Homestyle Aquariums & Terrariums
by Jeff Potter
You want pets and you like nature. What to do? Don’t go to the pet shop. Well, you go there for tanks and minimal supplies. (Buy reject tanks…most leakers just need a little silicone caulk.) Then head for field and stream for your pets! That’s what we did and the results are amazing, rich in meaning about our area…and cheap as can be.
Go fishing for your fish. Pinch the barb and the hook won’t cause any damage. Get your tank, and add a couple beautiful little brown and yellow Bullheads. They’ll give you a silky look. Throw in a couple Sunnies and Bluegills. These guys have color like tropicals wish they had. A Stickleback will accent things. A couple little Bass give you ‘streamlining.’ Lastly, get a couple Plecosthemouses from the petshop to do your housecleaning and you’re set. Feed often and let the wild ones go at the end of summer so nobody gets too big. All these species are tough so you don’t have to get too picky about water temperature, handling or feeding. (We don’t have all these types ourselves yet, but we do have a tough, old one-eyed guppy who looks out for everyone else.)
If you want to make your aquarium not only beautiful, but exotic, it’s OK to go to the pet shop again. Buy two newts of each kind available. California, Fire-Belly, Paddletail…and (if you’re lucky) Crested Mandarin. Hey, maybe you live where they’re wild, if so, go catch ’em. These critters are great; we have five and even the fancy ones don’t cost much. They hover, rise and fall like little scuba guys all day long. Their limbs grow back after accidents (whoops…). They’re like tiny dinosaurs, with comical, friendly eyes, mouths, hands, tails and faces. Their swimming motion is ideal.
Now put dirt, a pan of water, moss and plants in your terrarium tank. Get a light and a heat lamp. Now go catch a large Toad. We named ours Gramps; you can too (it’s about the best toad name). He will keep you company. He has great poses, with bent elbows. Catch Gray Tree Frogs on your windows (they’re on ours all summer). They have bright yellow underarms and changing tops. They equal a pricey Amazon frogs anyday. Catch an ‘eye-liner’ Wood Frog, with its rosy body and brown eye-stripes. A Bullfrog is OK while small. You can go to the pet shop for a Tiger salamander. You’ll never find one. Actually, sometimes they’re easy to find in people’s window wells if woods are nearby. Neither he, nor Bull, should be big, or the others will disappear.
Lastly, rescue a couple baby turtles from the side of the road. You’ll spot ’em if you try, even at highway speeds. (We did; it’s an easy knack.) Slam your brakes on and go grab that little silver-dollar sized toddler. One should be a Painter, they’re the most colorful. Feed ’em each a dozen crickets weekly, more when it’s hot (when it’s cold they only need feeding once a month). Catch crawlers on rainy nights. Some crawlers might get big enough to be pets, too…they’re smarter than crickets. But crickets sound great. Crawlers look great against the glass, underground.
Once it’s winter, If you’re in cold country you can let the herps hibernate (‘herps’ are everybody but the water-dwellers). They’ll dig down and disappear. Be sure to water them. If you’re keeping the plants happy, you’re keeping your little mummies happy. Otherwise, they will be mummies.
Now you have a full and rich Pet World. And it didn’t cost you hardly a thing. It’ll give you years of joy.
Soon you might start to get an extra-special feeling for the choruses of outdoor amphibians, like the mesmerizing Rock Concerts of the Spring Peepers and the little solo vocals of the Gray Tree Frogs in summer. The little individualists, the Grays, are my fave. Grays trill simply, yet their voices carry; you hear one only every hour or so. Great company are they for all outdoor work…or for long hours at a computer with the window open.
Now the Bad News. Basically all amphibians, turtle and reptile populations are going downhill…butterflies and songbirds, too. Not endangered, just down. It’s worse, I think. It’s one thing when rare critters get rarer; but when common species get hit hard it means millions of ’em are gone . You can thank subdivisions, parking lots, pesticides and UV rays. So some states prohibit private collecting, but I think the main reason for collecting bans is to stop commerce.
Don’t think I’m anti-pet-shops. You’ll get to know yours well. Tell them what you’re up to. I don’t get out much, I know, but as far as I can tell many pet shop people are heavy metal grunge primitive punkers. Lots of piercing and tattoos around pet shops. You’ll find a helpful guru, though. He/she might tell you it’s illegal to keep Bluegills, the world’s most common fish, but they’ll also secretly tell you they have a tank like yours…and they’ll tell you all you need to know. At least that’s what happened to me.
