Rachel O'Leary: The Girl with the Apple Snail Tattoo Talks MicroFish and Inverts
The beauty of the aquarium hobby is that there is a niche for everyone, including those who love tiny tanks. My guest, today, Rachel O’Leary, owner of Misjinkzd, is well-known for her collection of tiny freshwater fish and invertebrates, ideal occupants for now trendy 'nano tanks,' aquaria that, like bonsai trees, can brighten up small spaces. Join us, as we learn more about life on the nano-side from the girl with the apple snail tattoo.
BIO:
Rachel O’Leary of Mount Wolf, Pennsylvania has been in the hobby since childhood but has gotten increasingly active in the past decade. She is currently operating over seventy tanks with interests that range from the micro to monster. She has a special focus on dwarf freshwater invertebrates including snails, shrimp, crayfish, and aquatic crabs as well as all freshwater nano fish. Rachel is currently housing over one hundred different species, all of which are in the nano category. She also has a passion and interest in gar and polypterids and houses several species.
She is currently breeding catfish, many species of shrimp, snails, pseudomugil rainbows, dwarf crayfish, West African dwarf cichlids, discus, ancistrus and hypancistrus plecos, as well as a range of livebearers and egg scatterers. Her tanks range in size from ten gallon to 220 gallon.
Rachel is an active member and on the board of the Capital Cichlid Association, as well as a global moderator on Aquaria Central and a moderator at MonsterFishKeepers. She actively attends conventions and travels to speak at clubs and conventions on her invertebrate and micro fish interests. A big advocate of rallying regional support, Rachel also sponsors many clubs and events around the United States.
She imports from around the globe to redistribute and help share with hobbyists around the country. Rachel is very focused on education and information for her customers, and personally deals with each individual to help them make the best choices for the tank.
A proud mother of two, she actively donates livestock to schools around her area, and the country.
Future projects include a lot more travel to increase awareness of invertebrates and nano fish as well as furthering the growth of her fish room through increased breeding efforts and availability.