Let's Get Some Fish!
I remember saying that at about six years of age, and I remember getting some nice and shiney little golden fishs. But I also remember moving them fairly quickly from a glass bowl to a toilet bowl. And, I never made that statement again -- until I'm really ready.
OK, now I'm ready; this time I'm prepared for a more ambitious, and expensive, effort. And I don't want to repeat the rapid bowl to bowl transfer that occurred 50 years ago.
First things first. I asked myself:
- Why do I want fish now?
- What will they do for me?
- Are they a lot of trouble?
My answers were:
- Because I can't stand failure, even after 50 years. I also think they're neat to watch, and other people's tanks look so appealing. Did you know that 1 out of every 3 homes has, or had, fish?
- They won't sit on my lap or lick my face, but watching them will sooth my tensions and give me some respite from this troubled world.
- Probably, and I do envision some regretable tank to bowl transfers. But, if I start slow and reign in my tendencies to go immediately to becoming a professional fish keeper, I may be successful without having to declare bankruptcy.
Now convinced that I'm destined to hook up with fish I began my research and found out that you don't have pet fish; you are a fish hobbyist. The rest of the research was not quite as startling, but equally informative. My original thoughts were that research would reveal some pretty obvious information. This quickly changed as I quickly ran into some very complicated discussions.
Still undaunted I continued the quest for the means by which I would become a successful hobbyist. What follows is a list of the basics, as well as some good web site links and book recommendations so you can "get complicated" at your own pace. Click on any title below that interests you, but I recommend you work the list from top to bottom.
- What The Hell is Kalkwasser?
- The Fish Bowl
- Illuminating
- Keep Me Warm, But Don't Cook Me
- Aqua
- Who's Graveling?
- Pump Me Up
- I'll Catch Ammonia!
- Spruce It Up
- Bring On the Fish
- Feed Me!
- Paint The Trim and Mow the Lawn
- I'm OK, You're OK
- Fish In a Nut Shell
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