true to my word, one of the first things i did this morning was to transfer my cherry barb into the larger aquarium. i put it in a plastic solo cup and suspended it on the surface of the new tank, waiting for the water temperature to rise before transferring the barb completely. it seemed sort of listless, and i was afraid the shock of a warm aquarium might've killed it, so i touch it with a fingertip to see it slowly move around a bit. after about 10 minutes i tipped the cup and coaxed the barb into the aquarium.

the cherry barb definitely wasn't dead, but now in better lighting and compared to the other fishes, it didn't look very healthy: several of its fins were tattered and its scales looked frayed and colorless. some of this could be attributed to age (3+ years old, older than all the ages of all the other fishes combined) but it certainly wasn't living in the best of conditions. it spent the first moments in its new home digging around the gravel with its nose, like a dog looking for a buried treat. later i watched as it tried to hang out with the guppies, who are approximately the same size. it was pretty awkward, like the barb was that new kid in school who tried way too hard, and the guppies were the cool kids who did whatever it took to ignore it. it doesn't seem like aggression and the guppies were already used to changing each other around the tank, but if i see signs of nipping, i might have to remove the barb. hopefully now in a better aquarium the cherry barb can regain some of its former luster.

also this morning i saw a large snail on the java fern. when i came back a few minutes later, it was gone. discouraged by yet another snail sighting, i opened up the cover of the aquarium and fished around the fern until i caught a snail. it seemed smaller than the one i saw, perhaps the larger one is still out there. the best way to catch snails is after dark, when they come out. the fact that i have several snails, not just one, was pretty evident, because some of my plants still seemed to have circular snail bites, but i thought i was just imagining things - until today that is. later in the evening after i turned off the light, i went back to the tank and found a small solitary snail scaling the wall of the tank. i reached in and plucked it out.

for lunch i had the last of my bagel: salmon cream cheese, capers, and onions. traditionally wednesdays i go running, but since it looked like it'd rain (it's no fun being wet when it's in the 40's), i decided to postpone (the rain turned out to be just a brief drizzle). i whipped up a new batch of yeast+sugar water concoction, hoping this second attempt will produce a more steady supply of carbon dioxide for my tank. my plants are growing but they're thinning out. carbon dioxide isn't a problem (even without the injection, now that i have fish in the tank, there should at least be a small increase in overall CO2 level); i think it has something to do with the light. currently i just have a 14w flourescent. i tried shopping for a 15" tube with a higher wattage, but they just don't make them at that size. i've seen photos of more advanced bowtank setups and they use a modified light rigging, one that's elevated above the tank (with that much wattage, it's not safe to have the bulb directly over the glass window of the cover), and can even accommodate more than one tube.

in the evening i went with julie to the galleria mall. i looked at some stacked washer/dryer at sears. they're cheaper than i originally thought (about $800) but still it's more cost-effective for me to just fix my washer instead of replacing it. later i went browsing at borders bookstore. eyewitness came out with some new travel destination books, morocco and tunisia, which piqued my interest as potential future destinations. a water main burst outside yesterday and i was surprised best buy is still closed. this must be a disaster because how can a store like that remain closed on a holiday shopping day?

enroute to super 88 in allston, we made a pitstop at the trader joe's on memorial drive. i bought $20 worth of groceries (lots of frozen food). at super 88 i got $30 more worth of food (i have to stock up, since i don't own a car, and can't be sure when i'll be back again). we had dinner at the food court, i went with my tom yum noodle soup (what i always get there).

i got back home at exactly 9pm, just in time to watch the conclusion of the lost room. the ending was okay but rather abrupt. he saves his daughter, but it happened so fast it didn't seem very satisfying after 3 days of viewing. i should be glad they resolved the story though instead of leaving it hanging, although they do leave the door open for a possible serialization if the ratings were good.