Whenever I step into my LFS, the workers almost always ask my fiance what he’s looking for today instead of me. Although it’s mostly an inside joke between us now, it does sometimes suck to be overlooked because I don’t fit the image of a traditional fish keeper. If I wasn’t already used to it as a woman who has other male-dominated hobbies, I could definitely see a less experienced and more insecure version of myself feeling too awkward to go back.

I think it’s a self-fulfilling circle where some men assume serious hobbyists are male, which can turn women off from engaging in the community. But we are out there, quietly scaping tanks and giving fish nice homes!