The fishkeeping hobby should be fun and rewarding. This does not mean that it’s supposed to go smoothly all the time — like everything else, challenges come up. Fish get sick. Tanks have problems that can be difficult to treat or diagnose. Yet we’ve all heard about how fishkeepers get discouraged when things go awry, and they end up selling their fish tanks at garage sales. A lot of fishkeepers get a great deal on a tank this way, but at the same time, it’s disappointing to see people dropping out of the hobby.

So, how can fishkeepers avoid getting so discouraged that they give up? Of course, being a successful fishkeeper involves a lot of things. However, as with all hobbies, there are tips and tricks that are not that complicated and can help make things a lot easier. They may even make the difference between someone continuing or quitting the hobby. Want to know some of these helpful hints? Check out Mary Sweeney’s “The Easy Aquarium” starting on page 32.

In addition, something that can provide scores of helpful information is meeting with fellow fishkeepers to get their advice. One way to do this is through an aquarium club — and that’s not the only benefit to joining a fish club. Turn to page 68, and read all about it in Bethann Bates’ “5 Great Reasons to Join a Fish Club.” Aquarium clubs and societies are for everyone — not just advanced hobbyists — and beginners can actually pick up a lot of useful fish info at club meetings.

Speaking of aquarium gatherings, are you really into marine animals? On May 30 through June 1, The International Marine Aquarium Conference will be held in Chicago at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. At the time of this writing, the speaker list included Bob Fenner, Dr. Ron Shimek (who has an article about featherdusters in this issue on page 78), Anthony Calfo, Tim Hayes and many other knowledgeable aquarists. For more information, visit www.theimac.org.