First things first, thanks to Ajay for featuring me in BLOG-O-RAMA! And special thanks to Gina for telling me about the link. 
I have an aquarium!
H bought the whole set-up as part of my advanced birthday gift. Woohoo! Since we didn’t have the time to go all the way to Cartimar, we went to Bio Research in Glorietta 1. The guy who assisted us was so great that in just a couple of minutes, we had bought a 5-gallon tank with all the trinkets (pebbles, rocks, a little tower, a filter), a light, a fish net, fish food, some kind of solution to take the chlorine out and 5 little fishies.
They are Paris and Nicole, my two Albino Tiger Barbs; Masked Rider, my Rainbow Shark; The Flash and Speedy Girl, my two Zebra Danios. I love them! Sadly, Flash passed away last night. My heart broke and I really wanted to cry. I’ve never had pets so these 5 fishies were my first pets. Oh well, the Flash’s life went out in a flash. Sigh.
I still have four more left to keep me company though so that’s fine. I enjoy watching them chase one another around the tank. Masked Rider loves hanging out inside the tower. He’s so cute! Paris and Nicole love to fight. Speedy Girl’s all by her lonesome now but she chases the other fishies around too. I can just stare at all of them swimming back and forth the whole night. At night, I turn out all the lights at home and just leave the aquarium’s light on — it’s a very tranquil moment for me. I’ve noticed I’ve become calmer this weekend. See? The aquarium’s having an effect on me already!
My long-term goal is to have an aquarium by my bedside. I’d love to fall asleep while watching the fishies swim round and round. Ah, that’s going to be super long-term. I have yet to master cleaning this aquarium — a chore I’m not exactly looking forward to but something I will do for the love of my fishies!
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.
Daphne
July 18, 2005 at 11:21 am (19 years ago)Hey Toni that’s so cute and I like their names as well. Paris and Nicole? hehehe I didn’t know you were into them pala 😉
Toni
July 18, 2005 at 11:51 am (19 years ago)Daphne: Hahaha I’m not into them but naaaliw ako sa kanila! 😉
beabear
July 18, 2005 at 12:56 pm (19 years ago)Congratulations!
You look so cute in the photo!!!
jojo
July 18, 2005 at 1:11 pm (19 years ago)yey, congratulations!
we were supposed to go to Bio Research last saturday also because our aquarium needs life. we put it out of service for the remainder of the summer because the fishies died on us one by one (that was one terribly hot summer!).
maybe next weekend. will i see you there? heehee
Alma
July 18, 2005 at 1:45 pm (19 years ago)Toni! What a beautiful surprise… Here are some tips: Tip #1- do not overfeed the fish. It is better to underfeed them than overfeeding them. I have learned a bad lesson before. My first batches of fish died because we overfed them! Now, I tell the maid to feed them only once a day and with only one tiny pinch of fish food. Tip #2- Get 1 or 2 janitor fish for your tank. They will eat and maintain the growth of algae and accumulation of dirt in the tank. Tip#3- don’t get too attached to your fishes! They have an extremely low life span.
My daughter was sad when our fishes died one at a time because of overfeeding…
Have fun and take care of your tank! By the way, I am off to Cartimar next week to buy more fish for my tank and for my pond! Would you like to come?
Gina
July 18, 2005 at 2:05 pm (19 years ago)Hey sis, been reading your blog for quite sometime and I am very happy to see your blog being featured in Manila Bulletin :), taka lang ako bakit di mo man lang namention dito sa site mo the link is at http://www.mb.com.ph/TECH2005071839669.html
Christine
July 18, 2005 at 4:21 pm (19 years ago)congrats toni! yes, fishies die w/o cause or reason! we’ve lost so many fishies na grabe!
Mikey
July 18, 2005 at 4:32 pm (19 years ago)Yes aquariums are so soothing to watch! too bad Flash died. I get too attached to pets; that’s why I can’t have fishes, they die for the strangest of reasons
ruth
July 18, 2005 at 5:19 pm (19 years ago)uy, toni, congrats on the aquarium… and the MB citation!
BabyPink
July 18, 2005 at 5:44 pm (19 years ago)ay, kakatuwa. very nice picture.:)
my brother and his wife got this really big aquarium at may sa OA ‘yung kuya ko kabibili ng kung anu-ano for the fishies at each one of us had one fish. parang ‘yun ang mga anak nila. my brother kept buying toys for them and all pero noong naipanganak ang pamangkin ko, nawala sa eksena ang mga isda hanggang sa tuluyan na silang mamaaalam lahat. ‘yung iba na-overfeed ata kasi wala nang paki kuya ko, hala, basta feed lang ng feed. kaya ‘yun! mine was the last one to die. sad.:(
Toni
July 18, 2005 at 6:28 pm (19 years ago)beabear : Hehehe ganyan ako every night. 😛 Thanks!
jojo : EB tayo sa Bio Research. Hahaha!s
Alma : Thanks for the tips. I’m resisting the urge to feed them too much. Nanggigil ako eh! And yes, I will get a janitor fish soon. I’m thinking of a name for it na nga eh. And oooh a Cartimar field trip! When are you going? Hehehe.
Gina : Thank you so much for sharing that link with me! You’re such a sweetie. I didn’t make enough time to find it online. I have kept hard copies of the article though hehehe. For my hubby!
Christine : I have a feeling the other fishies picked on him. Boo!
Mikey : I’m trying not to get too attached to them but I can’t help it. It’s the nurturing side of me. Ah well, at least I have a reason to buy a new kind of fish!
ruth : Salamat!!!!
BabyPink : Hehehe ganyan ako gabi-gabi! Naku I’m growing to be somewhat attached to this batch of fishies. Tsk tsk. Sabi nga ni Erik dapat nag-pusa nalang daw ako. Haha!
tin
July 18, 2005 at 6:52 pm (19 years ago)hi toni! congrats on the MB feature! you deserve it. yours is one of the nicest, most positive blogsites i’ve seen. thanks a lot for the mention ha.
we had an aquarium at my parents’ place. we were all enthusiastic and excited the first few weeks, until each of ’em died. you’ll be surprised how attached you can be to those cuties!
Cat
July 18, 2005 at 7:31 pm (19 years ago)Hey Toni!
Congratulations on your new project and good luck maintaining it! I also want an aquarium here in the office. Watching the fishes swim and play is definitely relaxing. When I was a kid, my dad would keep an aquarium with little fishes and he would often rearrange the contents (the rocks, the castle, the plants). It was therapeutic for him.
By the way, I left a message at your shoutbox but now it seems that it’s missing so I don’t know if you saw it. Anyway, remember I told you before that I plan to cook a Japanese dinner for A? I finally did and it was a tremendous success. I left the recipes in my blog. They were mainly for you since I know you love to try recipes.
Toni
July 18, 2005 at 7:36 pm (19 years ago)tin the marikit: Thanks for the kind words.
And you deserve a mention ‘no!!! 
And oh, I AM so surprised with how attached I am with these fishies. Didn’t think I’d get so emotional over them!
Cat: Hi there! I don’t think I read that message of yours! Too bad for me. I’ll hop on over to your blog to read up on that successful dinner of yours! Congratulations!!!
vea
July 18, 2005 at 7:48 pm (19 years ago)ate toni!!! congratulations..just read the article. you and your blog deserve it!!! oh and im happy that you got yourself an aquarium…a great stress-reliever. the advertising presentation was okay thanks for all the help!!! hugs and kisses!!!!
Toni
July 18, 2005 at 7:59 pm (19 years ago)vea: I’m proud of you and your group! (hugshugshugs)
em
July 18, 2005 at 8:00 pm (19 years ago)toni
hehe i wasn’t in class last week!and neither was niles…
anyway, is the homework still about “body”?
because taffy (from the previous class) lent me his handout and that’s what it says. just wanna make sure before i start doing it!
let me know?
thanks!!
Toni
July 18, 2005 at 8:06 pm (19 years ago)em: Yes! It’s about body. I know that the poem has to start with a the line “My body…” or something. I’m sure it’s the same handout!!! I hope you’re feeling better. Ma’am said you had the flu! Mildred was absent too! And pssst I have a livejournal too. Look for solace_77 😉
Sidney
July 18, 2005 at 9:44 pm (19 years ago)Congratulations with your article in the Manila Bulletin and … congratulations with your new aquarium
JMom
July 18, 2005 at 9:45 pm (19 years ago)Toni, congratulations on getting your fish tank! If you take care of your tank and make sure the water is ideal, your fish can survive a while. Sometimes with the initial setup, some of them will die because of the stress. Once things settle down and the fish get aclimated they should be ok. Our fresh water tank has fish that are going on two years old, and the water has gotten at a good balance, that we don’t need to change waters but every couple of weeks.
So funny, that you named your fishies
We do the same thing. We have a salt water tank that I call the “terror” tank, for the fishes that can’t get along with others as they tend to eat them. The meanest one is a three year old huma we call Norm (Norman Bates/Psycho), theres a snowflake eel we call Hannibal (Hannibal Lechter/Silence of the Lambs), and there is a brown tang we call Freddie (Freddie Kruger/Nightmare on Elm Street). Of course in the reef tank, away from the murderers, we have Nemo and Dory. It is so relaxing watching them, and they do all take on their own personality.
Have fun, enjoy, and advanced Happy Birthday too 😀
JMom
July 18, 2005 at 9:49 pm (19 years ago)Oh, and congrats on the blog-o-rama write up!!
Toni
July 18, 2005 at 9:54 pm (19 years ago)Sidney: Thank you Sidney! And you have a terrific photo blog! Thank you so much for dropping by my blog… it led me to yours! I am looking forward to more pictures from you!
JMom: Nakakatuwa naman mga names ng Killer Tank mo hehehe. And you’re so right — the fishes take on their own personality!!! I’m beginning to notice that with my own fishes. Thanks for the congrats and the bday greeting!
sha
July 18, 2005 at 10:23 pm (19 years ago)saw your name at the weekly blog o rama congrats
wicked names for pets LOL
dexie
July 18, 2005 at 11:27 pm (19 years ago)lovely article on you. i enjoyed reading it
Clever names for the fishes..lol. I’m kinda jealous. I have to wait a few months to get an aquarium coz we just bought my son hermit crabs and we hardly have any room for it. Have to wait till the living room is fully furnished.
JO
July 19, 2005 at 12:48 am (19 years ago)wow! congrats! it makes me want to buy one too … but i hate doing house chores, do i dare add one more chore (cleaning an aquarium)? hehehe …
meeyagirl
July 19, 2005 at 7:08 am (19 years ago)toni! congrats on being featured at MB 😀 you deserve it, we all love and are inspired by your entries. hope everything goes on swimmingly with the fishies 😀
Toni
July 19, 2005 at 11:27 am (19 years ago)sha: Hi there! Thanks! And yeah, I had fun naming my pets!
dexie : Thanks! I enjoyed being interviewed by Ajay! And hey, hermit crabs are fun too!
JO : That’s the downside to having an aquarium — an additional chore! Grrr. Oh well, gotta do it for the love of my fishies!
meeyagirl : Thanks Mia! I’m glad I’m able to reach out to more people via that interview!
Junnie
July 20, 2005 at 4:02 pm (19 years ago)ok you better choose to having an aquarium by your bedside or your cookbooks!
which is which???
i enjoyed reading the Blog-o-rame feature! galing.
Toni
July 20, 2005 at 4:20 pm (19 years ago)junnie: Can’t I have both? 😉 Hehehe. And thanks! I had fun with the Blog-o-rama interview!
Lissa
July 22, 2005 at 2:05 am (19 years ago)I miss having fish at home pero ngayon na may lugar na ulit, we’re definitely getting them. They’re very fun to watch and relaxing too.
Toni
July 22, 2005 at 9:06 am (19 years ago)Lissa: Oooh let me know when you get an aquarium!
Jean
July 22, 2005 at 10:59 am (19 years ago)Toni, don’t worry about the cleaning, after awhile cleaning will be like breathing. We’ve got a guiniea (Damn with all those vowels!!!) pig and two red eared slider turtles. We’re even thinking about buying a dog. Yeah, a dog (I hear a faint, “Daddy, I want a squirrel!) for my oldest. Husband thinks its so keen about havin’ the kids be responsible for another living being. I’m getting this feelin’ that either he or I will be walking the dog to go potty. Grr!
Toni
July 22, 2005 at 2:00 pm (19 years ago)Jean: Like breathing? Okay, we’ll see about that. 😉
Amy
July 26, 2005 at 1:03 pm (19 years ago)Here are my fish-care tips: If you see your fish getting sick, don’t give up on them right away. There are drops that you can put in the water to cure many kinds of fish diseases. Also, wear gloves when you clean the tank to avoid germs.
Toni
July 26, 2005 at 1:18 pm (19 years ago)Amy: Thanks for the tip! I have a fish sick right now, and we’ve been trying to cure him with those drops. Hopefully he gets better soon. And I will definitely wear cleaning gloves! Thanks for the reminder.