User:Huw Powell

Lots of experience back in the 80s, including a couple years working at a top notch pet store.

Historical
Tanks from vague memory back in those days:


 * 20 long with a local sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus), later community setup.


 * 20 long and 15 with shared water via customized filters for breeding and raising "green pineapple" swordtails
 * 30 high with strong plants and many tetras and a huge pleco
 * 55 with 3 big tinfoil barbs and a couple of iridescent sharks. Was filtered with a homemade level-maintaining drain, sump and pump - a precursor to what became modern wet-dry filters as used mostly on reef setups nowadays


 * 18 high with a huge clown knife; then a bunch of Asian fish, the cherry barbs made babies
 * 20 high with UG filter driven by Dynaflo 150 breeding Lamprologus brichardi, also had a L. leleupi (?) in there. Shifted it to a marine setup, using fresh ocean water (high tide at the mouth of Great Bay).  Many critters over the years, both vertebrate and spineless.
 * 10 hex with a big fancy goldfish of some sort
 * 15 with no memory of what was in it
 * Unknown tank with a handful of small koi


 * 45 with community fish I don't remember.

Present
Then in 1991 I moved to my current building, bringing along a stand I had built for a 75/90 type tank, and several boxes of filters, food, and random hardware. Why do I have seven nets?!

Finally got involved again when on 12/31/10 I bought a used 75. I feel like Rip Van Winkle when I go to local pet stores (what few are left!). All the hardware has gone through about four generations, and there are certainly some exciting developments - far better lighting is available, though I still seem to be making homemade hoods. My M/L Penguin 300s (nee AutoFlo 2) became P330, then P350, then (?), and now the Emperor 400, which is quite an impressive machine, although QC seems a bit weak.

Anyway, the 75 is on its way to housing lots of tetras, main feature will be 20-odd Cardinals, a couple varieties of Corydorus, three Festivums, and a couple iridescent sharks, and lots of plants. I uploaded a couple of early photos to my facebook page, I'll stick them and some others here as time goes by, if I remember to.

Technical
I have fairly wide experience with various (but not all) aquarium hardware, and a fairly decent understanding of various scientific issues important to the hobby (aspects of chemistry, biology, etc.).

Having kept a very wide variety of aquatic flora and fauna I might be able to flesh out some of the many stubs I see here if I get a round tuit.

Meta
I have plenty of intensive wiki-editing experience, so might be able to help with templates, etc., if needed.

Ethics
Prompted by some things I have read on here, I have started wondering if there is an ethical way to keep aquatic creatures in captivity at all. Ponder that. Seriously.