Member Spotlight on Coffeebean

Hello everyone. Thank you for letting me do this!

My name is Lorien and online I am most often known as coffeebean. I am a 30 year old stay at home mom to three kids and two cats. I have twin boys that are 11 years old and a daughter who is 5 years old. I started my own business so I could work from home over a year ago making hand made accessories (barrettes, headbands, hats etc).

I have always wanted fish but never been able to make the leap into it. Last summer while browsing the critters at a local big box pet store, my daughter fell in love with a betta. She convinced me to get the fish and we bought a small plastic fish tank for him. I knew nothing about the nitrogen cycle or how to properly care for a betta. Unfortunately due to the conditions this poor creature was kept in at the store, and my lack of information, his life was very short.... as in, 48 hours.

We decided to take this on more seriously and bought a 20 gallon kit with the heater I now knew the betta needed and bought another betta from a more reputable fish store. As we all know, one fish leads to another....and another. I have found great deals on used tanks that were too hard to pass up and MTS (multiple tank syndrome) caught on fast. Over the past winter I got really into the live plants. I think tending the plants in 78* water may have been the only thing that got me through our terribly long harsh winter. All of my tanks are fully planted now.

In less then a year I have acquired 5 tanks. I am now a proud fish-mom to over 70 fish, too many snails, and uncountable shrimp.

Tank 1 - Start Date Aug 12, 2008 20 gallon community
Filter - aquatech 20-40 filter
Lighting - Two hoods with 15 watt plant bulbs in each.
Inhabitants -
1 male betta
2 otos
8 black rasborras
cherry shrimp colony
4 apple snails
Substrate - small gravel
Plants - java moss, canadian pond weed, vals, creeping ludwigia, marimo balls

Tank 2 - Start Date Feb 12, 2009 55 gallon community
Filter - Fluval 305
Lights - 2 Coralife 24" T-5's and one hood with 15 watt bulb totaling 71 watts of lighting
Inhabitants -
1 pearl gourami
1 paradise gourami
2 black neon tetras
6 long finned danios
8 orange von rio tetras
2 female platys
2 male platys
4 yoyo loaches
1 pleco
4 apple snails
trumpet snails
cherry shrimp colony

Tank 3 - Start Date April 16, 2009 10 gallon divided nursery
Filters - Two sponge filters, one attached to a HOB and one on an air pump.
Lights - 22 watts of lighting
Inhabitants -
8 newborn swordtails
4 baby platys
2 apple snails
trumpet snails
Plants: Java moss, vals, creeping ludwigia, creeping jenny, marimo balls
Substrate: sand

Tank 4 - Start Date April 16, 2009 10 gallon
Filter - small HOB filter
Lighting - 22 watts of lighting
Inhabitants -
10 neons, in this tank for observation. Trap door snails, apple snails, trumpet snails, shrimp
Plants: hornwort, creeping ludwigia, duckweed, vals
Substrate: sand

Tank 5 - Start Date May 7th, 2009 25 gallon tall community
Filter - Fluval 104
Lighting - AA Aquarium 40 watt Compact Fluorescent Fixture
Fish/snails -
1 female angelfish
2 female swordtails
6 toddler swordtails
3 long finned rosy barbs (two males, one female)
4 kuhli loaches
1 pleco
2 bumble bee nerite snails
1 porcupine nerite snail
trumpet snails
Substrate - small gravel with flourite mixed in
Plants - hornwort, penywort, canadian pond weed, creeping ludwigia, dwarf hairgrass, red melon sword, marimo ball.

Right now I don't have any current plans for any more tanks. There simply is no room left in this house! I am going to continue to rear my swordtail and platy fry and hope for many many more.

I certainly need to thank my husband for always being supportive of me. Thank you for running out at 10pm to pick up two cycled and running 10 gallon tanks for an awesome price for our unexpected fry. Thank you for hauling buckets of water to help me with water changes. I also want to thank so many members of this forum. I have learned so much and been well supported, respected, and encouraged.

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