Hi there! I'm probably the senior member of the Uniquaria?; I will join the septuagenarians on April 13, 2004 and, since I was born on Friday the Thirteenth, consider 13 to be my number.

How did my fish interest begin? I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, but with AquaBabies! As we were checking out of Kmart almost five years ago, I saw this cute little water-filled box with two little zebra danios, a snail, and a little piece of hornwort and just had to have it. I'm not usually an impulse buyer, but that was one of the exceptions that make the rule. I actually kept those two little fish alive for over six months.

Hubby decided that since I'd enjoyed the AquaBabies so much he'd get me a tank for Christmas. He sort of threw that out over dinner one evening when he was informed that if he bought an aquarium, he'd "better be prepared to take care of it! I certainly wouldn't." Well, he bought a 10 G (10-gallon) aquarium and hid it in a closet, wrapped 20 pounds of gravel in a shoe box, and presented me with the box and a gift certificate for the LFS (local fish store) on Christmas Eve. I nearly had a fit UNTIL I went to the LFS and saw the wonderful world of aquatics open to me!

While I realize they're very small by some standards, that one 10G tank has grown to include four more 10Gs, two 2Gs, a 29G, and a 5G that is supposed to be my hospital/quarantine tank, but I don't have the self-discipline to leave any tank void of fish. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) they're all full right now - and I do mean full! I'm also guilty of overstocking.

My favorite fish are my Silver Dollars; they share the 29G with a shoal of Cherry Barbs and two Golden Snails. The other tanks are home to pure Endler's Livebearers (thanks to our own Wilma Duncan), shoals of five cory cats (a different type in each of five tanks), Gold Gouramis, Diamond Tetras, Glowfire Tetras, Yoyo Loaches, a true Siamese Algae Eater (SAE), a shoal of Harlequin Rasboras, and several Ramshorn Snails. Oh, and Pearlie Mae, the Pearl Gourami who was the sole survivor of an accident that killed the rest of the 29G long ago. Pearlie Mae turned out to be a male, but the name stuck. (Yes, except for the shoaling fish - and even a few of those - I name my fish.) I told you my tanks are overstocked!

As you can tell, I still have a great deal to learn but have found that Uniquaria is one of the best places on the 'net to accomplish that. Here's hoping that you enjoy it here as much as I do.