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I have always loved aquariums. We always had some goldfish or guppies in a bowl when I was a kid (in fact, I rescued a goldfish bowl from my folks house when they passed that is sitting above me as I type this). When my kids were in the house, we had a couple of 50 gallon tanks - one of which was just tropical fish, the other housed two huge Tiger Oscars which acted more like dogs than fish 
But after the kids left the house I gave it up and at that time work obligations didn't really afford me the time to take care of them correctly.
Recently got the itch to get back to what is an amazing hobby. I decided from the outset to do planted tanks - something I have never attempted before and requiring a lot of learning on my part. The first tank I got was a super nice rimless JBJ 65 gallon tank with a rear sump (a separate section of the aquarium at the back where all of the gear - pump, filter, heater, etc...) are housed. This is my current tank at about the 3 month mark.
I'm super happy with how it has turned out. The fish and plants are thriving. I have a ton of fish in it (a planted tank really allows you to load up on the fish). It's a mixed tropical community tank with about 13 different types of fish.
I just pulled the trigger on a 2nd tank. This one is a cheapo tank but I was able to find a 60 gallon breeder tank - meaning that it is wider and longer than a regular tank, but not as tall. The extra width gives you more room for plants and rock/wood/aquascaping. I plan for this one to be mainly a guppy tank. Guppies are amazing and incredibly beautiful as well as being live bearers. I already have baby fish from my first tank reproducing as I have Platys and Mollies in that tank. Guppies reproduce like crazy as live bearers. I'm going to add some freshwater shrimp to the mix in the guppy tank and some snails and bottom feeders as well.
Anyway... this is old guy fun. But keeping fish is truly a fascinating hobby. I could watch them for hours, and as long as you give the tanks the attention they need on a weekly basis, it's pretty easy to keep them healthy and happy.
But after the kids left the house I gave it up and at that time work obligations didn't really afford me the time to take care of them correctly.Recently got the itch to get back to what is an amazing hobby. I decided from the outset to do planted tanks - something I have never attempted before and requiring a lot of learning on my part. The first tank I got was a super nice rimless JBJ 65 gallon tank with a rear sump (a separate section of the aquarium at the back where all of the gear - pump, filter, heater, etc...) are housed. This is my current tank at about the 3 month mark.
I'm super happy with how it has turned out. The fish and plants are thriving. I have a ton of fish in it (a planted tank really allows you to load up on the fish). It's a mixed tropical community tank with about 13 different types of fish.
I just pulled the trigger on a 2nd tank. This one is a cheapo tank but I was able to find a 60 gallon breeder tank - meaning that it is wider and longer than a regular tank, but not as tall. The extra width gives you more room for plants and rock/wood/aquascaping. I plan for this one to be mainly a guppy tank. Guppies are amazing and incredibly beautiful as well as being live bearers. I already have baby fish from my first tank reproducing as I have Platys and Mollies in that tank. Guppies reproduce like crazy as live bearers. I'm going to add some freshwater shrimp to the mix in the guppy tank and some snails and bottom feeders as well.
Anyway... this is old guy fun. But keeping fish is truly a fascinating hobby. I could watch them for hours, and as long as you give the tanks the attention they need on a weekly basis, it's pretty easy to keep them healthy and happy.
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