Farmertodd Aquaria - A History

When I was 9 or 10 years old, I was in a cantata at Church, and landed a solo that all the moms thought I would be cute singing (not the one I wanted). A few weeks into rehearsals, I developed inexplainable "voice difficulties". Beside themselves to crack this case, my Mom told me "This is the ONLY time I will EVER do this... What do you want?"

With a brand new 10 gallon aquarium in the near future, my vocal issues dissipated... And the rest is history.

I have pretty much kept everything there is to ethically keep in aquaria. I even had a shop for a year, but found for the most part, the industry is an ugly place for any kind of animal lover. Having purchased an existing business, the scale of my shop was too large (8700 gallons) to do things the way I wanted to do them, where ethical husbandry came first, sale second (It's been said "You belong in education, not retail"). Instead of regrouping in a smaller building, I just closed up shop, and it's my hat off to any shop that's managed to balance ethics with business in this industry (And there are few out there... Find them, and support them!).

Anyway, I started farming coral in my two bedroom apartment (see below in the Marine section) to pay for my hobby while I paid off the shop working as a corporate stiff doing Internet and Intranet programming. From there came the name... Farmertodd.

(The Actual Origin Story of 'Farmertodd')


State of the Farmertodd Art

I have 3 tanks currently, a 100 gallon and two 75 gallons, all with fishes native to North America. The 100 gallon is an Ohio Species theme, one 75 gallon is a Gulf Drainages tank from Florida and Alabama, the other 75 gallon is an Lotic Systems tank from all over the Southeast US. All tanks are heavily planted.

I'm a huge proponent of using deep sand as a substrate... My display tanks run average 4" of substrate, in some 10 gallon quarantine tanks I have about 3". In my planted tanks I stick heavy topsoil and clay under the sand. This provides a lasting substrate for the plants to utilize. I've written an article that was in the American Currents and presented few different places with a Power Point that I'll soon add in html format to this site. For now, you might like to read the article:

System Design for the Ultimate Native Fish Aquarium

Images and Movies from the Native Fish Tanks

Galleries
  • 1/15/08 - 75 Gal SE US and 75 Gal Gulf Drainages
  • 1/25/08 - 100 Gal Ohio and 75 Gal Gulf Drainages
  • 2/25/08 - All the Tanks
  • 4/07/08 - 75 Gal SE US (after chub nest mimic put in) and a couple 75 Gulf
  • 4/15/08 - More Hydrophlox Hysteria
  • 4/19/08 - Okay I lied, THIS was the spawn!

If you've got broadband, I've got some movies for you. I hope you enjoy.

Note: "Right Click, Save As" can make your life a whole lot better with these large movie files.

Tank just before I took it on a horrible journey in 2005. What a horrible year for me and the fish.
     reefle/photos/DSCN0391.MOV (7.5 mb)

This spring, I had a great trip through NC and TN. This is the "Southeast Lotic Systems":
     reefle/May06/DSCN2680.MOV (4.3 mb)
     reefle/May06/DSCN2681.MOV (4.5 mb)

And then over to the 100 gal:
     reefle/May06/DSCN2684.MOV (3.5 mb)

This is the "Gulf Coast Drainages" Tank:
     reefle/75FL/Blacktail_Redhorse.MOV (11.5 mb)

Probably the coolest thing that has ever happened in my freshwater aquaria was a pair of hornyhead chubs getting their gumption on. I never caught them in the act. In this, you'll see a totally scrapped up female. But this is some good overall footage of the tank.
     hornyhead/DSCN6249.MOV (5 mb)
     nanfa/hornyhead/DSCN6251.MOV (6mb)

However, I did catch the male rearranging his nest. I appologize for the dialogue... Sometimes you just have to click "record".
     hornyhead/DSCN6273.MOV (6 mb)
     hornyhead/DSCN6274.MOV (6.6 mb)

And if you'd like to see some more movies, you can skip on over here:
     https://farmertodd.com/nanfa/reefle/100606/


Rainbowfish Aquaria

Rainbowfish are part of a family of fishes that is mostly marine, silver, and well, boring. However, evolution having created some of its best in Australia and Papua New Guinea through the Great Ice Ages of the Pleistocene, we today get to enjoy these goregous fish. They're fiesty, yet completely friendly and gregarious among each other. Large males will flash each other from time to time... This is the peak of rainbowfish aggression, and also I might say, peak enjoyment for the aquarist. I'm currently rainbowfish-less. When I moved them to the metal house, I didn't secure the powerstrip, the cat knocked it free, and they ran without filtration, aeration, anything for 2 days. Having lost 2/3's of the specimens I'd had for years and realizing a grad stipend wasn't the best financial way to restock the tank, I donated the remaining fish to a local education center. I can't wait until the time is right to keep them again!



Chilatherina bleheri
Bleher's Rainbowfish

Glossolepis wanamensis
Emerald Rainbowfish

Glossolepis incisus
Salmon Red Rainbowfish

Melanotaenia splendida inornata
Checkered Rainbowfish

Melanotaenia bosemani
Bosemani Rainbowfish

Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi
Yellow Rainbowfish

Melanotaenia lacustris
Turquoise Rainbowfish

Melanotaenia trifasciata
Regal Rainbowfish

Melanotaenia parkinsoni
Parkinson's Rainbowfish

Melanotaenia praecox
Neon Rainbowfish

Melanotaenia splendida australis
Western Rainbowfish

Botia macracanthus
Clown Loach

Chaetistoma sp.
Bulldog Pleco

Crossocheilus siamensis
Siamese Algae Eater


Marine Aquaria

Welcome to my Marine Aquaria page. I maintained 300 gallons of marine systems for three years, and sadly, had to give it up due to an allergy to the proteins the coral produce. So on September 1, 2002, I loaded everybody up for one last trip and off we went to donate the entire collection to the Cleveland Zoo. This was a very fortunate situation as:

1) I didn't have to send my "babies" off into the marketplace
2) I can visit them when I like and
3) It provides a really nice tax write off.

My suggestion is to contact your accountant if you're going to do the same (tear down).

So anyway, I'm "Reefless in Toledo" now, but the skin on my hands is all back together now, and I can happily enjoy the aquaria that I am keeping. I would like to maintain all the information and photos that were taking during the duration of the reefs. So... On with the show! :)


Ye Olde Picture Index from Marine Aquaria

2001

  • 12/06/01
  • 10/28/01
  • 08/13/01
  • 07/30/01
  • 07/16/01
  • 07/01/01
  • 06/28/01
  • 06/26/01
  • 05/01/01

  • 04/14/01
  • 03/26/01
  • 03/20/01
  • 02/23/01
  • 02/22/01
  • 02/08/01
  • 02/03/01
  • 02/01/01

2000

  • 04/19/00
  • 03/30/00


All images © 2008 farmertodd.com