Hello!

[elizabeth1982]

Hi there. I am new to the forum. My name is Elizabeth and I am in the River Valley. Years ago I bred livebearers and I loved it. Back then I had several large tanks, though, and between not being able to give a way fry quickly enough and the tank maintenance I got burned out. It was at that time that I sold all of my tanks, and have been tankless for several years now. While working at a major pet store my love for aquatics was re-sparked, has been for some time now, but it's only been within the past week that I have decided to set-up my first tank again.

My boyfriend passed away a few weeks ago and he loved his little 10 gallon tank. We had also purchased a 55 gallon, which was going to be a fun project for us to do together when I moved in with him. When his family and I were packing up his belongings we moved his 10 gallon tank as well as our 55 gallon tank over to my place. While I am not ready emotionally or financially (I need a stand, hood, filter, heater, etc. etc. etc.) to touch that 55 gallon tank, I did decided to set-up his 10 gallon tank. He actually had fish in it, which is why I said he loved it, but none of them survived the move from his place to mine.

{ My 10 Gallon }





Floating (Java) Moss Balls
Anacharis Loose Plants
Anubias Potted Plants

10 Ghost Shrimps
2 Nerite Snails
1 Emerald Green Cory Catfish
5 African Dwarf Frogs

5 Lambchop Rasboras
2 Wild Lyretail Guppies (male)

1 Pineapple Swordtail (male)
1 Blue Mickey Mouse Platy (male)
1 Rainbow Blue Wagtail Platy (female)
1 Gold Twin Bar Platy (female)
1 Panda Platy (female)
1 Painted Platy (female)
1 Bumble Bee Platy (female)

I also have a little 1.5 gallon tank with a beautiful Veiltail Betta (female). She has an Anubias Potted Plant (I love live plants) in there with her as well. I am NO pro. I stick with pretty common community freshwater fish. When I eventually get around to setting up that 55 gallon tank I might get adventurous and venture out beyond the typical freshwater fish I tend to stick with, like Platy. I know I won't be doing Saltwater, though. Saltwater fish are beautiful, I know, but I feel much more comfortable with Freshwater. Right now everything in my 10 gallon tank is tiny, but I realize that when everything grows to their full potential (2-3 inches) my tank might be over populated. I will cross that bridge when I get there.

[dennysfishroom]

Welcome to our Forum. I suspect you'll find a considerable amount of support in this group especially during your rough time. Glad to have you with us. Feel free to join us in "Chat" tonight at 8pm if you're so inclined, Denny

[Jackielee]

Welcome, good to have a new face on the forum. Great people in AR club who will be good resources for you.

[babynurse_pjn]

Welcome Elizabeth

So sorry to hear of your loss. I'm fairly new to this forum as well, but have met several kind individuals on here who will gladly lend an ear and help where they can.

[elizabeth1982]

Thank y'all for the warm welcome. A friend of mine who has also suffered a loss similar to mine told me that I need to find the thing, the thing that will be my passion and hobby and keep me motivated and essentially distracted. I was having a tough time figuring out what that was. I am a huge music lover, and music wasn't doing anything for me. I am a foodie, and I basically just cook to eat these days. When I set that tank up something in me clicked. I think that thing for me is going to be aquatics, as silly as that might sound. We, my boyfriend and I, were so excited about setting up our 55 gallon together. It was something we looked forward to. While I am starting small with his 10 gallon, I think this is going to be that passion that keeps me good and distracted while I heal from the loss of him. I am excited to be here and very happy with my little tank.

[Jackielee]

I lost my first wife to cancer several years ago. Loss is always hard and it takes time to move forward. Everyone moves at their own pace. I really got back into fish after she died and have been going strong ever since. Fish are good for the soul. Hope you take the time to get to know the fish folks down there in AR as they are good people.

Jack

[mewickham]

Welcome to the forum! Maybe you'll also make it to one of the meetings, sometime. They are loads of fun. You might want to keep an eye on our classified ad section, as members often advertise cheap equipment there that would let you get that 55 up and running sooner than you think. We also have mini-auctions after each meeting, where plants and fish go cheaply. And a major auction is coming up in, I think, the beginning of December. Fish, plants, equipment, and more can be found there-- usually at really good prices.

Here's a link to information about the upcoming meeting. Did you say you work in a pet store? Maybe you can print out one of the flyers for posting in the store window (or, if they won't allow it, the break room).

Again, welcome to the group!

[etheonut]

Welcome to the forum and to the club.

I have a filter for that 55 gallon tank of yours. If you can make it to the meeting in September I can bring it and give it to you.
I may have a top and lights for it too, but that will take some looking.

I like that you keep it simple with the fish that you keep. Sometimes we get lost in big names and fancy tanks and forget to just enjoy our hobby.

Kevin

[elizabeth1982]

I have a filter for that 55 gallon tank of yours. If you can make it to the meeting in September I can bring it and give it to you.
I may have a top and lights for it too, but that will take some looking.

I just looked a the September 2011 meeting info. thread. I work every Saturday from 2 - 10PM, so I sadly won't be able to make it.

[mistymists]

Hey, glad to meet you. I'm also one of those people who never gets to attend meetings. I works nights 6pm to 7am every weekend. It kinda stinks.

Random question but how do you keep your dwarf frogs alive? I've had a few and I've never had any luck with them.

[elizabeth1982]

Random question but how do you keep your dwarf frogs alive? I've had a few and I've never had any luck with them.

I don't work at it, to be honest. I just love them. They are so cute and fun to watch. First of all, I have read they are social. So, I have the group of them. I have a hiding place for them (the decor in the photo), and they do use it. I also think how I feed makes a difference, but that might be all in my head. I feed my fish every 2 to 3 days, never daily, and I also feed frozen food. I stick with mostly frozen brine shrimp, but occasionally treat them with frozen blood worms. African Dwarf Frogs don't have the best eyesight and they also sometimes won't eat, maybe due to that, unless food is right in front of them. I found that when I switched from pellets and flakes to frozen they ate better and easier. They go wild over the frozen food. They eat real big, get big and fat, then by the time I feed again in 2 or 3 days they are hungry and do it all over again. I think frozen food is healthier, but that's just my opinion. I know it's helped my overall tank health, switching from pellets and flakes to frozen, though. Not only do my fish seem to love it, but my tank seems to stay a lot cleaner for longer. But I digress. I guess for me the key has been having them in a group, having hiding places for them (ish), what I feed them, and how often (rather how seldom) I feed them. Hope that helps!