Fish On

Fish On

For as long as I can remember I have had a fish tank.  For many, it began at the local carnival.  Throw a ping-pong ball into a glass bowl and you go home with a goldfish.  Or maybe you lived near a local aquarium retail store.  Ours, on Halloween, would give out a similar goldfish for the simple “trick or treat” greeting.  However, neither of these fish were destined to last very long.  My fish story begins with my Grandfather.

My Grandfather's house was one of historical prominence in Valley Stream.  Long before the village became incorporated, it was named Rum Junction.  With a town moniker like that, one would assume you had a Sherriff…and they did.  In the early 1950’s my Grandfather purchased the house that was the Sheriff of Rum Junction’s home.  A grand fireplace loomed large in the main living room.  Forgoing the flame, my Grandfather opted to place a fish tank in the cavernous space.  The fish he fancied was the guppy.  Hundreds of the diminutive fish frolicked among the mass of green moss.  It was its own perpetual habitat.

 The apartment my Mom and I had was not far from my Grandparents dwelling.  There, we set up a fish tank of our own.  Too young to handle all the responsibilities, I did absorb all the lessons.  While my Grandfather had his self-sustaining guppies, we branched out to try freshwater tropical fish.  These fish needed a little more attention and it was never more evident than the winter of 1970.  A snowstorm was coming and my Mom would rather have us trapped in a house than an apartment.  We packed up and headed to my Grandparents.  I fed the fish before we left, thinking we would return shortly.  We did not.  Upon our return I noticed a few of the fish were missing.  I soon saw the corresponding carcasses on the gravel below.  Our tank became self-sustaining too, just not in the way we would want.  When I was 8 my Mom remarried and we soon moved into our new house in Valley Stream.  I was given the end room with a bed, dressers and a desk.  Only one thing missing…a fish tank.  My Grandfather had an extra 25-gallon tank in his workshop. I quickly claimed it as mine and carted it up the street.  Back then Ed’s Aquarium was the local store for your fish tank needs.  I would still opt for tropical fish, since they were the mainstay at the store.  The years would see a parade of gouramis, swordtails and tetras.  It would remain in my room until I left for college.

In 1991 I moved into my own apartment.  That NFL season I won our Fantasy Football League.  And what would I do with my winnings?  Buy a fish tank!  It was a 50-gallon tank on a beautiful wooden chest.  I would try my hand at saltwater for the first time.  The filtration system required a second, smaller tank below.  I had never used anything with such sophistication.  You needed to get your tank balanced with nitrates and nitrites before you can add more than just your starter fish.  During that time period, I would learn about the difficulties of this new filter.  The overflow shutoff was not working properly.  I had no way of really testing it…until it was needed…and it failed.  The first person to find this out was the downstairs neighbor.  A panicked phone call and I threw open the fish cabinet doors to see a mini replica of Niagara Falls.  Eventually I would get the filter perfected.  I inhabited my tank with colorful fish from throughout the world.  They didn’t last long.  It would seem I did not have a “salt” thumb.  The harder I tried, the harder I failed.  Saltwater fish are NOT cheap, and there was nothing left in my football windfall.  In a few months I would be moving, so after my last attempt at saltwater failed, I shut her down.

In 1995 I purchased my new co-op.  The fish tank would be set up as my living room centerpiece.  I wanted something as simple as tropical fish but as colorful as saltwater.  I came across the Discus.  These fish, aptly named, come in several beautiful colors…Cobalt Blue, Red Turquoise and Sunset among them.  I had about a dozen of these sharp looking fish.  I was going on vacation for a week.  Even though it was a no-brainer, I recalled the days of the snowstorm and what had happened when the fish went unfed.  I inquired at my local store what could be done.  He suggested a solid substance I could place in the tank that would break apart over the week and feed the fish.  Brilliant!  What wasn’t so brilliant was he gave me the incorrect one for the Discus.  Instead of feeding them, it was killing them.  I returned from my trip to a Discus disaster.  I was able to save a few, but the damage was already done.  I would eventually return to tropical fish.  After a while, the tank was settled with a plethora of them.  I now wanted to add a second tank in the apartment.  I shopped around and found a tall 35-gallon hexagon tank.  I did not want to set up another tank with the same old tropical fish.  Also, saltwater and Discus were off the list.  It was then I was introduced to the African Cichlid.  They live in brackish water, part freshwater – part saltwater, and are relatively easy to maintain.  Inside the tank I built a tower-like rock structure from top to bottom.  This would provide amble ground for hiding.  Feisty and colorful, they would feed in a frenzy.  They were active and affordable.  I would fall in love with this breed of fish.

In 2004 I sold my co-op and gave away my two tanks.  I regretted this decision but thought with a new house came the opportunity for a new tank…or tanks.  While our house was being built, Christina and I attended a model home show.  And that is where I saw it.  A 150-gallon tank built into a dividing wall between the dining and living rooms.  This aquatic masterpiece was magnificent.  I had to have one.  While I dream big, reality tends to downsize.  I brainstormed with my builder.  We decided on a small dividing wall between the rooms with a 25-gallon tank.  It would have to do.  I decided tropical fish would be the way to go.  Access to the tank was limited so going with less complex fish would be the right direction.  Since its installation, there have been challenges to the tank.  One of them is cleaning the algae.  While 3 sides are showing and allow access to a magnetic cleaner, the 4^th side faces inward.  It is difficult at best to clean the algae, and it grew unyielding due to the sun’s access to both rooms.  I turned to a fish to do my dirty work.  I have had algae eaters, called Plecos, before.  However, they are expensive and sometimes derelict in their duties.  I decided I would buy a young one.  They are cheaper and it was worth a shot.  This little guy is so good I have not seen hide or hair of algae since.  I told Max he needs to step it up or he might be displaced as the #1 pet in the house.

The 25-gallon wall tank was a unique conversation piece, but I wanted to really make a statement.  A 135-gallon acrylic custom shaped tank caught my eye.  My wife cried.  I would settle for one 1/3 of the size.  This would be my African Cichlid tank.  I purchased 50 lbs of large coral rocks to create their new reef home.  Christina, now ecstatic we were not adding a bathtub to the family room, gladly accompanied me for the fish selection.  As she picked by color, I gave her the fish name.  A blue striped one caught her eye.  It was a Maylandia lombardoi Kenyi, or “Kenny” for short.  It was from this we decided to name all the Cichlids after South Park characters.  Wouldn’t you know, the fish that turned into the biggest problem was named Cartman.

As stated before, I have been an Apple aficionado from the onset.  Years back, there was an article that gave complete instructions on how to turn your old Mac into a fish tank…or Macquarium.  The only old Mac I had that could be used for this had been tossed away long ago by my parents.  Last year, I came across someone online who prepped the old computers himself.  He even added lights and a filter for a pretty reasonable cost.  I bought myself one for Christmas…I am good to myself that way.  The iMac lit up and reminded me of the tank my Grandfather had in his fireplace oh so long ago.  I would fill this tank with guppies in his honor.

I still have these three fish tanks in the house and all have since thrived.  Each one of the them representing a part of my past.  The tropical fish of my first, the guppies of my Grandfather and the colorful Cichlids of my co-op days.