The First Post
Hi everyone, so for my first post I thought I would tell everyone what I have in each of my three tanks.
In my first tank which is approximately 450 litres including the sump, I have the following fish:
5 x Discus
2 x German Blue Rams
6 x Albino Corydoras
5 x Venezualen Corydora
2 x L066 Pleco
In my second tank which is approximately 220 litres including the sump, I have the following fish:
3 x German Blue Rams
1 x Electric Blue Ram
5 x Peppermint Bristlenose
In my third tank which is also approxiamtley 220 litres including the cannister filter, I have the following fish
2 x Anglefish
10 x Gold Lazer Corydoras
2 x Marble Bristlenose Pleco
1 x Bristlenose Pleco
8 x Gupplies
Currently, in tanks 2 and 3, I am trying to breed fish. I am trying to breed the German Blue Rams, and the Anglefish. I previously had two rams spawn but given this was there first spawn, none of them made it. I have had the Anglefish lay eggs on two occasions but they were eaten on two occasions. I am hoping that my ram will spawn again soon as they are a really pretty couple. Next week I’ll post some photographs of that tank.
The Beginning
Hi, I am the creator of The Happy Aquarium project. I am 24 year old male living in a regional town in Queensland. I have been involved in the aquarium hobby for some time now. I bought my first lot of fish back in 2018 following am emotional time in my life where my parents divorced and I lost a friend to suicide. Growing up, I had a lot of pets in my life and with the parent I stayed with unable to have any cats or dogs of our own, I ended up buying a fish as a way to still have an animal in my life.
My first fish was a fighter fish from my local Petstock. I kept it alive for a few months. Being young and impulsive at the time, I didn’t properly understand how the ammonia cycle worked which lead it it eventually passing away. Over the next few years, I started to how the cycle worked, how important water parameters can be and how fish temperature all play an important part in the natural eco-system that is an aquarium.
In 2022, I breed my first lot of fish successfully, the neon blue acaras. They were living in a community tank with a few other fish at the time and it was totally unexpected. I ended up with around 6 fish that grew to full size which was a great success at the time. Unfortunately I became quite busy in my professional life and gave away my fish and tank toward the end of that year. Throughout the next two years, I put a lot of time into my professional life but started to feel really unsatisfied despite achieving a lot of personal goals at work. This lead to me going through a mini mental health crisis where I kept pouring my energy into work but felt like it was all for nothing.
I reconnected with the hobby in early 2025 after visiting a local fish shop in Toowoomba. I bought three tanks throughout the year and began to start getting really into it again. In about September, I realised that this hobby was really good for my mental health and wanted a way to share my findings with many people who may have been in a similar boat to me and maybe connect with them. Thus, The Happy Aquarium Project was born. This project is a way for me to work on my mental health, share my findings with others and hopefully bring some fulfilment into their lives. I plan to post on this blog weekly to share updates on my fish. I may also look at selling any offspring from my fish as well as a way to help fund my hobby.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at thehappyaquarium1@gmail.com.