I’ve been spending more time inside lately than ever before, since Grace makes it a little tricky to leave the apartment without three armfuls of accessories. That’s no excuse for not updating this blog, though, because Luke and I have brought a little of the outdoors inside.
Luke has spent a lot of time perfecting his African cichlid
aquarium, and it’s one of the most entertaining spots in our apartment. Fish
tanks have the reputation for being…well…blah. Let’s face it- fish don’t play
fetch, roll over, or chase red laser dots. HOWEVER, our fish are definitely not boring; they're busy little bees
during the week.
Below shows you a typical week in the life of our African
cichlids. Luke cleans the tank every Saturday, and recently he leveled the
sand as well. By week’s end, the cichlids had rearranged it to a setting
more to their liking. It's remarkable to see how efficiently they can arrange the sand to create tunnels, hills, and hiding spots.
Day 1: Saturday
(Excuse the cloudy water- Luke had just finished cleaning the aquarium.)
As you can see, the sand is fairly level throughout the bottom.
The sand is level, and the rocks are clean. That won't be the case later on!
Day 2: Sunday
So much changed on Sunday that I took pictures in the morning and again in the evening.
Sunday Morning
Sunday Morning
Sunday Evening- The front hill has become sizably larger.
Sunday Evening- Not as huge of a change here,
but the side hill is starting to get larger as well.
Day 3: Monday
The aquarium light is off, so the lighting makes things look a bit different.
The hill is about the same, but you can see the sand starting to pile up on the plants. This also is a decent picture of our loach.
Day 4: Tuesday
The hill in the front continues to grow. Here you can see a few of the cichlids. The yellow one is a bumblebee cichlid, the blue one is a pindani cichlid, the darker one is a peacock cichlid, and the gray one is a female fairy cichlid.
Day 5: Wednesday
Just a little bigger...
Day 6: Thursday
The peacock cichlid is out front, adding on to the hill.
Day 7: Friday
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Sand has been tossed onto the plants and rocks.
The fish have finished their hill. They've also dug out underneath the rocks
all the way to the bottom of the aquarium.
So, to recap:
Day 1 Day 7
Not bad for a week's work!
It's amazing how hard the fish work to arrange the sand structure, and how easily it is destroyed. It definitely reminds me of when Jesus talks about the importance of a strong foundation. Jesus says when we hear the truth, but choose not to act on it, we are building on a foolish, "sand foundation." Just like these fish, all of our "good" works will easily wash away, regardless of how hard we work to keep them.
"And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." Matthew 7:26-27
However, the rocks in our aquarium stay in the same place all the time. Just like Jesus- He's our unchanging Rock. We can trust Him; not our good "sand" works! What we try to do ourselves will just collapse around us.
What foundation are you depending on?
Have a fishy day!
Jen
