Aquarium Dreams

I like keeping fish.

I've kept a few common types of freshwater fish, mostly live-bearers like guppies and mollies. They are colourful and lively and sometimes a few babies would survive and grow into colourful and lively adults thus replenishing the tank population without me having to go to the store and get more fish.

Then I saw some Siamese fighting fish (or bettas) and fell in love with their long flowing tails and unique personalities. Bettas cannot be kept together and me being a poor student on a tight allowance at the time, would buy a betta or two and keep them in jars because the fish shop guy said they would be perfectly fine in jars with regular water changes.

Then I left to study in Toronto and it felt a little quiet in my apartment without any pets (I had an aloe vera plant but that does not count as a pet). So I decided to get a fighting fish again. This was when the internet became more accessible so I joined a couple online fish forums and read up on fighting fish and their natural habitats. Boy, was the fish shop guy wrong about keeping them in a small jar. This time, I went with a 5 gallon set-up with some gravel and kept a fighting fish, an apple snail and a couple freshwater clams.

So next year when we move to our completed BTO flat in Yishun, I told the hubby that I would like to have an aquarium there and he agreed. I've got lots of time to think about what kind of tank to set-up but I will definitely stick with freshwater fish, I don't have the time or money to deal with a saltwater tank, no matter how gorgeous they look.

Here's some info on fighting fish (bettas) to keep in mind if I end up going with a fighting fish again: The Native Betta Habitat.

Kitchen Design - Inside

I should start posting ideas for my kitchen design. I would love the overall look to be like the picture below. Warm wood floors, clean straight lines and lots of storage. And I like the brightness of the kitchen in contract with the wood floors and metal / glass furniture.

Source

I'm also really loving these pull out drawers that can function as a pantry. Sure beats bending down and crawling around inside the cupboards to find that last can of tomato paste.

Sliding pantry thingy at Ikea

Another view of the sliding thingy

Same goes for the pull-out drawer that goes underneath the kitchen sink.

I want this for the cupboard under my sink, please excuse the grumpy toddler photobomb

Plus a friend mentioned that Ikea uses a drawer system similar to Blum's soft closing hinges and it's somewhat cheaper. Just need to buy a sample for the carpenter to measure against when making the cabinets.