Robert John Holland

I am sometimes in a situation where obligations (such as documenting art work created in years past } interfere with fish-club social functions. Having so many interests and doing so many different kinds art make it necessary to take a time-out, this I often do in my fish room. The various habitats have their own populations of plants and animals which require special diets and interventions. These daily tasks require patience and dilligence yet "the aquarists eye" is fed by practice just as drawing requires practice. It seems practice opens the door to freedom of movement: Mindfull actions that simplify and clarify ; in drawing an artist is great if his or her hand respects a habitat of paper and is enabled to seek truth in ones wildness within the within.In a fish-room mindfull actions are like good posture, unconscious yet balanced, integrity passing through ones inner knowing towards ones goal. Some of my best friends share this common denominator for it stabilizes their hobbies or art and gives strength and meaning to each day. My fine art practice is grounded and nourished by these fish-planted habitats. Quality has real meaning and lack of quality results in a lack of stabity and failure is a dramatic event.

yes summations are a bit too too much. a fish room is a room of habitats. a best of show Clown Loach in the corner behind dirty glass, a newly hatched killie fish filling its air blader in random struggles, an environment of wilderness proportions with a cultured misquitos to feed the next generations parents. a fish room is social habitat for humans. friends in spririt, friends in karma, friends in knowledge of commitment to life and gratitude for that commitment, a killie is more precious than any jewel yet its requirements are special and humble, greatly doable, of infinite peacefulness.

climate factors : short growing season is always a limiting condition for killie fish. sucess is possible if food is always available , live is by far the best option. my vats are washed and scoured with plain salt then rinsed, filled with well water. peat moss is added , regular dried peat floats until it absorbs water, preboiling helps but is not required, after some has covered bottom remove what floats . wait two days or so and place breeders and live food in prepared environment. spawning usually continous and eggs are usually ignored.fry hatch floatijng or submerged plants provide safe habitat. it seems easy . other factors : harvesting is messy and smallest fry are lost. predators of adult and young include snails , insects , birds and mammals. cats and raccons. is it worth it? this technique results quality fish fry and adults. why? another day i will share my thoughts about this.

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