A few months back, I decided I needed a new hobby. I racked my brain for things I might be good at, things I was interested in, and things that could be interesting. It wasn't until I was watching a documentary about aquatic life that I realized how fascinated I was with fish. So, I did some online research, and started out with the idea of getting a Betta. A good starter fish, beautiful to watch, and a staple for any parent with young kids wanting to teach their kids about responsibility. After a while, my imagination shifted to the idea of taking on something a little more difficult - a saltwater tank. I looked up some saltwater fish and fell in love with the colors and personalities of these beautiful creatures.
After I'd convinced my mother that she wouldn't have to clean the tank every week, I went over to Petsmart and found a 10 gallon tank, gravel, plants, and a fake coral figure. Then, all that was left was to find my fishes (or so I thought!). I found a great little mom-and-pop store called "Filtered Aquatics" just down the street from my house, and decided to check it out. It wasn't a big store, but had plenty of fish to choose from. They knew a lot about what they were doing, and were eager to answer any questions I had. They gave me ten gallons of saltwater (which you have to buy from the store, you can't just use a water conditioner) and showed me some live rock, which are rocks that have bacteria and little creatures living on them.
With eleven pounds of live rock (rule of thumb: roughly one pound per gallon), and ten gallons of saltwater in the back of my car, I headed back to put the tank together. It took my brother to bring all the stuff in, and then my sister and I to get everything set up. In the end, I was more than thrilled about the tank and the way it all fit together. I've decided on getting a clownfish, a blue damselfish, and a 6-stripe wrasse, which will all be added as soon as the tank is ready for them. Sometime in the future, I hope to upgrade tank sizes, and add a Blue Tang, an Angelfish, and a dottyback, and possibly another clown.
The tank also has a really pretty night-light so the fishes can see, and I can sleep.
The whole tank.
Close-up of the coral.
Close-up of a plant. Amazing colors!
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