My Beginning...

[Lester]

This is where it began for me, my daughter Betty liked watching the fish tanks while we waiting for appointments at Seattle Children's. This little seed will soon be watered...

It wasn't until months later when we where back home with our daughter, my wife Andrya said we should get a tank for Betty's play room. She had a different idea than me. She thought we would go to Petsmart/Petco pick up a tank, buy fish and put them in. I began down the YouTube rabbit hole discovered Cory and many others and began to formulate a plan. I could see the value of buying an established tank and seeing we did not have LFS and started to search craigslist. I have since learned there are better resources. I think I like the challenge of moving a tank, more than a good deal.

I loaded the car and drove 3 hours to pick up a 45 gallon tank with 20 + fish in it. It was a big project that took some planning, which I enjoy.

 Poured hot water in bottom of cooler and ran a air stone that i rotated from each bucket. Hardest part was lifting when full.

Best part of established tank was it was ready that day. Worst part is it came with all its previous problems. More YouTube rabbits. Learned I don't like fine sand or crazy fish, bala sharks and a single tiger something. They got rehomed.

So here what I got a mixed match of fish, some dyeing plants, some substrate that is difficult to deal with and IMO a tank that doesn't look that good.

In the next few weeks I learn about fish disease, water testing(more discoveries later), I like a fish tank in the play room and how mad Andrya will get for drilling a hole in the hard wood floor to drain tank into.

Can't get rid of nitrates no mater how many water changes I do. Proceed to YouTube, test well water and it is high in Nitrates, another rabbit hole this one is getting expensive, looking at whole house filtration. I feel fortunate we discovered because of health risk. 

We all really enjoy the tank in the room. I soon discover Betty will be crawling and I'm going to need more baby gates.

Don't worry there's another hole for the waste water, this one is just for power and later incoming water. Not one but two holes. Andrya really loves me.

Sorry to leave on this ugly picture but Betty is waking up and this is taking longer than I thought. This is just the beginning, There is more to come, like ponds in the basements, hospital tanks, grow out tanks(accidental breeding), and attempted aqua-scapes with plants. No fish room yet...

I have not posted like this before so not sure if I will continue in this thread or start a new one. Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave advise as I am a sponge at this point. I hope by sharing someone will be inspired or learn from my many mistakes.

~Lester

 

 

 

 

[Flumpweesel]

I was a little older than your daughter but I can clearly remember the aquarium at the hospital from my poorly childhood days. 

Plants will help with your water I would recommend some cheap fast growing stem plants for you at the moment (any you can get local) for me they establish fast and if you replant the trimmings you soon have plenty to work on those nitrates.

Then take your time and decide what you want the set up to look like and take slowish steps to get there asking questions along the way (even if they sound silly).

 

[Lester]

Thanks for the great advise. I have started with some beginner plants and am allowing tank to establish before putting fish in. I have already got great advise from this forum and will continue to ask questions.