Hi! Chemistry student setting up their first tank in a while.

[Clockwork-Crow]

My stepmother had always had aquariums when I was growing up, so much so that I always assumed that having at least one fish tank was the default. Of the 5 kids in the house I was the only one who ever took serious interest in fishkeeping, and helped my stepmother do all of the research she needed when she started her first saltwater tank (when I was 10 years old), eventually I had my own small 10 gallon tank with neon tetras, before getting a 55 gallon tank which I filled with African Cichlids which had bred in my stepmothers tank. When I was 13 I moved away from my stepmother and fell out of fishkeeping, but just recently I moved to accomodation that allowed me to keep pets (I'm in my second year of a Natural sciences BSc), and realised that this meant I could have an aquarium. So I bought a 14 gal fish tank, sunk lots of money into plants, and various chemicals and equipment needed for the tank, and it is currently cycling, with my intention being to stock it with 8/9 Corydoras Habrosus and 1 Betta once the cycle has finished. Here's what it looks like as of a few days ago.

 

[fearlessfisch]

Pretty, pretty tank. That will be a lucky betta!

Welcome back to the obsession...er, hobby.

 

[Clockwork-Crow]

Obsession is accurate. I got my living allowance from the government a couple of weeks ago and have already gone over my recreation budget almost entirely on aquaria. I've started picking back up freelance work solely for the sake of being able to ensure I can have meds, replacement filter heater etc stocked up should anything go wrong after I've introduced fish.