Saltwater & Reef

toomeyn · 08-10-2013, 08:07 PM

Hello , Fish keeping was not something I was looking to get into. Being an animal person I was forced into taking about 30 guppy fry by my sister in law. (Long story). Initially these were in a very small tank- I am not the sort of person to see animals being kept in substandard conditions and when a friend of mine told me that they new someone giving away a corner aquarium I jumped at the chance. Although due to the trials I have had I have questioned why I kept the original fish.
These guppy fry moved into a large 200 litre tank and thrived- pretty soon I was giving fish away. I now have a handful of guppy's, tetras, platy's and mollies- including sailfins as well as a couple of cat fish. I never knew how much work maintaining an aquarium could be. Over the last two years I have learned how to manage itch, black brush algae, ammonia spikes and issues with water hardness. As a result I have become best mates with two staff at the local aquarium. I have been educated on how to keep the aquarium plants healthy and recently needed a lesson in filter maintenance as the fluval filter that came with the tank leaked when the power went off.
Despite the trials I have found that keeping fish is relaxing and when all going well. In the times where it is not going well despite the stress and concerns regarding losing fish or potential too it has been a journey into biology and understanding how finely balanced the aquarium environment can be. all it takes is a minor change that can put this out of whack leading to dire consequences. Interestingly the small change that occurred often results in a great deal of work in order to restore the environment.