Howdy from Northern AZ

Hi ya'll. My name is Paige. I am really new to the whole aquarium scene. I've had assorted fish in the past, but have never really made it a hobby or anything. I hadn't had any fish in several years (at least 10, if not more), but two years ago decided to get a betta 'cuz my little apartment was awful lonely and I couldn't afford a dog (my preferred pet). So, along came Al (named after Al Giordino from the Dirk Pitt novels by Clive Cussler). Al stayed with me for over a year and a half, moving from one apartment to another, until one day after I had cleaned his little one gallon tank, he up and died. By this time, I also had two tiger barbs in a five gallon tank (I know, not the best living situation for them, but I didn't know better at the time) and another betta in a goldfish bowl that belonged to my son. The two tiger barbs were great little fish, bought from Petsmart from the bigger tank. The older of the two (I had him for about eight months or so) was not the normal silvery-gold and black, but rather blackish-gold with black stripes. I have yet to see one like him again. Well, needless to say, the bug man came and sprayed my apartment a few weeks before I moved and I hadn't covered the tiger barbs' tank good enough and they were poisoned. So, I was down to my son's betta and Al the second (a beautiful crowntail betta I had purchased to replace the first Al). I was having trouble with what I later found out were bacterial blooms in my son's betta's bowl and he ended up dying too, leaving just poor Al. He survived the move from Tucson to Prescott with me at the beginning of January and here to we sit today. I was thinking about putting tiger barbs back into my five gallon tank, but after talking to numerous fish people, have decided to make it into a heaven for Al instead. The tank is an Eclipse Hex5. I love it...it's easy to clean and change the filter and really displays the fish well. I am eventually going to put live plants in with Al, but for the time being, due to limited funds and no job, we're going to stick with the artificial plants we have now, as well as a sunken ship decoration. I am, however, going to change out the original incandescant bulb for a flouresent, so at least the tank will be relatively ready for the live plants when I can afford them.

Looking forward to meeting people on here, learning new things, and getting advice on my tank!

 

Thanks!

 

People have already been uber helpful with my request for suggestions for live plants in my Hex5. You guys rock! Oh, and I got another betta (to go in the one gallon I have my older betta in once I move him). He's kind of a bronzy-chocolate color. His name is Edward.