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I started fishkeeping at age 16 (1985). I bought my first tank after I started workin' for a living. I started with a 10g. Being very new, and inexperienced in keeping fish, the whole tank got ich and died. But I was determined for no other reason than I liked the sound of the bubbling water in my bedroom at night! I broke the tank down, cleaned everything and started over, learning from my mistakes as I went.
A couple of years later I added a 29g while keeping the 10g up and running.
Some time after that my (then girlfriend / now wife) wanted me to set up a fishbowl for her 2 year old son. (Against my better judgement) I did. They loved the bowl, but wanted an aquarium. I took the bowl home as a rescue attempt (my only real unsavory long-term experience with fishkeeping) and set up another 10g for the Girlfriend and her son. At this point I was maintaining my 29g, 10g, the goldfish bowl – and a "remote" 10g (at the girlfriend’s place).
By now I was finishing college and moving out on my own. I moved into a SMALL apartment with a roommate, and (initially) did not set up any tanks. I (very quickly) got bored and missed my fish. I spoke to my roommate and (again) set up a 10g in a small corner of the apartment.
By now it is now 1993 (8 years later). One wedding (mine), two moves, and the purchase of a "fixer-upper" house finally caused me to give up the tanks.
We fixed up and sold the "fixer-upper" and in 1999 had a custom home built. Still no room for tanks. We built a 2 bedroom home, with the plan that we would be adding 2 more bedrooms in the basement, but the basement was unfinished, and I wanted my tank(s) down there. As we approached Christmas, my (now) 13 year old stepson had a large Science Fair project coming up, so we took care of both by buying him a new 10g tank, setting it up, and doing his Science Project on the Nitrogen Cycle. (He finished 2 nd). Needless to say while helping him out with his tank, I got that "itch" again.
Well, the basement is just about finished (well, enough to set up a tank again). I dug out an old 30g tank that belonged to my sister from my parents house. I just finished building a "rough" stand for it and am starting to pick up items I need to get it up and running. I have been researching fish, fish tanks, equipment, etc (since I have had a nine year hiatus from the hobby some things have changed / improved), and have decided on setting up a Shell Dwelling Cichlid tank.
Regards,
David
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