It's spring of 2003 in Austin, Texas. An ambitious aquarium hobbyist is contemplating his next career move. Previously managing an iconic Austin fish store and recently moving back home from his New York cichlid import position, a young Carlos Cardenas is ready to make his own mark on the Austin fish scene. It's a risky move, most small companies fail within the first two years. So he asks himself, are you a Mexi-CAN or a Mexi-CAN'T? With a handful of cash and his wits, Carlos opens River City Aquatics in January of 2004, starting the beginnings of a staple in the Austin aquarium scene.
Meanwhile, a spry father of two, by the name of Jake Wand, works the graveyard shift somewhere off I-35 in a semiconductor factory. Beep, boop, the high-tech machines whirl as silicone wafers are being loaded up. The work is easy, the benefits are good. But this lad's mind wanders elsewhere. Fish, reefs, and aquariums occupies his thoughts. The dazzling array of colors, the hunt for the next gem, the satisfaction of an aquascape coming together from conception to completion. No, the lucrative and stable semiconductor industry was not in this lad's future, instability and financial insecurity was his desire.
There laid the foundation for two future friends paths to convene. In 2006, Jake joined Carlos's team at RCA and two years later he was the new proud owner of Austin's third best local fish store!