What Made You Want A Freshwater Aquarium?

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Unfortunately I don't have an interesting testimonial like so many of you have. I'm just a water freak, love the ocean and water in general. Having an aquarium has always relaxed me, sometimes watching fish is all I need to put the stress of the day behind me! Clown loaches always make me laugh, too. They just seem to have so much personality.
 
Unfortunately I don't have an interesting testimonial like so many of you have. I'm just a water freak, love the ocean and water in general. Having an aquarium has always relaxed me, sometimes watching fish is all I need to put the stress of the day behind me! Clown loaches always make me laugh, too. They just seem to have so much personality.
Haha, I love Clown Loaches too!! Unfortunately I could never get the massive sized tank they need, so I've never been able to get them. I love them though, they're awesome :) What size tank do you have?
 
I only have a 32ish gallon tank, but I had to donate my loaches today because I'm moving next week. Is that too small a tank for loaches? The folks at the fish place didn't think it was an issue?
 
Oh, um, yeah I'd say that's pretty small.
Clown Loaches can reach a maximum length of 16 inches!!!
On top of that, they prefer groups of 4-5.
So... 4-5 16 inch fish.. that's gonna require a huge. tank.
 
Aww man, now that bums me out. My plan was to set up the aquarium with a couple loaches all over again at my next place, but I don't want them to be uncomfortable. :( Looks like I'll have to explore other options.
 
aw, yeah sorry to bring bad news.
but yeah, like you, i would love to set up a tank w/ them but it's just not really possible unless you plan on upgrading later.
clown loaches grow slowly, so you could always just plan on upgrading later, but yeah unless you can get a biiiig tank in the future, theyre kinda out of the question.
sorry.
 
No apology needed, I'm glad you told me! I guess I should've known better than to just take the pet store's word for it. I think I'll stick around these forums when I have questions from now on.
 
My girlfriend's sister went on vacation, so we ended up watching her Goldfish for an extended period of time. Eventually we decided to get him a zebra danio as a friend. Then we decided we needed a pleco to help clean the tank. Then we decided the tank was too small, so we upgraded. Then we thought it was too much for so few fish, so the next thing we knew, we had a whole tank of mollies.
We'd inadvertently gotten one that was pregnant, and soon enough, there's dozens of little baby mollies cruising around, so we had to prepare for something we weren't even expecting.

And now, here I am a whole year later, completely addicted to this hobby, but still quite green. I'm glad I found this website, it's already been a huge help, and I look forward to everything this place has to offer!
 
how i became a aquarist

weel it all started when i had a sleep over at the georgea aquarium. (i am a canadian) i said to my self one day i will own one of these. so when i got home, my moms friend was giving her sons 10 gal fish tank away. i said sure i will take it. so i started geting it ready as soon as i filled it up with water the glass cracked. but it did not explode. but i was not going to give up that easy. so i went onto craigslist and i bought a freshwater 20 gal. i had runnig for about 1-2 years. the fish started to get to big for the tank so i bought a 30 gal, and got more fish and they grew bigger. so one and so o i keeped collecting aquariums now i am 15 and i am working on a fish room that includs 2x20g 2x30g 1x50g hex 1x50g and 1x180gallon cichlid tank.
 
I won a goldfish in one of those ping pong games at a fair when I was probably about seven. We kept it in a small bold for a month or so until my mom found a little hex tank at a yard sale for it. I enjoyed it and took care of it but for whatever reason, it died after a couple years. Then I got a betta that lived for 4 years in the same tank. One year for xmas, they got me a 20g starter kit that I filled with fish like guppies, cories and tetras. Since then, I have worked up to a 20 long with a pane of glass about halfway as tall as the tank in the middle. Half is water with a betta and half has sand with an Anole. I have a 10g with an African Clawed frog, a 5g with a betta and a 40 breeder with a Jack Dempsey. Still have that old 20 too and it is doing great. I just got a job and can't wait to get a ridiculously big tank like a 250 or 500 someday. Just like many of you, I am totally addicted.
 
I became interested in fish because my parents wouldn't let me have a dog, cat, hamster, bird, or rabbit. :) I got a 10 gallon for Christmas when I was 10 and got platy, and just treated myself (I'm only 14) to a 20gallon long with the origional platy and more newer fish. I'm hoping to breed discus one day...they are so beautiful.
 
As far as I remember, my Dad always had fish. I mean HUGE saltwater tanks. I would sit on the floor while my Dad was cleaning his tanks, and he would tell me the different types of fish, shrimps, corals, ect. He would also explan to me how the sump works, and what every thing was for basicaly. I would also help him mix salt( that was so fun to me). Then when I was about ten years old I asked my Dad if I could have a fish tank. He was so happy, and the nexted day he made sure I had one. It was a simple 30 gallon fish tank with angel fish, and ghost shrimp. I loved it. Today, nine years later, he still has his love for saltwater, and I for my freshwater. It is funny because we share each tank. like some times I will find that my filter has already been cleaned out, I will feed his fish. Just little things like that. I am glad that my Dad and me share the same hobby. My mom found me one time looking at my fish, and she said to me "Your just like your father, always staring at your fish." I couldn't but help to smile! :)
 
Since I was a young girl I always had a fish tank. I just find watching fish is better than watching television. I hadn't had a tank for over 24 years and I decided since I'm getting older, I'd rather be a crazy fish lady then be known as the crazy cat lady. Plus, fish don't cry, whine, complain, meow, bark or chirp. I like my quiet and watching them aids in my relaxation.
 
I started maybe when i was 13 years old with betta's I had my first one about three years and he lived for about 3 years in an unheated tank (when i didn't know much about them) after he died I didn't get another one. Now a few years later I decided i wanted to get another one and i did...but this time i bought a 5.5gallon kit for him and he stayed peacefully until i decided to add tetra's and mystery snails. mean while i was growing more and more interested in having larger tank...so i bought a second 15g tank which is housing 4 black tetra's 2 albino cody cats, 3 small alegae eaters(can't remember the name of them) they are less then an inch long) and 1 angel fish which has a another angel tankmate that i added before christams (but i'm going to return the other angel and get six smaller angels (hoping for a mating pair)

after christmas I ended up buying a 55g tank kit for 169.99 at bigal's I thought it was a good deal. So the 55g is in the process of getting a stand that is being made in the basement at this moment.
 
I started when I was 15, my grandma had an angel fish tank that i would always take care of. When we moved out of state by dad decided tom get me a 10 gallon starter kit and made it a family tank. About a year after I treated myself to my own 14 gallon. About a month after that I sold the 14 gallon and got a 50 gallon. The next week my dad upgraded our family tank to a 60 gallon. To say the least, I'm hooked (I also got my dad hooked along the way).
 
i got interested in fresh water fish a long time ago when i would watch my brother clean his fish tanks and feed them and and with me always looking up to him i feel in love with fish and i have had a lot of fish tanks with small plain fish and then last week i got the chance to buy a Oscar in a 55gal tank he is so cool and i fell in love with him and now i spend a lot of time cleaning and watching him just swim around
 
After my first year of marriage, my wife and I bought a small 10 gallon setup, undergravel system with a couple of angels, a pleco, swordtail, and a kissing fish. It was a good time in my life in general, and I remember transporting that tank from Colorado to Maryland on a battery powered aerator with the tank half full of water in the back of the car... bringing it into the hotel rooms at night over the three day trip.

We both enjoyed them, but they were (unfortunately) killed by a little boy who turned up the heater when no one was looking.

Over twenty years later, and times aren't so great. I guess I am trying to recapture some of the flavor of those good years, but I guess I am on my own with them this time. Now, they are just viewed as just one more waste of time and money.

But they are fun to watch, to learn about again, and offer a measure of peace when watching them (when the tank is happy, and I am not)
 
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