Hi. My name is Rick. I’m an aquarium enthusiast. I’ve experienced both fresh and salt water aquariums. Mostly, I enjoy cichlids of all varieties. They tend have “personality” and tend to breed easily. My interest, these days, are cichlids from Lake Malawi. African Rift Lake cichlids rival their salt water counter parts with colors that really pop.
Hobby Site
I put together this site to share my experiences. And perhaps, help others by sharing the good, bad and ugly parts of the hobby. Let’s be honest, shall we: Aquariums can be called ‘money-pits’ and they require a lot of maintenance. However, the reward is in the beauty and tranquility of an aquarium teaming with life. The challenge and reward one feels just getting that water chemistry right. A healthy, well maintained tank is a beautiful thing to behold. It’s akin to watching a burning fire or a waterfall. They’re mesmerizing.
The Story
My personal ‘addiction’ to aquariums started when I was around 12 years old. Our parents got a 20 gallon aquarium for ‘the kids’. Rather than go to a fish store for inhabitants, my brothers and I caught our own. We lived on the rim canal of Lake Okeechobee. I don’t recall if there was pet shop in the town of Okeechobee at the time. For us, it was a matter of using a net and digging through underwater weeds. We caught fish and live plants in the process. Viola, a tank was born.
As an adult, the ‘fever’ struck around 1982-1983. We lived in a small apartment and it started with a ‘free’ 50 gallon aquarium and stand. All I had to do was pick it up.
- Got it home.
- Set it up.
- Populated it with South American cichlids.
- I was hooked!
- My pregnant wife, not so much!!
We’ve had periods without an aquarium, to be sure. Latest hiatus was 22 years. Things have changed a bit.
Old dog, learning new tricks… Let’s see what works and what gets sucked into the filter…