And now, for no reason, an update on my fish.
End fish update.
REPLIES: 74 comments
yowsa!
Chestnuts roasted by spoilsport @ 06/03/2004 08:06 PM EST
That dolphin dude looks cool.
Chestnuts roasted by Fishery @ 06/03/2004 08:46 PM EST
That's a pretty impressive tank there, Matt. You must regale us with a tour of your place sometime, just so we can see how cool you REALLY are.
Chestnuts roasted by Evin @ 06/03/2004 09:23 PM EST
Giving you a tour of our apartment probably would hurt the cool factor, but maybe I'll photo the office this week.
Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 06/03/2004 09:26 PM EST
That's a cool tank Matt. My brother has one of the algae eaters, but it's not really that big. I like the Dolphin Whale, if I ever get a tank set up, I'll have to look for one of those.
Chestnuts roasted by Stacey @ 06/03/2004 10:15 PM EST
I used to have regular goldfish, thinking they were fairly inactive and would just make my room look pretty. They ended up eating each other. And the one that survived ended up incredibly depressed in the tank all by his lonesome. If you want friends, don't eat 'em.
Great fish, Matt. I would love to see some pics of the rest of your apartment, if that tank is any indication.
Chestnuts roasted by Annalalala @ 06/03/2004 11:08 PM EST
I love the Dolphin Whale. First time I've ever came across one of those things. You should record and upload the "feed me" dances.
Chestnuts roasted by Matt (#2?) @ 06/03/2004 11:31 PM EST
Wow! I didn't even know plecos and algae eaters could live in a marine tank. Maybe the salt water makes them mutate into giants!! (wishing he had a tank again)
Chestnuts roasted by megapopstar @ 06/03/2004 11:39 PM EST
Here's one little bit on Whale Matt, probably nothing you don't already know but...
http://www.elmersaquarium.com/10whale.htm
Chestnuts roasted by Black Zarak @ 06/03/2004 11:57 PM EST
I had a goldfish named fred that I won from a carnival, it lived for like 5 years. Some kind of mutant fish i guess.
Chestnuts roasted by heeloyd @ 06/04/2004 01:41 AM EST
aww...the dolphin whale is sooo cute and or awesome. Never seen one of those.
Chestnuts roasted by Emmaaaaa @ 06/04/2004 01:50 AM EST
My understanding is that goldfish have very long lifespans. I seem to remember that my dad's girlfriend's goldfish lived for 19 years, but maybe that was just an old wives tale. Maybe it was nine years. Oh well.
Chestnuts roasted by The Waffle Man @ 06/04/2004 03:33 AM EST
We kept some goldfish in our pool one winter. Even though it froze, the goldfish survived and when springtime came, they were as big size 12 shoes.
Chestnuts roasted by Brandon @ 06/04/2004 03:43 AM EST
Ok, now let us know how the hermit crabs are doing. Thanks to your crab update last year, I know own five of the creepy bastards.
Check them out!
http://www.discreaderror.net/pics/crabs/
Chestnuts roasted by Rayzak @ 06/04/2004 05:18 AM EST
Love the fish, Matt! And ditto what others have said about the apartment tour and the dolphin whale's "feed me" dance. Ah'd sure like tuh see 'em, ah would. 
And yeah, goldfish can live a long time... we've got one that's been with us for 11 years and counting. I don't understand it, seeing as how his bowl only gets cleaned like four times a year.
And Rayzak -- awesome crabs!
Chestnuts roasted by Wes @ 06/04/2004 08:32 AM EST
Well, you knew I'd pop up with this one!
The Dolphin is a fish in the family Mormyridae (I think I spelled that right). They are pretty friendly and very cool, but tend to come out more at night.
The neat thing about the fish is that they have electric organs in the base of their tail. It isn't lethal hunting voltage like an electric eel, but instead they use it for finding food and shelter in dark or murky water. The dance he's doing probably has to do with using his electric output to zero in on the food (or maybe he just wants to live up to the name dolphin).
A trick that works with elephant noses (so probably dolphins too) is to give them a piece of rigid plastic tubing that is see through--they will hide inside it, and their electric field will tell them they are hidden, but you can still see them--sometimes, fish in that family can be shy during the day, so it's a wy to keep them visible but happy.
Chestnuts roasted by Sean @ 06/04/2004 08:49 AM EST
Wow, I used to think the Plecos and the Algae eaters were the same thing. Eh, you learn something everyday.
Chestnuts roasted by Mr. Mr. Mr. @ 06/04/2004 09:35 AM EST
Whenever I've kept a tank, if it goes south for some reason the algae eaters and the plecos are the last to go. I think they're just hearty fish by nature.
Chestnuts roasted by BaronVonHotPants @ 06/04/2004 09:45 AM EST
Matt -
I think I found a link to your dolphin whale fish here:
http://www.zangfish.com/cgi-bin/fishpage.cgi?29
The actual name is (according to this site) a Dolphin mormyrid. I've never had one myself but he's tres cool!
-MF
Chestnuts roasted by Mary Fran (MF) @ 06/04/2004 11:02 AM EST
All these fish postings make me wanna get fish again. I got a betta mostly for the reason of that article you wrte a while back. Lazy pets - who wouldn't love that. I've thought about the hermit crabs, but they don't have them around here. A friend of mine has a bunch of stuff though, so I'll just watch his fish - it's pretty much the same thing.
Chestnuts roasted by James F.W. @ 06/04/2004 11:52 AM EST
Now this is the kind of thing I was thinking of when I made the paper doll suggestion. It would be part of the X-E convention schedule of events. "Matt Invites You to Swim With the Fishes."
Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 06/04/2004 12:00 PM EST
I want to see the Joes take on the Plecos and Cobras riding the Dolphin Whale bareback.
BTW, that's an awesome photo of the parrot fish. The orange fish looks so pretty w/ the bright green leaf of the plant. Wolfie's blue eye looks pretty cool, too.
How long did it take for your salt water tank to be ready for fish? We have a fresh water tank, but the chilis are dropping like flies (I blame the media), and I was thinking about switching over to salt water. I know it's a huge monetary amount to set up initially. Is it worth it in a small 10 gallon tank?
We already have Bob, the garter snake my five year old daughter caught in our backyard. http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-3/661495/SnakeGirls.jpg Here's a pic of him chowing an earthworm, along w/ a pic of my daughters holding him. He shed his skin last weekend - that was pretty cool. He's actually pretty friendly and hasn't bitten anyone yet. I tink he likes us, Maw.
Chestnuts roasted by trajeal @ 06/04/2004 12:25 PM EST
Shit, dunno if I said otherwise, but the tank is completely freshwater.
Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 06/04/2004 12:37 PM EST
Garter snakes are awesome. They can both A) creep my mom about, and B) can be fed with the contents of a cheaply-bought can o' bait.
Your fish are pretty cool, Matt, and that dolphin guy is neat. But I prefer really colorful fish myself. Sorry 'bout your parrots having such bad luck. I once had a tank that had a few guppies and a few snails. It got to be around 50 or so guppies and several dozen snails.
Chestnuts roasted by Freezair @ 06/04/2004 12:44 PM EST
I posted right after the ethereal MATT!!!
WOO!
Chestnuts roasted by Bitsy&Roary @ 06/04/2004 12:45 PM EST
DAMNIT i type to slow!
Chestnuts roasted by Bitsy&Roary @ 06/04/2004 12:46 PM EST
The dolphin whale looks awesome, but what I really want is an chinchilla. Those things look awesome. Say Matt, didn't you mention somewhere that your chinchilla died? If so, was it just too old or was it some sort of disease or what? Or perhaps you were feeling violent one night, grabbed the nearest weapon, and...uh...well...you know.
Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 06/04/2004 01:18 PM EST
The chinchilla died just suddenly out of nowhere. It was completely fine, happy and healthy...then PLOP. The running theory was that he may have grossly overate whatever it was we fed him on That Fateful Night. Oddly, as much as I'd tell anyone to get a chinchilla, I'd probably never buy another.
Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 06/04/2004 02:04 PM EST
Roly-poly fish heads are never seen drinking capaccino in Italian restaurants with oriental women.
Yeah.
Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 06/04/2004 03:36 PM EST
king... i cannot believe u quoted fish heads! i thought i was one of the few that knew that song. love it! only barnes & barnes hit but it is so funny.
so far.. highlight of my day!
Chestnuts roasted by jessica_76 @ 06/04/2004 04:27 PM EST
Love my fish. One 20-gallon freshwater tank with the ugliest goldfish in the world who I love. I also have my new 10-gallon saltwater tank with live rock and 2 clownfish. It just got started, so I have to wait to introduce new fish. I'm still studying up on what breeds are compatible together. It's tough to maintain the tank, but if you're willing - you do it.
Really like that Dolphin/Whale fish, Matt. Very cool!
Chestnuts roasted by Avery @ 06/04/2004 04:31 PM EST
I got years of the Dr. Demento show bouncing around in my big ol' head. And a love of novelty songs in general. Nothing ruins your "Babylon 5" watching like knowing Bill Mumy sang a song called "Cemetary Girls."
Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 06/04/2004 05:17 PM EST
That fish heads song has a really fucked up video (naturally). Basically a bunch of those books where you pulled on the tabs to "animate" the scene except it animated freaky looking animal faces which were "lip-synching" the song. ok, ok enough quation marks already...one of my fave songs from preschool.
Chestnuts roasted by phunqsauce @ 06/04/2004 06:41 PM EST
Did Nickelodeon ever do a video for the fish heads song? I seem to remember shots of them floating in some guy's soup.
As for obscure, what about the full version of Bobby Darin's "Oh, Clementine", sung by Christopher Walken? A song about a fat girl who crashes through a bridge and starts to drown, but the guy won't save her, b/c she's too big to bother.
"Hey, I'm no swimma but were she slimma
I might'a saved that Clementine.
"...Hey you sailor way out in your whaler
With a harpoon, your trusty line.
If she shows now, there she blows now,
It just may be chunky Clementine..."
I bet you never knew what you were singing about when you sputtered out that chorus. Now, just imagine Christopher Walken singing it.
Chestnuts roasted by trajeal @ 06/04/2004 08:24 PM EST
Sean -- you're the man. I knew you'd be able to Name That Fish.
We just picked up two Blue Botias today -- my hunch told me that they were painted, but I held out hope since none of the familiar terms were used. Get home, look 'em up -- yep, they're painted. Really, really blue. Guess they'll be a more pale blue in a few weeks, oh well. They're only about a third the size of the smallest parrot, but are getting along okay so far. We added some caves and whatnot, though they prefer sneaking into coral crevices, which turns the mother (father?) parrot into a lunatic, trying to fish them out of his/her chosen territory. Also: the dolphin HATES the Botias. He's got the worst attack process imaginable, but that's the only thing to call it -- if the chance arrives, dolphin smacks around the blue guys with reckless abandon, never really succeeding in anything but looking silly all the same.
Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 06/04/2004 09:01 PM EST
I have a question for kingklash,
Do you know the name of the band who sang "Daddy's Money?" I remember that song fondly cause I ain't got no daddy and I ain't got no money. It was a takeoff of the Stone's.
Chestnuts roasted by kidneyboy @ 06/04/2004 09:17 PM EST
Matt,
Blue botias are pretty cool too, and can get a good size (~6"+). They're usually friendly, and having a couple is a good idea. As for the painting, I've seen some that were naturally a very deep blue (azure, perhaps?). Others faded to a pale blue, but were still very nice.
I forgot to mention earlier--your parrots will probably never be parents without the assisstance of expensive doctors--they're hybrids, so at least one of them will be sterile (but the instinct will still be there). I'm surprised they're not more territorial--most large cichlids won't tolerate anythig else in a tank when they're breeding (unless the fish are armoured like a pleco or fast like an algae eater).
And for the record, I've seen foot long plecos for over $2000 (but they were fancy species).
Chestnuts roasted by Sean @ 06/04/2004 11:13 PM EST
I love pet posts
Chestnuts roasted by squee4242 @ 06/04/2004 11:52 PM EST
Matt, what ever happend to the Glo Fish you posted about sometime ago?
Chestnuts roasted by Derek @ 06/05/2004 01:33 AM EST
My botias are about 5" a piece, but really thick.
Chestnuts roasted by Nick @ 06/05/2004 02:19 PM EST
Remember Saturday morning cartoons? Does anyone remember when the claymation dog and fire hydrant would come on and it would sing "After these mesages, we'll be riiiiight back!" Often this fire hydrant would spray claymation water on the dog. Matt, do you have this on any of your videos? If so, can you upload it so I can see it again? Thanks.
Chestnuts roasted by wack0 @ 06/05/2004 02:35 PM EST
spiderman cookies
Chestnuts roasted by bgygg @ 06/05/2004 02:40 PM EST
I recently realized I have an irrational/mild fear of fish. Currently, I'm raising my third grasshopper. He's having the same problem my second did: pooping way too much, not eating too often. Hopefully, he won't die during his skin shedding like the last one did. I'm thinking it may be due to the kind of grass I'm feeding it...
Chestnuts roasted by RewolfJ @ 06/05/2004 04:06 PM EST
How big is that tank?
Chestnuts roasted by Kate @ 06/05/2004 04:40 PM EST
you have some mighty kick ass fish. The dolphin whale thing looked cool...and a little creepy...I won't be able to sleep now. The thought of tiny dolphins is gonna keep me up all night tonight....
Chestnuts roasted by Mike @ 06/05/2004 05:31 PM EST
RewolfJ: Make sure your hoppers are kept humid (not wet so that water is collecting, but so that the substrate they're on is mildly damp). That should help them moult.
Chestnuts roasted by Sean @ 06/05/2004 09:46 PM EST
Sean -- what's your op of adding a crayfish to this tank? Would never work, aye?
The Botias have adapted nicely. They just hide in the coral all day.
We're thinking of adding a pair of baby Geophagus.
Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 06/05/2004 09:50 PM EST
Matt,
I wouldn't add a crayfish for a couple reasons--1, they could theoretically catch and eat some of your fish; and 2, they could theoretically be caught and eaten by some of your fish. Instead, a 5 or 10 gallon tank with a corner filter and tight lid is more than sufficient for one (two would probably fight).
As for the Geophagus, have you comsidered getting two or three females (they keep harems) and making (and possibly selling) your own babies? They apparently breed pretty easily, although they may tear up your tank a bit while doing it. There should be lots of info available on it--I've known several people that bred them, some by accident, so it doesn't take a lot of time invested.
Chestnuts roasted by Sean @ 06/06/2004 12:31 AM EST
mmmmm...crawfish...Louisiana steampot!
Chestnuts roasted by heeloyd @ 06/06/2004 01:47 AM EST
Wow Matt, looks like you really put a lot of time and effort into having a great fish tank. I've always though about putting one together, but I have this terrible habit of getting drunk and eating live fish, so I don't think it would work out.
And for the people who mentioned the fish heads video earlier, is that the one with the fish head that bounces along on the lyrics instead of the ball? That video always made me lmao.
Well, back to scrounging around for liqour. I've already drank all the beer in my place and I don't want to go to sleep yet.
Chestnuts roasted by Beerstalker @ 06/06/2004 02:20 AM EST
I am not a sports fan, but if you like MST3K style comedy then check out "Cheap Seats" take on random old footage of bad sports (The spelling bee competition from a few years back they covered is hilarious) on ESPN Classics. Jason and Randy Sklar (Anyone else remember their old MTV show "Apt. 2F" www.imdb.com/title/tt0212643/) host, and fans of "The State" will like the cameo in the intro. http://espn.go.com/classic/s/add_Seats_Cheap.html http://espn.go.com/classic/schedule/s/ www.imdb.com/title/tt0397769/
Chestnuts roasted by ME @ 06/06/2004 01:46 PM EST
X-E will be down next week as I work on re-inventing the site and adding more video. Also, I'm opening back up Whale pictures! Submit all your sea creatures right away!
Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 06/06/2004 02:37 PM EST
Actually, that was just me... 
I want more video! AND WHALES!!!
Chestnuts roasted by Charles L. Minster @ 06/06/2004 02:38 PM EST
Trajeal-I remember when one of my science teacher's had a garter snake. He'd often feed it goldfish, and we always loved to watch. However, one day he decided to pit it against a lobster of his, and the lobster snapped the snake in half.
Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 06/06/2004 02:48 PM EST
Charles- Don't impersonate Matt like that. He does a good job. Besides, it's expensive to put up video like that. I'll bet he's already weeping over the bills due to the extreme bandwidth from the videos that ARE on this website. I remember him mentioning that he was "paying out the ass" for it.
Although I suppose there could be a return of the whales. Not that I care, as that is not my purpose for coming to this site.
Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 06/06/2004 02:53 PM EST
RRRROOOOOOCCCKKKKK LLLLOOOBBBSSSSTTTTEEEERRRRR!!!
Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 06/06/2004 02:53 PM EST
BUUUKKKAAAAKKKKKEEEEE......oh whale pics again ..... cooooool
Chestnuts roasted by Graves @ 06/06/2004 04:59 PM EST
I suggest again that when the REAL Matt posts, he could have a different little icon-y guy instead of the cactus head everybody else has. Dunno if it's possible, but it would help avoid confusion. You can tell that CLM's impersonation is fake since it doesn't link back to XE in the sig, but he still managed to confuse if only for a minute or two. Don't impersonate Matt, it's annoying and it's not funny. He would never write something false and sign your name to it. I'd say this also applies to Bitner impersonators. 
I remember Apt. 2F, but I thought I was the only one who did. Leave it to ME.
Chestnuts roasted by squee4242 @ 06/06/2004 05:54 PM EST
Listen to your navel, it knows things ..... BOW TO MY CORN NUTS !!!! BLARGH CHEESE!!!!
Chestnuts roasted by Graves @ 06/06/2004 06:05 PM EST
squee4242, if you think 2F was bad, I just remembered the following series with Martin Kove. He is best known for playing the instructor of Cobra Kai in "The Karate Kid". www.directtalent.com/martinkovephotocomp.htm
'Hard Time on Planet Earth'
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096606/plotsummary
"Jesse, an alien is sent to Earth and finds himself in Los Angeles. His only companion is a floating, orb-shaped parole officer named Control. Doomed to stay on Earth until he can show compassion, Control helps him u lead as normal a life as possible, but not knowing Earthly ways he often finds himself in trouble."
Chestnuts roasted by ME @ 06/06/2004 06:18 PM EST
I had a choco taco yesterday.
Chestnuts roasted by Piscez @ 06/07/2004 12:21 AM EST
geophagus has lips and it looks like it is smiling. heh.
Chestnuts roasted by Rachel Cakes @ 06/07/2004 12:42 AM EST
I would just like to say that squee4242 has a very good idea. Having a message which you think is from Matt and then have it be some fake blue colored "Matt" post gets a little old after you see it on every blog page. When Matt talks, you wanna know it's the Man!!
Chestnuts roasted by kidneyboy @ 06/07/2004 01:46 AM EST
....Unbeknownst to the inhabitants of X-Eville, the fish continue to plan their insurgency. Fortunately, a spy lurks in their midst. This finned agent of justice keeps a vigilant fish-eye on the evilmongers and will swim into action at the proper moment. But, who does this gilled mole answer to? Hhmmmmm....
Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 06/07/2004 11:31 AM EST
I knew about the fish...I just didn't say anything, cuz I think they deserv their time as rulers too. Why not let the species take turns...at least they'll be smarter than our current leaders.
Chestnuts roasted by brandon @ 06/07/2004 03:07 PM EST
besides wouldn't it be great be run naked and free like wild animals? Chase down prey, or forrage in a tree? migrate durring fall and spring to stay in warmer more alcholic climates? I think it's safe to say the fish have my vote.
Chestnuts roasted by brandon @ 06/07/2004 03:11 PM EST
does anyone have the spiderman voice activated software yet, I watched the demo for it and found it disturbing, they made Spiderman soud like a child molester, http://www.poptarts.com/promotions/pt_spidey/learn.html
Chestnuts roasted by dr mindbender in a speedo @ 06/07/2004 04:14 PM EST
hey if anyone gets the spiderman softeware can u send it to me at coolman12118@yahoo.com
PLEASE
Chestnuts roasted by devilsk8er77 @ 06/08/2004 10:08 PM EST
hey if anyone gets the spiderman softeware can u send it to me at coolman12118@yahoo.com
PLEASE
Chestnuts roasted by devilsk8er77 @ 06/08/2004 10:08 PM EST
If your name is Matt, just add a 50 to the end of your name and you're good to go since there are about 49 of us on here. This is Matt Central. People should just leave 'Matt' to X-E Matt though.
Otherwise, he could stop posting if it got out of hand. Then how would we ever find out more information about things like Dolphin Whales, huh? Search? Forget it. It takes all my energy to post something for this site. Not to mention I type with my toes.
Chestnuts roasted by Matt (#2?) @ 06/09/2004 04:32 PM EST
How many gallons is your tank man? I have just one non dyed Bloodparrot in a 29 gallon tank with a small pleco, three giant danios and a betta who chases them.
Chestnuts roasted by Frizzurd @ 06/10/2004 02:23 AM EST
if u get the spiderman voice activation software emailme it please pwillie1228@comcast.net thanks
Chestnuts roasted by willie3223 @ 06/20/2004 03:24 PM EST
if any1 gets spiderman voice activated softare email me at kenshin752@hotmail.com
Chestnuts roasted by kenshin @ 07/07/2004 05:59 PM EST
here's the spidey download page
http://www.poptarts.com/promotions/pt_spidey/download_step2.html
have fun, ps. if you still cant get it email me at xanthos1700@yahoo.com and i'll send it to you.
Chestnuts roasted by xanthos @ 07/08/2004 08:06 PM EST