In December my husband coaxed me into setting up an aquarium for “the kids”. It rapidly turned into a bonding project between the two of us, and surprisingly we both enjoy caring for and maintaining our tank. It definitely requires some time and resources, but it’s proved to be more than worth the extra effort. I love checking the chemical balance of the water; Ryan loves vacuuming the substrate and planning the next live additions, and together we perform the weekly water changes to keep our aquarium healthy. Thus far we’ve acquired four books on the subject. When we returned from a vacation in January to a tank full of green algae, we upgraded our filter to cut down on the phosphates in the water. It seems as if we are always learning something new and exciting about our little ecosystem.
We were aware that a PCS was likely at the end of the summer, but planned to transport our fish with us across the USA – devising ways to ensure that the filter, water, and plants would maintain the correct temperature and chemical balance. Two weeks ago my husband came home and announced an assignment to Incirlik AB in Turkey with a report date of early June. Of course we were overjoyed at the amazing opportunity to immerse ourselves in the rich history of Turkey, but our spirits dampened when we gazed over at our fishes. Two dwarf gourami darted through the live plants, four otocinclus scurried in and out of the downed helicopter, three corydora catfish bobbed their way across the gravel, four snails slowly climbed the glass, and a few ghost shrimp effortlessly floated through the clear water. We realized we could not relocate our fish family to Turkey.
Therefore, we are searching for a new home for our aquarium. I hesitate to state it is “free”, because there are upkeep costs (in both time and money), however, we would love to transport our tank, fish, and the many accessories we’ve accumulated to a well-informed responsible owner in early May. If you are interested in getting sucked into the joy of fishkeeping and live within a few minutes of Little Rock Air Force Base, contact us for more information and to schedule a time to stop by and see the unlikely hobby that both my husband and I enjoy.
Here are a few photos of our tank (I only photoshopped out SOME of the hand prints 🙂 )
