Hello everyone. I'm a hobbyist....have been one for a few years. I'm hardly an expert in the area of aquariums, but it is a hobby of mine. I have created several communities (some of which have not survived), and have taken those experiences with me.
I'm in the Army (have been for 9 years now, geez where does the time go?), and I first started my fish hobby when I was stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC about 3 years ago. Like many people, I went out and jumped headfirst into the hobby. Stocked my tank full of non-compatible fish, tried to create a random chaotic environment with any species I thought would be cool looking. Bad decision....I lost some good fish, and wasted a bit of money. I bought books, browsed many fish forums, and eventually became a little bit smarter in the hobby. I had to tear down my tank and start fresh when I moved to Fort Campbell, KY. I am now pretty proficient at the hobby, and can maintain a pretty stable environment, with a good collection of different species.
About 11 months ago, I had to deploy over here to Iraq (where I write from right now). My wife, not being a fishy person, couldn't take care of my fish, so I had to tear down my tanks again. *sigh* Oh well...I will start over soon enough. As it gets closer time for me to get home, I get more and more excited. I browse more fish forums, and I search for more fish pictures. I get ancey (spelling?) and tingly just thinking about starting my tanks back up. I have millions of ideas on how to start, and I'm still not sure if all my ideas will work. Soooo......expect to see some questions from me here in the near and coming future. I don't want my tanks to fail, and I want to have BEAUTIFUL environments. I have some strange, off the wall ideas, I'd love to try them out.
Back on topic: Introducing myself. My name is Patrick, and I'm a fish enthusiast. (Feels like an AA meeting...) Hello to all you people, and I look forward to interacting with everyone on the boards.
I'm in the Army (have been for 9 years now, geez where does the time go?), and I first started my fish hobby when I was stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC about 3 years ago. Like many people, I went out and jumped headfirst into the hobby. Stocked my tank full of non-compatible fish, tried to create a random chaotic environment with any species I thought would be cool looking. Bad decision....I lost some good fish, and wasted a bit of money. I bought books, browsed many fish forums, and eventually became a little bit smarter in the hobby. I had to tear down my tank and start fresh when I moved to Fort Campbell, KY. I am now pretty proficient at the hobby, and can maintain a pretty stable environment, with a good collection of different species.
About 11 months ago, I had to deploy over here to Iraq (where I write from right now). My wife, not being a fishy person, couldn't take care of my fish, so I had to tear down my tanks again. *sigh* Oh well...I will start over soon enough. As it gets closer time for me to get home, I get more and more excited. I browse more fish forums, and I search for more fish pictures. I get ancey (spelling?) and tingly just thinking about starting my tanks back up. I have millions of ideas on how to start, and I'm still not sure if all my ideas will work. Soooo......expect to see some questions from me here in the near and coming future. I don't want my tanks to fail, and I want to have BEAUTIFUL environments. I have some strange, off the wall ideas, I'd love to try them out.
Back on topic: Introducing myself. My name is Patrick, and I'm a fish enthusiast. (Feels like an AA meeting...) Hello to all you people, and I look forward to interacting with everyone on the boards.
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You will be in my thoughts and prayers!