It is interesting but sad knowing that a number of older aquarists will leave the hobby. (A number of recent retirees are rediscovering it too.) It reminds me of the 1970s vis-a-vis the hobby.

The next few years will see quite a turnover as various graybeards get out of keeping fish. There will be room for a younger generation and for those building a fishroom, there will indeed be tanks available via the club and specialty scene and want ads in those little advertising papers cluttering up front porches.

And let's face it, aquariums are a lot less expensive than they used to be. A 10-gallon tank today can be had for $10 or less. Even the heavy-duty ones are $10. In 1960 a metal-framed 10 was $10. BUT gasoline was 30 cents a gallon!

And in the 1930s (before airfreight) when 1/4 of Americans were out of work and another 1/4 were underemployed (half time at best) a pair of angelfish might cost a working person a month's salary (if they were working.) A pair of killifish cost a baker a couple weeks' pay. No wonder basement fish breeders could make money, if they could get a couple of aquariums or tubs or the old (and then sealed) refrigerator liners together!

Methemom has noted here that just in the course of a work day cleaning recently vacated apartments she could run across tanks (and sadly, animals) which had been abandoned or left by the curb. She has made several runs to the local humane society. (Hurray! for her though.)

A friend of ours in the western suburbs called up and wondered what to do with a plecostomus which their son, while walking home from high school, had found on top of a neighbor's garbage - OUT of any water! They plunked it in a garage (empty) tank with a quick water treatment. That was over a year ago and it is still going strong!

Driving back after dropping the schnoodle off at the groomer's a little over a month ago, I passed a couple of good sized fish tanks by the road and doubled back. The guy who lived there was nearby and so I politely asked him about them. He said that they were left in the garage when they moved in and the couple were (finally) making space. He noted that the 20-long was a leaker and bashed in a side. I don't need another leaker. (If I find a reptile keeper, I could make him very happy cleaning out my mothballed tank collection.)

There was a 30(?) gallon acrylic marine set-up and stand. Somehow I was able to grab it (gravel, rocks and all - gee the acrylic is lighter) and toss it in the back seat on some newspaper. The wooden stand, which could use some re-finishing, just fit in a Stratus trunk. The very nasty gravel  (coral rubble) was tossed when I got home. The whole thing will have to be somehow mothballed and refurbished next spring for our daughter.

I attended the first Killie Day of a new killifish  group in the Kalamazoo area last Saturday. It featured box sales (fish, plants and cultures from a person's fish box), a small auction, lunch and dinner (bring food and they will come and palaver) and three excellent seminars, which all became floating round-table discussions from time to time. There were also raffles for fish, neret snails, manufacturer samples and other fishy stuff. Now where to I put the algae-eating snails and store the fish food?

Still saw the usual gray beards and 40 to 50-year olds. But there was a really bright 18-year old, a voraciously curious 20-something I evidently have been corresponding with via the AKA Beginner's Forums & was delighted to meet and a couple of other new faces. One of the workshops included some very innovative fishroom ideas. It was presented by the quite dynamic president of the Michiana Aquarium Society. He is in his 30s.

In other words, the bright new faces there resemble many of the Guppyloggers, when we can get on the site here. [Though I hope there is always room for G Ma and me. ;) ]