What Made You Want A Freshwater Aquarium?

[RaptorBro]

When i was little my dad had a 10 gallon tank with 2 goldy's one died ich and the last one which was black but didnt have the popped out eyes jumped out of the tank when taken out side for cleaning (baked fish). its been about 10 years or more and i now have a 2 gallon tank which i might put a baiter or neon tetras and a 10 gal fw setup that currntly have 2 platys but will expand. Probally looking to buy a 55gal saltwater after winter

 

[margarita]

so you don't have to buy salt water all the time it was my reason : )

 

[agp]

My financial instability made me choose FW instead of SW

 

[Secret037]

I worked at a petstore that spurred my interest in fish. I learned about aquarium keeping and the basics and sought out more. I discovered the full depth of keeping aquariums and feel in love. Care for my current boyfriend's sick oscar made me fall in love with cichlids. I helped him get better while I could, but when school started, all the care was placed on my boyfriend and he didn't get it as much as I did. Sadly to say, the oscar died. =( Even then, I still took care of his leftover plecostomus as he pretty much ignored it because it didn't 'need care'.
Nonetheless to say, I love fish and aquariums. I continue to educate myself about them and their inhabitants and intend one day to have an Oscar of my own along with a Jack Demspey. They are my favorite cichlids and I know I have to wait for them, but I'm so up for them. I know the extent of their care and I intend to wait until I can provide all of it for them. I will start them off in the correct size tank etc.
For now I stay small for my circumstances of living and actually have introduced my parents to the hobby.
I'm teaching them and helping them out. As a family, years ago, we used to have fish, but we never knew them like this. And my parents are so into it. It feels so good to open people up to this hobby because it really is an amazing one.

Not everyone likes Oscars but after Sebastian, I can't seem to not love them. Every time I see one I just anticipate the day till I have one. My own babies. =)

 

[maxima423]

betta fish is why i choose FW, i am in love with all kinds of bettas ^_^ too bad the males cant get a long =[

 

[GreySKYS]

I hate seafood

the maintenance of the salt water was nasty , plus this chick i know this b**** is real lazy , she has a hugh tank like 100 gallon but it is boring to look at !!

 

[gagaca]

Pokemon...

Magicarp.... Now gotta catch'em ALL!

 

[maxima423]

pokemon...

Magicarp.... Now gotta catch'em all!

roflllllllll

 

[CandyHouze]

About a year ago I saw a bunch of pearlscale goldfish at Walmart, I had never seen anything like them before!
So I got one, and she lived in a bowl.
Bowl turned into tank, one eventually became 2.
Fast forward to now and I have 5! In a huuuge tank!
Although I wouldn't buy from Walmart again, I have to admit it was Walmart that got me into this.

 

[Etunes]

Personally, i find that ultimately FW has the most interesting fish, but they both have there advantages and disadvantages. If there was only FW coral.

 

[Stickleback]

personally, i find that ultimately fw has the most interesting fish, but they both have there advantages and disadvantages. If there was only fw coral.

+1

 

[libbyb]

I remember that my parents had a fishtank when I was about 4. We moved several times since then and we always took the decorations with us but never got more tanks. Then I forgot about it until I had my daughter. We were at a friend's house and he had an oscar. He fed it while my then 2 year old daughter giggled with glee (she is really morbid) The next day, I bought a 10gal for her with just a couple of tetras (amazingly they didn't die) She lost interest quickly to my advantage. My favorite was a glow light tetra. He moved into a 20gal then into a 55. Since then, I had to give it up and it's been about 8 or 9 years. I'm coming back though. (I've had my addictions, too. Too many to admit. This one is the only one that will help me live a happier, longer, healthier life.)

 

[mandy2936]

I like Freshwater tanks because...

1. The fish are so much less expensive
2. It's a whole lot less complicated and confusing (IMO) than perfecting salt water.
3. Again, with all the live coral, rock, sand, and anemone I find it to be much higher maintenance.

However, the only pro with Saltwater is that the fish are a lot more colorful.

 

[Aquarium1]

However, the only pro with Saltwater is that the fish are a lot more colorful.

That's not the only pro imo.... but I'm going to hold my tongue on this one lol.


Anyway, I chose freshwater because I thought I'd start out easy and work my way up. I hope to have a sw tank someday, but it will have to wait til I can get my own place lol. Also, the freshwater tanks I've had were cheaper than the sw I budgeted there for a while, not to mention, around here IMO freshwater supplies and fish are a lot easier to obtain than saltwater. Then, finally, its the only thing my parental units would let me get :| haha.

 

[mandy2936]

That's not the only pro imo.... but I'm going to hold my tongue on this one lol.

I was saying why I wanted a fw tank. For me that's the only pro in my opinion. i'm wondering what the other ones are..

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

I started up my FW hobby 20 years ago in Jr High with Cichlids because my neighbor bred a few Texas Cichlids. I stuck with it on and off until about 2002 when a tank crashed and I then renovated my condo. Set it back up again last year and since then have started SW maintenance on the side, and I will eventually switch mainly to SW.

For me, the other advantages to SW are:

1. You just cannot beat a full-blown Reef system. There are no live plants or decor that even come close.

2. The fish are not just more colorful, they are more interesting.

3. It's not as hard to learn as most people think.

4. If you do it right, you hardly ever have to do water changes and if you do, it's only 10% every other week.

5. It's not as expensive as you think. You can find tons and tons of inexpensive equipment, live rock, corals, etc on either Craigslist or your local Reef Society website. I recently got about 50-75 lbs LR and 3 fish for $185. Today I'm buying about 8 fish worth $300 for $100.

That's just a few and this is off topic so I'll stop...just thought I'd spur some thought on the subject....

 

[lisaz]

My dad always has tanks and I loved the fish.
I mentioned to my boyfriend that I loved the Bettas and he got me one. (For the entire story see my introduction story.)

 

[aisforangelfish]

I began as a child fascinated with the double tailed fancy goldfish in walmart unfortunately. Didn't figure that I'd end up with a 30 50 and later an 80g fancy tank.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

My brother died last April. I had read in multiple articles that it's a great therapy while going through grieving to have fish. So, I started with a betta and have gotten basically addicted. I really don't know where I would be right now without the help my fish give me.
And I prefer freshwater because it feels so much more hands on. Saltwater I feel like you are standing at a public aquarium. I don't know, that probably sounds wierd.

 

[mandy2936]

My brother died last April. I had read in multiple articles that it's a great therapy while going through grieving to have fish. So, I started with a betta and have gotten basically addicted. I really don't know where I would be right now without the help my fish give me.
And I prefer freshwater because it feels so much more hands on. Saltwater I feel like you are standing at a public aquarium. I don't know, that probably sounds wierd.

Hey, I actually kinda know what you mean about the hands on vs. public thing. I too feel that way sometimes. Good to hear that you were able to get through such a hard time with the help of your fish.