For his 13th birthday, Jay received a 55-gallon fish tank the size of a bench table. However, he soon grew tired of his nondescript aquarium, so he decided to explore ways of creating a more exciting home for his fish. In his efforts to enhance his tank, he launched an interest in aquascaping.

“I got into [aquascaping] by first just plopping rocks and fish in [the tank],” he said. “I then realized, after looking at this kind of thing in my room every day, that I didn’t really like it. I didn’t think that it looked beautiful; it wasn’t at all what I thought a fish tank was to be like, so from then on it was pretty much trial and error.”

The tank also gave him a welcome opportunity to explore his childhood fascination with fish. As he discovered what specifically he did not like about his fish tank, he experimented with different options for decorations.

“I went online looking to solve problems about my tank and I discovered all these forums about planted aquariums. I discovered there was a niche called aquascaping, which is specifically orienting aquariums with plants to look pretty and to look beautiful,” Jay said.

After experimenting with placing different items in his aquarium, Jay learned about the many nuances of aquascaping.

“You can build a whole ecosystem that looks beautiful, and you can also grow plants. I also find that interesting because whether I’m just adjusting a dosage schedule or trimming the plants, [I] have a piece of nature that I have built myself,” Jay said.

His interest in nature also features in his favorite sport, archery.

“It is a good way to get out in nature and breathe some fresh air and focus on one thing for a long period of time,” he said. “It’s almost a little meditative.”

Jay finds satisfaction in seeing his efforts in practice translate to tangible results.

“If you are shooting competition or even practical use, if you’re hunting or whatever, you want to try and make sure you are accurate not necessarily precise,” he said. “You want me make sure that not just your arrows hit where you want them to hit, they all hit in the same kind of group. My favorite thing is to be able to put in a lot of practice and then see my grouping grow tighter and tighter, and then you can really physically see the practice you are putting in.”