Research

Setting up this fish tank required quite a bit of field work and research. Considering how long I've been out of touch, I was hoping that the hobby had progressed in Singapore, meaning lower prices with better performances. Wonder if Moore's law applies here.

Anyway, the first two places were Nature and a rival fish shop just two shops down just opposite Thomson Medical Centre. That one did not yield much though I was happy to see some familiar plants. The other few places were Farmart, Qian Hu and Teo at Choa Chu Kang. 

There's a shop at Farmart in which the shopkeeper specialises in moss and I was hoping to find him. The place looked rather deserted as it was a weekday afterall. For a moment, I thought the shop had closed down until I saw the familiar java fern tank that sits just at the entrance of his shop. Interestingly, nothing much has changed. The visit turned out to be fruitful as I was introduced to the different types of moss including a newly introduced fissidens sp. from USA that gives quite a unique look. 

Visiting Qian Hu was more for research on aquarium hardware. It isn't the best place but it does have good variety. More good news was to come as I discovered Eheim truly did progress quite far in filter technology and design. For those first time aquarist out there, Eheim might be expensive, perhaps over priced. But the trouble and hassle saved from their ingenious design that allows you to change and clean your external filter without having to fight with hoses and spilt water will eventually repay itself. I had no need for one since I'm planning to have a built in internal filter anyway. Found the right powerhead I required and it was off to Teo.

Teo is the place to go if you're ever interested in getting water plants. Unlike other farms that serve as transitory posts, Teo grows them. This makes those plants very suitable for local conditions. Also, seeing how lovely those cement tanks of plants are, if I ever get the chance to do a fish pond, he'll be the first person I approach. The 6ft Aquaticquotient.com tank is still there, and like it, nothing else has changed much. Unfortunately, he wasn't stocked on Java Fern (microsorum pteropus).

I did visit Qian Hu again to get an Eheim pipe but the powerhead I got from Nature as it was nearby. It was my second visit to Nature that I got introduced to LED aquarium lights. For now, 3 tubes costs $250 which is about 3 times the price of the standard aquarium light. However, LEDs are much more energy efficient, longer lasting (up to 3 years min.) and they do not emit much heat. This has got me interested and I'm considering DIY if it is more cost effective. But that, will be another post.