It's my Aquariummiversary today!

[anonapersona]

Today is my aquariummiversary.

This marks one full year of having an aquarium.

I want to thank all of you who made this possible, for without your help and support, I surely would have given up! I'd try to name names, but that would be foolish, so many have helped I could not begin to recall everyone.

One year ago, I picked up a used 29 gallon tank and stand and began trying to keep a fancy goldfish that had been in my pond. Just for the record, a fancy goldfish should not be one's first fish! Along the way, as I tried to save that fish, I found The Planted Tank and the new world of tropical fish and aquatic gardening.

How fast time flies! Now I have the 29, a 20, two planted 10s (one is a Q tank) and a 59 near ready for planting.

So, I thank you all. The sense of community and comraderie here has made a world of difference!

[rdn2]

Congrats anonapersona. I'll be at a year in December. And although I almost always had fish growing up, I feel like I never knew a thing about fish before I started down this path of planted tanks. I too owe nearly all that I now know to the many folks who have helped along the way.

Ron

[Mori]

congratulations! now you have to post a photo!

(this community really IS a nice one, isn't it?)

[aquaverde]

Originally Posted by Mori

congratulations! now you have to post a photo!

hear, hear!

James

[anonapersona]

OK, I'll need to reset the light timers so that they are all on after it is dark outside. I've tried photos before and having no light reflections from the windows is really important!

[GulfCoastAquarian]

I actually can't believe you've been a planted tank nut for only a year! You come across far more as a seasoned veteran.

[Buck]

I dont care where you venture, be it someones home , a business or a doctors office... nothing is more intriguing then an aquarium and nothing drops a jaw like a beautifully grown planted tank.

Happy Aquariummiversary !

[anonapersona]

OK, trying to link (hope this works!)

http://photos.yahoo.com/annviverette

Hey, it worked! the first folder AQUARIA has the first photo of the 29 gallon tank almost one year ago, I guess it was planted a month before that photo, in October, I suppose-- wow how it has grown! And the photo of the "Most Beautiful Algae" that I could never link successfully (now much receeded)

The second folder is AQUARIANIVERSARY and has the 4 tanks. The first is on the Bar a 10 gallon, holding the 12 Ember Tetras still in quarantine with 3 shrimp. The next tank is a 20 high in the Dining Room and is the terribly overstocked tank with 15 cardinals, 6 serpae tetras, 5 kuhlie loaches, 3 otos and 5 shrimp. The next tank, a bit darker than in real life but I just need to prune back the sunset hygro again, is a 29 gallon with 5 zebra danios and Rosy the Barbarian and her two offspring, plant eaters and snail murders. Finally, the Q tank, 10 gallon, very newly set up, housing 6 skunk cories, one old, 5 new.

The For Sale folder has the 59 gallon tank that I will probably just keep and plant. An odd size, on furniture, not a real stand so the whole thing makes me nervous. Beautiful cabinet, walnut, but rigged to support a tank, not genuine tank-worthy construction.

I can't see where the pond photo is, if I can link that to this, I will.

[Guttboy]

Anona Happy Anniversary!

BTW....I would say that I hate you because your tanks are so beautiful...even your algae is nice looking! :lol: But I wont....instead I will try my damndest to learn to aquascape....I have really NO talent at this so its all hit or miss on my end....

if you get a chance go to the photo section and look at mike's 100 gallon and let me know what you think or any suggestions....

Thanks and DAMN FINE TANKS!

Mike

[anonapersona]

Originally Posted by GulfCoastAquarian

I actually can't believe you've been a planted tank nut for only a year! You come across far more as a seasoned veteran.

Well, I had the pond for 10 years, but it was mostly about plants, the fish were incidental. I didn't learn all that much about fish, I killed a LOT of fish. Actually I did OK except for the 10 lb bag of flake food that lasted the entire 10 years. Old food WILL kill fish. I can't begin to count the fish I bought and killed, the pond had 19 fish frequently, several times.

The summer of last year I redid the pond and restocked. By Fall I had picked up a tank and one fancy goldfish that was not at all suited to the pond. Trying to save the big goldfsih that had dropsey (sucessfully, I might add) and trying to move the tiny fancy indoors got me online and looking through more than pond forums.

Once I left the koi and goldfish areas, I found planted tanks and a link to Amano's tanks, and then I was hooked!

I promised myself that I'd spend a year, before I invested much money into this, fearing the maintainence would overwhelm me. Fortunately, the older tanks are very stable now.

The 20 needs to be broken down and moved to larger quarters, either the odd 59 gallon or a new 75 or 125. Very tempting to just get a brand new tank, all of these are garage sale tanks and all used filters too.

[GulfCoastAquarian]

Well you've got some very beautifully done displays that you can genuinely be proud of! I love the baby tears as a foreground. Time to plant the 59! That's a really nice stand. It'll make a great setup.

[aquaverde]

That algae is truly extraordinary.

On another note, you might want to seriously consider reinforcing that furniture before setting the weight of a 59 on it (it's really gorgeous wood). The aquarium will probably weigh around 700 lbs. or better full.

James

[anonapersona]

The cabinet is an old hi-fi cabinet, and it is reinforced inside the cabinet for the tank, I need to turn it over and see if the supports were also added under the base. The whole thing makes me nervous, though. those boards do not see to be enough to support a nearly 700 lbs load!

I bought it used (so it has held this tank for many years) and didn't "get" that 45" was such an odd size to deal with, I was so blown away by the cabinet I just had to have it. And it is a good depth for me to be able to work on, I'm short.

To put it in the den is going to require a major rearrangement, including electronics and surround sound speakers, so I'm still debating that. The other location needs painting or wallpaper first. Or the bedroom. Not many walls available here.

[anonapersona]

Originally Posted by GulfCoastAquarian

Well you've got some very beautifully done displays that you can genuinely be proud of! I love the baby tears as a foreground. Time to plant the 59! That's a really nice stand. It'll make a great setup.

That's pearlgrass (micr.. micr.. something, I forget!)

[aquaverde]

Originally Posted by anonapersona

The cabinet is an old hi-fi cabinet...

Back in the day, hi-fi/stereo/TV cabinets were real furniture. I have an ancient TV cabinet that belonged to my great-uncle (I'm 50 myself). It was from when TVs were really small b&w sets (had the pinpoint white dot in the middle when you turned them off), and it stands around 50" tall, the legs being about 30" of that, with all this really nice burled wood and figured carving.

James