Hello from Southern Indiana

[nofearengineer]

Hello there!
First off, let me say how awesome I think this site is. The tanks on display here are just mind blowing to me.


I have kept aquariums (fresh, salt, natives, tropicals, etc.) almost my entire life (I’m 44). But when I went back to college about 12 years ago, my aquarium time just dwindled away. The following career (busy, busy, busy) didn’t help.


My extremely low-tech 46 bowfront is almost empty again. I have a single black skirt tetra that is over 12 years old in it. He is the lone survivor of a large school that I had before I went back to college. I had no idea they could live that long!



My aquarium doesn’t even have a heater in it, and yet for most of its life, my crypts, and anubiuses did pretty well. What more can you expect from a low-tech, HOB filter, and LFS-grade Tetra 2xT8 lighting strip? Despite the neglect, a number of them are still alive. On another note…good grief, my driftwood is actually crumbly. After all these years, it is time to upgrade.


This site has really opened up my eyes to the possibilities for planted tanks. Keep in mind most of my aquarium experience occurred before the world wide web. My access to information was limited to trips to my LFS and the monthly delivery of FAMA to my door (it makes me very sad to hear it is no longer published). So you can imagine how this is like a whole new world to me. It is more than a little overwhelming!


I am really excited about the prospect of a BIG aquarium. A 120 or 135 gallon acrylic tank is what I’m thinking about. I want a heavily planted tank with high-light plants (you know, the kind that always died in my old tank), with some of my beloved crypts hanging out in the shade. I’ll want schools of black skirt tetras (my single guy can spend his last days with some new friends!), cherry barbs, corys, and some otocinclus. Typical old-school faves…they’ll always be in style with me.


It’s kind of ironic that I spend most of my work time specifying lighting, so all the new lighting tech is going to be fun to incorporate. The thing I find most amazing is all of the C02 injection available now. Amazing! I can’t wait!


I’m a big planner…so this is going to take some time to decide on the hardware. I hope you can handle the endless stream of questions! As you may have noticed...I blabber on, and on, and on, and.....


Oh, and by the way…I guess I should go ahead and join the NIKON group! Any D300 users in the house?!? All the better to document the project.


Bryce, AKA Nofearengineer

[Kinection]

Welcome to the forum Bryce!

[somewhatshocked]

Welcome to the forum! I have a feeling you're going to become quite the addict and will develop Multiple Tank Syndrome before you can blink an eye. (Trust me - I know a lot about MTS *cough*)

[GMYukonon24s]

Welcome to the site!

[nofearengineer]

Originally Posted by somewhatshocked

Welcome to the forum! I have a feeling you're going to become quite the addict and will develop Multiple Tank Syndrome before you can blink an eye. (Trust me - I know a lot about MTS *cough*)

I'm already sick. I just don't show any symptoms right now.

As a matter of fact, I am contemplating buying a 20-gallon aquarium on the way home from work...so I can move my one BST and empty out my 46. God, it is GUNKY (is that a word? )!

I have already decided that prudence requires me to try my hand at CO2 in my 46 before I get in over my head with a bigger tank. Baby steps.