I admit it, I'm one of those fish geeks that loves to enable others...I mean, I'm the biggest cheerleader in the world for my fellow fish geeks. If you're up to trying some crazy project- enacting some seemingly half-baked, yet exotic-sounding scheme to create the ultimate aquatic display, one that reeks of innovation and a high probability for failure...yeah...count me in!
Seriously.
And, if you've been in the hobby long enough, you start entertaining some pretty exotic ideas- you know, like simulated rivers in your living room, Mangrove swamps in your backyard, or turning your swimming pool into a reef or African Rift Lake biotope! Stuff like that.
Some of you actually act on them, which deserves ultimate praise!
I know many, many aquarists who have sort of "re-engineered' their houses to accommodate fish tanks, with pipes going through walls, dehumidifying systems that would rival many commercial buildings, and elaborate electrical system modifications and sub-panels that would put some small factories to shame!
This is the way we 'scale up" in this hobby, isn't it? We take those seemingly outrageous ideas, look convention square in the eyes and shout, "Is that all you got? BRING IT!" And all of the sudden, you've got that hobbyist building herself a 2,000 gallon Amazonian igarape in her living room!
Even if your ambitions don't involve tearing out supporting beams in your home, moving around electrical, or using a crane to position your one ton aquarium, or build some mega-aquarium, you're awesome in my book.
Your awesome because you dare to dream, to concoct, to try. And if you do try, sometimes, you come up with something pretty cool. And on rare occasions, you come up with something that can change the aquarium world.
So keep trying. No matter what anyone tells you. Just look convention and challenge, and hobby status quo in the face and scream those words...
BRING IT!
Simple, easy thought for a Saturday!
Stay creative. Stay excited.
And Stay Wet!
Scott Fellman
Tannin Aquatics
Scott Fellman
Author