I have an aquarium. I have a problem --> sorta.
My tank has two Silver Dollars about 50 years old and three Angel Fish about 2 years old.
There is a fun TV show now on about guys who set up unusual aquariums for people. I like it. Setting up a tank is fun, maintaining a healthy environment overs years is hard. They never go there:disgust:. They set up a quality tank with good gear and leave.:lemo:
At one time, fish keeping was second only to photography for the masses as a hobby. I read that in a book 30 years back:satellite:. I got into it all before Google or the internet blurred knowledge. Back in the day, one bought books written by guys with a doctorate on it all. Even then, they had disagreements. Nothing has changed. In the last 50 years, not one better way to do it has been found. That will not change until Nature does.
The bottom line as to home fish keeping never changes as that is science. No miracle products have ever worked, and they never will. Back in the 70's, I wasted money on a few, less $$ in later years.
My first fish was gold, bought for a quarter at McCrorie's Dime Store. I was maybe 8. Boys are naturally drawn to critters. As I kid, caught and tried to keep them all --> fish, lizards, crayfish, snakes, tadpoles, etc.
When I was released from the Army, got a one room apt and a 5 gallon tank for one fish. My home was small, no dogs allowed. That fish and I bonded. Always being much better looking than my brother, girls flocked to me. They would show up, we would drink wine and admire my one fish. Then we would skinny dip in the pool.:topsy_turvy:
I have constantly kept fish now for 50 years. Sometimes I just had one tank, at one time during my breeding period, around 20. Around 1980, I was hooked into a circle of home breeder geeks - it was very competitive as we tried to get fish to fuck.
When I moved to my present home, cut back to one tank. I designed this house and made a room behind the tank to hold filters and supplies. All the crap in and out goes through the wall. That makes it easy and cuts noise to nil. I use a large plastic tub to hold filter crap designed after what I saw at the Boston Aquarium.
My tank works too well. I have kinda wanted to raise local lake fish. You can't mix those with tropicals. A couple fish I brought here with me will not die. For reasons I cannot explain, no "new bought" fish last more than a few days in the tank, mostly hours. The old fish thrive, and all new fish die. WTF is that about?
Maybe some of you have ideas.
