A Moseley man has transformed his back garden into a tropical fish paradise over nearly two decades, creating a fully-fledged aquatic shop that doubles as a community education hub.
Tee, who has been fascinated by fish all his life, started 18 years ago with a small tank. That initial setup quickly expanded into a larger enclosure in his shed, then moved to his garage, and eventually outgrew every indoor space he had.
From shed to full aquatic shop
Today, Tee's back garden houses a complete aquatic shop called Tee's Reefs Aquatics. The expansion happened gradually, as Tee explained: "From a little shed in the garden, then in the garage for two years, then this half of the shop, five years, then the rest of this, about six or seven years."
The turning point came when Tee was made redundant from an automobile job. He invested his entire £8,000 redundancy pay into buying fish and equipment. "I've been spending, spending, spending," he said. "I don't save, I just spend. I hardly go on holidays, I hardly do anything. I just like going to warehouses and picking up unusual, nice stock."
Free education for children
Beyond selling fish and related items, Tee opens his garden to children for free visits. He hopes these visits teach young people proper fish care. He also collaborates with local schools and mosques to educate children about marine life.
"I let children come in here for free. It's good to learn," Tee said. "I get all sorts coming here. It's just nice and relaxing."
The shop provides particular benefits for children with autism. "When the autistic kids come here, they've got some Lego and toys. They just relax here. I've got a big garden and let them go on the trampoline and the swings. It keeps the kids off the street as well and it's relaxing for them."
Community support network
Tee actively shares his fish expertise on social media and has helped numerous people with fish-related problems. In one instance, he replaced several fish for free after a boy woke up to find all the fish in his tank dead.
He also takes "emergency" calls from other fish owners struggling to care for exotic pets, offering practical advice and support. His garden shop has become a local resource for both experienced aquarists and newcomers to the hobby.
