chh@heraldsun.com; 419-6654
CHAPEL HILL -- Todd Freedman is missing basic household items. The candle holders are missing candles. The frames are missing pictures. And the medicine cabinet doesn't have any pills. Instead, they are filled with fish.
Freedman, a transplant from Cheshire, Conn., has filled his apartment with a variety of fish and turtles. Each room has become a "do-it-yourself" aquarium.
"I started off bringing one tank back from Connecticut, and then I got carried away," he said.
Freedman had a fish as a kid growing up but had to let it go once his mother bought new furniture. He began collecting again after he graduated from Dean College in Franklin, Mass.
"When I got my first house, I always dreamed of having a fish tank built in the wall through two rooms," Freedman said. He could see the eyes of people fixed through his windows as they looked in awe at the tank stretching into his den and living room.
Almost seven years later, he has more than 300 tanks in his apartment. Decorative wine glasses and clocks have become mini-aquariums. Freedman has between 15 and 20 different species of marine life. He doesn't give them names.
He said he has a "gadget" side where he can look at an everyday item and transform it into a home for fish. Each tank has lights Freedman put in himself. He said 99 percent of the tanks aren't supposed to hold fish. The tank on his toilet has fish in it.
"It's a good device to keep the seat down so the fish are always on display," he chuckled.
He has lost count of how many fish he has had over the years. Whenever a fish dies, it is replaced within a week. He has three different types of food shared by the fish and turtles. Freedman doesn't own saltwater fish because they need a lot of care and a stable pH level.
"Some will inter-eat, like the turtles will eat what the fish eat," he said. "They haven't complained yet."
Maintenance for Freedman hasn't been a problem as his collection has expanded. It takes him about 20 minutes to clean a wall with at least 40 tanks. His water and electricity bill are about $100 per month.
Also, he collects clocks and antiques. He has a working wooden telephone booth, a 60-year-old soda machine and a slot machine in his living room.
"I don't sell anything," he said. "It's all for me."
Freedman has combined his love for fish and antiques with mannequin legs. He has a pair sitting in the telephone booth and another holding a large wine glass with fish. The father from "A Christmas Story" would be jealous.
"The mannequins are very unusual and will always be because it's something that no one will ever have," he said. "Most houses don't have them."
Freedman gets his antiques and fish tanks from the flea markets in Raleigh and Mebane. He goes there twice a week. Most of his tanks cost one or two dollars.
"It's amazing what you can find at flea markets," he said. "The hardest part is buying something and knowing where to put it."
He has gotten to the stage where he's running out of corners to put fish in. But it hasn't stopped him from buying yet.
