How did my aquarium experience begin?

About 20 years ago I was very keen on aquariumistics.
I was presented with an External large-capacity aquarium filter.
I just had to visit the market, where various zoo goods, equipment, feed and of course animals, birds and fish were sold. I walked around the rows with goods and fish, I became the owner of an aquarium for 60 liters, a heater for water, soil, plants and two dozen fish of different colors.
I was happy and hurried to carry out my plans - to create a small corner of nature in my house. Having installed the aquarium on the curb, filling the soil and planting the plants, I added the preparation for a quick start, turned on the equipment and released the fish. I was pleased and watched the water world that I had just created with my own hands. In the morning I woke up in a good mood and went immediately to look at my work. Can you imagine my surprise when I did not see a single fish? And only when I lookked narrowly, I saw the eyes of a round monster the size slightly less than a quail egg, in the very corner behind the stone. I understood everything immediately, this monster ate them all !!!

In those days the Internet in Russia was still a rarity, so I had to look for a specialist who could explain everything that happened to my fish. To my disappointment, I learned that many species of aquarium fish, unfortunately (like in nature), can not exist together. There are peaceful fish, there are predatory and there are simply aggressive towards other breeds. The monster that destroyed everyone in my aquarium was called - tetroodon or fish ball. Of course, I did not wait long and just returned him to the pet store. But the main question remained - what should I do with everything else? The desire to master the world of aquarium art became my goal. I got useful literature, went to exhibitions and finally in a couple of months I felt completely ready to launch a new project - an aquarium for 150 liters. Then I decided to buy fish of one species that could live together and please me. The choice fell on the African cichlids of Lake Malawi. They differ in characteristic features: instantly change color, gaining beauty and grace, create an impression of the world of the ocean with its colorful inhabitants in continuous movement and dance. It was a pleasure to watch them. It is a world of color lines interwoven in motion.

Since then, I have had a large number of different fish, mainly the African and South American continents. Today, having more than 20 years of experience, I can tell a lot and advise those who are just starting to practice the aquarium.
Today in one of my aquariums for 300 liters there are 5 large specimens of the African lake Tanganyika - Cyphotilapia Frontosa.