Alex888

My 3rd Sipadan Trip

2008-10-30T06:10:00.000-07:00

This is my third trip to Sipadan Island and all this photo was taken with my IXUS 950IS.
Cheap Cheap Camera lah. Hopefully someday can buy Nikon D700..........dreaming

Shrimp at one of the soft coral

Crocodile Fish

Close-up of crocodile fish

My favourite nudibranch about 2cm

Another Favourite........due to the color.

This is a beauty ....first time seeing this.

Nice to see and nice to eat but be careful, this Mantis Shrimp can blow ur finger off

A rare nudibranch.

Ribbon Eel....look tiny but never point ur finger to near.

Taking a peek at what we are doing.

Another shot

The local call this Orang Utan ......me dunnoe the real name

Lion Fish

Another type of nudi.

Pygmy seahorse

The bigger Brother ..........Lion Fish

Hope u enjoy the photo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Vacation to Sipadan Island

2007-12-11T12:24:00.001-08:00

Arrive Semporna, a small town off Tawau. At the back is Dragon Inn, where we are staying. Room rate is RM60 per night. But most important it is a water chalet........with this amount you get hot shower, TV and breakfast. Lunch and dinner, you can go to a local restaurant.....either Uncle Chang or Fung Ling. They provides a wonderful meal .......don't take my word for it, try it out yourself. Seafood in Semporna is damn cheap, just be adventurous and try everything.

Boat depart at 0930hrs from Semporna. The specky guy there is Mr Janson and wife, he is a scuba insructor.............but don't look like one. Journey will take 1 hrs but sceenery is beautiful

Just arrive Mabul at 1030hrs....a little bit drowsy from the trip. This is a water chalet belong to Uncle Chang....a real friendly guy. He look a litte like Kitaro
For RM50 per night, you get breakfast, lunch, dinner and tea/coffee+ bread all day till midnight...........apa lagi mau

For RM50 a night you also get a BBQ dinner.....lamb, squid, chicken and fish......mana mau cari.

This is what we do at night. This guys produce some of the best music.........but you need to pump them with spirit........I mean those spirit(liquor)

Mabul Island
1st picture is a stall selling shell by the local, known as Sea Gypsies or Bajau known by the local. You can get a bargain here.
2nd is a bar own by Borneo Diver.

S.M.A.R.T.
S.M.A.R.T. is a luxury accommodation at Mabul Island.

The entrance to S.M.A.R.T. From the look of it you know it not going to be cheap

Alamak!!! curi kah..........S.M.A.R.T provide guest with bicycle for travelling convinience. If you want privacy than your chalet will be futher from the restaurant and beach.

Seaventure
It an old oil rig that is converted into a semi luxury accommodation. No land for you to stroll around but the water underneath the rig promise you abundant sea creature. At night there is a Karaoke and a Game Room for u to enjoy or just sit at the open air sundeck to enjoy the night breeze.

This is what happen when u are kaki ayam. Walking on Seaventure is basically walking on steel platform.

Sipadan Island
Made famous by Jacques Cousteau documentary called "Ghost of the Sea Turtle", this island has been one of the most popular diving destination for many divers. Located off the north-east coast of Sabah at the Celebes Sea, this island is formed by corals on an extinct volcanic cone that rises 600m or 2,000 feet from the seabed. It has one of the most richest marine habitats with over 3,000 species of fish in the world along with Galapagos Islands and Truk in Micronesia. This island has been voted as the best diving spot in the world by divers who came here.
The uniqueness of this island is the drop-off of approximately 600m or 2,000 feet just 9m or 30 feet away from the beach. It is like a wall that drops off suddenly to a bottomless depth. As you dive, you will be able to see groups of green turtles and hawksbill turtles resting on corals in their natural habitat. Hammerhead shark, leopard shark and grey reef shark are a common marine life that you will encounter here. The elongated fish with strong jaw fish called barracuda is commonly found here. Other marine life include the octopus, the parrotfish and manta rays to name a few.

Adam is a great swimmer but he have a phobia..... afraid of big fish. Anyway Janson and gang manage to persuade him to go for a swim. All in all they really enjoy the water there

My son Aaron....also great swimmer.
Snorkelling off Sipadan jeti will promise you Napoleon wrasse, jack, trevelly, batfish, turtle and all kind of color fish.....if you don't believe ask him

Ha ha.... my first dive to have seen a Mermaid .....notice her pink sunglasses

..................flipper also pink in color.

Sipadan famous for its Shark and Turtle. This is a reef shark

Do Not Disturb. 3rd photo is a hawksbill turtle....notice the jagged edge of the shell.

I believe I can fly

Humphead Parrot come in a school of hundred. I siam, if never sure head on collision.

Beautiful Fishes, Clown Trigger and Moorish Idol are my favourite

Other variety of fishes at Sipadan(clockwise) Napoleon Wrasse, Titan Trigger, Starfish and I think is a Sweetlip

What is the Nitrogen Cycling Process?

2007-09-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

How an aquarium

‘cycles’

Call it cycling, nitrification, biological cycle, startup cycle, break-in cycle, or the nitrogen cycle. No matter what name you use, every newly set up aquarium goes through a process of establishing beneficial bacterial colonies. Older aquariums also go through periods during which the bacterial colonies fluctuate. Failure to understand this process is the largest contributing factor to the loss of fish. Learning what it is, and how to deal with critical periods during the nitrogen cycle, will greatly increase your chances of successful fish keeping.

The Waste Problem

Unlike nature, an aquarium is a closed environment. All the wastes excreted from the fish, uneaten food, and decaying plants, stay inside the tank. If nothing eliminated those wastes, your beautiful aquarium would turn into a cesspool in no time at all.Actually, for a short period of time, a new aquarium does become a toxic cesspool. The water may look clear, but don't be fooled, it's loaded with toxins. Sounds awful, doesn't it? Fortunately bacteria that are capable of converting wastes to safer by-products, begin growing in the tank as soon as fish are added. Unfortunately there aren't enough bacteria to eliminate all the toxins immediately, so for a period of several weeks to a month or more, your fish are at risk. However, you need not lose them. Armed with an understanding of how the nitrogen cycle works and knowing the proper steps to take, you can sail through the break-in cycle with very few problems.

Stages of the Nitrogen Cycle

There are three stages of the nitrogen cycle, each of which presents different challenges.

Initial stage: The cycle begins when fish are introduced to the aquarium. Their feces, urine, as well as any uneaten food, are quickly broken down into either ionized or unionized ammonia. The ionized form, Ammonium (NH4), is present if the pH is below 7, and is not toxic to fish. The unionized form, Ammonia (NH3), is is present if the pH is 7 or above, and is highly toxic to fish. Any amount of unionized Ammonia (NH3) is dangerous, however once the levels reach 2 ppm, the fish are in grave danger. Ammonia usually begins rising by the third day after introducing fish.
Second stage: During this stage Nitrosomonas bacteria oxidize the ammonia, thus eliminating it. However, the by-product of ammonia oxidation is nitrite, which is also highly toxic to fish. Nitrites levels as low as low as 1 mg/l can be lethal to some fish. Nitrite usually begins rising by the end of the first week after introducing fish.
Third stage: In the last stage of the cycle, Nitrobacter bacteria convert the nitrites into nitrates. Nitrates are not highly toxic to fish in low to moderate levels. Routine partial water changes will keep the nitrate levels within the safe range. Established tanks should be tested for nitrates every few months to ensure that levels are not becoming extremely high.

Now that you know what is happening, what should you do? Simple steps such as testing and changing the water will help you manage the nitrogen cycle without losing your fish.

How To Avoid Disaster

What To Do

The key for success is testing the water for ammonia and nitrites, and taking action quickly when problems occur. To aid in tracking the status of your aquarium, links to charts for logging your tests can be found under the charts section of this page. Each chart shows the danger zones and offers steps to reduce toxins before they result in loss of your fish.
Test for ammonia:

Begin testing on day three after adding the fish, and continue every day until the ammonia begins to drop. After it begins to fall, continue testing every other day until the ammonia reaches zero. Using the chart provided, plot the ammonia levels. Should ammonia reach the danger zone, take steps as shown on the chart. If at any time fish show signs of distress, such as rapid breathing (gilling), clamped fins, erratic swimming, or hanging at the surface for air, take immediate action to lower the ammonia level. Chemicals such as Ammo-Lock will quickly neutralize toxic ammonia.

Test for nitrites:

Begin testing one week after adding the fish. Continue testing every second or third day, until it reaches zero. Using the chart provided, plot the nitrite levels and take steps as shown on the chart if nitrite reaches the danger zone. If at any time fish show signs of distress, such as rapid breathing or hanging near the surface seemingly gasping for air, test for nitrite. If levels are elevated perform an immediate 25-50% water change and test daily until levels drop.

What Not To Do
Don't add more fish - wait until the cycle is completed.
Don't change the filter media - the beneficial bacteria are growing there. Don't disturb them until they have become well established.
Don't overfeed the fish - when in doubt underfeed your fish. Remember that anything going into the tank will produce wastes one way or another.
Don't try to alter the pH - the beneficial bacteria can be affected by changes in pH. Unless there is a serious problem with the pH, leave it alone during the startup cycle process.

My Pet (Hong Bao)

2007-07-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

This is my pet Arowana that has been with me since 29 August 2006. Hong Bao(HB) was bought home at the size of 7 inches. Month after month with the love and good water management HB has grown tremendously to a size of 18 inches
(click on photo to view video)
Arowanas belong to the Osteoglossiformes family which is one of the most ancient fish species. Their origin has been traced back to the Jurassic era, close to 200 million years ago. They have a long body, large slanted mouth, upturned jaw, sharp teeth, big eyes and a pair of barbels (whiskers) growing out of the tip of its lower mouth. One of the most unusual characteristics of arowanas is their bony tongue which is used to crush their prey. Some varieties can grow as long as three feet.

Native Habitat
Arowanas are native to four continents: Asia, Africa, Australia and South America. In Asia, they are called a Dragon Fish or Feng Shui Fish. They are on the endangered species list in several countries. The exportation of these fish is strictly regulated and can only be shipped from countries where they are bred on farms where the supply is considered plentiful. This accounts for the high price (usually $1000 minimum).

Feeding
Arowanas need to be fed live foods such as brine shrimp or red worm when they are juvenile. As they grow in size crickets, cockroaches and live feeder fish can be the main diet. Arowanas can also be train to feed on pallet which are formulated for their diet and market prawn which is good to enhance the scale colour especially the Red Arowanas. They have a voracious appetite so be prepared to spend a lot of money on food. Live food is always more expensive.

Tank Size
Tank size is a very important aspect as it affects how the fish is going to turn out when matured, whether it is straight swimming with fins fully opened or one that is sickly, stunted and hunched. The larger the tank size is, the better. In general, a bare minimum size for an adult arowana should be 5 ft by 2 ft. One general rule is that the length of the tank must be at least 3 times longer than the length of the fish. As for the tank's width, it must be at least 1.2 times longer than the length of the fish. It is ideal to place the fish tank in a quiet spot of the house to avoid asserting unnecessarily stress to the fish by human traffic. Surrounding stress can easily affect the fish's base color, especially for Cross Back Golden. Sufficient lighting is also required for arowana to ensure good color developments and it is ideal for tanks to expose to some natural morning or evening sunlight. However, too much sunlight can lead to algae problems such as green water or drastic temperature change in smaller tank etc. Avoid switching on the aquarium light suddenly in a darkened room, or the fish may panic and injure themselves. Switch on the room lights first, then a few minutes later switch on the tank light.