Oh boy..LONG history
Blame my science teacher in, uhm, 6th grade I think (that was in '77). He had a tank set-up in the classroom; can't remreber what was in it now, maybe guppies. Had to have one, parents were reticent. Did the typical "I'll take care of it and everything" plead. Parents wouldn't budge. Dad brought some work home and I earned the cost of the tank, accessories (complete with the castle bubbler) and fish. Mom was more paranoid then I was
stayed up all night that first night to make sure the fish didn't die. Got hooked on mollies really early.
Since then, the adventure has never stopped. Upgraded to a 20, then a 29, then a 38 (which had a mirror back..I loved that tank), all freshwater. I went to college in 83 and had a tank in my dorm room. Went in the military in 85 and had a tank at every duty station. Some were in my room, a few stations liked them so much they had me set-up "unit mascot" tanks, again, all freshwater.
I moved to New Orleans in 92 and a friend of mine had this 90 gallon reef system that absolutely fascinated me. I am a cerified diver and loved reef dives. The movers had cracked all my tanks in transit ( I won't get in to THAT fight) so in recompense for looking after her horses while she was out of town, in the heat of the standard New Orleans summer, my friend bought me my 75 gallon specifically to indocrinate me into the world of saltwater, that was in 93. Everything went very well for the next 6 years and I had a thriving reef with all the assorted corals, blennies (my favorite saltwater dwellers) etc. Unfortunately, I was transferred to Virginia in late 1999 and the saltwater was apportioned off to different friends in the New Orleans area.
When I got to Virginia, for some reason I didn't have the will to reset the tank. The movers had destroyed the stand and I wasn't keen on spending the $400 for a new one. The 75 remained crated and sitting in my living room;
, I used it as an extra coffee table of sorts.
I moved to the Baltimore area in 2003 and my father made me a custom cabinet for the tank. I initially set up the 75 as a fish only saltwater with damsels and had a 29 and 38 going with freshwater planted. Again, all livebearers for the most part with some tetras and cories thrown in.
The water quality for aquariums here is not the best. Depsite routine use of an RO unit, I gave up the saltwater just due to time and space, or lack thereof. I rinsed out the 75, several dozen times, and reset it as a freshwater. Back to my swordtails.
Right now, I have the 75 with two cories, two white clouds, a pair of juvenile Koi Swordtails and a pair of Green Swordtails. I have a larger pair of Koi swordtails and two Blue Platties coming. I had a concern over some low level ammonia readings so hadn't added anything to the 75 in a long while. The problem wasn't the ammonia, it was my test kit.
I have a 29 set-up with 2 cories, a pair of Dalmation Sailfin Mollies and several juvenile sailfins. I sold off the 38 just due to lack of space in the house.
I also have the requisite 1 gallon Betta tank
with a Crowntail Betta.
I've managed to make fellow hobbyist in every state I have ever lived in and that includes Connecticut, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Oregon, Virginia and now Maryland
The best fish store I had was out in Beaverton, Oregon; haven't found one yet in any other state that can even compare.
Terese
My Tanks
~Nature
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