Thai_Fish
New Member
Hello Everyone,
Well, after coming here and lurking around for the past year or so I'm finally a member!
My husband and I are the type of fish nuts who would go on a two hour road trip for a fish (or a plant or a good meal, but that's another story). I have a great love for planted aquariums, and my "baby" is a 29 gallon planted tank currently stocked with 8 neon dwarf rainbows (4 male, 4 female) and a breeding pair of neon dwarf gouramis. We also have a 55 gallon tank housing various Malawi cichilds.
We are new to the northern VA area and have been rather disappointed with the fish stores around here. Our last home in Seattle had about 10 great stores within a half hour radius and 2 absolutely incredible ones about two hours away. It is utterly depressing to only have Walmart, Petco, or Petsmart to choose from--hence our weekly pilgrimage to a great LFS in Baltimore two hours away.
My love for fish and aquatic plants probably go back to my childhood in Thailand. My grandparents had a huge goldfish tank. For as far back as I can remember, I was always roaming the neighborhood collecting fish and pulling up plants to put in my small "aquarium" (a 50 gallon concrete tank intended for collecting water for guests to wash their feet before entering the house). I was blessed with a neighborhood that was not only adjacent to a river but also full of ponds and streams. In fact, there was a group of gouramis living right below my grandparents' deck.
When I came to the US at the age of 11, I began to gather bits of knowledge here and there about water chemistry, fish care, etc and became absolutely fasinated. Through junior high and high school I was able to keep only a tiny 10 gallon planted community tank (parents' rule). Thanks to limited space, time, and funding during my early college years I had to take a break from the hobby. Then I met my (now) husband and got him interested in fish keeping. What began as a one gallon betta tank in his one bedroom apartment soon grew into a madhouse. Within two months, we added a 29 gallon tank and three 10 gallon tanks. Like I said, Seattle is a heavenly place. A year after that, we got rid of all the tanks except the 29 gallon and bought a new 55 gallon tank. A year after that, we got married and a month after that (at the end of a month long honeymoon in Thailand) we got pregnant. Then we moved here, to VA, and here we are.
We'll be moving around quite a bit in the next few years, and it's going to get quite tiresome and expensive to set up tanks over and over, but hey variety is the spice of life!
Looking forward to make some friends here and gain more knowledge. Who knows, since we move around so much we might just be moving into your town!
Hyla
PS If you have made it this far...sorry for rambling!!
Well, after coming here and lurking around for the past year or so I'm finally a member!
My husband and I are the type of fish nuts who would go on a two hour road trip for a fish (or a plant or a good meal, but that's another story). I have a great love for planted aquariums, and my "baby" is a 29 gallon planted tank currently stocked with 8 neon dwarf rainbows (4 male, 4 female) and a breeding pair of neon dwarf gouramis. We also have a 55 gallon tank housing various Malawi cichilds.
We are new to the northern VA area and have been rather disappointed with the fish stores around here. Our last home in Seattle had about 10 great stores within a half hour radius and 2 absolutely incredible ones about two hours away. It is utterly depressing to only have Walmart, Petco, or Petsmart to choose from--hence our weekly pilgrimage to a great LFS in Baltimore two hours away.
My love for fish and aquatic plants probably go back to my childhood in Thailand. My grandparents had a huge goldfish tank. For as far back as I can remember, I was always roaming the neighborhood collecting fish and pulling up plants to put in my small "aquarium" (a 50 gallon concrete tank intended for collecting water for guests to wash their feet before entering the house). I was blessed with a neighborhood that was not only adjacent to a river but also full of ponds and streams. In fact, there was a group of gouramis living right below my grandparents' deck.
When I came to the US at the age of 11, I began to gather bits of knowledge here and there about water chemistry, fish care, etc and became absolutely fasinated. Through junior high and high school I was able to keep only a tiny 10 gallon planted community tank (parents' rule). Thanks to limited space, time, and funding during my early college years I had to take a break from the hobby. Then I met my (now) husband and got him interested in fish keeping. What began as a one gallon betta tank in his one bedroom apartment soon grew into a madhouse. Within two months, we added a 29 gallon tank and three 10 gallon tanks. Like I said, Seattle is a heavenly place. A year after that, we got rid of all the tanks except the 29 gallon and bought a new 55 gallon tank. A year after that, we got married and a month after that (at the end of a month long honeymoon in Thailand) we got pregnant. Then we moved here, to VA, and here we are.
We'll be moving around quite a bit in the next few years, and it's going to get quite tiresome and expensive to set up tanks over and over, but hey variety is the spice of life!
Looking forward to make some friends here and gain more knowledge. Who knows, since we move around so much we might just be moving into your town!
Hyla
PS If you have made it this far...sorry for rambling!!
to the forum.
Oh well. I'm glad you're with us. 
