Lifestyles

First it was a goldfish in a bowl that his sister brought home from the Kaufmann's semi-annual fish sale Downtown when he was 10. Then it was a few more classroom fish and a tank that a science teacher rewarded him with in sixth grade. By graduation, he had 60 tanks and had worked at four aquarium shops. Now, at age 46, Eric Bodrock and his girlfriend maintain 100 aquariums in their Pleasant Hills home.

This is a common pattern for aquarium aficionados. When a simple fishbowl isn't enough, there's always a bigger tank to fill. Large aquariums, ranging from 30 to 200 gallons, require some planning to set up, but after they're stabilized, the colorful displays beg homeowners to sit back and relax.

"It's not work; it's a hobby. It's like asking a photographer how much time they waste taking pictures," says Bodrock, who owned All Oddball Aquatics in Baldwin for six years. He sold it in May, but still works in the aquatics business online and collects vintage aquarium products while he catches up with his "Honey Do" list.

Owning a large home aquarium is actually less of a chore than taking care of a small tank. "A lot of people say, 'I'll get a smaller one to see how easy it is to care for,' but the smaller it is, the harder it is to maintain," Bodrock says.

Larger volumes of water create a more stable aquarium environment for the fish that is biologically sustainable. "The thing to do is plan it out and let the filters do the work," says Gary Knabe, president of Elmer's Aquarium & Pet Center in Monroeville. He says a packet of biological starter, which contains live bacteria culture, is essential for new tanks to cultivate a healthy aquarium as well.

A tank should be in an area of the home that receives a fair amount of traffic, but that is away from direct sunlight, which can cause green algae growth. Knabe recommends that an initial set includes a tank and cover, a stand, a submergible heater, a light, gravel and a power filter that sits on the floor or on the back of the tank. Elmer's has a complete 29-gallon master kit for $364.55, which is ideal for beginners, but larger aquarium set-ups can cost around $900.

The next step, decorating the tank, is when homeowners can customize their aquariums. Another branch of the hobby has taken off in maintaining live plant aquariums. The decor is what transforms a glass tank into personalized living furniture. "We'll watch it for 20 minutes, and it's empty!" says Bodrock.

Aquarium stores have natural-looking shells, caves, driftwood and flowers, sculptures of treasure chests, skulls and castles, and plastic plants in every color. Because fish try to blend in with their surroundings, neon colors are not the best choice. "What might look good to you isn't necessarily good for the fish," Bodrock says. "You don't want to put fish on fluorescent pink gravel."

Letting the fully operating tank sit for 24 hours before adding any fish allows the system to stabilize biologically to support life. Angel fish, African cichlids, mollies, reflective gouramis and colorful tetras are common beginners' fish. "Stock it over a multi-week period," Knabe says. "Wait two to three days and add some, then wait two or three weeks and add some more."

After it's set up, changing the water faithfully is the most important part of maintaining a tank. Draining and replacing about 25 percent to 50 percent of the water every seven to 10 days keeps fish fresh and removes waste, extra food and a body slime secreted by fish. "In an aquarium, they're living in all that; it can't get washed away," Bodrock says.

Fish need to be fed one to three times daily, but overfeeding is one of the most common mistakes in aquarium care. They should be given what they can eat in a 30-second time period. Fish should eat a variety of food, not just the staple flakes. Although the flakes include many nutrients, fish need things like water fleas, mosquito larva or vegetable flakes to stay healthy. "A basic flake to a fish is like a pepperoni pizza to you," Bodrock says. "It has something from all of the food groups, but you need more than that to be healthy."

Spending time each day observing the fish's behavior isn't just good for them, it's good for their owners. The bubbling of the filter and the calm movement have been shown to help people relax. Watching fish school, breed and live is an educational biology lesson that's more exciting than a textbook.

"It's soothing; people compare it to meditation. After a stressful day, you come home and you check out your fish," says Steve Okabayashi, president of the Greater Pittsburgh Aquarium Society. "People can have the most simplest of tanks, but you have rocks, you have plants, you have water movement, and the fish have color."

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