i think i have an obsessive compulsive disorder with tanks..

[mr86mister]

So my family had a party today at my aunts house about an hour away. She has a 20 gallon that is poorly taken care of, so as everyone was outside i took the time and cleaned out the gravel, took an old filter that they hadnt open yet, i later found out that it was in the stand for a few months, put a new one in...cleaned the outside glass and fixed the bubbles and it looks much better.

Then i went to my other aunts house, she has a beautiful 40gal with only one small fish in it that i have never seen before, it has a stand and all...and she wants to give it to me. Well i still live at home, i'm 19 so i'm not tooo young and my mom wont let me have it...lol. So i have to think hard and find a spot in the house where i could put it, because this 40gal would be great and i can move my fish i have now up to a larger one and maybe some dwarf puffers in my ten. Ahhhh..it drives me nuts...lol

I didnt expect this to be so long, tell me some fun stories how you are possibly obsessed with aquariums too. It would be a great forum chat!

 

[Jchillin]

First of all...kudos to you for helping out.

Second, do you really want people with advanced stages of MTS posting here? Well, to think about it, maybe it will be therapeutic for them.

Let's see some stories...

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Lets see. It all started with Finding Nemo. I know, the craze probably killed ALOT of clown fish. But we started with Freshwater. Bought a 10 gal tank and the entire setup from Wal-Mart. Same day bought some orange fish (thought they were tetras). All died that day. Forgot the dechlorinator. Oops.

Finally after keeping fish alive for a month or so we bought a 29 gal tank. Gave James' mom the 10 gal so we only had the 29. That then brought on the blood parrots and bala sharks living together in the 29 gal tank. Well we found a good deal on a 55 gal (we thought it was HUGE) tank so gave the 29 to James' mom and stored the 10 that she had. The bala sharks ultimately died along with the Pictus Cats in the 55 from ich. So then we started buying African Cichlids. Well, that didn't help.

So we bought a 29 gal saltwater setup because it was cheap. Ended up stocking it with eels and baby parrots. Then I got the 10 gal back from storage and set it up with a molly. Then the 5 gal HAD to be bought because I wanted a Betta on my desk. He ultimately got moved to the kitchen because luging water up and down the steps resulted in water changes being done whenever I felt like it. Normally once a month or two.

Then we went to PetsMart to get a Bristlenose pleco and came home with the 150 gal tank. We quickly sold the 55 gal to my brother and rearranged the house, removing the coffee table and pushing the couch about 2 feet from the tv so we could fit it in the house. And of course then came our 4 year Anniversary so James bought me a 55 gal tank. Considered moving the couch out and putting it in storage to setup the tank. Instead we waited until we moved into a bigger house. Then we setup another 10 gal tank for fry. Wow. That's long.

So right now we have a 5 Gal Betta tank, 10 gal Mystery African fry, 10 Gal Tetra, 29 gal Cobalt Fry, 55 gal community (my pride and joy), and a 150 gal African Cichlid tank. Whew. Thats alot. Can't wait to see if Toirtis chimes in to discuss HIS MTS.

 

[Zagz]

It all started out with a betta in a vase, I thought that seemed a bit cruel and cramped, so I bought a 5 gal. Then I wanted more fish, I bought a 29 gal. Then I found AA, and instead of being cured, my addiction got worse! I now have a 125 gal, a 29 gal, a 20 gal, a 15 gal and a 5 gal. There appears to be no cure and the only relief I get is more tanks and more fish. The down side, I need to buy a bigger house!

 

[DeFeKt]

Hi,
My names Matthew, and I am a Cichlidophile.

Unfortunatly, like someone once told me, there is no known cure for MTS,
However a constant dose of AMT(Addition of More Tanks) can sooth the impact somewhat.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

After conferring with many psychiatrists on the subject, we have come to a conclusion. The additional purchase of tanks will only stop the symptoms, but it will not cure the disease. To cure the disease you have a few choices. You can sell all of your tanks, but you may experience withdrawals and ultimately buy more tanks. This will end up in bankruptcy and loss of friends and family. We recommend purchasing a fish store and stocking it with all of the fish you have always wanted. This may not be feasible for most people, especially since it is not covered by your standard Medical Insurance plan. But with hard work and dedication you can beat the disease. You don't want to turn into a fish hoarder. Do it tastefully. Purchasing many LARGE tanks. Preferably at least 300 gal each. Then off you go. You may be considered the fish freak, kind of like the bag lady. But you will at least be happy.....until they find a new specie. When that occurs, buy another tank. It will cease the pain and discomfort. HTH.

 

[Felf]

ppl always run out of space for their tanks because they only have so much floor space so why not make a track system on an entire wall where the space from the ground all the way to the ceiling can be used. every tank will be accessible yet still in plain view. i know i'm being vague and it'd cost a ton but it would be really cool to see.

 

[DeFeKt]

After conferring with many psychiatrists on the subject

I would have spent the psych money on another tank

 

[dieanna]

After conferring with many psychiatrists on the subject

I would have spent the psych money on another tank

Lol, that's funny.

I have 2 tanks running and a third on the way. I found the third one on the side of the road in someones trash. Lol, now I check people's trash as I drive to see if there's any fish stuff. MTS has caused me to trash pick!

 

[greenmaji]

MTS has caused me to trash pick!

IMHO thats not that bad.. depending on the area trash picking can be better then shopping! 8O

This is my take on MTS.. long term goals.. If you have them it makes the desire for more tanks easier to deal with.. say.. you want to have a LFS some time in the future.. that could be the long term goal that keeps your MTS in check..
Tortis might have a take on this considering he went from having a LFS to not having one.. (as evident in his 60+ tanks)

 

[Jchillin]

Unfortunatly, like someone once told me, there is no known cure for MTS, However a constant dose of AMT(Addition of More Tanks) can sooth the impact somewhat.

Actually, I think I've mentioned this more than once. The term MTS was coined several years ago by the noted psychoanalyst, Dr. Ivanna Phishtanque. He had concluded that the affliction starts without warning and no matter what the hobbyists attempts, no cure has been found. That's when he coined the AMT treatment.

As Felf suggested, there exists a conflict in some cases of not having enough available floor space to accomodate several large tanks. If you've considered removing essential living equipment/utilities/furniture (ie: removing all plumbing fixtures from your bathroom), frequent trips to a large aquarium may be in order.

 

[greenmaji]

Ive also found that researching, planning and building equipment for aquaria can help slow down the need for the AMT treatment..

 

[patagonia]

my problem is this...tanks keep coming my way...lol...i started with a little 5gal...then i joined AA...(i wish it would have been the other way around though)...so the little tank wouldnt allow me to have many fish in there so i got a 29gal...2 weeks ago we bought a house...guess what i found in the garage? a 30gal fish tank!!! and last night we went to visit a friend who was re arranging his house for the new baby...and guess what he gave me for free? a 55gal tank with stand lights filter gravel...everything...and...to top it all off when the architect designed our house he included a built in fish tank...(i guess my significant other didnt expect all these extra tanks to come my way)...so keep it coming... its aaaall good...

 

[greenmaji]

yea.. its the free tanks that get me as well.. once people know you as a fish tank person and get tired of there equipment guess who they contact when they want to get rid of the tank!

 

[patagonia]

agree

 

[Fishyfanatic]

You know you are a fishaholic when your friends come over and you turn the tv and any other distractions off and focus on the tanks. Giving a play by play of the "cute" things that your fish have done over the past year. This includes having a food fight, pooping, giving you google faces, and mating. You tend to lose your friends and family because of it. The highlight of friends' visit is feeding time. Watching your fish devour flake and vegs. Boring to others but pure entertainment to you. They no longer ask how YOU are doing, rather How are your FISH doing. You pass up friends' weddings because you want to stay at home and make sure you're new fish adjust well to the new environment. You call in sick beacuse the lfs is getting in a new shipment of fish that you are DIEING to see. The symptoms are endless. Maybe after the cure for alzheimers they will get around to MTS. I could see it now. Hospital walls now being made of fish tanks. oooooooo

 

[greenmaji]

16 hours a day on fourms like this is a definate symptom. 8O

 

[Jchillin]

FF - As I mentioned earlier, Dr. Ivanna Phishtanque has done years of research. Trying to find a cure is futile (something about our genetic history being aquatic...or something like that).

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Interesting JC. We may have evolved from Mermaids. That makes sense. I knew I had a close connection with Ariel. There was something about her that felt like a sisterly bond.

 

[Xzap]

Mine started as a betta in a bowl as a Christmas gift.
I knew ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about fish keeping, but I knew I didn't want that pretty fish in that little bowl.

9 months later I have my betta in a 10 gal planted, a 29 gal planted, a 90 gal planted and a 5 gal empty.

Dave