burns to their skin and gills. They'll recover from it (that's kinda what axolotls do), but I mean... don't mistreat your pets, kids.

Planting an axolotl tank can be tricky, because being bottom-dwelling amphibians, they're not particularly bright or good at identifying things by sight. If they encounter something that can fit in their mouth, there's a good chance it WILL end up in their mouth, on the off-chance that it's edible. This is a problem because most aquarium plants are sold with the expectation that you'll root them in gravel, and an axolotl eating gravel is... well, it's not ideal. You really need those plants as part of the nitrogen cycle though, so you gotta put them in somehow.

I don't know what the ideal solution is, but here are mine: I happened to have a couple small plant pots (two to three inches tall), so just made some miniature potted plants. These are some kind of anubias (anubias nana, I think?), which I chose because they don't need much light, planted in gravel within the pots. I also have another plant in an aquarium log, which you can find at most pet stores, though I'd advise putting it in its own tank for a week or so before introducing it to an aquarium: even if the store claims the logs don't have any snail eggs in them, they probably have snail eggs in them. Finally, on the right of the photo above, you can see my third type of plant, a marimo. These moss balls just kinda roll around underwater, so don't actually need to be planted in anything.

Tank mates of other species don't really work for axolotls. If it's a fish too big for an axolotl to eat, it'll try to eat the axolotl's external gills. If it's anything else, the axolotl will try to eat it. Axolotls will even eat the gills and limbs of smaller axolotls, so if you don't want your axolotl to be lonely, get another axolotl of about the same size. Axolotl axolotl axolotl axolotl.

Those were the main points I wanted to touch on. What else... well, substrate is important. You can't use gravel, and being bottom dwellers, axolotls like to crawl around just as much as swim, so will get kinda stressed out if the bottom of their habitat is smooth glass. Most people use sand, since if the axolotl swallows it, it should come out the other end no issue... just make sure that you get natural quartz sand and clean it well. If you want to get colored sand, do your research: a lot of black sand sold for aquariums is coated with plastic to give it that color, and you don't want your axolotl eating that.

You could also do what I did, and just buy a big piece of natural, untreated slate. It looks really cool, and gives your axolotl plenty of traction for crawling. I bought mine from BlankSlateCrafts on Etsy, who if asked nicely might even be willing to custom cut you a piece to fit the inner dimensions of your tank.

Hmm... I guess the last thing I should touch on is feeding. My axolotl, Woop, eats earthworms almost exclusively. Specifically, red wigglers and other small European nightcrawlers, which I feed her every other day. Ideally you'd have a composting setup that just continually breeds worms for you, but you can get them anywhere that sells bait. Just make sure to read the label: some, like the ones dyed weird colors to attract fish, will specifically say they're not intended as pet food. I also give her bloodworms, which you can find frozen into ice cubes at pet stores, though these aren't the kind of thing you should feed them every day. Think of them like french fries. I feed Woop earthworms with a pair of long aquarium tweezers, and have a dish in her aquarium for the bloodworms. It might be worth making a post going over all the equipment I use...

Alright, that's about it! If you (or anyone else) have any other questions about axolotl care, feel free to ask!

[capnsaltsquid]

Thoughts on Minecraft Live

Let me just say the obvious first: this may be the best update Minecraft has gotten so far.  I went in to this thinking “how exciting can they possibly make bigger mountains and goats” and then spent the next hour picking my jaw off the floor repeatedly.  This is on par with or maybe even better than the aquatic update.  Here are a few thoughts...

1.  Glow squid who?  It seemed like the biggest reveal would be whether we got one of two re-skins or a guy who starts snowball fights.  Instead we got an eldritch lovecraftian horror and a cute lethal baby that attacks guardians.  I love them both.  I will create an army of axolotls, and I can’t wait to face the Warden in-game.  I guess the squid is cool too.

2.  Copper!  I love the look of this block, and I hope that it has more properties than just its aesthetic value.  It’s one of the most versatile metals IRL, and I’d love it if that extends to the game.  I also hope that they have a craftable alloy that keeps the original appearance of the copper, because that color is gorgeous.

3.  Call me Dr. Frankenstein.  I can’t wait to see what else can be done with the lightning rod.  I don’t believe for a moment that such an intriguing item will only be used for protecting roofs.  I’m thinking automatic creeper conversion farms where you can have a creeper sitting next to a lightning rod be converted to a charged creeper if the rod gets hit.  I hope the rod will be able to output a redstone signal on a lightning strike.

4.  Sculk Sensor.  I can already hear Tango making plans for Decked Out 2.0.  This is an enormous redstone addition.  Say goodbye to clunky and unreliable puffer fish detectors, this thing is the bomb.  Hopefully there’s a way to mute the sound it makes as well (in the same way that putting certain blocks on top of note blocks mutes them).

...

These were just my favorite additions out of so many things.  The new azalea, dripleaf, and spore plants are going to add so many terraforming possibilities, and I love the amethyst geode / crystals and the archeological blocks as well.  Big thanks to Mojang for making this game feel more alive with every update and finding new ways to engage both veterans and newcomers.

[oreozfox]

Been thinking more about what Mer-Gelfs would be like

I think they wouldn't be conventional Gelflings, but rather a subspecies or at least related in some way. I also think there would be a few differences, like:

Mer-Gelfs don't have gills on their necks like Drenchens do. They'd instead have external gills like an axolotl. I think they could breathe in both air and water, though.

Mer-Gelfs would have sharper teeth than Gelflings, because I feel like they'd prefer meat like fish, crab, and other aquatic animals over plants.

They wouldn't live in large groups like clans, but rather in smaller pods like dolphins and whales do.

I think that Gelflings and Mer-Gelfs miiiight be able to have childlings but unless the Gelfling parent lived by the sea it would be hard for the childling to have both parents in their life, because I think that in their case a hybrid childling would either resemble one parent or the other. The childling would either have the gills and fishlike tail or not.

[axogothl]

An Amateur’s Guide To Axolotls — Part One

The axolotl, scientific name Ambystoma mexicanum, is also known as the Mexican walking fish, even though it’s not a fish, but an amphibian. In the wild, they’re indigenous to Lake Xochimilco in Mexico. But you can buy them from breeders or big aquatics shops almost anywhere. Unlike fish, axolotl require quite a bit of care. They’re not only pretty to look at, but they need commitment and love. I’m putting this “guide” together for both your use and mine.

Please note that my way of doing things isn’t the universal way of taking care of your water monsters. I’m just here to give you insight on how I do things and what works and doesn’t work for me and my axolotls. (Disclaimer; I will use ‘I’ and ‘we’ through this post, because the axies are also my housemate’s. I’m just the only person writing this post.)

This is part one, where I will be talking about everything you need to know when getting your first axolotl. In part two, I will be talking about the mating and breeding stuff for those of you who are looking to branch out more than you initially anticipated. (Like we did.)

Setup

Before you go out and buy your first axolotl, you need a place for them to stay. Since axolotls can grow quite big, (up to or in some cases over 30 centimetres) you will need a tank of decent size. We started with a 55L one, but had two axies in there and they grew pretty big, so we had to upgrade to a 64L tank.

You don’t necessarily need to put any sort of surface in the tank, but if you decide to, opt for either fine sand/gravel or stones that are over 3cm big. Any other gravel, they might try to eat and choke on. We have opted for fine sand and they love it!

Axolotls need a place to hide, so choose ornaments with big enough holes in where they can hide. Just be careful of any rough or sharp edges; sand them down if there are any.

You might want to look into getting aquarium plants. You can get plastic ones, sure, but again, these might have rough edges and axolotls tend to prefer real plants over the artificial kind. (Female axolotls will in some cases lay their eggs on the leaves!)

Getting plants is slightly more complicated than you think. You need low maintenance plants because of the temperature of the water. (More on the water later on) We chose Anubias Nana and Anubias Barteri for our tank. The reason we picked these is that they’re pretty much indestructible. I put ours in little plant pots I got from Ikea; but there’s different ways of housing aquatic plants. There’s a pretty good article on caudata.org that goes into much more detail! P.S., make sure the plants are in the tank three days before you move the axies in, this ensures the plants get accumulated to the water.

And now the most important part of the setup; the water.

You don’t need to fill the tank up to the very top. The rule of thumb is they need at least as much water as the length of their body. But always opt for more, just so they have room to swim around!

The temperature has to be between 16 and 24 degrees Celsius. (That’s between 60 and 75 Fahrenheit) That should be room temperature. You don’t need a heater! Axolotls are not tropical animals. Cured tap water is perfect for them, just get a thermometer in there as well.

We clean the tank and change the water every two weeks, but you can do a partial water change every week as well. Axolotls are dirty little cuties, so they will make a mess!

Most tanks come with a filter, but consider the type of filter you get. The flow has to be steady, but not at all heavy. We have a waterfall filter that gives the perfect water flow. Get an air stone as well, trust me. Axolotls need oxygen, since they have lungs as well as gills. And they enjoy chilling in the bubbles! The surface of the water needs to be broken by tons of little bubbles, that’s how you know you’ve got good circulation going on.

Lighting. Most tanks come with LED lighting. This light has to be soft, because Axolotls are sensitive to light. (They don’t have eyelids, so try to keep them out of direct sun/light.) We only turn their light on when feeding them or to do check ups.

I’ve heard various different things about how long you have to wait before putting the axolotls in your new tank. With our first tank, we waited two weeks. With our second, we waited five days. So in our experience, anything between five days and two weeks is fine. This gives all the equipment, water and plants the time to settle and work properly!

When you get your axolotl, they will be in a plastic bag with some of the water they used to be in when you bought them. Don’t just dump them into your new tank! Allow the entire bag, with axie and all, to lay in your tank for about 20 minutes before freeing the little animal into their new home. The sudden change of temperature might cause the axolotl to freak out otherwise!

Feeding

So now you have set up your tank and acquired your axolotl(s), you need to know what to feed them. You have various food sources to pick from; some more easily to obtain than others. We first started out by the basic axolotl pellets. There’s the basic ones (3mm pellets) for axies up to 18 centimetres in length. When your water monsters grow bigger than 18 centimetres, you can feed them “XL” pellets, which are 5mm big. Don’t dump half a container in their tank, aim for around 10 pellets per axolotl, depending on how big (and hungry) they are.

As far as frozen food goes, we feed them cubes of bloodworms every now and then as a treat. I tried to give our beasties frozen brine shrimp for a change, but they didn’t like it very much. But hey, you don’t know if you don’t try!

Recently, after much looking around, I have found a pretty decent place to get live food for the axolotls! I ordered bloodworms, but didn’t realise they were the small kind. Still, the axies were curious and ended up liking them a lot! I will need to get some larger ones in the future. (If you’re wondering where I get the live food from, check out reptilecenter.com! Cheap live food and fast delivery! Plus they have a subscription scheme you can totally customise, which is worth looking into! Not sponsored, by the way.)

As I’ve mentioned before, axolotls are messy animals. So it’s best to clean up the food they haven’t eaten to prevent the tank from getting dirty faster.

Oh, fun fact, axolotls are also cannibalistic. Although cannibalism mostly occurs in early stages, they might still nip at each other if not fed regularly.

We feed ours at least every other day. But you can feed them every day if you wish. You will get to know your beasties and when they’re hungry, so after time you’ll get into a routine. Just watch out for any cannibalistic behaviour!

Health

From experience, I can tell you an axolotl’s health is super important. We have lost one of our first water monsters due to what turned out to be fungus and us not knowing what to do. So PLEASE take care of your aquatic children!

Axolotls can get stressed and stress can cause them to get ill. It’s hard to explain the signs of stress because they’re easily confused with your axolotl just being silly. I’ve learned not to panic at the slightest odd behaviour. You just need to know what you’re looking for if you’re worried they’re ill.

(Which is easier said than done, as I’m not a vet in the slightest.)

From my personal experience, if your axolotl constantly comes up for air and floats upwards, having trouble staying at the bottom, something is off. Sometimes, they just have trapped gas in their bodies and need a good burp. But if trapped gas is not the issue, they might be ill.

Another sign is not eating at all. Axolotls love to eat, so if they’re not even making the effort, you might want to keep an eye out.

And the biggest sign in my experience; physically noticing fungus starting to form. This might start to appear around the cloaca (where the gills are) or their butt and looks like a fluffy sort of attachment. This is dangerous and can kill your axolotl.

Separate the ill from the healthy and put them in a salt water bath or in the fridge for a few days. Quarantine is what they need and they should (hopefully) be alright in a few days’ time.

There’s a more detailed article on axolotl.org. Again, I’m no vet, I just write about my personal experience.

[kelpiencomplexities]

Kelpien Stuff

You know if Kelpiens evolved in water or at least had an amphibious evolution Saru’s body shape would make sense. And if the Kelpien home world was anything like Earth’s the oceans could be filled with predatory whales and sharks that need to eat a huge quantity of prey to keep functioning. Kinda like how Whales strain high numbers of Krill to survive.

Also Kelp is an Earth marine plant so maybe there’s inspiration there for the name of the Kelpien species.

Kelpien’s Threat Ganglia also makes sense for a partly aquatic existence as it probably be easier for say a school of Kelpien to signify a threat by just showing their Ganglia as opposed to using their voice. And speaking of voices, Saru’s click in his throat would also work better underwater so that it only travels a small distance just far enough for his fellow Kelpiens to hear but not so far that a predator can hear too.

We haven’t seen his bare legs or feet but they could spring out quick enough underwater that it resembles an Olympic Athletic Swimmer propelling themselves in a pool. That spring like shape to his legs and feet would work excellent on land as well as they resemble a horse’s legs built for speed.

Saru’s hands also appear to have more pronounced ridges on the finger pads. As we know when we swim for a long period of time or take an extended bath/shower our fingers get more wrinkly so that we can feel things better under the water maybe Kelpien fingers serve a similar purpose.

So I’m thinking an at least partly aquatic life would make more sense for the Kelpien physique and adaptations.

Bonus Kelpiens have a strikingly similar look to Axolotl Salamanders albeit more humanoid and Salamanders can breathe both air and water. Axolotl also live in Salt Water which would explain Saru’s affinity for Salted Tea.

@actordougjones if it doesn’t infringe on a Non-Disclosure Agreement and if you can spare some time am I at least somewhat close here?

[chaosflight]

a fishboi life stages updated! i headcanon that they are kinda like frogs in that they are born in water but eventually leave it, although they retain the ability to breathe undrwater permanently, theyre just more successful if they have the option so theyre born/laid underwater in dark tunnels, sung to by their parents/family for the six months theyre in egg form. by the end of the six months they can hear and even kinda sing along, and have a vague concept of language and communication. then they hatch and theyre like axolotls/salamanders, but they call this the tadpole stage. it lasts up to two years, depending on individuals and circumstance, but they spend this time still in the tunnels, where temperatures are v regular. in the egg stage, they cant regulate their temperature and this is partially true in the tadpole stage, as their systems are still developing internally. they feed on algae and microorganisms in the water, and they start to learn how to call the bioluminescence out of plants (as seen in the movie) they cant talk until the end of this stage, but they chirp and coo and sing. the largest of this stage are probably the size of a small housecat, v fragile. then their bodies start to lose the more aquatic features- the fins stop growing as much as the rest of the body, as well as the tail stops developing. their ribcages become more defined and they start to develop lungs. they master the art of language in this stage and start to venture out of the dark of their birthing cave and into the luminescence of the night, as theyre still nocturnal creatures. at the end of this stage they can fully breathe air, though many adults prefer they take to land with supervision, as their limbs are not fully calibrated for land yet, and while im not sure predators really exist on this planet, the workd is still dangerous for literal children. this stage almost always lasts two years, unless the individual purposefully avoids taking to the surface, but this can cause huge health concerns and most do it instinctively from there, their land legs develop and they are perfectly sble to switch from land to water. this is the final stage and is most similar to how we see leeyoon in the film. most are fully grown after 6 years, or by the time they turn ten, though many continue to grow in height for several years after that point at a greatly reduced speed and thats how they are till they die of old age! most i think tend to stay near their birthing cave, like how turtles always come back to the beach they hatched on to lay their eggs, but its also usually just a decent place to live at any stage of their life, so why leave? leeyoon is an exception since he was raised/trained to be the Moon Guardian probably from a young age. i think he has a pond with a small cave system by where munes family/tribe? lives

[iamthescalesofjustice]

okay i will talk about it a little. so. octokitten facts as we know them.

kitten heads on furry, octo-tentacled bodies. they do not seem to have discernible tails apart from their existing limbs, which are fairly taillike, in a way. they have a taste for motor oil, flesh of at least the humanoid kind, radioactive substances that once were plant matter, and possibly regular cat food. intelligent to some degree. will self-replicate when exposed to chlorine. being radioactive doesnt seem to affect them negatively much. apparent propensity for biting, though that may simply be bc most of them are under or unsocialized.

and: there are octocats. but on the silvana, not on the aurora.

either the octocats are a separate form of life from octokittens (possible), or octokittens as we know them exhibit some form of environmental neoteny.

many amphibians do, including axolotls. we dont know whether octokittens and/or octocats are amphibious, though. sadly their octo-ness appears to be largely due to having eight tentacular limbs rather than sharing an assortment of deeper features with octopodes (this can be rectified by simply having fun instead of thinking too hard about what passes for canon, but thats kind of what this post is for, so). if octokittens can breathe in non-air environments its probably bc they are chaotic little bastards rather than bc they have any particular known affinity for water-based lifestyles.

anyway. octokittens on the aurora appear to exist for the entirety of their lifespans without undergoing metamorphosis into octocats. this means that whatever causes such a metamorphosis isnt present in that environment, but is present on the silvana (the unique ambient radiation of the weird is my current guess).

this of course does not reduce the amount of octokittens as they are capable of self-replication in at least one circumstance we know of, possibly more. and if they do have more zoological similarities to amphibians, well. several amphibious and aquatic species that exhibit environmental neoteny manage to achieve reproductive maturity regardless. the perpetual infestation of aurora has and will continue.

but the thought that octokittens may be like eels, and the weird their sargasso sea was haunting me. and hopefully also whoever reads this.

thinks about octokittens too much

[wikitopx]

A well-rounded city growing out of the stark North Texas prairie, Dallas has a jumble of ultramodern skyscrapers, the largest arts district in the United States, museums of the highest quality and pulsating nightlife.

Whole swathes of the city have been reinvented in recent times, like the Design District breathing new life into an austere neighborhood of warehouses, or Klyde Warren Park, on the former route of a freeway. But if you’re hunting for old-time Texas trademarks like big steaks, BBQ and honkytonks among the upscale restaurants and high-culture, you’ll find them with little trouble. Dallas will also forever be tied to the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, and at Dealey Plaza, you’ll discover how the city has come to terms with this tragedy. Let’s explore the best things to do in Dallas.

[toc]

1. John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza

The John F. Kennedy Memorial Building was opened in June 1970, next to the red sandstone towers of the Dallas County Courthouse. The monument at its core was designed by architect Philip Johnson, a friend of the Kennedy family, and was personally approved by Jacqueline Kennedy.

Formed to represent the freedom of John F. Kennedy, the memorial consists of a square room without a roof, with concrete walls of 15 x 15 meters long and 9 meters high. These walls are composed of 72 concrete columns, supported by two legs at each corner and so appearing to hover over the ground when illuminated at night.

Inside the room is a square of granite carved with the name JFK, painted in gold to catch light from the walls.

2. Meadows Museum

The oil baron Algur Meadows (1899–1978) made repeated trips to Madrid in the 1950s, and in that time he fell in love with Spanish art at the Museo del Prado, determined to create his own Prado on his prairie in Dallas.

This became the Meadows Museum at the Southern Methodist University campus, home to one of the largest assemblages of Spanish art outside of Spain.

The art here dates from the 900s to the present, comprising Renaissance altarpieces, massive Baroque canvases, liturgical polychrome images, graphic art, Impressionist landscapes, abstract painting, sketches, and sculpture.

Among the many great artists featured are Velázquez, El Greco, Murillo, Ribera, Zurbarán, Goya (six works), Sorolla, Rodin, Picasso, Dalí, Miró, Henry Moore and Giacometti. In 2019-20 there were great short-term exhibitions for Sorolla and the great Spanish Renaissance sculptor Alonso Berruguete.

3. Deep Ellum

If you’re out for live music, great food, awesome bars or one-off shops then Deep Ellum is the place to go, just on the other side of the I-345 from Downtown Dallas. This has been an entertainment district since the 1880s, and blues legends like Leadbelly, Bessie Smith and Blind Lemon Jefferson all entertained the crowds in the 1910s and 1920s.

The name comes from the neighborhood’s main artery, Elm Street and crops up in the old blues song Take a Whiff on Me, and the song “Deep Elm Blues”, made famous by the Grateful Dead. The lineup of clubs and live venues is too long to list here but features Trees Dallas, played by Radiohead, Nirvana, Arcade Fire, and Pearl Jam.

For concept bars, you’ve got a slew of craft breweries/distilleries, and the trailer park themed Double Wide. By day you can check out the street art and pick from ramen (Oni), tacos (Tiki Loco), sushi (Nori) or southern comfort food (Brick & Bones, Get Fried) for lunch.

4. Dallas Zoo

Across the Trinity River from Downtown Dallas, the Dallas Zoo will be a valuable family outing even without its greatest appeal. But the Giants of the Savanna habitat is not something you’ll come across very often.

This $32.5-million habitat, unveiled in 2011 has reticulated giraffes, zebras, impala, ostriches and guinea fowl sharing the same large space. In the same zone is the zoo’s herd of African elephants, as well as African lions, South African cheetahs, warthogs, and African wild dogs.

The Gorilla Research Center, opened in 1990, is another feather in the Dallas Zoo’s cap, a lush recreation of the Congo Rainforest, with enough space for two troops of gorillas, each separated by a wall.

The Wilds of Africa Adventure Safari takes you on a 20-minute, mile-long narrated monorail ride past hippos, okapis, Grévy’s zebra, Thomson’s gazelle’s and some giant birds, from great white pelicans to Goliath herons.

5. Dallas World Aquarium

In the West End Historical Area, this aquarium in a warehouse remake from 1924 is not just fish. Mundo Maya keeps ocelots, American flamingos and a variety of colorful passerine birds and owls to go with its vibrant angelfish and axolotls.

The upper floor is taken over by a reproduction of the Orinoco Rainforest, inhabited by sloths, giant river otters and primates like pygmy marmosets and red howler monkeys, as well as dwarf caimans, poison dart frogs, toucans, matamata turtles, and electric eels.

The ten main tanks are on the lower level, where you’ll come within inches of aquatic life from all over the world from giant Japanese spider crabs to brilliant Percula clownfish, tangs, angelfish, butterflyfish and moon jellyfish.

Outside the South African exhibition holds a flock of mischievous black-footed penguins, only 50,000 in the wild.

6. Pioneer Plaza

The city’s rugged early days are remembered at this park laid out in 1994 in front of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, just south of downtown.

Rendered in bronze by artist Robert Summers is a marvelous sculpted ensemble – the largest bronze monument in the world – depicting an everyday scene on the old Shawnee Trail.

Crossing the plaza are 49 longhorn steers and three trail riders on horseback, all in an environment of ridges and cliffs, planted with trees and plants native to North Texas, a flowing stream and waterfall. Each steering wheel is slightly larger than life, just under two meters tall.

7. Fair Park

This 277-acre outdoor complex located on the right shoulder of Downtown Dallas has a history like a fairground dating back to 1886. Space was transformed to lift the spirits during the Great Depression when Dallas hosted Trade.

Fair of Texas in 1936. Architects George Dahl and Paul Cret turned Fair Park into a wonderful exhibition of Art Deco design. Plenty of the attractions on this list can be found right here, and the park holds more than 1,200 events a year, from concerts to sporting events.

For 24 days from the last Friday of September, this is the venue for the Texas State Fair, attended by over two million people each year and presided over by iconic Big Tex. One of the main events is the annual college football game between Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns, at the 92,100-capacity Cotton Bowl.

A centerpiece during the fair is the Texas Star, a Ferris wheel 65.8 meters tall, with 44 gondolas.

8. Hall of State

Fair Park's headquarters, the State Hall of the Arts, is a formidable venue, even when the exterior is showing its age. There are few better examples of Art Deco architecture in Texas, and it’s bewildering to think that this regal edifice got built in the depths of the Great Depression.

What draws your eye outside is the semicircular recess at the entrance, with limestone pillars rising 23 meters dividing bands of blue tiles evoking the state flower, the bluebonnet. On the frieze are the names of 60 historical figures with an important role in Texas history.

The monument has belonged to the Dallas Historical Society since 1938 and its radiant interior holds the Hero Hall, with six bronze statues symbolizing Stephen F. Austin, Thomas Jefferson Rusk, Mirabeau B. Lamar, Sam Houston, James Fannin, and William B Travis. At the Texas State Fair 2019, there was a great exhibition of the state's history in cinema.

9. Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park

This compact yet never-popular aquarium opened with the hundredth Texas Exhibition in 1936 but got a modern makeover in 2009.

There are six main exhibits at the Children’s Aquarium: Freshwater Zone, with red-bellied piranhas and Australian rainbows; Intertidal Zone, for sea stars and sea urchins; Shore Zone, inhabited by seahorses, batfish and home to a Caribbean reef; Near Shore Zone, which has Moray eels, clownfish and porcupinefish, and the Offshore Zone, where you’ll see the ominous-looking Queensland groupers and zebra sharks.

Lastly, the outdoor Stingray Bay is everyone's favorite part, where you can touch and show rays and watch black reef sharks in a large outdoor tank.

10. Frontiers of Flight Museum

Head to Dallas Love Field Airport to be awed by this Smithsonian Affiliate museum in the airport’s south-east corner. The Frontiers of Flight Museum has more than 30 aircraft and space vehicles on show, a portion of which were built in the North Texas area.

There are also 13 galleries and exhibits to ponder, including artifacts from the Hindenburg, lots of detail about aviators like Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, and a full-size model of the Wright Brothers’ 1903 Wright Flyer.

As for preserved aircraft, make sure to see Apollo VII, used for the first manned flight of the Apollo Space Program in 1968.

Also indispensable is the last surviving Texas-Temple Sportsman monoplane (1928), a de Havilland Tiger Moth (1940), a Bell 47 (of M*A*S*H fame) and jet fighters and bombers including an F-16b (1977), and LTV A-7 Corsair II (1967), a Republic F-105D (1958) and a Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star (1950).

More ideals for you: Top 10 things to do in Phuket – top 10 bars

From : https://wikitopx.com/travel/top-10-things-to-do-in-dallas-704428.html

[beardycarrot]

Axolotl update: one week in!

When I first got it, my baby axolotl was pretty dang pale. I didn’t realize at the time since I had no basis for comparison, but it seems being cooped up in a little deli container in a pet shop was pretty stressful. I feel bad for bettas whose owners take them home and put them in vases not much bigger than this.

It did start to recover once it was in a proper tank, with space to move around and cool, filtered water... but since I hadn’t known for sure whether I would actually be getting an axolotl that day, I hadn’t bought a hide or anything.

Temporary measures are better than nothing, right? As for food, given how absolutely tiny this axolotl (axolitl?) is, big home-grown nightcrawlers are out of the question. Even cutting a bit off of one, it would be like taking a six-foot party sub, cleaving off a few inches, and asking someone to swallow it whole. I was going to need to find some smaller worms.

...I mean, if it were me, I know what kind I would want. Garlic earthworms? Since when do fish have it so good? I ultimately ended up buying a tub of baby nightcrawlers (which were still about half the length of the axolotl’s body) and some tiny bloodworms frozen into little cubes.

After a few days, I’d obtained a proper hide (using a rotary tool to grind away a few sharp unfinished edges on the inside), and the axolotl’s color was a lot better. You’re able to see its digestive tract because of how small and light-colored it is, and bloodworms apparently just... look like that, inside of axolotls.

At this point I hadn’t yet tried feeding it a piece of earthworm, since it wasn’t eating much at first, and I wanted to get through the entire cube of bloodworms I’d thawed. I was worried about it hurting its face on the tweezers I was using, since the bloodworms are so small, so instead of feeding it directly I just dropped some bloodworms near the axolotl and let it sniff them out. As you can see, some drifted behind the hide, and I was forced to pull it away from the walls. Note to self: get a reptile dish to put the bloodworms in.

Even a tiny segment of a tiny earthworm is a bit much for this tiny axolotl. Well, at least I know I can feed it these without worrying about a mess. My next concern was putting some kind of substrate on the bottom of the tank. This is apparently a tricky issue for a lot of axolotl owners; gravel is no good because the way axolotls suck up food can lead to them ingesting it, and while the same is true of sand, they can at least safely pass it most of the time.

Neither is ideal, however, as the amount of waste axolotls produce can make cleaning gravel or sand difficult. Most people who choose a substrate go with sand, but that’s not currently an option for me, as my ‘lotl is so small that swallowing even sand could be an issue. The alternative is leaving the bottom of the tank bare, but the smooth glass prevents the axolotl from gaining purchase, which can stress them out.

I’ve yet to see anyone suggest this while researching the subject, but in my mind the ideal substrate for an axolotl would be something with a rough enough texture that they can crawl along it, but is impermeable enough that nasty stuff won’t build up inside. Something in one solid piece so that the axolotl won’t ingest it, while looking like a natural bottom for a watery environment. Something... that is a single piece of natural slate exactly the size of the bottom of my aquarium. Too bad that’s not a thing you can just buy, eh?

OH WAIT YES IT IS BECAUSE I DID JUST THAT.

After spending ages browsing Amazon and home improvement stores for slate tiles that would fit my needs, I eventually found BlankSlateCrafts on Etsy, who sells home goods made of slate... as well as big pieces of unfinished natural slate, which just so happen to be 10″x20″, the same size as your standard ten gallon aquarium! It needed to be trimmed a bit, since the interior dimensions of the tank are a bit smaller, but this was an incredibly lucky find. Since I’d told him that I would be experimenting with cutting the slate, and that he could just send me a discolored piece if he had any (hey, discoloration is natural, I’m not a suburban mom making it into a fancy cheese board), he decided to send me two slates for the price of one! Sweet guy.

Finally, I decided to pick up a few aquatic plants. Some people don’t bother with plants, but they can really help to reduce the nitrates (converted from the nitrites (converted from the ammonia (converted from the axolotl poop))) in the water. Since axolotls don’t like a lot of light, I went with plants that also thrive in low light: java fern, hornwort, and a marimo. The hornwort is mostly there to sit at the output of the filter and reduce the amount it disturbs the water, but it should also help to keep the water clean.

So, all together, what does the tank look like now?

Bam! Seeing the wall and power cords through the back kinda makes me want to get one of those scenery backings for the tank, but other than that, I’m really happy with how it all came together! I guess we’ll see how it works out on a practical level, but the slate at the very least LOOKS great, and my little axolotl seems to be exploring a lot more than before. Whether it’s due to being able to walk instead of swimming everywhere or because there are actually points of interest in the tank now is unknown, but...

Well, what do you think, Kirby?

...Okay, I’m not 100% sold on the name Kirby yet, but it’s growing on me. Tiny, pink, consumes everything like a vacuum? I’m also considering Woobeewoo, Crona, Quality Woop, and a few other things... so the Untitled Axolotl Project remains, for the time being, a work in progress.

“The Creation of A Lotl” - The Artsy Axolotl, March 2020

[poc-recovering]

@prettyfuldancingirl @azaras-spirit I don’t have a betta, but I do have knowledge on them. Let me tell you, it’s a lot more than pretty much everyone thinks. Here are the basic necessities for a fully aquatic animal.

• Always have Seachem Prime right near your aquarium. This is necessary to remove chlorine and any excess ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite. 2 drops per gallon is efficient. This is for freshwater only, I believe. I don’t know what people have to use in a saltwater tank, but bettas are freshwater.

• Make sure to keep a siphon and a bucket that has the amount of gallons labeled. Don’t forget to have a thermometer in the tank, as well.

• Always have at least one hide per aquatic pet- make sure it’s big enough for them to fit comfortably in.

• Never, ever get a tank too small. Getting a tank too small can and will cause underdevelopment of the animals organs, therefore permanently damaging them, leading to premature death. If an aquatic animal is in a small tank and the animal itself is small, it’s small due to underdevelopment, not just because it’s supposed to be small. For example, a betta needs a minimum of 5 gallons, axolotls need a minimum of 10, etc.

• Always use a filter and research what flow strength is best for your pet. Many aquatic animals need low flow, while many need a more powerful flow.

• Never underestimate your pets intelligence. Most fish have a memory span of months, and some even years.

• Remove your pets waste with a siphon as soon as possible. If it’s a solid, large, and fresh piece of waste, you can remove it with a net.

• Live plants aren’t necessary, but they can be great to have. They absorb some amounts of ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite. However, most aquatic animals love plants, even if they’re fake.

• Never get plastic plants, as they can cut your pets delicate skin. Get silk plants instead.

• Do not get any decor or hides that feel like they could scratch your pets skin.

• Make sure to do weekly water changes. Most aquarists will recommend a 20-25% water change, but never more than 40%. if you do more than this, you will cause an ammonia spike, resulting in extreme stress of your pet and possibly death.

• Some aquatic animals such as axolotls and some frogs will eat anything that can fit in their mouth. This is why you have to do your research on the proper substrate is best and safest for them.

• Your pet should have a balanced diet. Feed them staple foods most of the time, and honestly, don’t give them the flakes just labeled “fish food.” It may be okay sometimes, but it should never be fed to them a lot.

Now, let’s get betta specific. Please add more if I missed anything.

• No bettas should be housed together- it doesn’t matter if they’re male or female. Even if female bettas don’t seem stressed, they are. A common thing with “betta sororities” is violence among bettas because they finally let their agitation out from being housed together. All bettas are naturally aggressive. This means you shouldn’t even house them next to each other unless there’s something to block their view of the other betta.

• Bettas need plenty of silk and/or live plants, as well as at least one hide.

• Bettas require a tank at least 5 gallons. Although their required tank size is debated among the aquarist community, it’s much better to be safe than sorry.

• Don’t overfeed them! Their stomachs are as big as their eyes, so you really don’t need to feed them a lot. Also, it’s recommended to feed them twice a day.

• Bettas require everything I stated in the first list.

10 Steps To Care For Your Hamster (long post!)

1. Do not keep them in pairs. Hamsters are loners - keeping them together often results in stress, fighting, injuries and death. They are very happy alone. 

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2. Minimum cage size

dwarf hamsters: 30 x 20 x 20 inches (80x50x50cm);

bigger hamsters: 40 x 20 x 20 inches (100x50x50cm)!

NOT like this: 

Living in cages like this for them is like a human living in an elevator - a lot too small and even dangerous! 

For them it feels like this:

Behavior like this is a signal for stress because the cage is too small or that they need more bedding:

Better:

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3. Your hamster (always!) needs a hamster wheel - and it must be a lot bigger than you might think! 

Hamster must be able to run with a completely straight back

on a closed surface

with a closed back wall! 

NOT like this: 

Results of those wheels are: spine problems, backache, stress, injuries! 

Minimum wheel size for dwarf hamsters: 9-10 inches. 

Minimum wheel size for bigger hamsters: 12 inches! 

Better: 

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4. Do not buy them plastic tubes (at all): 

Those tubes are not suitable at all: Hamsters get stuck or suffocate in them easily. 

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5. Your hamster needs enough bedding to dig and build tunnels.

NOT like this:  

Better: 

Your hamster will be extremely happy and dig around and build tunnels all day (night). 

A study also found out that (golden) hamsters need up to 12-36 inches of bedding, so just do your best do give them the highest amount of bedding possible. :)

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6. The less plastic the better! 

NOT like this:

Plastic gets swallowed, splinters, can injure or even kill your hamster. 

Better: 

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7. Hamsters ALWAYS need a sand bath.

Hamsters love rolling around in the sand, for them it’s like showering. How would you feel without a shower? 

You can use those little baths as toilets, but you still need a bigger sand bath!

Better:

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8. Hamsters need a house with at least 2 or more chambers to store food, sleep etc. Also make sure that your hamster does have enough hiding places like coconuts, small houses, toilet rolls! 

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9. Do use unperfumed toilet paper for nesting material, don’t use “hamster wool” -> it can tangle around a limb and seriously hurt and even kill your hamster! 

NOT like this: 

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10. Never ever ever put your hamster or any animal in a hamster ball. 

They can’t get out, might suffocate or panic, might run against furniture and seriously injure themselves. The ventilation is terrible, your hamster can’t see/smell/hear enough or use any of their senses properly.

In some countries they even discuss about banning those by law! 

Even if you think that “your hamster has fun in it” - please don’t use them! 

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Please reblog and spread this information.

Pet stores often are very misinformed and sell terrible cages and have little to no idea how to keep a happy hamster - please be careful when trusting them. In the end they often just want to make money - and the hamsters suffer. 

Please adopt, not buy hamsters - there are too many hamsters in this world that we need any more breeding. 

**

MASTERPOST: Cheap Cages And Supplies For Hamsters - IKEA

~ more to come ~

(Sorry for the spelling errors - I made this post in a rush.)

[aquilacalvitium]

Day 4

Not a lot happened today. I got there in time, did some shelf stacking (price guns are super fun to use btw) moved some fish around and mopped.

We had ssome axolotl eggs in the back that hatched today and they're so freaking tiny!!! Also at one point a little boy came up the the desk and said "Do you know about fish?" Honestly it was super funny and super cute!

My last job of the day was sorting aquatic plants. There are more of them than you'd think.

Aquila Calvitium’s Work Experience

Day 1

I went in late today (around 2:10) and spent a while reading over health and safety papers (yawn). Then I was taken around the shop to learn the layout and meet everyone working there.

My duties then began with cleaning the glass of a large tank, sweeping the whole shop and feeding a couple of tanks. My duties were then over and I was able to spend the last thirty minutes or so mingling with my colleagues and getting to know them better.

One of them is a YouTube lover and gamer and he really makes me laugh! Honestly I love everyone there but I’ve got two more people to meet tomorrow!