WOW I have been here a while and I do not think I have posted in this.... I looked and could not find myself :?
Ok here is my story thus far...
Before I was born my father had a 20 gallon with a Red Belly Piranha name "Pete". Well it died and he sold off the tank, he did however keep his fish books. They were not much of books; just paper back jobbies form the 60s/70s, not very thick. He had one on cichlids (my favorite
) catfish, tetra, livebearers, barbs and plants... (Might have been more but those are the ones I remember. I used to love looking at the books, I loved the pictures, and as I got older, I think they were some of the first books I ever read 8) . I also used to love to visit the only lfs in town, Tom's Pets and Hobbies (use to like to build model cars and planes as well, lol), the closed about 10 years ago now though
.
As I kid I had the prerequisite goldfish in a bowl, I also one kept a baby bullhead in that bowl as well as a baby mud turtle...
When I was about 10-12 he decided to pick up a 10 gallon, I still remember the first stocking list... 2 angels, 2 julii cory (the only kind I have ever kept) two zebra danio and 2 silver hatchet fish. Eventually he added a pair of swordtail.
As fish would die, he let me help to pick out new fish... (we went through a lot of fish over the following year...my father did not know anything about cycling or testing water, he did do a once a year (full cleaning 8O )
After about a year he did upgrade to a 20 gallon, it is currently grossly over stocked (red tail shark, tiger bars, bala shark, 10" pleco, kuli loach, silverdollar, ...) I have educated him a little in the last few year...
After college I got my fist job and "officially" moved out of my parent’s home. I knew I wanted my first, personal, aquarium, so when my friend wanted to get ride of her 10 gallon, I jumped on it... MTS ever
since