What Made You Want A Freshwater Aquarium?

[Jana in Seattle]

It has been really nice to read everyone's stories about how they got started with their various tanks... I got that ubiquitous 10 gallon as a kid- but had so much trouble keeping it clean ( not realizing that I could have used a much bigger filter!) that I eventually gave up. But growing up landlocked ( in Wyoming) I was captivated by swimming things! I loved the exciting colors of the saltwater fish and the simple beauty of the freshwaters. I adored goldfish and kept several (easy) betas over the years for my kids. I inherited my most current tanks (10 gals) keeping one for myself and giving one to may daughter. We both have been doing some research and both tanks are up, and running and virtually self supportive, the way I always thought it should be! Currently I am wondering if I am starving my singapore shrimp, because they are eating my plants. So I happened upon your site, which I am loving by the way...
Jana

[Suprised]

My girlfriend wanted a goldfish. I went with her but had little or no interest in fish but nonetheless came home with a little 10 [acronym:cf77ed7b8e="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:cf77ed7b8e] (fresh) cuz i had the $. 6 tanks and thousands of dollars later i think i might have a problem. I later started saltwater which is 100x more addictive. Ive had amazing luck. I am not at all the type of person you would expect to have fish and none of you can understand how much i mean that. I take great care of them and have lost only 2 fish to problems beyond my control (damsel beat to death by clownfish) I've got 3 more tanks thatll be up in the next few weeks.

[acronym:cf77ed7b8e="For your info"]FYI[/acronym:cf77ed7b8e]- my girls goldfish died the very next day.

[melissfish]

Hi my names Melissa and im an Aussie. I kept goldfish as a child and now im grown up i kept them for my children (we had a goldfish that lived for 8 years) he died a year ago so i bought 10 baby yabbies which are thriving and growing at quite a fast rate,. Also i still keep some small mollys for food in the yabby tank and they love munching the snails which are breeding like nothing else. After watching Finding Nemo, we toyed with the idea of setting up a marine tank, Now im there and i have two Clarkii clownfish in a [acronym:f774e2c800="Fish only"]FO[/acronym:f774e2c800] tank, im sure one day soon i will upgrade and get my first reef tank. I am developing an addiction to fish and all things fishy!!!!

[Menagerie]

Hello!
I grew up on Long Island (New York) where my stepfather kept many fish tanks (angelfish, fancy goldfish, pacus, tetras...) throughout the house. I met my fiancé while attending the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. He had a 29G cichlid tank. After listening to many fish stories (cichlids are cruel fish!), I wanted nothing to do with his mean fish.
Things changed at a pet store where I found baby assorted cichlids 2 years ago. We bought three--I was so excited! (Unfortunately the last of them died this evening—will be posting about that soon.) Although I was happy to watch the young fish grow, I had no part in caring for them. The following Valentine’s day, I bought a 20G tank for my fiancé, while he was away on a fishing trip. I did all the research on-line and figured out which fish under 2 inches long (my requirement—I like small animals) would get along together. I still have the majority of them with me in Calgary. We are looking forward to starting a brackish tank soon.

[MelindaReichert]

When I was 10 years old I had a big decision to make one Christmas!
Well, let me start from the beginning! I had been pestering my parents for years
to be able to start collecting items for a miniature "doll house" .
At the time, 1979, miniature houses were all the rage. You know the kind where you build the replica house and then buy little tiny furniture to go inside? I was sure that was the coolest thing ever! (I would soon find out I WAS WRONG!)

Well, in the summer of that year the family took a great trip to California! Did San Francisco, did the drive on Route 1 down by the ocean, did Alkatraz, balh blah, other cool stuff and ended up in San Diego! My one request for that trip was that we go to "Sea World"! Little did I know it would change my life forever! It was overwhelming all the beautiful facilities and aquaria they had showcased. Growing up near Galveston, Texas I had gone to the then operating "Sea Arama" but it was like a goldfish bowl compared to the splendor of "Sea World - San Diego"! WOW!

I was then a pre-teen possessed! What miniature house??? I begged and pleaded for an aquarium! I did extra chores. I actually cleaned my room (which is still unprecedented to this day!) You name it, I did it to try and convince my parents that I was responsible enough to truly take care of an aquarium. Sure We had the typical "carnival comets" in a bowl but nothing larger than that! My mom was NOT going to do the work on this one! I had to show her that it was for real! Little did she know it would prove to be one of the defining choices in my life.

I proved I was going to be responsible and on Christmas morning I was rewarded the prize of all prizes for 1979! Santa had delivered a 20 gallon high with undergravel filter, heater, and iron stand. Hallelujah! My prayers had been answered!

I still have that tank today, although the under gravel has been replaced by a Emperor 170 and the iron stand has been replaced by an oak cabinet. Since that fateful Christmas I have had that 20 [acronym:b5031637f6="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:b5031637f6] running (although not constantly) housed at my sisters while at college - a 10 gallon in the dorm - then added a power head driven 45 gallon during college after moving to an apartment. Loved looking at fish so much that I took Scuba Diving as my PE at Southwest Texas University in San Marcos, TX - (now Texas State University)

Met my hubby in college and we were married in 1993. I know it is a match made in heaven because for my wedding present from him he suprised me by moving my 45 gallon tank to the bedroom from it's place in the living room and replaced it with a 200 gallon tank with wet/dry filter system (running salt at the time). 10 years later after having moved it to the Texas Hill Country and fighting the well water minerals, I now have that tank set up Fresh housing Cichlids (look at my picture in the tank section of the site)

Our oldest son, now only 7, is lucky to have a mom who allowed him to earn a tank for his room, a 29 gallon Eclipse 3. Knowing full-well I would be the one dong the major part of the tank's care, he is very good at feeding the proper amount and checking the temp. everyday. As good reports come from school he earns additional fish, those goofy air-activated bubble ornaments, and cool new rocks, plants, etc. It has been a great incentive and motivation for him at school! It also great at night for the soothing sound of water and watching the fish as he goes off to sleep.

With the addition of my tiny kitchen Eclipse 3 tank with 5 neons in the kitchen, my pond comets wintering in the dorm 10 gallon in the laundry room, and our youngest son's Beta who is also in the kitchen, you could say that we are definitely FISH RICH!!!

[Christmasfish]

I have always liked fish. I find them amusing and soothing. My grandfather was a breeder of Siamese fighting fish, some gourami and specilaty goldfish. He showed them. He had some AWESOME marine setups of gallons I cannot guess. He was a machinist, areonautical safety engineer and a master metal worker. All his tanks he designed and made custom. One was taller than me and even had an octopus! I always wanted one since!
As a child helping him take care of all these creatures (he only had me handle the freshwater fish end), I saw them as very needy and delicate in ways. Specially the weird varieties of goldfish. I swore that I'd never get fish until I was settled. Well after moving out of my parents military household, I joined the Army. Then my fiancee did.
15 years later I was only letting myself browse and dream. I got my children a couple ratty Bettas from petsmart to "save them". They returned in spades and decided "mom needs fish, she likes fish!"
Then some fish had babies, and friends are giving me their problem fishies, and..Auuugh! My day room looks like a fish store!

[jeni_shirlaw]

I guess cos i live a couple hours away from some wicked coral reefs off the coast of malaysia, so i could just visit them instead of cramming some of the natural environment into a tank :P

[krap101]

what made me want em was just being a spoiled lil kid and cry when i dun get sumtin that i wanted and i wanted fish cuz lil kids want everything so i got my 5 gallon fish starter set and sum sharks and a pleco then my fish started 2 die 1 by 1 until i had nun left and like i thought they were like hiding wahhhhhh i miss sharky and finns and tails!!! wahhhhh

[ChileRelleno]

At various times growing up my family had aquariums and when my wife wanted to get one I quickly agreed and she purchased our first tank, a 35 gal hex. Later when she was having fun with that one she exspressed a interest in a larger tank, being that I had recently shelled out over $4,000 on new custom skydiving gear I couldn't say no now could I?
MTS had set in!

Edited to add: My wife has set me straight...
First tank she got was 5.5 gal which she overstocked with messy fastgrowing goldfish which led to the 35 gal.
Typical male memory I guess...

[pcbarr]

oops