However, since Uncle Dict wasn't home either (we just left the hard drive), I decided to try out Cartimar in search for that elusive Cardinal Tetra - a fish I have been unsuccessfully trying to source for nearly a year - and I even tried 'Ask Yahoo' about where I could find them, which goes to show how much I was willing to try unorthodox (at least to me) ways to find a store that had them. Anyway, someone did answer Yahoo Questions, telling me that there were Cardinals in Cartimar, and I was somewhat skeptical of this answer, so I just ignored it. Still, we were already in Makati, which was a relatively short drive to Cartimar, and since there was nothing to do at home... off we went that Sunday afternoon - hoping, but not expecting, to find Cardinals. I was somewhat surprised to see the place upgraded in some places - though not all stalls were affected, but I was impressed with some of the shops - and their prices were hardly Cartimar-oriented these days, meaning they were not exactly cheap. Just to give an example, one aqua shop was seling Crystal Shrimps (first time I've seen them) for 1,500 pesos each... definitely an eyebrow raiser, specially when you think that one shrimp is hardly an inch long. They're colored a bright red-orange and white, so they somehow resemble the color patterns of Koi fish. Cherry shrimps were at 50 pesos each - again rather costly... and this time, they're roughly a centimeter long - easily ignored. But this shop was also selling discus, with small ones priced at 400 pesos each, and I did not bother to ask how much the bigger ones were (roughly the same price as the expensive shrimp - maybe more). But I did not get anything from them - I just placed things into memory for future reference. I, then started searching the different stalls for possible Cardinals, but it seemed that none of them were carrying such... I then tried the smaller stalls - those side by side to each other in the less glamorous stalls - but no go. So I resigned myself to getting a few Neon tetras which I saw in just one stall - reasoning out that if I could not get Cardinals, well... neons were as close to them as I could find. 
Let me explain... from afar, you'd think these two were of the same breed - same shape, same bright color, but for one tiny detail... the Neons have a bright blue hue on top of a red hue that disappears towards its stomach to the head - in other words, the red stripe is not fully presented at its bottom. The Cardinals, on the other hand, have said red stripe all the way from right after the fish's head up to right before its tail - a solid stripe, not disappearing. Now that you know, see if you can spot the Cardinal from the Neons in this page. Mind you, the differences do not end there - for example, Neons prefere colder climate, and cooler aquariums, while Cardinals like it warm (hence are great companions to Discus fishes, who like the same temperature). Neons are frail, while Cardinals are sturdy. Neons can breed in captivity with no problem, while Cardinals, on the other hand, have not been bred successfully - or those that have been bred in captivity lose their bright hues; which explains why they are hard to find in pet shops - they have to taken from their normal breeding grounds in the Amazon river. Anyway, if I could not find Cardinals, then Neons would have to suffice. I bought some plants to place in the aquariums - it seems that the stall owner said they were onion-like plants, though to me they seemed like vallisneira, which happen to be long thin leaves - and having a bunch of them could help form a great natural backdrop of greens for my aquarium.
For good measure, I also got me four female Sword tails to supplement the three males I have at home, and likewise decided to add some Pink danioes. If we were leaving catimar, I thought that at least it would not be empty handed... and the trip would not be a total waste.
Then, just out of the blue, I tell the kids that we might as well look at the other shops - get to know what they have, and then I spot a rather nice and well maintained shop with small fishes (you can't miss it because its at the corner), and as I look around I see Rummy noses - hmmm... I was thinking that I'll be needing some of that too, then as I look up to scan the other partitions, I notice a small sign saying 'Cardinal' - but no cardinals were in it. Why am I not surprised?
So, out of the blue, I ask the lady if they had no more cardinals - and she says they STILL DO! She then shows me eight - they were in the row right behind what I was looking for, full sized by the looks of them and tells me they have more upstairs! I asked how much, and they cost a fairly reasonable 80 pesos each. Bio Research sells them for 140 to 170 each! - man, what a rip-off... and lucky I did not buy form them when they had - and they rarely have, by the way. In a too good to be true feeling I automatically ask if they give discounts for anyone getting 10 pieces... and she says, yes... 75 pesos each.
You could guess that this was my moment of truth, and after a very brief moment's hesitation; all two seconds fo it, I bought 10. She then tells me that they also have Otos (Otocinclus), and mine died a few months ago; so I got two - then I asked if they also had shrimp - they did. This kind of shop was what I 've been looking for - they had the fished I wanted and were professional in caring for their fishes - she even took time to cover the Cardinals' plastic with newspapers to either keep them in the dark - less stress from the travel with bright sunlight, or so the plastics won't be stuck with each other.
I honestly didn't know what to do with my Neons now, but resolved to place them in a separate aquarium from my Cardinals - can't have them crowding around... besides, the shop I got the Neons from were - lets jsut say, not as serious with the quality fo their handling fishes, so I did not want to put these two groups together.
I have to say that watching my Cardinals is a joy, and I'm just glad to have found them. The Sword tails look happy (at least, the males do), the Danios look fine - though my Neons looked unable to adapt (they are a rather frail breed), and have since disappeared - either dead or eaten.
Ah well, it may sound a bit cruel or insensitive of me, but they were just replacements for cardianls - and not too costly at that, so I don't really mind their loss. As for my plants, I'll be fixing them maybe later to make their environs better - but for now, the plants are in the aquarium where there are Clown Loaches and Red Tail Sharks, which is where I also added the Sword tails, Danios and Neon Tetras. In case the plants have snail eggs - and I start having snail infestations... these fishes will make short work of said snails.
I would have wanted to show off my awuarium, but I've had difficulties taking pictures of my aquarium fishes - always getting blurry pictures - but for the sake of this entry, I'll try again. As it is, the pictures above were lifted from the internet.
Now, to mention my current inventory of fishes, in my 35 gallon community tank, I hvae the following : Red Tail Sharks (2), Tiger Barbs (4), Clown Loaches (4), Sword tails (7), Pink Danios (4), Spotted Talking Catfish (1), Neon tetra (0) - none survived the transition. In my 23 gallon octagon tank, I have the following: Cardinals (10), Rummy Nose (1), Ottos (2), Albino Corys (3), Ghost Shrimps (M.I.A.), I suspect that some of these fishes are responsible for them being unseen... they could be in hiding, or they could be pushing daisies... so far, I've only discovered three of them, and that was only because they went out of their hidey holes becasue they smelled food.
