Can it be? Did I just have a conversation about how I was going to set up my tank?
First of all, some background information. My first fish
was
one of those goldfish you won at the Halloween carnival for popping
the balloons taped onto the wall. He did very well, considering the
neglect in lack of water changes, and two airborne attempts at being
an air breathing animal with subsequent rescues. (Needless to say,
this experience was not prize material for the My First Fish
article contest last year.)
My next exposure to fish was our first Christmas---my excellent brainstorming yielded the perfect gift for my husband, a 10 gallon tank set up! Imagine his surprise to open it after we drove it 300 miles to our holiday celebration. Imagine my surprise to see the finagling that could go on in such a small tank: full spectrum lighting, fancy substrate for the plants, CO2, all of the choices for the fish, etc!
I had an opportunity to participate in the fun---I picked out one of the tankmates, a dwarf african frog. Poor choice on my part, as one day we saw him with half of a clown loach hanging out of his mouth as he was trying it out for a taste. (He went right back to the store from whence he came...and the clown loach was no worse for the wear, thankfully.) I took a hiatus in any assistance with the tank after that experience, worried that other bad outcomes would surely manifest.
Well, we had to move from Maryland out to Washington---we were so sad to give away the members of our community tank, but we found a happy home for them, interviewed the adoptive parents, and drove cross country. Once here, my husband again set up his 10 gallon tank, and furthered his aquarium ventures by joining GSAS. We went to the monthly meetings; I came along so we could use the carpool lane for the drive. Over time, I actually started to understand what people were talking about-cichlids weren’t a funny insect, but a class of fish; decisions on gravel/sand really seemed to make a difference, etc.
Still, through it all, the aquarium hobby was my husband’s interest and I enjoyed the meetings because the people were so friendly. I did warm up to helping pick out a few more fish-no more scary munching amongst the tankmates, thankfully! I even was known to help with water changes on the tanks. (Apparently this goes against the spouses of aquarium keepers code of ethics, but my husband was out of town for more than 4 weeks, and code of ethics or not, I wanted the fish to be happy. I guess that was the beginning of the slippery slope----read further!)
Over time, the visits to the aquarium store became less of a chore and actually were interesting. I took note of the community tanks with plants and how pretty they could be. Nature Aquarium World could only inspire. And then, I saw a paladarium set up---imagine my delight to see my love of houseplants combined with the serenity of a waterfall and colorful peaceful fish. I contemplated the idea-subconsciously, mind you-and found myself talking with a couple at a board meeting about how I wanted to set up my own paladarium. OOPS! Did I actually say how I was going to set up my tank?!? Against all odds of me becoming involved personally with aquariums, the words were out of my mouth. I still haven’t set up the tank, but the plans are in the works. (And, yes, that was me bidding on a tall 35 gallon tank at the GSAS auction.)