Aspiring Keeper of Monsters. Howdy, from Idaho!

[Jeremy Anderson]

We actually say howdy here.

Since this is an animal keeper forum I'll start by listing my menagerie. I keep some tiny monsters, in the form of a few Apistogramma agassizii. We have half a dozen sweetheart Discus in a community tank with 4 Blue Rams 4 Corydoras and an Ancistrus. I have a few snakes, a Jaguar Carpet Python, five Great Basin Gopher Snakes with mystery genetics, and a pair of quad-het Corn Snakes. The star of the show is still our old Dane/Mastiff puppy princess, Jenny. Just ask her.

I'm new to keeping aquaria, like literally started my first tank this year, but things are going well. I'm now itching for some big New World cichlids that will bite me. I have a lot of experience with reptiles, I kept and bred dozens of species and cared for more than 500 individual animals for a while. I backed off a bit for the last 7 years, and fish are the new thing.

We have great tap water for soft water species and I've always liked them anyway. I've been lurking here for a while soaking up the goodness, and I felt it was time to sign up.

I really want to start a large tank and keep and breed some festae, jags, umbees, hatitiensis and eventually dovii. Keeping critters tends to go hand in hand with breeding them, for me. So I'm going to need some big tanks. I'm patient, I'll get there. I'm interested in learning all about them in the meantime.

Anyway, glad to be here.

I type really fast, and probably because of that, I'm long-winded sometimes. As a reward for putting up with my s#$% here's a picture of my buddy's grouper he caught on a fly rod.
Oh dang, I can't post pictures yet because they are "links" - all good.

Anyone keep grouper?

 

[Jeremy Anderson]

Anyone keep grouper?

That was dumb, lots of grouper species out there. I meant big ones, like in the picture I can't post right now

 

[NathanKS]

Welcome to MFK.

I believe a few people keep groupers but mostly while young as they require salt as adults. At least I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a few, Maybe check out J johnptc ’s threads(you probably want to do this anyways). I think he had one at one point.

 

[Jeremy Anderson]

I went ahead and followed him, I was just looking for other members to follow at the time. I'm familiar with this forum system, so I know how it works already, pretty well. It sucks being a n00b and having so few options when you start a new account. I've been members of discussion boards going back to the days of BBS. I know how to behave, or misbehave myself, depending. I also understand that many do not, so we all suffer a little.

Thanks for the tip, man!

 

[skjl47]

Discus in a community tank with 4 Blue Rams

started my first tank this year

Hello; Discus and rams as a new fishkeeper. I have been at it over 50 years and am reluctant to try these.

itching for some big New World cichlids that will bite me

Hello; you got it in.

been lurking here for a while soaking up the goodness

Hello; lurking and soaking works.

can't post pictures yet

Hello; Five posts needed I think.

Welcome

 

[Jeremy Anderson]

Haha, excellent analysis. Thank you.

I would not deny I'm a certain kind of crazy for doing it, but most of a year now things have gone very smoothly.

I
lost a couple fish, tetras an Apisto aggie and Apisto "steel blue" - it hasn't gone 100% perfectly but we nursed one of the discus back to health after a nasty bit of bloat and things are pretty solid.

The rams and discus are all thriving. Some of the discus I bought were a bit stunted, craigslist deal. Would not do it again, but they are all pretty healthy.

They are constantly sparring around the tank and all fired up.

 

[Jeremy Anderson]

And that grouper I mentioned. Caught in southern Yucatan MX this spring. On a fly!

 

['Merica]

Hey Jeremy. I live in the Sandpoint area. Cool to see a fellow Idahoan on here.

 

[Jeremy Anderson]

Likewise, there aren’t a lot of us, how is the weather up there? It’s cold af here lately, pressure inversion and whatnot.

My fish are warm, though. Cheers!

 

['Merica]

Its a balmy 30 degrees up here. Fish are warm but I am not lol.