I realized that I never really introduced myself 😅

[CarlP]

Hi everyone,

I just realized that I never really introduced myself to the forum and now that I have been elected vice-president, I feel like it's even more important for you all to get a little bit of info about me.

I kept aquariums three times in my life.

The first time was when I was a kid. I had a small 10 gallons tank with a goldfish in it. It was pre-internet and I had very limited resources to guide me through fish keeping. Although I wasn't bad at it, it's far from being on par with my current standards of care towards my fish.

The second time was when I was in my mid twenties. I had a 55 gallons with wild type pterophyllum scalare and I was breeding them. I got really successful as it is very easy with those ones. I upgraded grow out tanks quite often and I gained a lot of experience in proper husbandry. Then I moved halfway through Quebec and as my occupation changed, I took a break from the hobby.

Fast forward to about three years ago now when I went to Big Al with my significant other to grab some bark for her hermit crab habitat. I saw a small Fluval Spec V and I told myself that it would be reasonable to get that size but nothing more than that.
Oh the lies we tell ourselves...
Not too long after I got myself the aquarium I've been window shopping for a decade ago, a 60 gallons Fluval Profile, and I set it up next to the spec V. The irony.
But this time, it was all about doing it right. I got myself everything to make it perfect. Fluval FX4 and UV light, dosing pump, two Fluval Plant 3.0...
I read everything I could find on internet and watched every single video on YouTube.😅
I got a good level of success with this tank and it motivated me to start new projects and get new species of fish and new plant specimens. A classic MTS!

I've always been fascinated by water and the aquatic wildlife and ecosystems. The chance we collectively have nowadays to be able to access all the information we want about a subject makes the advanced part of the hobby more accessible than ever. There's an article or a video somewhere on the web to any question that have been asked. There's also a lot of conflicting information.
I saw a great value in joining OVAS and to learn more from all the members in the club. Knowing about aquarium clubs when I was younger would've probably helped me avoiding some mistake I made trying to learn on my own. The "how-to videos" are great but rarely have the same amount of information as a conversation with someone who's passionate enough about the subject that they'll drive to a meeting on a Tuesday night in December!

I'm now sitting at 7 aquariums, some very high tech, some very low, some biotope-like, some heavily planted.
I have been graced with a green thumb so most of my tanks are overflowing with hundreds of different species of plants.
The main focus is always the same:
How can I provide the best environment possible to the fish I'm keeping. I'm a fish keeper first.

If you're curious about what I'm doing and some of my current projects, head over to Instagram and search for @the_submersed_gardener.

Nice to meet you all!
If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer!

Attached is a picture of the Fluval Profile before I took it apart to move to Ottawa last year.