Fish Folk

Took my 14 yr old son to watch DUNE tonight in the Theatre. He liked it well enough, and was glad for how I'd prepped him. He was not thrilled to learn that I'd already watched it twice. He feels like that's kind of like rewatching a football (soccer) match after it's already been played. With movies, I totally disagree with him. But it is what it is. I came away with a strong sense of the dual birthrights Paul carries: Atreides and Bene Geserit. Paul has to deal with being the Duke, as well as with being whatever the presence of the voices past and future will prove to mean. The whole movie is really about him figuring out how to saddle that while trying to survive and watching everyone he has ever loved die.

It’s an anti-fungal, like methylene blue. Just a tad gentler, and keeps water clear so infertile vs. fertile eggs are easy to distinguish. It’s an old Angelfish breeder’s trick we’ve used for Rams. M-blue is excellent… just put in _one_ drop though.

He’s after salamanders now… Still having! Dad finally gets to fish… 😂 Tadpoles too…

Crazy colorful WV farm Bluegills…

Right??! Wish they’d have cast him in some cameo. Maybe he’ll be Emperor Shaddam IV.

Some of my opinions here... I think that the Casting was excellent. Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides was pitch perfect. His transformation from an effete prince to a young messiah works flawlessly. Rebecca Ferguson worked well, though I am still unclear how immersed she has ever made herself with the source material. In all interviews, she came off sounding like she just couldn't digest Herbert. I always appreciated the electric intensity of her in-the-moment parts, but she does not exude an awareness of the past / future thread into which her character and this story are all intricately woven. Oscar Isaac, Jason MoMoa, Stellan Skarsgård, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Javier Bardem and Sharon Duncan-Brewster were all excellently cast. Each of their characters fit elegantly into the film. The overall Cinematography was utterly breathtaking. Everything from sequences like the rise of planetary transport ships from under the oceans of Caladan to attack fleet ships pouring out like spores from the gaping mouth of the Holtzman drive engines to even the "Lawrence of Arabia"-like scene in the outdoor court on Arakkis when Paul first arrives and goes out for a stroll by himself . . . everything was a fine art. One thing that Villeneuve distinguished himself with was his restraint. He never really bothered to show us the Emperor nor the Guild Navigators. And even Chani, for as much as she appears in Paul's visions, is treated with natural limitations. The only character where I felt I missed something was Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. He is such a savage person, I felt that I wanted some small token of his wildness. Both the 1984 David Lynch "Dune" and the 2000 TV Mini Series present the Baron as a grotesque, vocal sociopath. Villeneuve's Baron Harkonnen is a more subtle "Sith-lord" sort of character. I found it very interesting that Beast Rabban was such a counter-balancing, emotionally visceral character compared to the Apocalypse Now / Marlon Brando inspired madness of the Baron. On the topic of restraint, note also that Feyd Rautha never appears in this first installment -- as does neither Princess Irulan. Just a few shorter sequences for reflection... (1) Gom Jabbar scene: the most effective pieces were the displays of Lady Jessica's distress, and Paul's rise of will in resistance to the test of pain. (2) Sardaukar attack: excellently envisioned, a stealth team of assassins. Despite my preparation, I think it is still difficult for viewers to appreciate the challenges of filming battle sequences in faithful keeping with Herbert's vision of shield technology. (3) Paul's Blade Training: the shield tech works perfect in this adaptation, and the training sequence with Gurney Halleck was impressive.(4) Sand worms of Arakkis: the Shai-hulud encounters will only really make sense, I believe, in an IMAX Theatre. It is hard to bring something four football fields long alive in a size-reference-less desert context. Well, I'll add thank the maker Denis Villeneuve wants none of the internal monologue that plagued David Lynch's adaptation!

I T H A S A R R I V E D ! ! ! Alrighty. Time for your reviews, discussion, memorandums, and missives. How did you like Denis Villeneuve's DUNE?

You can breed Mikrogeophagus ramirezi successfully in a 10 gallon aquarium. However, to grant them a full and satisfying life, I would recommend a 20 gallon long. I suppose a species-only 16 gallon tank could work. I have found that mine appreciate regular water changes, quality foods, planted tank, and warm temperatures - above 80-degrees Fahrenheit. One of the more exciting projects we did was breed a bunch, and populate a 55 gallon Ram Colony. My son and I made this video a few years ago... One of the most satisfying projects with Rams we did was cross Electric Blue Rams with Golden Rams, and work through a couple generations until we got some spectacular Orange / Blue color forms. Here was the first installment in that video series... By the end, we had a "Gold Rush" growing out in a 20 gallon tall... To appreciate these in a larger community context, you can check out this video where a few of the Gold Rams were added to a larger Discus + Threadfin Acara Tank...

Appalachia tossing off her bed covering of fog…

They DO turn their little heads!

They really can be adorable! Younger ones, especially, can twist and bend in fun ways.

Good question. Well, first off, if you’re already really familiar with some less traditional species — perhaps like Scorpionfish, Gobies, loaches, etc. — then you’re prepared for how they like to live in the tank. These are often still, tucked-away shy guys. To enjoy them you have to sit still awhile and watch attentively. They’re also vulnerable to slow starvation if kept with fast, hungry minnow species that gobble up food before they can manage a turn. To bring out their best colors, lighting needs to simulate the seasons. They’re photosensitive, triggered by Trans-Appalachain seasonal cycles. In spring, they’ll color up if kept this way. This also relates to breeding. It may be necessary to simulate “winter” for a few weeks — less light, less food, cold / ice water temperature drops. And for the absolute best, a selection of some live foods is advisable. I’ll be treating mine to black worms in the near future. So, I guess… I mostly mean that they’re not as easy as adding a few pinches of flake food every day.

One of the adventures I’ve begun this year as an aquarist is exploring temperate (non-tropical) aquariums. In particular, I’ve been exploring some U. S. Native species, rarely available at local pet stores. For one example, is the small, friendly Banded Darter (Etheostoma zonale). I got attracted to these for their beauty, but also because they live right in streams where I enjoy fishing. Here’s a couple videos of mine… And here’s feeding time… I will say that you’ll need to refine some of your expectations to fully appreciate these fish if you’re new to U. S. Natives. But it’s a good adventure!

No idea…. I just used “LeafSnap” app to make these guesses…