Please (Re) Introduce Yourself! - Page 4

WendyFish · 09-18-2012, 9:19 PM

Fish thoughts from Wendy, married to Ethan (ezrk). We live in Reston, VA.

To this day I'm not sure why we started keeping fish. Ethan had the idea that maybe we could look at a tank. We were at a party with one of my colleagues who had an 8ft reef tank in his living room, and just when I started thinking it was beautiful, he mentioned the price tag. (Yeah, finance people are awesome.) Hrm, I'm not so sure.

Shortly thereafter, we took a trip to an LFS to see what they had. I got suspicious when Ethan insisted we take the bigger car. And sure enough, we came back with a tank. We did enough research to feel that between their colors and behavior, cichlids would be the right fit for us. Fortunately for him, while the tank was a bit sudden, I fell in love with the fish.

Today, we have:

55 gallon yellow lab + demasoni. The demasoni were our first "oooh wow we want to keep them" fish and while it took awhile to get them settled in, they are awesome and I'm happy with them every day. If I had it to do over, I would not keep the labs. It's too hard to find quality ones and they're chicken sh*ts
110 mbuna: L. fuelleborni 2M/6F, Red zebra 2M/7F, Cyno sp. hara 2M/4F (waiting on 2-3 growout females)
110 tropheus: cherry spot bulu point, with 8 Syno Lucipinnis
20L Small Tank: pair j. transcriptus, 2M/3F l. occellatus gold
20L fry/growout
Flex 2-3 10gall fry tanks
I have a planted Eheim nano in my office with a pair of threadfin rainbowfish

The 55 gall is part of the wall of our dining room. We love eating and entertaining, and both our guests and we are enthralled with the fish. I love having people over and realizing they're keeping up with the conversation while all they do is watch the fish. The two 110s were part of our much documented living room redo, and when we are done eating dinner and move to drinking wine and eating cheese in the living room, we watch those fish instead of the fish in the 55gall.

We live in a small condo, so we're all about having a few tanks that are as nice as we can make them. It's all about making our fish happier, our sumps quieter, our tanks look really cool, and various other ways of building a better mousetrap. That's more or less Ethan's domain -- I am in charge of the fish and he's in charge of the gear.

We think baby fish are one of the cutest things out there, and fortunately for us, especially the demasoni and julies breed relentlessly. So we are pretty much always raising some fry in smaller tanks we install in random corners of our house. Cat lady much?

I'm a member of the club, which I found in a Google search a couple months after our first tank. I bought "Freshwater Fish Keeping for Dummies" -- I'm not kidding -- and somewhere was the suggestion I should find a club, so I did. My first event was the 2010 summer BBQ and I'll never forget the people who've been kind to me and become my friends along the way.

As most of you probably know, one of my ways of loving on my fish is through what I also discovered through fishkeeping, photography. I got my DSLR about a year into keeping fish in order to take pictures of them. We watch our fish a lot and I feel like I "know" them, so I take huge pleasure in capturing my fish being in character of who I think they are. In real life, I have always loved to travel, and I have found my nicer camera a huge boon to that too. Rather than taking pictures of things just because that's what you're supposed to do, I find myself (fish or otherwise) trying to really see things and store the image of that thought, and that process lights me up.

My favorite color is blue and my favorite fish supplier is Dave.

<------ Nerd!

dogofwar · 09-19-2012, 12:52 PM

bump

DiscusnAfricans · 09-20-2012, 1:17 AM

My name is Michael and I've been a member of CCA for about 4 years now. I've lived in Maryland my whole life; I grew up in Prince Georges and Montgomery counties, I currently reside in Baltimore County.

I remember becoming interested in fish as a wee lad feeding crickets and earthworms to my uncle's 75g CA tank that housed oscars, dempsies, convicts, and some other aggressive fish. I was given a 20g tank setup for my 10th birthday that I soon filled with every fish labeled a shark in the pet shops. The tank went through a few phases before it was retired before college.

I found CCA through a post on craigslist as I was surfing for deals on used tanks. I went to my first meeting, a talk given by Dik Au on discus, and was amazed that there was a large group of people so passionate about cichlids. At the time I had 3 tanks, currently I have about a dozen tanks, ranging from 10 gallons to 180.

As you may have guessed from my screen name, my primary interests were discus and africans. I started with some mixed mbuna, and eventually branched out into Tangs, Vics, and other South Americans. I currently have several breeding groups of peacocks, a South American eartheater tank, an all-male Malawi display tank, and a few others.

Over the years I have embraced all of the benefits of being a club member, and have been amazed at what I have learned during that time. I've made a lot of good friends, purchased top quality fish through group buys from club sponsors, helped run an ACA convention, and actively participated in the forum when possible.

I am running for a CCA board member at large position because I would like to give more back to the club. I plan to help with the upcoming Spring event in March, and help in mini auctions as needed. The club has grown substantially in the past few years, and I think its important to reach out to all members to encourage participation in club activities. I've had a lot of fun interacting with club members and hope to continue learning more about my favorite hobby.

fishman13 · 09-24-2012, 6:07 AM

My name is Cameron Bradley and I have been in the hobby ever since elementary school. I am getting back into SA cichlids. I work at Hollister Co. and I enjoy working there. Plus it smells realy good I have the cologne from there.

JasonC · 09-24-2012, 7:47 AM

Okay... my turn.

I am Jason. I live currently in the Howard County portion of Laurel, MD. I am a born and bred Marylander, having grown up in both Wheaton, and Burtonsville. Have an undergraduate degree from University of Maryland (when it was still a party school) in Technical Theatre and Design. I currently work for a company that provides in house Audio/Visual service to hotels while trying to pursue a career in theatrical lighting design (Mostly musicals and opera as I can).

I had a family fish tank as a kid... 10 gallon with swordtails and other misc. fish I don't remember much about. I hated having to break the thing down every weekend and wash the gravel out in a colander in the bathtub. The tank was broken down and given away after the last swordtail mysteriously disappeared. We found him several years later perfectly preserved in a nearby heating grate.

About 3 years ago, I started having thoughts about how nice it would be to have a tank in the house. My wife heard the musings and surprised me with a 20H for my birthday... took me about 6 months to get off my duff and actually fill it. Inexpensive tetras, danios, plastic plants. I blame my wife for starting my addiction; she doesn't think that's so funny ;P

I wanted something different for the aquarium, so got some cockatoo Apistos, swapped out the plastic for live plants, gave away the danios for a less frenetic fish, and officially declared myself hooked, found the CCA and attended the ACA convention here in MD.

Along with the 20H that is now primarily home to several gouramis, I have 2 more 20 longs, 2 10's and a 5 set up. Cichlids I am keeping are A. baenchi, A. sp. 'kelleri', and L. Dorsigara. I find I am most attracted to dwarf cichlids. Partially for space reasons, partially cause I like the big fish type moxy that some of them exibit in a small package, but also because I just find myself intimidated by large tanks and large fish. Someday I will try a big tank and big fish, but for now, I feel that I am just not ready for the wet-pet type fish out there.

Future goals, just get smarter and better with my fish. I would like to see them all breeding obviously. Not really for profit as I doubt I would ever try to mass pull/raise fry, but I definitely agree, like most, that a breeding fish is a happy fish. I would like to think that the creatures in my charge are happy being there. My tank area (cant really call it a fish room) is a haphazard mess right now. I think that my biggest goal is to get it organized, and get a nice rack system built that will both allow me to have more tanks, but would also look good enough to keep m'lady happy as my tanks have to share living space instead of having their own room. Species that I would like to work with in the near future... Apistogramma sp. 'Schwarzkinn/Black Chin' which was just described as Apistogramma allpahuayo, more dwarf Acaras, and maybe make a jump over the pond to West African dwarfs. Have had my eye on P. Sacrimontis as it is a CARES species. Also, I would like to get over the phobia and start working with wild-caught fish instead of only tank strains.

Well then... this has gotten a lot longer than I thought it would. I'll stop now.

turfboss · 09-24-2012, 9:51 AM

Wow - with 200 active members would have thought more would have responded - Matt has 3 or 4, Tony and Pat each a couple - so out of the 34 responses only about 27 folks have found the time to let us know who they are - I am surprised since the 100 or so at most meetings are very friendly and outgoing and would have thought they would be more responsive. Keep trying Matt nice to know who folks are, where they are from and what they are thinking about for the future.

dogofwar · 09-24-2012, 9:53 AM

Yes - please folks - spend a few seconds to introduce yourself, especially if many folks don't already know who you are!

Matt

mdlnewman · 09-24-2012, 10:07 AM

Hi my name is Micheal, I'm an alch...umm I mean a fishholic.

Mike Newman from the Glorious suburb of Glen Burnie, MD, been married 20 years have one ridiculously large child(Logan 13yo 6'5") a Pembroke Corgi and 3 fish tanks.

I have been an on and off fish keeper for 20+ years. My first foray was in the mid 90s with Mbuna, I had a really nice trio of breeding Melanachromis Johanni, they kept me in fish food. :P

Current tanks are 92gal corner mixed reef, 65g planted discus and 28g nanoreef.

I joined the club 2-3 years ago. I enjoy the meetings and hanging with the peeps I've met here.

thedavidzoo · 09-24-2012, 5:09 PM

Where you're from
My name is Esther David. I currently live in Arlington, VA but have lived in numerous places around the US and in Germany. I'm half German and half US Army brat and married into the Army. Hooah.

Whether you're a member and why (or why not)
I am a member because of the benefits (I'm cheap), group buys, etc. and to gain knowledge of the fish variety. Once I glom on to an obsession, I, well, get obsessive about it, not necessarily big (like a whole fish room), but I want the details just right. And of course, to come to the meetings to hang out with like-minded, fantastic folks and listen to phenomenal speakers.

What kind of fish you keep
I have a 75 with Tanganyikans: Yellow Altolamprologus calvus, Callochromis pleurospilus, C. leptosoma "Utinta", Paracyprichromis nigripinnis, a single Tanganicodus irsacae, a colony of N. multifasciatus and a BN.

Also a 29 gallon that is my juvie growout tank with a few barbs, BN and a dwarf gourami.

Both tanks sit next to my desk in my computer room, so I am almost always right there.

Some fun fishkeeping accomplishments or goals for the future
I'm just happy that every fish I have kept to date has spawned for me. I have not always been able to successfully raise all fry, but at least the fish seem happy.

I have very low maintenance setups with fake plants. I won't have more than 2 tanks for a long time, if ever. Too much upkeep, and it ceases to be fun for me.
However, I probably will "upgrade" to some less "run-of-the-mill" species at some point. I have thought about maybe getting some C.A.R.E.S. fish.

mscichlid · 09-24-2012, 8:04 PM

Where you're from
MD
Whether you're a member and why (or why not)
I am a founder of CCA and I love this club
What kind of fish you keep
South American: Wild angels mostly, plecos, corydoras, aspidoras, tetras, shrimp, Fundulopanchax, rasboras, endlers, ottos, apistos, crenicichla, lots of plants
Some fun fishkeeping accomplishments or goals for the future
To acquire more species of SA cichlids to spawn
and to try to catch up to Sarah for BAP points