My husband, a confirmed fish hobbyist, is taking off to go to an aquarium store six towns away that has just received a shipment of the rarest collection of aquatic animals of all. So I tag along, without his enthusiasm, but with the hope of finding something interesting to look at. And did I ever! Here is the shop’s prize tank. It was assembled for the customers in the hope that they will be unable to resist setting up a tank of their own.
As I wander through the aisles I see some amazing varieties of fish: it’s like being on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Or in the public aquarium in Monterey, California. I saw a school of yellow tangs breezing by in all their colorful glory.
The Amazon River Ray that I’ve heard so much about was given its own tank:
Then a regal Conspiculatum Angelfish from Australia swam by calmly, observing everything in it’s kingdom. This fish so very rare! 
The funniest water creature I saw is the cowfish. He wears his skeleton on the outside of his body instead of the inside, where his tankmates wear their’s. This display tells it’s own story of nature’s own underwater kingdom.
Another oddball creature is the Boxfish, who can inflate his body into a spiky balloon to keep his enemies from devouring him for dinner.
The venture to the aquarium was like scuba diving in a sea of beauty.
FISH AHOY!
18
01
16
MorristownMemos 
Comments on: "FISH AHOY!" (38)
Nice story, a bit fishy though. I know, bad pun. Good writing though.
Nice comment; appreciate your time to write it!
The aquarium is very colorful and beautiful.. 💙
Thank you, Cheche; they are the highlight of our home!
Wow 😮 its very very beautiful
Great photos! They brought back memories of when I lived on the eastern seaboard and did a lot of skin and scuba diving. All of the magnificent colors and shapes and sizes!
Yes: I’m always surprised by the concoctions of colors that exist in nature: just like the lichens.
BYW those photos were taken with my iPhone camera.
The colors take my breath away- great for a dreary, rainy, grey day. Thank you, Ronnie
Such amazing and marvelous fish. Soothing too. xx
Cool photos. You can’t pass up the chance of going to an aquarium🙂
No you can’t.There’s always something new to see; especially if you aren’t planning a trip to the Great Barrier Reef!
Wow!! 😀 Ronnie, I bet you were happy you tagged along! The photos are stunning and their prize tank is amazing. The colours of the fish are glorious and I thoroughly enjoyed your post and diving into the sea of beauty. 😀
Thanks, Annika. Yes, I was glad I went; the store had so many beautiful varieties that I’d never seen before. I have new admiration for Mother Nature and the endless colors and patterns she devises!
How cool! Do you actually buy anything? I wanna be a boxfish. Just inflate and move on…bye haters poof!
That is so fun! I love all the gorgeous colors😍
I think clothing designers get some ideas from nature! They do have amazing colors and patterns.
What a beautiful aquatic adventure. When I go to the zoo, the aquarium is one of my favorite places. I could look at it for hours it seems. I’m always amazed by their beautiful colors.
Sometimes I think that dress designers should look at the colors and combinations of designs on those creatures. Then I think “maybe they do!”
thanks for bringing us the staggering beauty of these exotic creatures, your photography brings us directly in Awe of a world of the supreme aquatic hobbyist along with deep respect for the person who manages the delicate nuisances of their care. Winter is never bleak in a home which features such rarities.
Jack Or Lynn jnlmurphy@aol.com
What a lovely comment, Lynn. Harvey, the person who manages the delicate nuances of their care, thanks you for the recognition. If only the pumps, heaters and filters didn’t constantly break down, the fish tanks would be a much more enjoyable hobby. But I admit that they are spectacular to watch!
The variety on display is quite appealing. I, too, am a lover and keen watcher of aquatic life. I have always wanted to have one of these.
It takes a lot of time to care for these tanks. Maybe you should wait until you are retired and have lots of spare time, and are looking for ways to spend it.
That’s true–I don’t want those lovely creatures suffering as a result of my absence or long periods of not being at home. Also, I’ve noticed that not too many people have those around here. Perhaps the cost
A beautiful aquarium you have Ronnie.. and I kept one for around 18 years. Last year however I gave mine up.. After my oldest fish gave up the ghost.. We had not added to the aquarium for several years, allow nature its natural function..
They are wonderful to watch and a great hobby if you are dedicated to keeping the tank tip top.. Which for a good aquariums health is a must.. And not for the faint hearted..
🙂
I couldn’t agree with you more, Sue. My husband, not me, is the hobbyist. I just enjoy the view when things are going well. When disasters happen, which is far too often, I wonder why he tortures himself bu maintaining this hobby…
Yes, keeping the water correct etc.. treating diseases..
But I did enjoy one time opening a nursery when my guppies that I had at the time gave live birth 🙂 gathering them up so other fish wouldn’t eat them. But we decided to wind down before it just got too much. 🙂 xxx
Absolutely great photos and beautifully captured, they are the sort of pictures that could get one heavily into taking up that hobby.
Thanks for the compliment. But before you consider becoming a hobbyist, please realize that it takes many hours of every day to keep a tank looking like the one in the picture. Salt water tanks are a huge commitment of time and patience. In my opinion it is better to admire from afar!
Reminds me of my youth. My dad put a hole in the wall of the living room and inserted a tank, we watched fish TV for years. Great pictures!
How funny: fish TV. Even after all those years of watching their antics, I see that you were not tempted to try the hobby yourself!
These photos were taken with your iPhone? Wow – I never think to use mine. In fact, I’ve never used mine … and I should!!
Great photos. I don’t know anything about fish, but I do love angelfish. Which reminds me that it’s been a long time since I’ve visited the aquarium. Perhaps it’s time for a revisit 🙂
So? What did your husband buy?
People pay good money to see public aquariums, and some stores selling fish have more interesting displays.
That’s something I would never have thought to do!
He has both salt water and fresh water tanks, and the fresh water tanks needed some plants. So he bought aquarium plants, but didn’t need more fish that day. It was worth going to see those creatures even without buying anything.
Beautiful! I love aquariums- and since I don’t scuba dive and barely snorkel, it does feel like an underwater adventure. Where did you go?
We went to Absolutely Fish in Clifton, NJ to see these aquariums. Your grands would love it!
Fabulous Fotos! You have captured an underwater world of wonder.
Thanks, Dor; I used my trusty smartphone’s camera (Apple 6), to take all the pictures. We were delighted with the results.