Any one else feel like they need more challenge?

[Deitta]

This may sounds strange and maybe a little wrong... but here it goes.
I feel like I have finally been successful with my display tank. It is a little crowded, but good filtration and large frequent water changes leave me feeling confident. There has been no illness or unexpected deaths (1 neon had neon disease... once he was not schooling we put him down).
My last purchase of fish (11 danos - only paid for 10 ) only lost one fish to cotton mouth. I did the proper QT and now all is peacefull.
All the fish either get along or have agreed to disagree and there is no fighting, lots of motion, color and variety.
I feel really proud at how far I have come in my fish keeping skills.

But now, I feel like there is something missing! For the last year it seems like it has been a constant battle/quandry that I have been able to spend many happy hours doing research and trying to figure things out.

Mostly I want to know, when you have finally obtained some peace with your tank(s), do you feel like you need more challenge?

I am playing around with the idea of adding more live low light plants to the tank. But I like how calm the tank is and don't want to make too many changes for fear of stressing out the fish and going back to ground zero. sigh?

I think this is really why MTS comes up! I have ideas in my head for a chiclid tank, different types of decorating themes... etc. Good thing my husband keeps me in check! When I let him... teehee

 

[grimlock3000]

"Mostly I want to know, when you have finally obtained some peace with your tank(s), do you feel like you need more challenge?"

I got over that eventually, and instead found better ways to enjoy the tanks. All of the research and stuff is fun, but it is also nice to have stable tanks with fish healthily swimming around with each other. I make small changes as I go and check the results. Also I try to get my wife's input, so it will be something I like, and she likes since she looks at the tanks all the time too. When I get a bigger place, I am going to get a third tank, but it will be nothing fancy.

 

[purplestarfish]

I'm still trying to FIND peace in my tank! (Lack of money in "budget" has it treading water . . . *sigh*) (plus it's 55 gallons, so even if I had the money, I would need more than, say, a 30 gallon would to get it to where I want it to be.) But prior to that, I had a successful ten and twenty gallon running at the same time and I itched for more - bigger, badder, etc. So yeah, that's definitely a reason MTS occurs. Also, it's probably a bit of human nature - once we're successful at one thing, gotta find something else to try a hand at. But if you want a challenge with tanks, you can always try something else, like a theme tank (amazon basin, lake malawi cichlid tank) or move into a different field altogethr (brackish water, marine, paludarium). The options are endless. Just see how far your husband will "let" you go and let your creativity loose! (It gets even MORE fun!) So there are challenges abound . . . it's just a question of finding the right one for your time and budget.

 

[flipz]

I suppose if you want a challenge you can just go to walmart and buy any fish and put it in your tank without QT'ing it. That should keep you busy for a while.

-brent

 

[iheartmyfish]

i know that ill have my share of "fun", not truly challenges, but small strifes with the larger and larger tanks i have to purchase for my columbian shark. i swear she grows daily and soon she'll have to be in a minimum of 60gal. id love to get her into at least a 120gal, but being college student, thats not a realistic tank size. only two more years though, and i can promise her a 120gal asap. decorating will be fun! and decorating my green spotted puffer tank will be a lot of fun as soon as i get him into a new tank

 

[Hypostomus]

When I get particularly bored I rearrange my decorations.
That's about once every two weeks.

Poor fish.

If you want more variety, ditch your common aquarium stock and go grab an import of some fish known only by its scientific name that has super-special care requirements not just for breeding but for staying alive. You'll be busy for a while just setting the tank up. =P

You could also try breeding "unbreedable" fish (or fish that are so new they simply haven't been bred) from families that have a record of breeding once people figure out how to get them in the mood.

 

[BrianNY]

Congrats Deitta. I think that accepting challenges increases your enjoyment and seperates the hobbyist from the aquarist. Given lots of thought, there is really no end to the variety of things you can do with "the aquarium". This can be said for any budget and any size tank.

Have fun and be successful.

 

[flipz]

Ohh yea, and not to promote SW because I know how us FW people tend to feel about it (*insert small laughing face here*) but you could always try a mini reef. Just 5 or 10 gallons. That would be a challenge IMO.

-brent

 

[sumphead]

Sorry flips I kindly disagree! (just poking fun) I too know how you freshwater people feel about saltwater. But if you were to get a small reef you would then be eaten by the saltwater bug, fall in love with it, then completely neglect your freshwater friends, and then join the dark side! 8O Kidding of couse, a reef is great fun but be warned. I started with 3 freshwater tanks with a touch of MTS. I am now building my 4th SW tank with only 1 remaining freshy that is on the endangered species list in my house. If you are dead set on staying freshy I recommend a coldwater local species tank. IMO, a long high flow river tank with a couple of beautiful brook trout would be awesome! Then eat em' when they get too big!

 

[oscarbreeder]

I've been thinking about doing a mini reef.
I think that would be a nice challenge.

 

[patryuji]

Then eat em' when they get too big!

mmmm...rainbow trout are tasty with a touch of lemon and a little butter.

 

[Hypostomus]

Sorry flips I kindly disagree! (just poking fun) I too know how you freshwater people feel about saltwater. But if you were to get a small reef you would then be eaten by the saltwater bug, fall in love with it, then completely neglect your freshwater friends, and then join the dark side! 8O Kidding of couse, a reef is great fun but be warned. I started with 3 freshwater tanks with a touch of MTS. I am now building my 4th SW tank with only 1 remaining freshy that is on the endangered species list in my house.

On the other hand, I would like to point out that despite the fact that my 20g reef has been going along swimmingly (couldn't resist) for a few months, I still find setting up and researching freshwater tanks to be far more interesting.

I guess I'm defective. =P

 

[Deitta]

I have no one to unload the current fish to... hubby won't let me start even a new 2.5 gal even if I could find the room in my apartment. (which I am sure I could... what does he need with his car collection anyways, right? kidding!) I am too much of a softy, I have let a bully of an opaline gourami dictate what I put in the display tank. I won't do anything to hasten his (or any of the ones I like) departure, so it looks like a long time until I can get to try any thing very new.

I have been considering a reef tank... I love the shrimp for SW tanks!... But frankly all the extra equipment is intimidating... not to mention the cost! I am handy at DIY, but have no shop... must wait until I have a home... sigh.

But at least I know I am not alone!

 

[Guest]

Have you ever considered a planted FW biotope??? Maybe a SA or African planted tank and fish? It's about one step below a SW tank, and marginally cheaper, as well as, time consuming. It's certainly a good challenge. With great rewards. You can do a lot of DIY in an apartment.

Personally, I wo'nt do anything but biotopes anymore. The research, understanding, peacing together of a biotope is challenging, rewarding, as well as, a great learning experience.

To be able to sit back and enjoy a biosphere living in harmony, truly is rewarding. Not to mention you have an understanding of how everything in the tank depends on one another.

Something to consider.