I have always loved aquariums. For most of my life, salt water aquariums were my hobby. Then one day, I came home to find all the coral in my prized tank accidentally killed by someone using cleaning spray. I was devastated after dedicating so much time, energy and resources into caring for that aquarium; so I decided to take a break. Just the coral itself was a loss of more than $10K.
A couple of years later, my dad – who got me into the hobby – bought my son a freshwater 29 gallon tank. Being a young child, my son was unable to fully care for the tank, so it became my responsibility. I was hooked again. I started researching plants and was amazed by how many amazing plants there are! I always believed that fresh water plants were only green. Boy, was I wrong. From the 29 gallon tank, we upgraded to a high-tech 75 gallon one, and I have since continued to increase its size.
A year into this process, shortly after my dad passed, I turned my hobby into a business. My best friend and I started Chi Chi’s Aquatic Dreams.
“Chi Chi” was my dad’s nick name.