Member Spotlight on Coryd55

It all started with a fake jellyfish aquarium. In November of 2007 I was looking on the internet for some things for Christmas and came across this small "Jellyfish Aquarium" that had silicone "jellyfish" inside with some sort of pump moving them around in their LED lighted environment. This made me want a fish tank. I got the basics from looking on assorted links through Google. Then I came across Fish Lore. It was a godsend. All of the people on here helped me out greatly by giving me loads of information.

Some of the most influential and helpful people on the site were Ross, or as most of you know him, Chief WaterChanger; Dino; and Carol, or as most of you know her, Butterfly.

Ross was one of the first people to reply to my thread and kept replying. The posts turned into PM's, which was a hassle only being able to send and receive one at a time. But it was well worth it and I was soon introduced to Dino. At first I thought Ross was the one in charge and Dino was the "apprentice" but not to much later I learned it was the other way around. Dino was a plethora of information and helped me with any questions I had. Dino and Ross offered to sell me a tank and some fish to start me off. I proposed it to my mom but kept getting the "You're irresponsible and won't take care of them" answer.

I guess I finally convinced her because on December 8th a red van pulled up in our drive way. Two men came out and one of them resembled Santa Claus. I immediately knew it was them. I had gotten my dream tank. A 55 gallon, live plants, Bristlenose Plecos, seeded filter media, filters, a heater, light strip, stand, chemicals, and everything I needed. (Most of the equipment was from DFS - DrsFosterSmith.com) Dino and Ross helped me set it up and in no time it was up and running. After a few chicken sandwiches and burgers Dino and Ross left and I began to meddle with my tank.

Something was missing; a bunch of live plants. That's how I met Carol, on of the nicest people on Fish Lore. When I brought up the issue to Dino and Ross they immediately recommended Carol. She didn't even hesitate to send me some plants and a neat book on them. Then the disease hit. One of the most feared in the nation. It causes uncontrollable spending and causes loss of space and sometimes even flooding; Multiple Tank Syndrome.

I currently have five fish tanks set up in my room, and I emphasize fish because I also have a frog tank. I have a 55, two 29 talls, and two 10 gallon tanks.

55 gallon: A standard 55 gallon tank that has been setup since December 8th, 2007, and is stocked with a breeding pair of marble angelfish, a small shoal of cherry barbs, two kuhli loaches, and a breeding pair of bristlenose plecos. Temperature is at 80-81 degrees F.
29 Gallon: Standard 29 tall tank that has been setup for about six months and is stocked with two silver angelfish, a small shoal of neon tetras, one guppy, one L333, and one longfin bristlenose pleco. The angelfish and guppy will be going to a new home soon and the L333 will just switch tanks.
29 Gallon: Another standard 29 tall tank that has been setup for about 5 months and is stocked with four adult purple Moscow guppies, numerous amounts of guppy fry, and an albino bristlenose pleco.
10 Gallon: Another 10 gallon tank that has been setup for a total of six months but has just been redone completely. It is stocked with one crowntail betta and three peppered corydoras.
10 Gallon: A standard 10 gallon tank that has been setup for about seven months and is stocked with ton more of guppy fry and is my frag tank for freshwater plants. For those of you who don't know, corals can be fragged into small pieces and put on frag plugs. Most people will grow them out in a frag tank till they get large enough for their main tank.

In my future aquarium keeping I would like to:

• Own a breeding trio of Neoplamprologus meleagris
• Enter a fish into a show and win
• Setup a planted tank and dose with chemicals
• Setup a nano reef in either a Biocube 29 or CAD 39 signature
• Build a fish house
• Have a thick moss wall (getting there)
• Setup a dwarf puffer tank
• Invent something to further fish keeping (like the Python)
• Help a new hobbyist like Dino and Ross did to me

The AquaPict LED Jellyfish Aquarium for inspiring me, Fishlore for all the great help, Dino and Ross for starting me off in a great hobby and giving me a great start at that, Carol for all the help with plants, Mom for letting me get and keep tanks, and Mike for dealing with all of us.

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