Yay! THank you to everyone who read and voted for my post, I am thrilled.
This gift card comes at a terrific time, and I'm going to use part of it on my hobby right away. I need good gravel.
I have since shared that "closet scientist" story (in simplified version, of course) with others. The part about having a low bar for success sometimes draws a smile; in truth the only other thing on the planet that has such casual criterion for success is gardening, I believe.
Maybe this is also true for you: often when I tell people about being an aquarist I get the response, "Oh! I used to have fish..." and then the listener volunteers something about their childhood tank, sometimes even with named fish. Love it.
Continually having a blast with a fish tank over here... Best wishes for a happy holiday season for everyone.