My First Aquarium By Tom Lang Way back in 1973, I was 12 years old. I had always enjoyed the large hexagon aquarium at the Northrop's house, my Cub Scout den's meeting place. When Mrs. Northrop, the Den Mother, wasn't looking, I'd pound on the glass so that the group of angels would move around. I was fascinated at the sychronization of their sudden movement, almost as if they communicated telepathically. One fine spring day, Mr. Carr, my school teacher, was writing something on the blackboard. It said: "10 gallon aquarium with fish - $10. See Mr. Carr." It was the only thing I remember about school that particular day because I was so excited about the prospect of having my own tank like the Northrops had. After mom and dad said OK, I called Mr. Carr at home that very evening to arrange the deal. My parents drove me over to his little apartment and waited patiently in the car while I walked up to his door. (Times were a little different then!) He greeted me and we went inside. There was a beautiful stainless steel-framed tank full of the most colorful little fish I'd ever seen. He pointed out the Lemon Tetras, the Brass Tetras, the Black Neons, the pair of Kuhli Loaches and an Albino Corydoras. There were also live plants, the kinds of which I cannot recall anymore that were planted in a medium natural brown gravel. Mr. Carr delivered the tank the next day while I was at school with a substitute teacher in class (she said Mr. Carr was out sick, but I knew the truth!). After consulting with my mom, he placed it in our dining room between a south facing window and a radiator. No one knew this would be problem until that winter. I loved that tank with it's teenie weenie airlifts and gray slate bottom. The fish all thrived on the TetraMin I fed them every day -- only a pinch -- and I didn't have a death for many months. I was blessed (or cursed) with a "wet thumb" and I was hooked. To this day, when I'm looking at one of my reef tanks I remember the kindness of a certain Mr. Patrick Carr of Minneapolis, and can still picture those little fish I first kept. The memory continues to keep me focused on how this hobby grows and it motivates me to start people on the right path much as he did for me so many years ago. Copyright 2003 by Tom Lang. Used with permission. All rights reserved. (AquariumHobbyist Consultant Tom Lang, PHAqua, began keeping fish in aquariums in the fifth grade when a teacher sold him a complete ten-gallon tank. From there, after completing his education, he worked for several aquarium fish retailers and went on to establish Aquarius Aquarium (http://www.aquariusaquarium.org/) in 1980 with his wife, Aletha. Their company provides aquatic system design and consultation services and maintains aquariums for clients throughout Central California. As a future source of aquarium-bred fish, corals and other aquatic organisms, Tom and Aletha have also just founded the nonprofit 501(c)(3) Aquarius Aquarium Institute, which seeks to expand captive aquarium propagation to relieve the pressures of taking organisms from imperiled natural ecosystems and to educate the public about important issues in the aquarium industry.) Other Resources AquariumHobbyist.com has a full line of species forums where you can discuss fish species with other owners, and hobbyists. |
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