The Spiny Softshell was looking a little forlorn today, so we took on the task of a complete tank overhaul for her. Nothing like scrubbing the algae off a lot of rocks, pumps, lines, and walls to give you a little respect for what it takes to create an environment. I wasn't sure how I was going to move her as she is fragile and gets a little nippy when you try to pick her up (who wouldn't) until I got the idea to use a spaghetti colander. A stroke of inspiration. She fit right inside and it drained off water famously. I just had to convince her I wasn't going to the kitchen, and she settled right in.
I let the last of the newly hatched snappers go back to the creekbed where their eggs were found two weeks ago (
BORN~FREE...!!!) This last one was a week late but went right to the water and hid in the reeds and shallows. He's got a nice fat yolk sack to dine on for a while. Good luck, little buddy. You'll be scaring kids in the springtime, I'm sure.
Meanwhile back in our neighborhood, there's just something about a Ginkgo tree... The leaf shape just breaks all the rules we know in Minnesota about leaves. It's non-native of course, but sometimes you need something way off the radar. I like it.
The Spiny Softshell was looking a little forlorn today, so we took on the task of a complete tank overhaul for her. Nothing like scrubbing the algae off a lot of rocks, pumps, lines, and walls to give you a little respect for what it takes to create an environment. I wasn't sure how I was going to move her as she is fragile and gets a little nippy when you try to pick her up (who wouldn't) until I got the idea to use a spaghetti colander. A stroke of inspiration. She fit right inside and it drained off water famously. I just had to convince her I wasn't going to the kitchen, and she settled right in.
I let the last of the newly hatched snappers go back to the creekbed where their eggs were found two weeks ago (BORN~FREE...!!!) This last one was a week late but went right to the water and hid in the reeds and shallows. He's got a nice fat yolk sack to dine on for a while. Good luck, little buddy. You'll be scaring kids in the springtime, I'm sure.
Meanwhile back in our neighborhood, there's just something about a Ginkgo tree... The leaf shape just breaks all the rules we know in Minnesota about leaves. It's non-native of course, but sometimes you need something way off the radar. I like it.
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