Pike Place Fish Market, Seattle

 

     My bro and I went to Seattle, Washington to visit our sister and it got a little fishy! We've never been to Seattle and the city didn't disappoint. Seeing our sister was the best part of the trip, but a close second was Pike Place Fish Market. I seem to have fish on my mind all the time, so I decided to share our fishy experience! After we got our coffees at the first Starbucks ever, we walked through the market and arrived at Pike Place Fish Market.

 

 

     That's my bro on the left and Justin Hall on the right. If he looks fired up, it's because he was! I was wearing a SF Giants hat and he had something to say about it. Justin reminded us that we were in Seahawk territory!

 

(Go Seahawks)

 

(Seahawk Wings)

(trying to grab my hat)

(pumped)

(still pumped!)

 

     As hyped as he was, it was all good fun. I think he was preparing my brother for the flying salmon! I've caught salmon, steelhead, brown trout, and rainbows in the rivers and lakes... a lot of fish! They were all slippery. Let's see what happened for my bro...

 

 

     Good job bro! I got to keep my hat because of you. An unforgettable moment at Pike Place Fish Market. I recommend anyone visiting Seattle to visit this place. Freshest fish, and best customer experience! Thanks to Justin and Ryan Rector.

 

(Justin)

(Ryan)

 

     I planned on visiting the local fish shops, but we ran out of time. We were able to visit a few fish at Cabelas in Washington.

 

(trout tank)

 

(sturgeon)

 

     If you want to see a prehistoric animal, look at a sturgeon up close! Remember, if you have any fish questions or want to say hello, please leave a comment or email me. I hope to share some fish keeping tips with you soon.

 

 

Merry Christmas from the Space Needle

 

-YA

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



  

Planted Tanks

 

     I learned something new today. Planted tanks are a lot cooler than I thought! I have friends and family who like fish tanks but want a planted tank instead. There is a big difference between fish tanks and planted tanks, in my opinion. A fish tank has fish, duh, and a planted tank has...plants. Let me break it down for the people who want either a fish tank or a planted tank and for the people who think a fish tank with some plants in it is a planted tank. A bit confusing so here goes.

 

 

(fish tank)

 

     The above picture is a "fish tank" with plants. I grabbed this photo off the internet as an example. Some people would say this is a planted tank because it has plants, alive or fake doesn't matter. The fact is that this tank is a fish tank with some plants which compliment the fish. The plants may do fine even if they have cichlids or other fish which tend to destroy plants. This tank looks good with live or fake plants but does not fit the description of a planted tank. When I think of planted tanks, I think of....

 

(planted tank)

 

     The picture above is what I call a planted tank. A "planted tank" is an ecosystem built around the plants first, not the fish. Fish in a planted tank are merely enhancers, an after thought sort of speak. I personally haven't dedicated a tank to plants only. I have tried to grow some plants with out much success. Keep in mind my tanks are mainly breeding tanks which aren't going to cater to plants. I have done some research on planted tanks and know what they need for success. The two main components of a planted tank are: light and CO2. For example, my breeding tanks are not equipped with CO2 and the lighting is very basic. My light bulbs are just bright enough to illuminate the tank water. So, if you want a tank that looks like the one above I would suggest powerful lights, probably a LED for plant growth and a CO2 setup. Basically, CO2 is held in a canister under the tank and drips small amounts into the tank water for the plants to absorb. These two sources will give you the basic components for a successful planted tank. If anyone has further information regarding planted tanks please feel free to share! Also, if you have any questions regarding planted tanks please let me know and I will address them in an upcoming post. Here is a link to amazing planted tanks. I stumbled upon this sight with the awesome photo gallery. Enjoy!

 



http://www.adana-usa.com/index.php?main_page=album&album_id=82#lightbox[album]/13/

 

-YA

 

 

 



Electric Yellow Cichlid Holding Fry

Molly is Holding Fry

 

 

     Molly, my female Electric Yellow African cichlid is holding fry in her mouth. My favorite part of the fish hobby is breeding! I breed African and South American cichlids in my free time. Here is a picture of Molly holding some fry.

 

(Molly)

 

     Electric yellow African cichlids come from Lake Malawi in Africa. The Electric Yellow cichlid is known to like caves and come from deeper parts of the lake. I graduated from gold fish to cichlids by accident. I originally wanted a salt water tank and read every book about salt water and reef tanks. The salt water world was a bit too pricey and time consuming at the time. When I saw the cichlid tank at my local big box store it was very pretty. The cichlids looked like salt water fish but only needed fresh water conditions. Long story short, I haven't set up a salt water tank yet and love breeding cichlids. Molly is actually a fry raised to adulthood and was bred from my first Electric Yellow, Jane. Here is a look at my grow out tank of Electric Yellow cichlids.

 

(grow out 38g)



 

     Breeding African cichlids have been a lot of fun. I've bred multiple kinds of African  and South American cichlids. As I have mentioned in a past post, the Electric Blue Jack Dempsey's have been especially challenging and fun! Whether they are mouth brooders (African) or egg layers (South American), I enjoy both breeding methods. The fish farming aspect of the hobby is very rewarding. Creating 25-100 fish from a spawning pair of cichlids is amazing and I'd like to share this process with others. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding breeding. I will be posting more breeding tips and stories in future posts. I spend most of my time focused on creating more fry! As I expressed before, I would love to have an online fish store of my own. I think it would be awesome to share the fish hobby with others. Building an inventory of fish through breeding and other means would be a large task, but with your help it is possible. Hope to see you on the next blog and thanks for helping me create Yukon Aquatics!

 

(Big Sur, CA)

 



     P.S. Did I mention I like to backpack? Nature is the name of the game! Get outdoors and enjoy Ma nature or bring nature into your home with a fish tank.

-YA