Welcom to Tank Needs! I am Calin, a 30-something guy that’s passionate about aquariums in general and self sustaining tanks / ecospheres or jarrariums in particular.
With this blog, I aim to help beginners mostly – but also more advanced aquarists everything that I know about fishkeeping.
I will mix information about regular aquariums with my most recent passion, jarrariums (which are lower scale, self sustaining mini-aquariums that require minimal maintenance).
I will share with you all the advice that I have (and there are a ton of things to know when it comes to raising fish!) and if you are like me – all about low tech, natural aquascapes and concepts, you’ll really feel at home here.
You’ll know what are the best products to buy, why buy them and how to care for your fish, no matter what size is your tank.
If you spend a lot of time on Facebook, make sure to follow Tank Needs there, as I will publish the latest updates on the Facebook page too. Don’t forget to actually like the page once you’re taken to Facebook.
A bit more about me
My first contact with raising fish was when I was 8 years old and my dad brought me a pair of guppies.
Because we knew nothing about caring for fish, they didn’t last for long: and for all the right reasons.
I was actually keeping them in a jar for pickles, not changing the water, overfeeding, with no filters, plants or anything. It was horrible.
I was also devastated back then when the guppies died – I still remember it today: first, the male and one day after the female.
I was 14 when I was allowed to have pet fish again (for some reason, I was blamed for the death of my fish) and my dad brought home another pair of guppies.
This time, I personally went to the store and asked the owner (it was a small, family-owned store) how to care for the guppies.
While I still raised them in a jar (a 5-liter one this time, so at least they had a bit more space), I learned about doing proper water changes, feeding them just as much as they need and even received a plant as a gift from the store owner.
The fish seemed to thrive and – just like guppies do – quickly filled the jar with generations of offsprings. I gave a ton away, but I still couldn’t keep up.
Eventually, I had to give them all away to the store owner as I moved away for college, then adulthood came and it took a while until I got back on track and to my love which is aquariums.
I started doing this more hardcore about 5 years ago and now I have four aquariums and several jarrariums and self sustaining ecospheres – and I’m really proud of them all. Here’s one below:
And fortunately, now I know a lot more than I did when I first had that pair of guppies and hopefully I will be able to teach you everything I know to prevent similar mistakes from happening again.
So thanks for stopping by and for showing interest in Tank Needs. This IS what you need if you love aquariums, jarrariums and self-sustaining ecospheres!