with Lorelle and Brent VanFossen

Live Near Seattle? Love Fish?

Convict Cichlid lays eggs in our aquairum, photograph by Brent VanFossenWhen we left Seattle in 1996 for our full-time adventure of taking our camera on the road, we never expected to be gone for so long, yet, here we are. We sold off most of what we owned, parting company with thousands of books, clothes, and tons of “stuff”. A few precious things were distributed among friends and family for use and storage. Among them was our fish tank.

We have a 75 gallon fresh water fish tank with aggressive and fun African cichlids. It is completely outfitted with a new water pump and is ready to go, and it needs a new home.

That’s right, we’re looking for fish-sitters to babysit our fish and tank.

Fish Tank front view, photograph by LorelleThe aquarium is large but it would line up nicely in an entry way or living space along a wall, or sit in the middle of a room. We’re not picky about where you put it, but it must be a smoke free enviroment and have little direct sunlight on the tank, as that tends to make algae grow faster requiring more frequent cleanings.

You can add fish or not, as long as you think they will survive with other African cichlids which tend to be fairly aggressive, which makes them great fun to watch. They are very active and entertaining. They also have distinctive personalities and are very sociable, especially if you are providing the food.

Another view of our aquariumThe fish remaining in the tank are either new to us or descendents of the original, except for one old and wily plecostomous. This thing, we call him Plecost, is about 14 years old and will grow to the size appropriate to the tank. He is now about 18 inches long and has stayed at that size, maxed out by the tank. He does little but lie or float around, but he’s ugly and we love him. He lasts with little attention but the rest of the fish come and go.

I believe that additional small tanks are also available for other fish or creating a temporary sick tank, along with everything you could possibly need to care for the fish and tank. It sits on a stand which brings the tank to about waist to chest level for easy viewing.

We’re desperate to find a new home, so if you are interested in helping us out for a few more years before we finally come home to Seattle, we’d really appreciate it. Leave a comment below or email us if you are interested. The current fish-sitters live in the Bothell area.

Post a Comment

Your email is kept private. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.