Just wondering if rec.ponds ever does a roll
call every now and then?

I'm a 47 year old divorced male living in Dallas, Texas. I have a BS
in petroleum geology and work in the oil and gas industry. In addition
to a 19 year old daughter and a 14 year old son, I have a Golden
Retriever and 2 cats.

I enjoy travel, fine dining, the arts, the outdoors (mountains,
beaches), movies, sports (hockey, football), and doing things with my
kids. I also enjoy trying new things, as long as they don't put me in
jail or in a hospital....

I started with fish in the early 70s (aquariums). The hobby grew to a
point where I was breeding African Cichlids and Discus for sale to
local aquarium shops. At one point I had over 900 gallons of fresh
water tanks and a 200 gallon reef tank. In 1994 I decided to take a
break from fish and sold everything. A few years ago I was in the
process of landscaping my yard and trying to figure out what to do
with an area I couldn't get grass to grow. After some thought (and
encouragement from a friend), I decided to build an in-ground pond. I
added an above-ground veggie filter the next year. Current capacity
is approximately 2,250 gallons with 9 koi (8'-14") and 4 goldfish.

I've followed this newsgroup for several years and now lurk more than
post. I feel this is the best resource for pond-related info on the
net and appreciate those of you who take the time to answer questions.

Note: I attended the North Texas Water Garden Society Pond Tour this
past weekend and will post photos to my site soon (link below).

Jim
Zone 8a - Dallas, Texas
Pond, Veggie Filter, Pond Maintenance & Pond Tour Pics:
http://community.webshots.com/user/dallas75248