Daniel

I started keeping tropical fish in 1969. My first fish were guppies and I kept them in quart jars. Within a year I graduated to a 10 gallon aquarium with a box filter and a heater. I stocked it with a half a dozen neon tetras. Later when fishing with my dad, I netted a baby sunfish. I asked my dad if I could take it home and put it in my aquarium. He said he didn't think it was a good idea as the sunfish might eat my neon tetras. I said "Don't worry dad! Neon tetras are the fastest fish in the world!" He shrugged and we took the sunfish home and put it in my aquarium and all seemed well. The next morning when I turned on the lights the only fish I could find in the tank was the sunfish. The neons had disappeared. Then it I realized where the neons might be and burst into tears. Dad helped take the sunfish back to the lake, and after I had saved up my allowance again, I re-stocked the aquarium.

That is pretty much how aquarium keeping has gone for me for the last 50 years.The excitement of a new tank and lots of new things to learn, then the agony as the actual learning happens, then again the excitement of new fish and a new setup. It never really gets old.

Daniel