Post by angelminx on Jun 15, 2014 3:17:39 GMT -5
Hi! My real name is Shirley (my middle name is Annette, so I always say my name is "Shirley Temple Annette Funicello"), and I live in Illinois now, but I was born and raised in San Diego California. When I was a Sophmore in high school (46 years ago!) I told my Mom that I wanted a puppy--I got guppies instead. My Mom says she created a monster! In the early '8Os (my Dad had been out of work for quite a while and we had to sell the house) we move out here, because my Dad's family was here. I didn't get to go to college until 1990, where eventually I got a degree in zoology. I kept fish when I could but only consider myself to be intermediate in experience. I never did any water testing until recently, but I seemed to have had better luck with some fish in California than I do out here (however, in San Diego we had great access to live foods). I even worked at a pet store in Ocean Beach for a while, but I was a dog groomer at the time. Before this I did volunteer work for a little over a year in the aviculture department at Sea World. I had to quit that because they changed their policy concerning volunteers. This was before I got my degree (I lived in Illinois when I finally got to go to college), so I wasn't able to get a job working with the animals there. I tried to get a job as a zookeeper at the St. Louis Zoo after I got my B.S., but according to their rules I had to live in the city of St. Louis and work there for 2 years before I would be considered for anything other that concessions or the like. I couldn't support myself on that, so it never happened. I did work for a family owned "zoo" (petting type) for a while but that only paid $10/day. Now I'm "disabled" and "too old" for anyone to want to hire me.
Right now I have one cat (she's 13) and 2 fish tanks (one is a quarantine tank that I try to keep biologically active with a Betta and some Ghost Shrimp to clean up what he/she misses when fed). My last Betta was a beautiful male Plakat (sold as a Dragonscale) that was a very pale blue with a narrow rim of red running in a line about mid-way through all of his fins. I was devastated when he "committed suicide" in the middle of the night a few months ago, I want to get another one, but I'm being picky.
In the quarantine tank, I have 7 Black Phantoms (I used to have more in the 55 gallon) along with 5 shrimp. Their quarantine period is actually over, but I'm waiting till either I find a new Betta, or the Corydoras I have on order come in. I've been waiting for the cories for about two and a half months, but for some reason, the wholesalers haven't been sending them.
In my 55 gallon tank I have 3 angels (a silver veiltail female, a gold female, and a marble male--I had a fourth one with them for a couple of years, but he died), as well as 6(?) Ghost Shrimp, a juvenile albino bushynose pleco, and a Schwartzi corydoras. I used to have rummynose tetras about 10 years ago, but the place I got them went out of business. I also used to have a female Oscar. I had her for 9 years, but when I had to move 14 years ago, her tank got cracked and could't be repaired (of course). Since I couldn't afford a new one I had to keep her in the 15 gallon I had at the time. Unfortunately I couldn't/didn't keep it up as well as I should and she died a couple years later after a bad case of HLLE (?). Before I moved to where I am now, I also had a tiger salamander and an ornate box turtle (I had a gray rat snake when I was in college along with my fish: Mom said no to that after I moved back home), but the Housing Authority says no reptiles, so I had to find them new homes.
I found the AAP site when I was on the web earlier this year looking up info on kanamycin, and subsequently found Evertything Aquatic, and eventually got around to joining. I want to take care of my fish the best I can, with what I can afford to do, so I'm thankful I discovered Carl.
Right now I have one cat (she's 13) and 2 fish tanks (one is a quarantine tank that I try to keep biologically active with a Betta and some Ghost Shrimp to clean up what he/she misses when fed). My last Betta was a beautiful male Plakat (sold as a Dragonscale) that was a very pale blue with a narrow rim of red running in a line about mid-way through all of his fins. I was devastated when he "committed suicide" in the middle of the night a few months ago, I want to get another one, but I'm being picky.
In the quarantine tank, I have 7 Black Phantoms (I used to have more in the 55 gallon) along with 5 shrimp. Their quarantine period is actually over, but I'm waiting till either I find a new Betta, or the Corydoras I have on order come in. I've been waiting for the cories for about two and a half months, but for some reason, the wholesalers haven't been sending them.
In my 55 gallon tank I have 3 angels (a silver veiltail female, a gold female, and a marble male--I had a fourth one with them for a couple of years, but he died), as well as 6(?) Ghost Shrimp, a juvenile albino bushynose pleco, and a Schwartzi corydoras. I used to have rummynose tetras about 10 years ago, but the place I got them went out of business. I also used to have a female Oscar. I had her for 9 years, but when I had to move 14 years ago, her tank got cracked and could't be repaired (of course). Since I couldn't afford a new one I had to keep her in the 15 gallon I had at the time. Unfortunately I couldn't/didn't keep it up as well as I should and she died a couple years later after a bad case of HLLE (?). Before I moved to where I am now, I also had a tiger salamander and an ornate box turtle (I had a gray rat snake when I was in college along with my fish: Mom said no to that after I moved back home), but the Housing Authority says no reptiles, so I had to find them new homes.
I found the AAP site when I was on the web earlier this year looking up info on kanamycin, and subsequently found Evertything Aquatic, and eventually got around to joining. I want to take care of my fish the best I can, with what I can afford to do, so I'm thankful I discovered Carl.