Johnson18
New Member
Hi all! My name is John. I live in Tucson, AZ. Got introduced the hobby as a kid in the early 90s by my parents who had been in and out of the hobby for many years and had run a few early Pier 1 Imports stores that had fish sections(basically a fish store inside the retail location.) I had my first case of MTS by the time I was 10. 
Stepped away from the hobby for a while after high school. Set up my first planted tank in 2011 and haven't had less than two or three tanks since. I've always had an interest in plants but planted tanks really kicked off an obsession. Ended up going back to school a few years later and majoring in plant sciences.
Been keeping emersed Cryptocorynes and other aquatic/semi-aquatic aroids almost as long as planted tanks. My collection is pretty limited these days but I still keep a 40b of emersed plants.
Currently I have only four tanks running, with a fifth in the works. This is down from around 30 in 2018/2019. Had an injury in 2020 that made existing back problems worse, leaving me unable to handle the maintenance of so many tanks. I've been downsizing and slowly redoing tanks to get a few I can easily maintain for now.
I've been lucky enough to have an awesome local aquarium club in town, the Desert Aquarist Society, and a couple others active in Phoenix. It really took the community I loved about the forums to a new level. Many of the people I've met through the hobby at the club level(some who I was talking to on forums before I even moved here) have become close friends. Didn't take much convincing after the first year to get me to volunteer for the board. It has made me a huge supporter of local clubs. If you have one near you, please go check it out! If not, have you considered starting one? I'm certainly no expert but feel free to reach out with any questions you may have on the topic.
If you're interested I can also be found on IG @ johnsplantedaquariums lol
A couple old aquarium pics
Stepped away from the hobby for a while after high school. Set up my first planted tank in 2011 and haven't had less than two or three tanks since. I've always had an interest in plants but planted tanks really kicked off an obsession. Ended up going back to school a few years later and majoring in plant sciences.Been keeping emersed Cryptocorynes and other aquatic/semi-aquatic aroids almost as long as planted tanks. My collection is pretty limited these days but I still keep a 40b of emersed plants.
Currently I have only four tanks running, with a fifth in the works. This is down from around 30 in 2018/2019. Had an injury in 2020 that made existing back problems worse, leaving me unable to handle the maintenance of so many tanks. I've been downsizing and slowly redoing tanks to get a few I can easily maintain for now.
I've been lucky enough to have an awesome local aquarium club in town, the Desert Aquarist Society, and a couple others active in Phoenix. It really took the community I loved about the forums to a new level. Many of the people I've met through the hobby at the club level(some who I was talking to on forums before I even moved here) have become close friends. Didn't take much convincing after the first year to get me to volunteer for the board. It has made me a huge supporter of local clubs. If you have one near you, please go check it out! If not, have you considered starting one? I'm certainly no expert but feel free to reach out with any questions you may have on the topic.
If you're interested I can also be found on IG @ johnsplantedaquariums lol
A couple old aquarium pics
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