and Aloha  

Adam

I am proud of my self restraint, limiting myself to 'window shopping' the fish Classifieds for ONLY 5 hours per week! isn't that awesome?

Just the other day, with the help of flicking my wrist with a large rubber band, I even passed up a 125 complete setup for $200! 

I also acknowledge, that the urge to relapse will always be there... (hehe, ok AA joke's over).

 

Anyways, i'm that hobo that snuck into your march meeting and was camped out on the floor :P

Nice to meet you all! I'm from Pleasant Grove (by the Jr. high), and have lived in SLC for 5 years now.

 

When I was 9, I was given a 25 gallon freshwater, and filled it with 7 little goldfish and a tiny little common plecostomus. they fit the tank perfectly!

I would bicycle to the Animal Ark in A.F. & other pet stores a couple times a week & windowshop at all the super expensive fresh or saltwater fish ($7 for a single fish?!?! *gasp*) but stuck with my goldfish.

3 years (and about 5 or 6 water changes) later, they were now 7 3-4 inch goldfish and a 7" pleco.

On a boy scouts camping trip, my filter got unplugged & I lost most of them.

 

I'm getting back into the hobby and now have an 80 gal & 29 gal (freshwater), and found out my girlfriend really likes fish too but never tried before. she now has a 55 & a 37 and is breeding longfin blue-eye (amelanistic) ancistrus plecos.

If i can find a way to afford it, would love to set up a 70-125 gal saltwater tank. (or 2!) and with LED & pump tech (and price) improvements in the past 2 years alone, i may just be able to

 

About the crutches & the floor camping... I have an inherited connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (type 3), which makes my body's Fibrillin not form properly.  Basically, i'm like a contortionist, but naturally. the only joints in my whole body that are remotely sturdy, are my knees & elbows.

Currently, my back won't even hold up all my upper bodyweight for more than a few minutes at a time (aka sitting, standing, driving, cooking, shaving). I am getting better :) it just takes a long time.