Insaniquarium Deluxe FAQ
by TStodden (TStodden@hotmail.com)
version 1.5.2
=====================================
0) TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------------
1) Introduction
2) Game Modes
2.1) Adventure
2.2) Time Trial
2.3) Challenge
2.4) Virtual Fish Tank
3) Fishes
3.1) Guppies
3.2) Carnivores
3.3) Star Catchers
3.4) Guppycrunchers
3.5) Beetlemunchers
3.6) Breeders
3.7) Ultravores
3.8) Ball Fish
4) Aliens
4.1) Sylvester
4.2) Balrog
4.3) Gus
4.4) Destroyer
4.5) PsychoSquid
4.6) Ulysses
4.7) Bilaterus
4.8) Cyrax
4.9) Mini-Sylvester
5) Your Pets
5.1) Stinky the Snail
5.2) Niko the Oyster
5.3) Itchy the Swordfish
5.4) Prego the Momma Fish
5.5) Zorf the Seahorse
5.6) Clyde the Jellyfish
5.7) Vert the Skeleton Fish
5.8) Rufus the Fiddler Crab
5.9) Meryl the Mermaid
5.10) Wadsworth the Whale
5.11) Brinkley the Scuba Diving Elephant (Bonus 1)
5.12) Nostradamus the Nosefish (Bonus 2)
5.13) Stanley the Small Sea Serpent (Bonus 3)
5.14) Walter the Penguin (Bonus 4)
5.15) Seymour the Sea Turtle
5.16) Shrapnel the MechaFish
5.17) Gumbo the Angler
5.18) Blip the Dolphin
5.19) Rhubarb the Hermit Crab
5.20) Nimbus the Manta Ray
5.21) Amp the Electric Eel
5.22) Gash the Shark
5.23) Angie the Angelfish
5.24) Presto the Tadpole
6) Pet Combos
6.1) The Feed Team
6.2) The Tank Automation Kit
6.3) Life & Death
6.4) Protective Custody
6.5) The Clean-Up Crew
7) Adventure Walkthrough (Under Production)
8) Time Trial Walkthrough (Under Production)
9) Challenge Mode Walkthrough (Coming Soon!)
10) Virtual Tank Walkthrough
11) Miscellaneous Q & A
12) Tips & Cheats
12.1) Keywords
12.2) Secrets
13) Sandbox Mode
14) Bug Notices
15) Acknowledgements
16) Version History
17) Copyright Information & Licensing
1) Introduction
-------------------
First of all, congratulations on spending the $20 for Insaniquarium Deluxe
(You DID pay for this game, right?). Please check your sanity at the door
since this game will drive you a little bit crazy.
The object of the game is to raise the money to purchase the egg fragments.
You do this by raising fish in each tank by feeding them & protecting them
from invading aliens.
The controls are very simple as point & click. The left button drops food
(costs $5 each), fires laser blaster & purchases fish/items. Right button
only taps on the glass of the tank, scaring the fish away from that point.
If you need to pause the game for ANY REASON, just hit the space bar or click
outside the game window (if you're not playing in full screen).
2) Game Modes
-------------------
In Insaniquarium Deluxe, there's 4 ways to play the game... 2 of the modes
are locked at the start, but you can unlock them after completing the first
tank. The walkthroughs are listed futher down this FAQ, so only the a basic
description of the modes are listed here.
2.1) Adventure
*****************
This mode is available at the start & is the basic game to play. You strive
to raise the funds to purchase the egg fragments to move on to the next
level. With each tank & sub-tank, the gameplay gets harder. After each
tank, you get a bonus stage where you try to pick up as many shells as you
can in the limited amount of time. Each tank has a different strategy which
you must follow to make the egg fragments available.
Tank 1: Buying a Carnivore
Tank 2: Buying a Starcatcher
Tank 3: Buying a Guppycruncher & a Beetlemuncher
Tank 4: Buying a Carnivore
After you complete each sub-tank, you'll earn a pet that you can use in the
next tank. After you get more than 3 pets, you'll have to make a choice of
which pets to take into the tank.
Once you complete Adventure Mode, it becomes "Bonus Adventure" mode.
The game plays the same, but you have all your pets & you get a bonus round
between each sub-tank.
2.2) Time Trial
******************
Time Trial is unlocked after completion of the first tank. The other tanks
will be unlocked as you complete them in Adventure Mode.
This mode is all about greed as you try to save as much money as you can in
the limited amount of time (5 minutes for Tank 1, 10 minutes for the other
tanks). This mode is great for those who like to play a quick game.
Like the other modes, you can bring you pets in as well to assist you.
Unlike Adventure mode, there's no egg fragments to buy. However, you can buy
random pets to assist you. The starting price is $100, but it doubles each
time. In short, the price list for the random pets are: $100, $200, $400,
$800, $1600, $3200, $6400, $12,800 & so on. You can buy as many pets as you
like, but you should stop at 4 or 5 extra pets.
In Time Trial mode, you must be shrewd in how you spend your money. I would
suggest NOT buying any laser blaster upgrades due to their cost (around
$1,000 a piece) & invest in food upgrades as they'll be more helpful.
2.3) Challenge Mode
**********************
Challenge Mode is initially unlocked after you complete adventure mode. Each
additional tank is unlocked after completing challenge mode.
This mode is NOT for the feint of heart as it's the hardest mode available in
the game. Challenge mode plays similar to Adventure Mode, but there's 2
major differences that makes it a lot harder for you.
1) All buyable items are inflated 1% about every 5 seconds. (up to $99,999)
2) The alien attacks get fiercer about every 6 minutes.
With these changes, this makes it a lot harder to complete. However, all the
items return back to their original costs every time you buy an egg fragment.
Therefore, it's too your advantage to buy the egg fragments as soon as you
can... even if it means that you have to sacrifice buying other items.
For those who complete each tank will be rewarded with shells.
Tank 1: 2,000 Shells
Tank 2: 5,000 Shells
Tank 3: 10,000 Shells
Tank 4: 20,000 Shells
2.4) Virtual Fish Tank
*************************
The Virtual Fish Tank is your own personal aquarium that you control. You
choose the fish & the pets to have in your tank. You start with 200 Shells
to begin with & you earn Shells by playing the other modes. Unlike the other
modes, all required food that you fish need will be given FREE OF CHARGE &
your fish cannot be killed or eaten. However, you will need to feed your
fish three times a day to keep them happy & it takes about a week for your
guppies to grow, granted that you're feeding them.
You can choose to have your fish tank as your screen saver, if you like &
watch your fish. You can also have your fish work for you when they grow up
& start dropping shells. The best way to keep your fish happy & fed is by
using your pets as an autopilot system. You'll need pets to feed your fish
(like Zorf for your guppies & Prego for your carnivores) & a pet to catch the
shells you drop (like Stinky or even Clyde).
You will want to check the shop on a daily basis as rare fish will appear
there from time to time. However, you can only keep 20 fish (excluding all
"feeder fish") in your tank at any given time, so you will have to think on
which fish you keep.
All the fish you buy do come with a 24-hour refund policy. If you don't like
the fish you buy, you can sell them back within 24 hours for a complete
refund. Any fish you want to sell AFTER 24 hours will be sold at HALF their
purchase price (rounded down), regardless of size or mood... but it doesn't
mean that your fish can't appreciate in value later.
3) Your Fish
-------------------
The major thing about this game is that you have to buy & raise fish. Each
fish will include a price tag (in dollars & Shells), What they eat & what
they drop for money as well as a description of them. This is only a GENERIC
LIST of fish in the game as I will not spend endless hours trying to find out
every individual variation of a certain type of fish, which would serious
inflate this FAQ. I'll leave all the special & rare fish a mystery, just to
keep you playing the game longer... until somebody decides to make an FAQ
dedicated to all the kinds of fish. Just so you know, "Game" refers to the
various game modes, "Tank" refers to the Virtual Fish Tank, '$' refers to
dollars & 'S' refers to Shells... just so everybody knows.
3.1) Guppies
***************
Cost (Game)-: $100 / ea.
Cost (Tank)-: 25 S (Regular) - 50,000 S (Rare)
Eats--------: Fish Food, ect. (Special)
Drops (Game): Small -- Nothing / Medium -- Silver Coins ($15) /
------------: Large -- Gold Coin ($35) / Kiing -- Diamonds ($200)
------------: Star (requires Star Potion) --- Stars ($40)
Drops (Tank): Small -- Nothing / Med. -- Silver Shell (1 S)
------------: Large -- Gold Shell (2 S) / KKing -- Blue Shells (5 S)
Guppies are your basic fish in the game. They're the most abundant fish in
the game, so expect to get a lot of them in each tank. They take the most
attention, but they're the ones that your pets will protect. The ones that
you buy don't give you any money, but they can grow up quickly by feeding
them. King Guppies are rare since it takes like 10-15 minutes total for a
small guppy to become one, during that time they could starve or get eaten
by aliens. You can expect to get some King Guppies in Tanks 3 & 4 since it
takes a while to raise the required funds.
3.2) Carnivores
******************
Cost (Game)-: $1000 / ea.
Cost (Tank)-: 100 S (Regular) - 50,000 S (Rare)
Eats--------: Small Guppies, ect.
Drops (Game): Diamonds ($200)
Drops (Tank): Blue Shells (5 S)
Carnivores are the "next step" from guppies. Although they eat your guppies,
they only go after the babies since the other sizes are too big for them to
eat. The diamonds they drop can be very helpful in raising funds quickly in
the game. Carnivores are found in Tanks 1 & 4.
3.3) Star Catchers
*********************
Cost (Game)-: $750 / ea.
Cost (Tank)-: 2500 S (Regular) - 50,000 S (Rare)
Eats--------: Stars (that drop from Star Guppies)
Drops (Game): Diamonds ($200)
Drops (Tank): Blue Shells (5 S)
Star Catchers are bottom dwellers that (as their name states) catch stars.
You'll have to get your large guppies to eat a Star Potion (costs $250) to
turn them into Star Guppies so the Star Catchers can live.
Star Catchers can only be found in Tank 2.
3.4) Guppycrunchers
**********************
Cost (Game)-: $750 / ea.
Cost (Tank)-: 2500 S (Regular) - 5000 S (Rare)
Eats--------: Small Guppies
Drops (Game): Beetles ($150)
Drops (Tank): Beetles (7 S)
Guppycrunchers are bottom dwellers that (like I really need to tell you) like to
crunch small guppies. Even though they can't swim, they will try to jump
after a small guppy to eat them whenever possible. You may have to lure the
small guppies to the bottom of the tank (with food) in order for the
guppycrunchers to live. Guppycrunchers can only be found in Tank 3.
3.5) Beetlemunchers
**********************
Cost (Game)-: $2000 / ea.
Cost (Tank)-: 2500 S (normal) - 50,000 S (Rare)
Eats--------: Beetles (dropped by the Guppycrunchers)
Drops (Game): Pearls ($500)
Drops (Tank): Spiral Shells (10 S)
Beetlemunchers are a special type of fish that (is so obvious, it annoys me
to say it) eats beetles. They need the Guppycrunchers to eat the small
guppies to create the beetles which the Beetlemunchers eat to live... which
may sound complicated here, but it'll make sense in the game.
Beetlemunchers can only be found in Tank 3.
3.6) Breeders
****************
Cost (Game)-: $200 / ea.
Cost (Tank)-: 2500 S (Regular) - 25,000 S (Special)
Eats--------: Fish Food
Drops (Game): Small Guppies
Drops (Tank): "Jr." Small Guppies (worth 2500 S, LIMIT ONE)
Breeders are similar to Prego as they give birth to guppies. Like guppies,
they'll grow over time & Gumbo will protect them. Breeders can only be found
in Tank 4, which will replace your guppies as the basic fish.
3.7) Ultravores
******************
Cost (Game)-: $10,000 / ea.
Cost (Tank)-: 10,000 S / 25,000 S (Special)
Eats--------: Carnivores
Drops (Game): Treasure Chests ($2000)
Drops (Tank): Bag of Shells (20 S)
Ultravores are the biggest & baddest fish in the game. As the name suggests,
it's the ultimate carnivore & they will only get carnivores. Even though
Carnivores cost $1,000 a pop, Ultravores drop Treasure Chests, which are the
most valuable item that's dropped in the game. Unfortunately, Ultravores can
only be found in Tank 4.
3.8) Ball Fish
*****************
Cost (Game)-: NOT AVAILABLE
Cost (Tank)-: 25,000 S
Eats--------: Ice Cream (Whiffle Ball) / Fried Chicken (Soccer Ball)
------------: Pizza (Beach Ball)
Drops (Game): N / A
Drops (Tank): Silver Shell (1 S) @ Whiffle Ball
------------: Gold Shell (2 S) @ Soccer Balll
------------: Blue Shell (5 S) @ Beach Balll
Ball Fish are an EXCLUSIVE TYPE of fish for the Virtual Tank. Again, the
fish looks like a ball... I'm not kidding here! Unlike the regular fish,
ball fish have problems touching the bottom of the tank. If their special
fish food reaches the bottom, you'll have to drop another piece in a few
seconds.
4) The Aliens
-------------------
As you play the game, you will periodically face aliens in your tank. Even
though you will receive some notice (like 5-10 seconds) before the aliens pop
into your tank, you will need to eliminate them as soon as possible because
they will try to eat or kill your fish, which will make your task even harder
because every fish they get to will cost you money to replace. Fortunately,
each alien you kill will give you some restitution by droping a diamond or a
spiral shell.
In the virtual tank, it is possible to buy an alien for your tank so there
will be some information (albeit limited) to assist you.
With all that said... let's meet your alien nemesis.
4.1) Sylvester
*****************
ALIEN Type: NONE (Normal)
Cost (Tank)-: NOT AVAILABLE (Grown from Mini-Sylvester)
Eats (Tank)-: Ultravores
Drops (Tank): Sack of Shells (20 S)
Sylvester is a typical looking alien, like something out of the Alien series.
Nothing too special about him, simple laser blasting will take care of him.
4.2) Balrog
**************
ALIEN Type: NONE (Normal)
Balrog is similar to Sylvester, except a little fiercer looking with his
lion-like looks. Besides ganging up on you with Sylvester, Balrog is
destroyed just like any other alien.
4.3) Gus
***********
ALIEN Type: G (Glutton)
Gus is a fat, hungry alien. All he likes to do is eat, eat, eat. The only
way to defeat Gus is through is stomach by feeding him as much fish food
(which is free to defeat him) as you can!
4.4) Destroyer
*****************
ALIEN Type: D (Destroyer)
Destroyer is a Mecha-Alien with his artificial mind set on one thing: DESTROY
ALL FISH! Luckily for you, Destroyer is stuck on the bottom of the tank.
Unfortunately, his missiles aren't & he periodically fires 3 fish-seeking
missiles at a time. The best way to defeat Destroyer is to fire away at him
as much as possible & shoot down any missiles that he fires.
4.5) PsychoSquid
*******************
ALIEN Type: P (Psycho)
PsychoSquid is one of the most annoying aliens that you'll run across because
he's also bipolar. When he's red, he goes after your fish & tries to eat
them. When he's blue, he's practically harmless & your laser actually heals
him. Speed is the best way method possible, but focus on the other aliens
then PsychoSquid is blue. Try to keep PsychoSquid away from your fish as
much as possible just in case he does turn red, so just fire near him to keep
him where you want him... even if it does heal him a little.
4.6) Ulysses
***************
ALIEN Type: U (Ugly)
Ulysses is a rock (or mud) Cyclops with the idea similar to Destroyer:
DESTROY ALL FISH! Ulysses, however, periodically fires 3 magic fish-seeking
fireballs. These balls don't get destroyed when fired at, but they get
deflected. Any fish that gets hit with any of these fireballs gets killed
instantly. You have to make sure that the deflected fireballs doesn't hit
any fish (but towards the edges of the tank or at another alien) while you're
fighting him.
4.7) Bilaterus
*****************
ALIEN Type--: II (Gemini)
Cost (Tank)-: 10,000 S (One head)
Eats (Tank)-: Small Guppies
Drops (Tank): Spiral Shells (10 S)
Bilaterus is actually 2 aliens for the price of one! You've read correctly,
Bilaterus is double-trouble when he appears. First of all, Bilaterus is
double-headed. Even though he'll only use one head at a time, he may switch
heads on those who are slow to kill him. In addition, his spine / tail can
also kill you fish. All you can do is destroy the one head & quickly work on
the other one before it has a chance to attack.
4.8) Cyrax
*************
ALIEN Type: None (Boss)
Cyrax is the alien mastermind who's been trying to defeat your aquariums.
He's the one that's been sending the aliens to invade your tanks. He doesn't
attack you directly, but he summons his own minions to do his dirty work.
When you do meet up with him, all you can do is fire away as fast as you can
& pick of his minions as they appear.
Cyrax appears in the final tank with all your pets (less Angie), which you
must defend the best as you can.
4.9) Mini-Sylvester
**********************
ALIEN Type--: None (Mini)
Cost (Tank)-: 15,000 S
Eats (Tank)-: Carnivores
Drops (Tank): Spiral Shells (10 S)
Mini-Sylvesters are miniaturized versions of the Sylvesters. They weak
against you (about 2 laser blasts kill them), but they're a pain towards your
aquarium as they can gang up.
5) Your Pets
-------------------
As you play the game (in adventure mode), you will eventually earn various
pets to assist you in the tank. There are 24 different pets that you can
obtain (4 can be bought), but you can only take 3 of them at the start, but
you can buy extra slots later. Here's the list with descriptions, pros &
cons of using them & my usage suggestions.
Please note that my usage suggestions are just that, MY SUGGESTIONS.
Feel free to try out all the pets as you see fit.
5.1) Stinky the Snail
************************
Stinky assists you by collecting any money that falls to the bottom of the
tank.
Pros: Collects money for you
Cons: Goes only towards the closest coin/shell to him
Adventure: Good to have
Timed----: Good to have
Challenge: Good to have
Fish Tank: Must have for Automation
5.2) Niko the Oyster
***********************
Niko assist you by making pearls for you to collect periodically.
Pros: Stead Source of Money
Cons: Niko's Pearl is worth 50% than other pearls
----: Niko only stays open for a limited tiime
Adventure: Filler
Timed----: Filler
Challenge: Filler
Fish Tank: OK for Manual / Useless for Auto
5.3) Itchy the Swordfish
***************************
Itchy will assist you by attacking any aliens that try to invade your tank.
Pros: Attacks aliens
Cons: Weak Attacker
Adventure: Filler
Timed----: Weak Choice
Challenge: Weak Choice
Fish Tank: Useless w/o Aliens
5.4) Prego the Momma Fish
****************************
Prego will help keep your tank filled with fish by giving birth to baby
guppies periodically.
Pros: Spawn Baby Guppies
++++: Doesn't need food OR protection
Cons: Overpopulation potential
Adventure: Good to have
Timed----: Good to have
Challenge: Should have
Fish Tank: Must have for Automation w/ Carnivores
5.5) Zorf the Seahorse
*************************
Zorf will help make sure that your fish don't die from starvation by feeding
them as needed.
Pros: Feeds fish for free
++++: His food doesn't count towards your drop limit
Cons: Fish must come to him
----: Your fish food can become better thann his
Adventure: Good to have
Timed----: Good to have
Challenge: Good to have
Fish Tank: Must have for Automation w/ Guppies
5.6) Clyde the Jellyfish
***************************
Clyde drifts along your tank, picking up coins along the way.
Pros: Picks up coins/shells
Cons: Goes to the closest coin/shell
Adventure: Filler
Timed----: Filler
Challenge: Poor Choice
Fish Tank: Reasonable Choice for Automation
5.7) Vert the Skeleton Fish
******************************
Vert is an undead fish that periodically drops coins.
Pros: Drops coins
++++: Doesn't need food
Cons: Isn't affected by Meryl's Singing
Adventure: Filler
Timed----: Filler
Challenge: Poor choice
Fish Tank: OK for Manual / Poor for Auto
5.8) Rufus the Fidder Crab
*****************************
Rufus is willing to lend a claw (or two) in the alien fights, if you can keep
them near the bottom of the tank.
Pros: Attacks Aliens
Cons: Cannot attack aliens away from the bottom of the tank
Adventure: Considerable Choice
Timed----: Considerable Choice
Challenge: Should Have
Fish Tank: Useless w/o Aliens
5.9) Meryl the Mermaid
*************************
Meryl's talent is singing, which the guppies love to hear. Her song
encourages the guppies to drop more coins.
Pros: Guppies drop three coins per song (over one normally)
Cons: Potential Coin Overload
Adventure: OK to have
Timed----: Good to have
Challenge: Good to have
Fish Tank: Good to have for manual
5.10) Wadsworth the Whale
***************************
Wadsworth is a caring & protective whale that makes sure that your young
guppies will survive alien attacks.
Pros: Protects small & medium guppies during alien attacks
++++: Ensures that your tank cannot be exterminated by aliens
Cons: Doesn't protect large fish or breeders
Adventure: OK to have
Timed----: Considerable Choice
Challenge: Good to Have
Fish Tank: Useless
5.11) Brinkley the Scuba Diving Elephant (Bonus 1)
*****************************************************
Brinkley is one of the most unique pets that you'll buy. He'll drop Stars &
other items to assist some of your rarer fish.
Cost: 20,000 Shells
Pros: Drops Stars & Blue Shells
Cons: Eats Fish Food
Adventure: Poor Choice (Except Tank 2)
Timed----: Filler
Challenge: Poor Choice
Fish Tank: OK for Automation w/ Star Catchers
5.12) Nostradamus the Nosefish (Bonus 2)
*******************************************
Nostradamus is actually the nose of a dead US president. Nostradamus is your
first line of defense with aliens as he can use his "Sneeze of Power" to
delay their attacks & give you more time to prepare.
Cost: 25,000 Shells
Pros: Delays alien attacks
++++: Drops boogers, which can be collected for money ($1 / 1 S)
Cons: Boogers can turn guppies into Nostradamus clones
----: Does not permamently prevent attacks
Adventure: OK to Have
Timed----: Harmful
Challenge: Good to Have
Fish Tank: Poor Choice
5.13) Stanley the Small Sea Serpent (Bonus 3)
************************************************
Stanley is a playful pet that likes to bounce balls of aliens... not that
there's anything wrong with that...
Cost: 30,000 Shells
Pros: Attacks Aliens w/ Homing Balls
Cons: Doesn't Approach Aliens
----: Not all balls reach the Aliens
Adventure: Poor choice
Timed----: Poor choice
Challenge: OK to have
Fish Tank: Useless w/o Aliens
5.14) Walter the Penguin (Bonus 4)
*************************************
Walter is probably the most interesting & fun pet that you'll purchase in the
game. Walter hides a concealed boxing glove, which you can use to punch your
fish & squeeze more coins/shells from them.
Just so you know, all the Shells used to purchase Walter will be donated to
the Falafel Foundation... like you would really care about that.
Cost: 35,000 Shells
Pros: Allows you to punch any fish to drop more money
Cons: Doesn't work with most pets
----: Forces Presto to revert to his originnal form
Adventure: Considerable Choice
Timed----: Considerable Choice
Challenge: Considerable Choice
Fish Tank: Must Have for manual / Poor Choice for auto
5.15) Seymour the Sea Turtle
*******************************
Seymour is old & slow... which somehow slows down the coins to make them
easier to collect.
Pros: Slows down falling coins
Cons: Does not assist your fish
Adventure: Poor Choice
Timed----: Poor Choice
Challenge: Poor Choice
Fish Tank: Poor Choice
5.16) Shrapnel the MechaFish
*******************************
Shrapnel swims around your tank, dropping bombs that you can collect for
money.
Pros: Drops money-making bombs ($150 / 5 S)
Cons: Bombs can kill your fish
Adventure: Dangerous
Timed----: Dangerous
Challenge: Hazardous
Fish Tank: OK for Manual / Poor for Auto
5.17) Gumbo the Angler
*************************
Gumbo tries to light the way for your guppies in order to keep them out of
harm's way when the aliens invade.
Pros: Attracts All Guppies
++++: Tries to stay as far as possible from the aliens
Cons: Doesn't protect other fish
----: Can backfire with unchecked aliens
----: Can get confused with multiple alienss
Adventure: Good to Have
Timed----: OK to Have
Challenge: Good to Have
Fish Tank: Useless
5.18) Blip the Dolphin
*************************
Blip's intelligence helps you by pointing out which fish are hungry as well
as pinpointing alien attacks as well as gauging their health.
You can consider him as your "Radar".
Pros: Points out Hungry Fish
++++: Points out Alien Entry points
++++: Shows Alien's Health
Cons: Pacifist (Doesn't fight)
Adventure: OK to Have
Timed----: Poor Choice
Challenge: Considerable Choice
Fish Tank: Useless
5.19) Rhubarb the Hermit Crab
********************************
Rhubarb likes to be the King of the Sands & keeps your fish from camping out
at the bottom of the tank
Pros: Repels fish from the bottom
Cons: Pacifist (Doesn't Fight)
----: Forces Guppycrunchers to jump for fissh
Adventure: Poor Choice
Timed----: OK to Have
Challenge: Poor Choice
Fish Tank: OK for Manual / Considerable Choice for Auto
5.20) Nimbus the Manta Ray
*****************************
Nimbus surfs the bottom of the tank in the hunt for food or coins & bounces
them back to the top.
Pros: Bounces coins & food
++++: He hunts for items to bounce
Cons: Potentially hurts your food limits (by recycling food)
----: Tries to go for the closest & lowest item
Adventure: OK to have
Timed----: Considerable Choice
Challenge: Poor Choice
Fish Tank: Poor for Manual / Useless for Auto
5.21) Amp the Electric Eel
*****************************
Amp likes to "charge up" for a "shocking" return with your fish by frying
them into diamonds.
Pros: Makes Diamonds
Cons: Kills Guppies
Adventure: Hazardous
Timed----: Dangerous
Challenge: Hazardous
Fish Tank: OK for Manual / Poor for Auto
5.22) Gash the Shark
***********************
Gash likes to assault aliens, but he likes to snack on your fish.
Pros: Fiercely Attacks Aliens
Cons: Eats Fish
Adventure: Considerable Choice
Timed----: Poor Choice
Challenge: Considerable Choice
Fish Tank: Useless w/o Aliens, Poor for Auto
5.23) Angie the Angelfish
****************************
Angie is truly an angel as she can actually revive any fish that recently
dies in your tank.
Pros: Revives Fish
++++: Actively hunts for dead fish
Cons: Cannot revive eaten fish
----: Cannot revive fish that reach the botttom (& vanish)
Adventure: Good to have
Timed----: OK to have
Challenge: Good to have
Fish Tank: Useless
5.24) Presto the Tadpole
***************************
Presto is the most talented Tadpole you'll ever see because he can turn into
ANY PET that you want, INCLUDING pets that are currently in your tank.
Since Presto is practically a wild card, he's a must have for everything!
Pros: He can turn into ANY PET you want
++++: You can change his form at any time
++++: Allows you to "Double-up" on a pet
Cons: Takes time to recharge his magic between transformations
----: Cannot hold another pet's form when hhit by Walter
----: Last Pet to obtain in Adventure Mode
Adventure: MUST HAVE
Timed----: MUST HAVE
Challenge: MUST HAVE
Fish Tank: MUST HAVE
6) Pet Combos
----------------
As you obtain your pets, there some combinations that you can build to help
you in the tank as a team. Some combos are powerhouses, while others help
offset the negatives of others. Here's a list of combos that you can try in
your tanks. You may substitute Presto for any pet you may need.
Again, these are just some combinations that I've come up with & used at one
time or another. Feel free to experiment with different combinations of pets
to see if they help or hinder your progress in the tank.
6.1) The Feed Team
*********************
Pets Needed: Prego & Zorf
The Feed Team makes sure that all your fish (including the carnivorous) are
fed. This combo is a great start team!
6.2) The Tank Automation Kit
*******************************
Pets Needed: Prego, Zorf & Stinky
Add-on Pets: Clyde, Rhubarb, Seymour
A step up from the Feed Team, the Tank Automation Kit is just what you'll
need to make sure that you don't have to lift a finger. This combo includes
the "Feed Team" with a coin collector to make this a must have group with
your virtual fish tank. You can add Rhubarb & Seymour for the ultimate team
Don't forget to set this combo before you leave the virtual fish tank if you
use it as a screensaver.
6.3) Life & Death
********************
Pets Needed: Amp & Angie
Add-on Pets: Walter
The Life & Death Combo isn't for those who are the feint of heart. Amp kills
your fish (& drops diamonds in the process) & Angie revives them. You can
also add Walter into the mix to speed up Amp's charging time by punching him.
It's a quick way to turn your fish into cash without much of the guilt.
6.4) Protective Custody
**************************
Pets Needed: Wadsworth & Gumbo
The Protective Custody combo is for those who have trouble keeping their
guppies alive during alien attacks. Wadsworth protects your young guppies
while Gumbo tries his best to protect your older & larger guppies. This
combo an insurance policy of it's own!
6.5) The Clean-Up Crew
*************************
Pets Needed: Stinky & Clyde
Add-on Pets: Seymour
The Clean-Up Crew combo is for those who have trouble collecting all the
money / shells that you may periodically miss (hey, we're human here). You
can also add Seymour to the crew as well as he'll slow down the drop rate of
coins / shells, which will make it easier for Stinky & Clyde to pick up more.
7) Adventure Mode Walkthrough
--------------------------------
If you can't figure out how to get through Adventure mode, sit down & read
up! Here's how to get through the tanks & what pets you should be taking.
Please note that this is Walkthrough will only cover the original Adventure
mode & NOT Bonus Adventure Mode as it's pratically the same thing, but with
all your pets available.
Please note that you'll start each tank with 2 fish (except in tank 4, which
only gives you one breeder) & $200 along with any pets you bring in the tank
with you. You will also want to look through Sections 5 & 6 for pet ideas.
Once you get to Tank 1-4, you'll start seeing my pet suggestions. These are
the pets that I used within the tank to get me through it, but there may be
a better group of pets to suit you. Feel free to experiment with other pets
to see if they help you out better. If you don't like the combination that
you've selected, quit the game (by clicking on the Menu button), re-enter
adventure mode & select "restart level" to get it over quickly. Otherwise,
you can just kill all your fish & try again.
Tank 1-1
***********
This is the beginner's tank as there's practically nothing in your way
(except your own destructive nature) to keep you from getting through this
tank. You start with 2 fish & $200, which is a good start for you. Just
periodically feed your fish (about once every 5-10 seconds or unless they
look hungry) & wait for one to grow.
Once a guppy grows to medium size, you'll be able to start recouping your
food costs w/ the silver coins. Also at this point, you can buy replacement
guppies (@ $100 / ea.) you kill any. You'll have to buy one to shut the game
up, but it'll give you more fish to raise funds.
As soon as your guppies grow to large size, the egg pieces will become
available for the low, low price of $150 / ea. You'll complete the tank as
soon as you collect all 3 pieces.
Pet Obtained: Stinky the Snail
Tank 1-2
***********
This tank is the next step up from the baby pool of last tank. Since you
only have one tank pet right now, Stinky is automatically selected for you.
Now, you'll meet up with your first alien infiltrator. You'll get a pop-up
warning when your first alien is on it's way. Other times, you'll only get a
warning siren with a notice at the bottom of the screen. All you can do to
kill the aliens is click on them, which will fire your lazer blaster. Since
aliens will try to eat your fish, you will have to keep the alien away from
them as much as possible. The key is to shoot at them on the opposite
direction you want them to go. If you want them to go up, you shoot them
near the bottom. If you want them to left, you shoot right... This thinking
may take some time to get use to, but since you'll only have one alien & 2
medium/small fish in your tank, it shouldn't be much of a problem. Once the
alien is destroyed, it'll drop a diamond (worth $200) for you to pick up.
This tank also introduces fish food upgrades, which includes quality ($200 /
ea.) & quantity ($300 / ea.) Quality upgrades make the fish food more
nourishing, which means that your fish will grow faster & go longer without
eating. Quantity upgrades allow you to drop more fish food at one time.
Once you get multiple food drops, you can hold down the mouse button for the
auto-feeder. Please be aware that the upgrades are only good for the level
that you buy them in.
At this time, all you'll need to do is buy one quality upgrade to open up the
Egg pieces. The egg pieces will cost $500 / ea., so you'll have to pay a
total of $1,500 (you don't have to pay for it all at once) to proceed on.
Pet Obtained: Niko the Oyster
Tank 1-3
***********
Now taking another step up from the fishbowl, we now start to add variety to
the fishtank with Carnivores. Since you only have 2 pets at this time
(Stinky & Niko), they'll both be in the tank.
Like the previous tanks, you'll work your guppies up to large size to open up
the Carnivores ($1,000 / ea.). You must purchase a Carnivore to open up the
egg pieces. Carnivores eat the small guppies in your tank periodically
instead of eating fish food, so you will need to periodically buy guppies.
Before you freak out at a possible money drain, Carnivores drop diamonds
($200) & guppies cost $100... so you average out netting $100.
This is also the tank where you can buy laser blaster upgrades for $1,000 /
ea. The blaster upgrades make your laser stronger & therefore requires less
clicks/blasts to kill the aliens. Once you max out your laser blaster,
you'll enable the auto-fire function. Once this is enabled, all you have to
do is hold down the left button to fire away. Please be aware that the
blaster upgrades (like food upgrades) only good for the level that you buy
them in. Since you're only facing one alien at a time, you'll only need to
buy like 2 or 3 upgrades to quickly defeat the aliens ths round.
Egg pieces this round will cost $2,000 / ea.
Pet Obtained: Itchy the Swordfish
Tank 1-4
***********
It's time to go solo with little help from the game now. Itchy, Niko &
Stinky will be in the tank with you as they're your only pets right now.
This tank should play just like the previous tank, but without the game to
assist you.
Since you don't have Prego in your tank (yet), you will have to occasionally
buy more guppies to help you out. However, you do have Itchy to assist you
with the aliens, so you'll only need to buy like 2 blaster upgrades.
Egg pieces this round will cost $3,000 / ea.
Pet Obtained: Prego the Momma Fish
Tank 1-5
***********
The final subtank in the beginner levels. Before you get into the tank, you
now have to decide which 3 pets are going into the tank. Since you only have
4 pets to choose from, it's not a hard decision. You should take Stinky &
Prego with you as they'll help you out the most. The big decision is: Niko
or Itchy? If you have trouble killing the aliens, take Itchy. If you can
manage the aliens yourself, take Niko & buy more blaster upgrades. Again,
you'll only get one alien at a time, so you won't need that many blaster
upgrades. From this point on, I'll be writing down my pet suggestions to
assist you.
SUGGESTED PETS: Stinky, Niko & Prego
Now that you have Prego in your tank, you don't have to worry too much about
buying new guppies. You'll only have to buy guppies as replacements for your
killed / eaten fish & as food supply for your carnivores.
Egg pieces this round will cost $5,000 / ea.
Pet Obtained: Zorf the Seahorse
Special!: Time Trial mode (Tank 1) is unlocked & you have the bare essentials
to automate your Virtual Tank. You now can give shells to other users!
Bonus Level 1
****************
You now get your first in-game break. There's no fish or aliens in this tank,
but there's plenty of shells & a short ammount of time. You have only 15
seconds to click on as many shells as you can. If you click on the same type
of shell in a row, you'll make a chain & earn more shells. All the shells
that you collect here will be deposited into your Shell Wallet & can be used
in your virtual tank or to buy a bonus pet, granted you have the 20,000 Shells
to buy it. Unless you got help from other players, you'll most likely won't
have enough to buy it. Just hit continue & proceed to Tank 2.
Tank 2-1
***********
Welcome to Tank 2! You'll have new surroundings & new fish, but you also have
new challenges & new aliens to face. Again, things will start out easy for
this subtank. Even though you will not know what horrors you'll face, I hope
this FAQ will help you out.
SUGGESTED PETS: Stinky, Prego & Zorf
This subtank is similar to Tank 1-2 as you only have guppies & the fish food
upgrades. The newest item for sale is the Star Potion ($250), which you can
feed to your large fish ONLY. You large fish will become Star Fish & drop
stars instead of gold coins. Please be careful NOT to let any of your smaller
fish to eat the Star Potion because it's poisonous to them & spells instant
death to them.
This is a great tank to pratice giving your fish the Star Potion as you will
need Star Fish in the following tanks.
Egg Fragments this round will cost $750 / ea.
Pet Obtained: Clyde the Jellyfish
Tank 2-2
***********
Now, the real challenge begins. You'll now have to buy a Starcatcher to
complete the level. I hope you've practiced feeding your large guppies in
the last subtank because you'll need the Star Fish to keep the Starcatchers
alive.
SUGGESTED PETS: Stinky/Clyde, Prego & Zorf
If you take your time to get through the level, you can expect to pick up a
Starcatcher around the 5-minute mark. You should have at least 2-3 Star fish
in your tank before buy a Starcatcher so they will have enough stars for them
to catch. Within this tank, you'll only face Balrog, so you can save some
cash by only picking up 3-4 blaster upgrades.
Egg Fragments this round will cost $3,000 / ea.
Pet Obtained: Vert the Skeleton Fish
Tank 2-3
***********
You made it through the challenge of the tank, but now say hello to a new
alien that's invading your tank. Gus will start appearing in the tank now.
Unlike Sylvester & Balrog, Gus is unaffected by blasters. Can you find a way
to take him out?
SUGGESTED PETS: Stinky/Clyde, Prego & Zorf
Around the 1:15 mark within the tank, you'll get an in-game notice that Gus
is coming. The alien warning will state that a "G-signature" alien is coming
your way. All G-signature aliens will be Gus. If you haven't looked around
this FAQ on how to defeat Gus, just think "G is for Glutton"... so the only
way to kill Gus is to FEED HIM! That's right, feed him as much fish food as
you can, otherwise he'll go after your fish. Once you feed him enough, he'll
explode (cue the Monty Python bit). Since your laser blaster won't affect
Gus, don't bother buying any blaster upgrades & max out your fish food as
fast as you can. Since this is your first time facing Gus, you'll probably
won't be ready to face him, so just try to survive with one fish in your tank.
Just replace recently eaten fish & try to get for the next buffet raid.
Your next invasion will be around the 3-minute mark. If you have 2-3x food
limits, it'll be easier to defend your fish, but expect to lose 1-2 of them.
By the 4:30 invasion, you should have your fish food upgraded enough to take
him on with minimal casualties & the 6:00 invasion should be a breeze. If
you haven't been keep track of the time (see section 12.1 on keystroke tips),
Gus will invade your tank about every 90 seconds with a 10-second advanced
warning.
Egg Pieces this round will cost $5,000 / ea.
Pet Obtained: Rufus the Fiddler Crab
Tank 2-4
***********
<--- MORE TO COME --->
8) Time Trial Walkthrough
----------------------------
Time Trial mode is a fast-paced version of the game where you have a limited
ammount of time to save as much money as you can. Since this mode can only
be unlocked by completing the tanks in adventure mode, you will have to play
through tank 1 there to open this up. As you complete the other tanks, they
will get unlocked as well.
Each tank plays just like Adventure Mode, but the only difference is that you
are trying to save as much money as you can & not by collecting the egg
fragements. Once you get a medium-sized guppy, the shop bar will completely
open up for you. You'll be able to buy food upgrades, blaster upgrades, the
different fish that are available for that tank & finally, random pets
instead of the egg fragments.
For the random pets, the computer will give you a new pet to use in your tank
for the duration of the level, reguardless of your pet limit. However, you
can only get the pets that you have available at that time, so you can't get
Walter the Penguin if you have bought him. In addition, the price of each
subsequent pet will be doubled (using the formula Cost = 100 * 2 ^(n-1),
where n = the number of pets bought). If you can't figure it out...
Pet # Cost
----- ---------
01 -- $ 100
02 -- $ 200
03 -- $ 400
04 -- $ 800 <-- Suggested limit for Tank 1
05 -- $ 1,600
06 -- $ 3,200 <-- Suggested limit for Tanks 2-4
07 -- $ 6,400
08 -- $12,800
09 -- $25,600
10 -- $51,200
11 -- TOO MUCH!
Finally, before I break it down for each tank, remember that you're trying to
SAVE MONEY & that everything you buy cost money. Therefore, you should try
to balance out your expenses by limiting your purchases of random pets,
purchasing blaster upgrades, or even limiting your food upgrades. This is a
difficult thing to figure out the proper balance, since everybody plays the
game differently. The best way is to try a little trial & error, but you'll
have my knowledge to assist you in cranking out some more cash.
If you haven't heard this enough already, you can subtitute Presto for any of
the pet suggestions as you can change Presto to any other pet on the fly.
Below are the rough suggestions that I have & the estimated ammount of cash
that you can earn in that tank. Please be aware that the cash ammounts
listed are a relative average that I've have obtained playing them & the
actual ammount of cash you can earn may vary as much as 75%.
8.1) Tank 1
**************
Time Limit: 5 minutes
Tank 1 is the newbie tank & therefore is pretty easy to play through, however,
the time limit is halved of all the other tanks. Since you'll only see the
basic aliens (Sylvester & Balrog) in this tank, you shouldn't be too worried
about your laser blaster being weak. Since you only have 5 minutes, you will
need to cut some of the spending that you would normally do in adventure mode
out.
Suggestions:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Food-: Fish Pills (Lv 3) x 5
Laser: Lv 2-3
Pets-: 4 or less
Starting pets (basic): Stinky, Prego & Zorf
Starting pets (exp'd): Stinky/Clyde, Prego, Zorf & Meryl
Estimated Earnings: $4,000 (200 Shells)
8.2) Tank 2
**************
Time Limit: 10 minutes
Tank 2 gets you out of the kiddie pool & into a real pond, however, you must
be prepared for the other aliens like Gus & possibly Destroyer. Like Tank 1,
you will need to limit your spending, but you don't have to be as tight with
your money. Since Gus is likely to show up the majority of the time, you may
want to save your money by not buying the laser blaster upgrades & invest in
maxing out your food upgrades.
Suggestions:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Food-: Fish Pills (Lv 3) x 9
Laser: Lv 2-3 (optional)
Pets-: 6 or less
Starting Pets (basic): Stinky/Clyde, Prego & Zorf
Starting Pets (exp'd): Stinky/Clyde, Prego, Zorf & Gumbo
Estimated Earnings: $20,000 (1,000 Shells)
<-- More to Come-->
9) Challenge Mode Walkthrough
--------------------------------
This part of the FAQ isn't ready yet due to my failure at completing this
mode at least once. It's THAT HARD! Check back in a future version.
10) Virtual Tank Walkthrough
-------------------------------
The Virtual Tank is such an easy mode (as it's nearly impossible to screw up
here), that you're either really bored or you really don't know how to play
the game. If you're part of the latter... go play Adventure Mode through
Tank 1 to get the grasp of the game (see Section 7 for the walkthrough) &
then return here.
The Virtual Tank allows you to relax by raising virtual fish. There are a
few changes that you'll notice from the other game modes.
1) All your Purchased Fish CANNOT be killed, no matter how much you negelect
them. You can make your fish really depressed, however. You CAN kill your
feeder fish if you don't feed them during the times where you have some spare
ones in the tank (that your carniverous fish don't eat them immediately)...
Fortunately, your feeder fish are free.
2) Your fish will drop Shells instead of coins. Shells are the currency for
the virtual tank, which you can use to buy fish or other stuff within the
game (like backgrounds or bonus pets) & the virtual tank.
3) All fish food you drop is free in the virtual tank. No matter how much
fish food you drop into the tank, you'll never be charged a single shell
to feed your fish. However, you will be limited to how many piece of fish
food you can drop at one time. This also includes all specialty foods that
your fish may require (including all feeder fish).
4) There's no auto-pause mode within the virtual tank. If you click outside
the game window, the tank keeps running. You can still pause the virtual
tank by pressing the spacebar at any time. This is double-edge as you can
collect shells while you're in the tank, but you have to make sure you have
the "Tank Automation Kit" in your tank to keep things running smoothly if you
leave the virtual tank running.
You're given 200 Shells to start your tank, but you can gain more Shells by
doing the following:
1) Completing a Tank in Adventure mode ("Shell Drop" bonus stage)
2) Completing a subtank in Bonus Adventure mode ("Shell Drop")
3) Completing a Tank in Time-Trial mode (5% of final cash on hand)
4) Completing a Tank in Challenge mode (see above for payout)
5) Running your Virtual Tank (in game or the screensaver)
6) Begging other users to give you shells
10.1) The Buttons
********************
Unlike the other tank modes, the buttons are different. Here's what you'll
see in the tank.
Shop: This is where you'll be spending you Shells by purchasing fish, tools
& backdrops. The shop is restocked at midnight (if you're not playing at
that time) with new fish & backdrops. All fish that you buy have a 24-hour
buyback guarentee, if you're not happy with your new purchase.
Fish: This displays a list of all your fish that's currently in your tank.
You can see how your fish are doing as well as renaming them, hiding them, or
even selling them. Again, all new fish you buy will have a 24-hour buyback
guarentee. After that, the selling price of your fish drops to half of their
purchase price... but that doesn't mean that your fish can't appreciate in
value as they grow.
Pets: This displays a list of all your fish that are currently available for
you to place into your tank. Any pet that you've unlocked in Adventure Mode
will be immediately available here, but you will be restricted to the number
of pets that can be in your tank at one time.
Feed: This button allows you to manually feed the fish that require special
food... which everything EXCEPT fish food. This includes "feeder fish" for
your carniverous fish as well as any exotic food you may need. Like your
regular fish food, everything here is free. If you have more than one fish
that requires special fish food, you'll open an on-screen menu so you can
select the type of food that you'll need to feed your fish.
Tank: This displays all the tank options. This includes displaying the name
of the fish, showing if they're hungry, if you want your fish to drop shells
& whatnot. You can also enabled the screen saver here.
Back: Just as you may suspect... it's the quick "Go Back to the main menu"
button. Just click it to leave the virtual tank. However, this isn't the
suggested method of leaving the tank. See the Bug Notices (Section 14) for
more information on why.
10.2) The Shop
*****************
The Shop is where you'll be spending the majority of your Shells. Here's
what you'll normally see when you visit the shop. The shop carries 6 types
of fish & 2 accessories each day. The shop is restocked every day, so you
will need to check every day so you don't miss any rare fish.
Left side
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Regular Small Guppy - 25 Shells
Regular Carnivore --- 100 Shells
Top side
~~~~~~~~~~~
Colored Small Guppy - 500 Shells
Colored Carnivore --- 1,000 Shells
Rare/Special Fish --- 2,500 to 25,000 Shells
Rare/Special Fish --- 5,000 to 50,000 Shells
Bottom side
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bubblator --------- 20,000 Shells
Alien Attractor --- 50,000 Shells
Fish Food Upgrade - 20,000 Shells
"Cookie" ---------- 50,000 Shells
Random Fish ------- 25 to 50,000 Shells
New Background ---- 15,000 Shells
Random Fish ------- 25 to 50,000 Shells
10.3) Care of your fish
**************************
Once you have a few fish in your tank, you have to take care of them by
feeding them at least three times a day (which can be at one time sitting).
As long as you do this (or have your pets do it for you), your fish will
become happier. If you forget to feed your fish, they'll start getting
depressed for each day you fail to meet the feeding requirement.
Before you start up your Virtual Tank, I highly suggest that you complete
the first tank in Adventure Mode so you have Stinky, Prego & Zorf available
to assist you while the screen saver is running (with feeding your fish &
collecting the shells they drop). Once you have obtained the Bubblenator,
the Alien Attractor & the fish upgrade, you can buy a special beetlemuncher
called "Cookie" who will help feed your more exotic fish (the ones that don't
eat fish food OR feeder guppies).
After your fish are really happy for about a week (it can be as little as 5
days, if you're really good) you fish will grow up (if they can... some of
your fish will never grow up) & will drop more valuable shells. The fish
that grow will become more valuable, meaning that you'll be able to get your
money back after they grow one level & you can make a profit after they grow
two levels... if you really want to sell your fish.
Besides everything that I've said in this section, the Virtual Tank is an
open-ended game mode & you really cannot screw it up (besides neglecting to
feed your fish) as you cannot kill your fish. You can have up to 20 fish in
your tank (excluding pets), so you'll have to think what fish you would like
to have in your tank. You can save up to 9,999,999 Shells in your wallet,
but there's nothing that you really need to save all those Shells. If you
don't have anything to buy for your aquarium, why don't you give some shells
to the other users on your system?
11) Miscellaneous Q & A
--------------------------
Q: Why do my fish turn color?
A: Your fish are very hungry & will die if you don't feed them soon.
Q: Why are my fish dying?
A: You either have too many guppies in your tank, you don't have enough
"special food" sources for your other fish or you're using Amp or Shrapnel in
your tank. The best solution is to have Angie in your tank to revive your
dead fish & try give your fish more attention.
Q: Why aren't my fish dropping Shells?
A: There's 3 possible answers for this problem... Just run through the below
checklist as these are the most possible reasons.
1) Your fish are too small or you have breeders -- All you can do is feed
your fish & wait for them to grow.
2) Your fish are hungry or unhappy -- Happy fish are fed fish & fed fish drop
shells. As long as you have a method to feed your fish within the tank, you
shouldn't have a problem. Any fish that requires special fish food will need
to be feed manually 3 times a day (which can be at one time sitting).
3) Your tank has reached your "Shell Limit" on your screen saver -- This is
rare, but it can happen. The shell limit is set by the game to make sure
that you have to take a part in your virtual tank by limiting how many shells
you can pick up while the screen saver is running. Once you have hit this
limit, your fish will stop dropping shells until you wake up your computer &
interrupt the screen saver. The "Shell Limit" isn't a hard number, so it's
nearly impossible for me to give an accurate number. However, the shell
limit is usually around 5,000 Shells or more, but it will vary per user & by
how many fish you have in your tank.
At the time of this FAQ's publish date, my personal limit is around 8,500 S
Q: Why aren't my Virtual Tank fish growing?
A: Your fish in your Virtual Fish Tank grow almost on a weekly basis (5 days
minimum), but you have to make sure you feed them three times a day.
All your fish will grow at Midnight of each day at the earliest.
Please be aware that only your guppies & Mini-Sylvester can grow. All other
fish not grow up, reguardless of how much attention you give them.
Q: Why isn't the screen saver loading?
A: There's two possible answers: You either have the screen saver disabled
within the game OR somebody has changed the screen saver on you. You just
have to switch the screen saver back to Insaniqarium or re-enable it within
the game.
Q: Why is my screen saver freezing up?
A: First of all, make sure the "Power Save" option matches your computer's
settings. If you have this enabled (& you probably should if you keep your
computer running for extended periods of time), then you should have this
option enabled. If this screen saver option conflict with your computer,
your computer will freeze up once the power save options kick in.
Just trust me on this... I tried to get more shells why running the screen
saver overnight with the Power Save option disabled on the screen saver (but
not on my computer). When I got to my computer in the morning, the screen
saver froze up & I lost around 3,500 Shells (trying to crank out around
20,000 Shells overnight) from this. Just be aware that the screen saver will
stop running once the Power Save settings kick in.
12) Tips & Cheats
--------------------
12.1) Keywords
*****************
Pop Cap is know to hide some "Keywords" in their games to give some added
effects. Some of the keywords are helpful while some of them are just there
for fun. All you have to do is punch these keywords in during gameplay to
use them & don't worry about capitalization on the Keywords, they're just
there to make them easier to read.
If you want to undo an effect, just punch that keyword in again.
B -- Produce Bubbles (with each keystroke)
Prego -- Changes Prego's Birthing sound
Time -- Shows/Hide Tank Clock (Time Elapsed)
Give -- Allows a user to give shells to another user, only after you complete
Tank 1. CAUTION!: Transactions may NOT reversible with newbies!
Space -- Changes the Tank Background to outer space (Stars)
Void -- Changes the Tank Background to a white screen
Wavy -- Enable/Disables Water Wave Effects
Zombie -- Makes your fish LOOK dead (they'll still act alive, though)
WeLoveBetaTesters -- Changes the Breeder's birthing sound
SuperMegaUltra -- Makes Prego's Birthing Sound really annoying
12.2) Secrets
****************
In the virtual fish tank, you can get a "Santa Fish" by buying a small guppy
(the cheap 25-Shell one) & naming it "Santa". This will give you a big White
& Red Guppy that drops 20-Shell Bags & plays Christmas Carols.
After you pick up all 4 bonus pets, you can buy pet limit increases.
4 Pets: 40,000 Shells
7 Pets: 45,000 Shells (Virtual Tank Only)
Once you have purchased the 7-pet upgrade, you should see a silver trophey on
the menu screen. To access Sandbox mode, punch in the Konami Code (it's up,
up, down, down, left, right, left, right, a, b for those who don't know it.)
on the keyboard. By entering the Konami Code, you'll also unlock the 11-pet
limit for the virtual tank as well.
13) Sandbox Mode
*******************
Once you obtain the silver trophey, you will have to end the Konami Code
(which is listed in the paragraph above... if you don't know this common
gamer's secret). Sandbox mode is a special "test mode" that the game
developers use to try things out with minimal confines of the game to limit
them. Sometimes this mode is later removed from the game upon it's release,
but there's a few rare cases (like this game) where they keep it in the game
with a secret code &/or requirements to access it.
Be aware that Sandbox Mode is just here for fun & you cannot complete it no
matter how hard you try. Only play this mode if you want to play around with
the tank, even if you want to kill fish.
In sandbox mode, the keyboard will generate individual characters in the your
tank to play with. You should disable the caps lock as things here are case
sensitive. Here's what each key does in alphabetical order...
Space Bar - Pauses Game (as usual)
1 - drops small guppies
2 - drops carnivores
3 - drops star guppy
4 - drops starcatcher
5 - drops guppycruncher
6 - drops beetlemuchers
7 - drops breeders
8 - drops ultravore
9 - DOES NOTHING...
0 - DOES NOTHING...
a - spawns Seymour the Turtle
b - spawns Ulysses (the alien)
c - spawns Gus (the alien)
d - spawns Gumbo the Angler
e - spawns Itchy the Swordfish
f - spawns Blip the Dolphin
g - spawns Rhubarb the Hermit Crab
h - spawns Nimbus the Manta Ray
i - spawns Rufus the Crab
j - spawns Amp the Eletric Eel
k - spawns Gash the Shark
l - spawns Angie the Angelfish
m - spawns Bilaterus (the alien)
n - spawns Psychosquid (the alien)
o - spawns Meryl the Mermaid
p - spawns Wadsworth the Whale
q - spawns Stinky the Snail
r - spawns Prego the Breeder
s - spawns Shrapnel the Mechafish
t - spawns Zorf the Seahorse
u - spawns Vert the Skeleton Fish
v - spawns Destroyer (the alien)
w - spawns Balrog (the alien)
x - spawns Clyde the Jellyfish
y - spawns Niko the Oyster
z - spawns Sylvester (the alien)
; - spawns Presto
A - spawns Brinkley the Scuba Diving Elephant
S - spawns Nostradamus the Nosefish
D - spawns Walter the Penguin
F - spawns Stanley the Small Sea Serpent
If you looks at the keyboard, here's the quick layout here...
Number keys (1-8) = drops fish
Letter keys (first row) = spawns pets 1-10 (see section 5)
Letter keys (second row) = spawns pets 15-24 (see section 5)
Letter keys (bottom row) = spawns aliens
Capital letters, Left-hand home row: spawns bonus pets 11-14 (see section 5)
14) Bug Notices
------------------
As much as the makers of the game try to kill all the bugs before they
release the game to the public, there are some bugs that do get past the QA
guys (or the programs didn't have time to fix them). Here's a few bugs that
you should be aware about in the game & how to prevent falling for them. If
you happen to run accross them, the cure is listed as well to help you out.
Even though these bugs may be fixed in a later version, all the bugs that are
listed here are for the current version (v 1.0) of the game.
14.1) The "Tank 6" Bug
*************************
The Tank 6 bug happens when you click leave the game (by click on menu & then
clicking on return to menu) AFTER defeating Cyrax in Adventure Modes. When
you do this, the game thinks you're going onto Tank 6... which doesn't exist
at all, which makes the game repeat the boss level over & over again.
Prevention: When you defeat Cyrax, you're suppose to click on the egg so you
can complete the level. Doing so will bring up the credits, which is what
should happen.
Cure: If you should run into this bug, there is a program provided by
InsaniquariumGuide.com (NOT affiliated with N.M.E. or this FAQ) called "The
Fishinator" which includes the Tank 6 bug fixer. You can also reinstall the
game, but it's easier to download this program (about 600 KB) & run the bug
fixer.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< DISCLAIMER! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The Fishinator includes a Virtual Tank hack system with the bug fix included.
The program can be used to trade fish with other users or tweak your game to
adjust other in-game items (like # of Shells & # of Pets). The author of
this FAQ & the kind folks of N.M.E. are not responsible for the creation or
the distribution of this program. Albeit that this program is relatively
safe to use, you still use this program AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! Please do not
direct any questions or problems to me, N.M.E. or Pop Cap Games as they will
not respond to your e-mails. Please consult the program's enclosed manual
for more information & who to contact.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< END OF DISCLAIMER! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
14.2) Disappearing Tank Fish Bug
***********************************
You may periodically see some of your fish go missing from your tank. This
periodically happens when you use the on-screen back button. Since this will
not happen every time you use the back button.
Prevention: Always leave the Virtual Tank by clicking the menu button & then
click "Return to Menu"
Cure: If some of your fish should happen to vanish, click on the fish button
to check if your fish hasn't been sold. Then, click on each fish, then click
on the hide/show button twice to make the fish visible again.
14.3) "The Bends" (Fish Depression Syndrome)
***********************************************
"The Bends" isn't really a bug, but it can happen if you attempt to cheat the
game by time-traveling (adjusting your computer's clock) to pick up the rare
fish in the store. Symptions of "The Bends" include horribly depressed fish
& temporarily unstocked stores.
Prevention: DO NOT TIME-TRAVEL... EVER! IT'S NOT WORTH THE HASSLES!!!
Cure: The only way to fix it is called "Progression Through Regression" where
you try to take care of your fish in a compressed timeline. You just feed
all your fish three (or more) times that day before you quit. Then, you will
need to readjust your computer's clock one day closer to the present & repeat
the feeding process again each time until you return to the present.
This method is time consuming, but doing so will help get your fish out of
depression & eventually get them happy again (so they'll start dropping shells
again). This may fix the store problems, but the store will start restocking
their shelves once you get past the date "The Bends" started... if you went
toward in time.
14.4) Cookie Deja Vu
***********************
This bug is a lesser known bug, but if you sell "Cookie" (the fish-feeder)
at any time, all the items that were in the lower left corner of the shop will
return.
Prevention: As long as you never sell Cookie, you'll never have to worry
about this bug.
Cure: If you do sell Cookie, expect to spend about 140,000 S & about 4 days
on items that you should already have just to recover Cookie. Unless you're
serious about feeding your fish by yourself, just don't sell Cookie since this
will be an expensive lesson for you to learn.
15) Acknowledgements
-----------------------
I'd like to thank the following people, companies & sites for their help in
making this FAQ available to the public.
* Pop Cap Games (w/ Flying Bear) -- The creators of the game.
* InsaniquariumGuide.com -- For creating the Fishinator program
* Game FAQ's -- For hosting this FAQ.
If you would like to contribute to this FAQ, either by making a suggestion,
a correction or a contribution, send an E-mail to TStodden@hotmail.com with
"Insaniquarium FAQ:" in the subject line. Please be aware that it may take
2 weeks for me to read your e-mail as it's a secondary address.
16) Version History
----------------------
0.1 Alpha -- 3:15 AM 2/12/05
*******************************
+ First Draft of the FAQ.
0.2 Alpha -- 7:25 PM 2/12/05
*******************************
+ Second Draft of the FAQ.
+ Added more information & created the Table of Contents
0.3 Beta -- 7:44 PM 2/14/05
******************************
+ Third Draft of the FAQ.
+ Added more information, tweaked the TOC.
+ Besides some missing information, This FAQ is about ready for publication.
1.0 Beta -- 2:48 PM 2/15/05
******************************
+ Fourth Draft of the FAQ.
+ First Publishing Attempt
1.2 Beta -- 1:43 AM 2/18/05
******************************
+ Fifth Draft of the FAQ.
+ Added more sections to the FAQ, but some information is still missing.
+ Since there's so much stuff added here, I decided to jump to 1.2
1.3 Beta -- 12:10 AM 2/20/05
*******************************
+ Completed the Pets list.
+ Work on the Walkthroughs to be started...
1.3.1 Beta -- 9:10 PM 2/22/05
********************************
+ Work on the Adventure Mode Walkthrough begins...
+ Tanks 1-1 through 1-3 completed.
1.4 Beta -- 10:23 PM 2/25/05
*******************************
+ Sandbox mode added to the FAQ's
1.4.1 Beta -- 2:17 PM 2/27/05
********************************
+ Work on Virtual Tank Mode begins...
+ Added a little more to the Q&A
1.4.2 Beta -- 10:36 AM 3/1/05
********************************
+ Completed Virtual Tank Walkthrough
+ Started work on Time Trial mode...
1.4.3 -- 4:46 PM 3/3/05
**************************
+ Added more information & made come corrections
+ Second Publishing Attempt & First Public Debut!
1.5 -- 6:41 PM 3/20/05
*************************
+ Added virtual tank information about aliens
+ Corrected information
+ Added "Bug Notices" to FAQ
+ Second Public Release
1.5.1 -- 1:02 PM 3/29/05
***************************
+ More work done to Adventure Mode Walkthrough
+ Corrected Prego's Title (from Breeder)
+ Corrected Zorf's Name (formerly Zork)
+ Corrected Shop Data for the Virtual Tank (Bottom items stock random fish,
not just random rares)
1.5.2 --
**************************
+ More work done to Adventure Mode Walkthrough
+ Corrected Rufus' Title (from Crab)
+ Made a few formatting adjustments to the FAQ
+ Added contact information in the Acknowledgements
+ Modified the Copyright Information to include Licensing
+ Rewritten the Copyright Information & Licensing.
17) Copyright Information & Licensing
----------------------------------------
(c) 2005 TStodden, (c) 2005 NESpresso Multimedia Entertainment
All Rights Reserved
Licensed for use on Game FAQ's, Gamespot, CNet & their affiliates for
whatever they want to do with this FAQ (other than rip my FAQ off, which took
many hours and days to research as well as many hours to write up).
Replication of this document is allowed for PERSONAL USE ONLY & may not be
used to create or supplement any other documents without permission.
If you would like to pick up a usage license (or duplication permission) for
this or any other FAQ's from TStodden & N.M.E., please send an e-mail with
"xxx FAQ:" (replace "xxx" with the game's name) in the subject line to
TStodden@hotmail.com. Failure to place the proper subject on your e-mail
may result in your e-mail getting ignored or possibly sent to the junk mail
folder & possibly deleted before it gets read.
PLEASE BE PAITENT IN YOUR REQUESTS!!! This is a secondary e-mail address &
does not get checked as often. It may take upwards of 2 weeks to receive a
reply. All legitimate e-mails that are within the inbox will get a reply.
Anybody that sends more than 3 requests within a 2-week period will rejected
automatically & will be reported to MSN as a spammer.
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