About Me

I’ve been running aquariums for about 4 years in Phoenix, Arizona. Started small, consolidated up to a 110-gallon rimless planted community tank that’s been stable for two years now. Along the way I’ve kept up to five tanks at once and accidentally bred a bunch of stuff: mystery snails, rabbit snails, assassin snails, guppies, bristlenose plecos, corydoras. I trade the surplus with my local fish store because once you get a system stable, things multiply whether you planned for it or not.

I’ve also crashed tanks. Lost fish to heater failures. Wasted money on gear that didn’t matter. Made every beginner mistake you can think of and a few you probably can’t.

Why I’m writing this

The hobby has too much bad advice and too many retail upsells. I’m documenting what I’m actually running and why I set it up that way. What works in Phoenix heat with our tap water. What gear I bought that was worth it and what was a waste. What I’m seeing when I watch the tanks and what I change when something feels off.

I’m not an expert and I’m not trying to be one. I just think if I write this stuff down, maybe it helps someone avoid the mistakes I already made.

What else I’m building

I’m working on a custom aquarium maintenance app (currently in private beta) because I got tired of tracking water changes in spreadsheets. I’m also planning a YouTube series documenting a new tank build from scratch - including the inevitable disasters.

I’m learning reef soon. Saltwater intimidates me but I’m going to figure it out and document the whole process, not write some polished guide pretending I knew what I was doing the whole time.

If you’re here from Reddit or Instagram: Welcome. If you’ve been doing this longer than me and I get something wrong, let me know. If you’re just starting out, I’ve been there - ask questions.