Hello !

[Griz]

Hi there,
I've been hanging around for a couple months now and figured it was time I introduced myself. Great site you have here! I'm just getting back into the hobby after many years. I have kept fish most of my life but that was a long time ago and before the internet. The biggest tank I had back then was 15 gallons. My son has been using it for his various critters lately. Anyway, a friend gave me a 33 gallon tank I and am back into the hobby!!! Finally, the tank I wanted for all those years! After a ton of consideration, my setup is a planted tank (all easy to grow plants) with bogwood, some granite, and a sand substrate. I am filtering with peat in order to soften the water and give the fish a more natural environment, all of them are from soft, acidic, tannin stained waters. Many people seem to dislike the look of dark stained water but I love it. And I think that the fish appreciate it too. I have 1m/2f young cockatoo cichlids, 16 neons, 3 one-lined pencilfish 1m/2f, 6 otto cats and 4 false network corys. All the fish were purchased quite young and were added over the past 6 weeks or so. All is going very well, thanks to a lot of good advise, much of it from here. I'm so glad that I rediscovered the hobby and I'm really enjoying sharing it with my kids.

Cheers

 

[Aquamick]

Hi Griz, glad you're back in the hobby. I too like tannin stained water, especially with sensitive Amazonian fish. Enjoy it here!

 

[Joby]

Hello and welcome to the forum lots of helpful people on here

 

[jflowers]

to the forums.

Sounds like a nice tank you have there. What critters does your son keep in the old tank?

Jon

 

[Griz]

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone.

Nice to know I'm not alone in my love of peat stained water Aquamick

jflowers, My son curently has a small bluegill which he caught in the creek at the end of our street. Our ditch is actually a tributary of the creek. It's a beautiful fish and seems to be doing quite well. He feeds it bugs and worms and lately it has been taking some commercial foods and frozen brine shrimp. I've agreed to let him keep it through the winter and Mr. Bluegill will go into our neighbor's pond in the spring. He has also kept snapping turtles, dragonfly nymphs, frogs, sunfish and very young smallmouth bass, up to to 3 or 4 inches. The deal he has with me is that he can keep them for a few days to observe them as long as they are eating and then they must be returned to the creek, although some of the blugills and sunfish have ended up in the pond.

There is a story that I simply must tell every chance I get. My son is 8 and a few months ago he wanted to go fishing but I just couldn't take him that day. He gathered up some twine, a stick, a paperclip, and dug up some worms in the back yard. He went down to the creek and proceeded to catch 6 fish in about a half an hour! He brought home the biggest 2 in a bucket to show off. (They were promptly returned and in good shape) He's becoming quite an outdoorsman! A chip off the ol' block!

 

[kenny_discus]

Welcome in this forum , useful hopefully to you

 

[Tempestuousfury]

to the fourm.

So you like the natural look and conditions that your fish prefer. Bravo.

Join our school.