Schuyler Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Hi everyone! I'm new to the hobby. My kids wanted a fish but I said no for a long time. As a kid, my dad has a fish tank and I remember it was a lot of work so I was hesitant. Finally I gave in but said "If we're going to do this we're going to do it right. We're not just going to get a bowl and put a goldfish in." Then grabbed an all in one 2.5 gallon tank, two guppies, and some Java Fern. Needless to say, I didn't do it the "right way." One of the fish dyed the next day. So we brought it back because they said they would replace them. That one died even faster... Needless to say it was a bumpy start. I didn't want to keep killing fish and making the kids sad (both under 5). So I started watching and reading everything I could. That's when I went down the rabbit hole and found Aquarium co-op's YouTube channel along with others. Fast forward to now, all my YouTube recommendations are aquarium or aquascape related. I got a free 14 gallon biocube from my sister. One of the original guppies has survived, his color has almost completely returned, and he has a few lady friends. My 2.5 gallon is now my hospital tank and currently holds 3 tiny guppy fry. I've been scouring OfferUp and Facebook market for stuff to set up a more substantial tank. So I have a 40 breeder, a fluvial 407, and some coconut huts that are currently growing more mold than moss. Probably going to have to restart that and not do the yogurt method this time... 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfish Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Welcome! It looks like you are making a great recovery from a bumpy start. Very nice tanks. There are a lot of great and smart folks around here to help you along the way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcow Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Welcome to the party! I used Dr. Tim's One and Only in my tank with significant success rather than yogurt or fish food , but if you track down the Co-op's video on cycling planted tanks, it also is full of insights! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Henry Posted September 1, 2022 Share Posted September 1, 2022 Glad to have you aboard @Schuyler, 1 post and you already have multiple tank syndrome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted September 1, 2022 Author Share Posted September 1, 2022 On 8/31/2022 at 9:10 PM, John Henry said: Glad to have you aboard @Schuyler, 1 post and you already have multiple tank syndrome! Yeah. I mainly kept the 2.5 to be a hospital tank and in theory we'll get rid of the 14 once the 40 is ready to go but we'll see what happens... Now I'm working on convincing other people to get into it so I can help them set up their tanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjum Posted September 1, 2022 Share Posted September 1, 2022 Welcome Schuyler! Another 'local' (I'm up in Snohomish county ☺️) I think many of us get deep into this hobby in the same way you did.. get fish, something goes wrong, start researching, fall down a rabbit hole when we find out how much there is to learn. Sounds like you're well on your way! It's a great educational experience for your kids too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smm333 Posted September 2, 2022 Share Posted September 2, 2022 Welcome! I'm in Lacey too! This is a super fun and helpful forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted September 2, 2022 Author Share Posted September 2, 2022 On 9/1/2022 at 5:52 PM, smm333 said: Welcome! I'm in Lacey too! This is a super fun and helpful forum. Cool! Other than pet works are there any other good fish stores? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smm333 Posted September 2, 2022 Share Posted September 2, 2022 On 9/1/2022 at 6:07 PM, Schuyler said: Cool! Other than pet works are there any other good fish stores? No. ☹ There's a nice one in Lakewood, but that's the closest I have found. I'm hoping to take a road trip with my husband to go to aquarium co-op. It's a bit of a drive, but it would be fun! I need to find other cool stuff in that area to sell him on a day of adventure. He enjoys the aquariums but it's not his passion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoolin Posted September 3, 2022 Share Posted September 3, 2022 Welcome to the forum! I am also a Washingtonian, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Fin Posted September 3, 2022 Share Posted September 3, 2022 Welcome aboard Schuyler, you have made great improvements already! Love the hardscape and plants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted September 7, 2022 Author Share Posted September 7, 2022 On 9/1/2022 at 9:30 PM, smm333 said: No. ☹ There's a nice one in Lakewood, but that's the closest I have found. I'm hoping to take a road trip with my husband to go to aquarium co-op. It's a bit of a drive, but it would be fun! I need to find other cool stuff in that area to sell him on a day of adventure. He enjoys the aquariums but it's not his passion. I'm the same way. My wife was excited that I was excited about aquarius at first but now I think it's starting to get on her nerves a bit when I talk about trying a new fish store or going somewhere to look for rocks/driftwood. Yeah the one in Lakewood is pretty good. Surprisingly it looks like there is also a really nice one in Port Orchard. Judging by the pictures they have loads of basically every your of Cory you could want. Also, not sure if this is your thing, but Pet Works just got a huge shipment of hardscape stuff. Also if you buy moss from them they will give you a cup to put it on and basically as much more as you can cram in the is $8. It's a bit sad looking but way better than the $10 bag of brown Java moss at Petco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smm333 Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 On 9/7/2022 at 10:43 AM, Schuyler said: I'm the same way. My wife was excited that I was excited about aquarius at first but now I think it's starting to get on her nerves a bit when I talk about trying a new fish store or going somewhere to look for rocks/driftwood. Yeah the one in Lakewood is pretty good. Surprisingly it looks like there is also a really nice one in Port Orchard. Judging by the pictures they have loads of basically every your of Cory you could want. Also, not sure if this is your thing, but Pet Works just got a huge shipment of hardscape stuff. Also if you buy moss from them they will give you a cup to put it on and basically as much more as you can cram in the is $8. It's a bit sad looking but way better than the $10 bag of brown Java moss at Petco. I love Pet Works! I'll have to check out the hardscape stuff. It's way too expensive to ship. Java moss does every time I try it! It's supposed to be the easiest plant but I am cursed, lol! My Christmas moss is fine but java turns brown and floats all apart. Weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishPlanet Posted September 9, 2022 Share Posted September 9, 2022 Welcome to the forum! Glad to have you here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted September 1, 2023 Author Share Posted September 1, 2023 It's been one year! I still have the 2.5 but I sold the 14 gallon when I got the 40 breeder because I thought I wouldn't need more fish tanks... I even up buying four more... I killed all those guppies I mentioned there but the females dropped some fry before they died and all of those fry survived and have become a thriving population. Just a few weeks ago I have away at least a hundred of them, probably more. Crazy to think it's been a year 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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