It Saturday morning and I find myself in a quiet slumber on the floor next to my bed. How I got there or why I would deny myself the comforts of a down comforter and 400 thread count sheets, I don't know, but I'm there. The drone of my alarm clock fills the air and I shoot up to a seated position. I wipe the drool from my face and do my best to flick the crust from my eyes. So what's different about this particular morning than any other?
In the midst of my scramble to find pants and whatnot, I see a group of boxes huddled in the far corner of my room. The names are familiar and their uses specific. You might have heard of them..."Hagen, Ebo Jager, Hikari". Then it hits me. In an instant, I realize I never left the hobby. I couldn't. Even though I had sold off every tank I own, twice, I was never absolved of it.
Every time I would walk through a LFS and lay eyes on a fish, be it a gorgeous P.E.Endlicheri or a humble school of clown loaches, my heart was skip a beat. I eventually became accustomed to ignoring the feeling, as it because all to familiar. I had a nice half moon betta in my room, that was enough...or so I thought.
Rewind to Friday afternoon. I had just learned a good friend got a job at a LFS I used to visit...often. After telling him I sold everything and was out of the game, he laughed. He knew I was a sucker for oddballs. He walked me to the back of the store where they kept feeders and whatnot. In a desolate 20g long lay 3 decent sized short body clown loaches. "You know you want them," he revealed. If only he knew...
I left that store, but not without purchasing a little 55g setup of my own, at a great price I might add. Sooooooo, again, here I come. What am I doing different? How is this time different then any other? Lord knows I've earned a reputation as being one of the most indecisive hobbyists on this site. Well, I'm going back to basics. No huge tank with monster filtration and monster fish. Clown loaches. Yes, clown loaches. I now OWN 9 short body clowns ranging from 2-5". I'm going to get at least a total of 15 clowns in my 55g and some angels or something to keep it fresh up top. (Actually, if someone wants to sell me some dats, I would appreciate it).
But yesssss that's my little rant for the day, though its hardly a rant. I just forgot how much I love this hobby. Tank gets setup and the cycle begins Sunday night. If someone has cultured media they want to loan me for a few days, that would be great!!!
In the midst of my scramble to find pants and whatnot, I see a group of boxes huddled in the far corner of my room. The names are familiar and their uses specific. You might have heard of them..."Hagen, Ebo Jager, Hikari". Then it hits me. In an instant, I realize I never left the hobby. I couldn't. Even though I had sold off every tank I own, twice, I was never absolved of it.
Every time I would walk through a LFS and lay eyes on a fish, be it a gorgeous P.E.Endlicheri or a humble school of clown loaches, my heart was skip a beat. I eventually became accustomed to ignoring the feeling, as it because all to familiar. I had a nice half moon betta in my room, that was enough...or so I thought.
Rewind to Friday afternoon. I had just learned a good friend got a job at a LFS I used to visit...often. After telling him I sold everything and was out of the game, he laughed. He knew I was a sucker for oddballs. He walked me to the back of the store where they kept feeders and whatnot. In a desolate 20g long lay 3 decent sized short body clown loaches. "You know you want them," he revealed. If only he knew...
I left that store, but not without purchasing a little 55g setup of my own, at a great price I might add. Sooooooo, again, here I come. What am I doing different? How is this time different then any other? Lord knows I've earned a reputation as being one of the most indecisive hobbyists on this site. Well, I'm going back to basics. No huge tank with monster filtration and monster fish. Clown loaches. Yes, clown loaches. I now OWN 9 short body clowns ranging from 2-5". I'm going to get at least a total of 15 clowns in my 55g and some angels or something to keep it fresh up top. (Actually, if someone wants to sell me some dats, I would appreciate it).
But yesssss that's my little rant for the day, though its hardly a rant. I just forgot how much I love this hobby. Tank gets setup and the cycle begins Sunday night. If someone has cultured media they want to loan me for a few days, that would be great!!!
