I wish there were an awesome website where you could virtually build your fish tank with inventory of fish species, plants, lighting etc. I have found one or two that let you put some fish in, but that's about it.
I used to keep a fish log with weekly water changes, etc. in it, but wanting to go paperless, this seems the way to go.
I'm inviting my sister to join me in this project, as she will be starting a tank from scratch next month. She will be installing an in-wall tank, and has already begun demolition of their wall. It's cool to see the update emails I get, and hear her talking and planning what will go in it.
My tank has been up and running for a year and a half now, which started unexpectedly. I was telling my friend how before moving to our current residence, I used to have about 5 tanks ranging from 2 gallons to 35 gallons. I started with mollies, then ended up getting a larger breeder tank when I was surprised with a batch of 89 fry on Mother's Day from one beautiful silver molly. I raised them and gave them away, even sold a few. Once I discovered that fish actually had personalities, I went online to learn more. I found the coolest fish site ever, and learned much about keeping fish and plants. They have a huge database with articles about all aspects of fish keeping, even the DIY stuff like CO2 and PMDD for plants. What I really appreciated though, was how they were able to explain the why's of things like New Tank Syndrome and were very helpful. They have a great forum that would help each other diagnose a fish in trouble with signs of disease, or newcomers asking about compatible fish. I remember several nights staying up till all hours of the night reading more and more. Ok, I'll admit it. I wanted to know as much as those people did. Of course, I have forgotten much of the finer details of things since I've been out of fish-keeping for years. What happened? Well, to make it short, we moved. The movers did not end up moving our fish. My husband and I agreed that I could keep one tank. So I made arrangements for all the other fish, and got my last tank prepped for the move. Only there was some mix up. The movers apparently thought my carefully packed equipment was to go to the curb. That's what I was told when we had arrived at almost midnight and I was searching for the tank. I was very upset.
Fast forward to last spring, when I volunteered as photographer for a soccer tournament. The team coach (who is my friend) thanked me by giving me a 10 gallon tank. She knew. I put it on my the wooden stand that I had somehow kept. It looked a little small. I knew somehow I would find an excuse to upgrade it to a larger tank. I didn't have to wait long. Later I had soemone offer me their used 30 gallon lizard tank and stand. I cleaned it up as best as possible, and noticed a small crack in the corner. Not being able to trust it, but having the larger stand it came with, I went out to buy a 30 gallon tank. It's not my dream tank, but large enough to be content with.
One day, when my basement is finished, I would love to have a larger tank; over 50 gallons anyway. Something with enough room to keep all the fish and plants I would like to keep, without overcrowding.
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