Addicted to AquariumAdvice? Tell us your story.

[pipermurphy]

I think this is the best site out there, with my job and hourslately I can only get on once per day (while 1/2 asleep) and there are ~250 posts everytime. It is fun to see how this site has slowly dug into my brain and re-arranged somethings inside. I hate to think about going on a little vacation this weekend and not being able to check in till Sunday night.
I might go through withdrawls and start to get the DT's

[fishfreek]

I think an addict shirt is a great idea. We already have a few garments and other products.

Work will begin on designing some kind of cool Aquarium Advice Addict graphic soon. If anyone is artistic and can come up with ideas thats great.

[Punkymom]

Hi...My name is Amanda and and I like fish. A lot. I've liked fish for a long time. Big fish. Little fish. Blue fish. Yellow fish. I never thought there was anything wrong with keeping fish. Then I saw it in the store. The big aquarium I had always wanted. I bought it without thinking. Then I needed to go somewhere for support in my new habit. I found this place. I feel like I'm at home. I've no more need to choke my cell phone. So now I'm here almost 10 times a day. Thank goodness it's free. I'd be poor. Wait a minute...I am poor. I have a confession to make...keeping fish hasn't been cheap for me. I've spent 1/2 a month's salary on this aquarium...where does it get me? HUH? Where? $600 poorer and totally satisfied with the knowledge that my fish are happy and healthy in their home and that I will never see that money again. I have to stop spending more. That means I'll be on here more. Less time to go to the store and buy stuff...Thank you for listening to me. It means a lot. I'm going to go hug my fish now.

[Cherry Barb]

Punkymom I LOVE that fish story. I'm gonna hug my fish too and send some kudos your way for the idea!

[madasafish]

It sounds like your daughter is speaking with a HEAVY Scottish accent (think Groundskeeper Willy) Ah, Bart--doo na say tha'! (Translation, Ah, Bart do not say that.)

And, god, Groundskeeper Willy's no exaggeration. I'm quarter-Scottish, and mostly English, and I still can't make out what Scottish friends of mine are saying!! But you gotta love the accent.

As to the money issue, my g/f keeps on reigning me in... I'm so close to spending all the money I earned this summer on a 125 gallon and its denizens...

[An t-iasg]

I joined this site only about a month ago. It's great! It makes the fish hobby all the more enjoyable. I started out with one betta, then got another one. Now they are in a tank instead of the bowls. It's a very small tank (5 1/2 gallons) but from being on this site a lot, I think I too am getting the "upgrade" bug! Money-wise, I'm not spending huge amounts, but I never thought that 2 little fish would need so much stuff! Test kits, food, medicine, a siphon hose, and water treatments (Novaqua, freshwater salt, etc.) have taken over one whole kitchen cabinet! Yes, I'm hooked on this hobby and this site! I spend more time here than on some other forums (non-fish related) that I've joined.

p.s. Madasafish, I have Scottish ancestry too...do you or your Scottish friends recognize my screen name??

[pipermurphy]

Well after a much needed get away for a weekend. I logged on today(tues) and had 1736 new posts since Friday morning. I will be up for a while to read through these posts. I love this site.

[Allivymar]

*looks embarrassed*

Its so **** rare I get my nose out of the [acronym:5ca0386f42="Freshwater"]FW[/acronym:5ca0386f42] forums I had NO idea my name came up here...and in the first post no less [acronym:5ca0386f42="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:5ca0386f42]

So anyway, my name is Allivymar and I am an Aquarium Addict. Yes, I went from one wee lil 10g hex tank in April to 3 10gs, a 25g and a 55g.

I started in Jan 02 with that 10g hex someone was giving away at work. Got a new fluval filter, 2 angelfish and away I went. Yes, I cycled the tank with 2 angelfish *cringe* Wait. It gets worse. 3 months down the road I realised theres lots of algae and went back to the [acronym:5ca0386f42="Local Fish Store"]lfs[/acronym:5ca0386f42]. "I need an algae eater." So they gave me a 1 1/2" plec which I plopped into the tank.

That Oct one of the angelfish died when the other beat the crap outa him. But *I* didn't get smart until Jan of THIS year when I realised the plec is 5 inches long. Eeep! I finally got off my butt, did some research on both plecs and angels and got a 25g as a temp. In May I "saved" 2 more angels from the Petsmart and after 2 weeks of QT they went into the 25g. Somewhere in there I had a snail infestation from an Amazon plant I got (didn't know you had to QT them too!) and get 3 clown loaches. One didn't make it 24 hours, the other 2 did great in QT. They moved into the 25g and I got ANOTHER clown to have at least a small school. He spent 2 weeks in QT then moved in with the rest.

I realise I needed to upgrade [acronym:5ca0386f42="As soon as possible"]asap[/acronym:5ca0386f42] [acronym:5ca0386f42="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:5ca0386f42] Least I did my research by then and knew where I was going with it all. I started planning the 55g. THEN I decided I need to make one of the 10g a planted tank. Started a fishless cycle, after a week, and half the cycle done (ammonia being eaten overnite, nitrites still spiking), I got impatient and grabbed a couple of gouramis and some Bio-Spira. Threw the gouramis into QT and finished the cycle with the Bio-Spira. Added the gouramis to the 10g and order the plants which took a month and a half to arrive.

In the meantime I got the 55g. Moved the biowheel and the 3 angels and the plec into it, and promptly buy another angel who went into the 25g for QT. He moved in to the 55g after a healthy 2 weeks in QT and I buy ANOTHER one who gets 2 weeks in the 25g. HE moved into the 55g and then the plants arrived. I planted the 10g with the 2 gouramis in it, then got the other fish I had planned. Atm I have 2 surviving neons, 2 otos and a Bamboo shrimp (unplanned [acronym:5ca0386f42="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:5ca0386f42]) in that **** 25g that apparently I will never get a chance to tear down [acronym:5ca0386f42="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:5ca0386f42]

In the meantime the original hex is now a breeding tank for snails (yuck, but the loaches liked em SO much I figured I have some for a treat [acronym:5ca0386f42="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:5ca0386f42]).

Oh and once I DO tear down the 25g? I'm going [acronym:5ca0386f42="Saltwater"]SW[/acronym:5ca0386f42] with it *grin*

Somewhere in all that I came across this forum. I joined a zillion of em cause when I get obsessed, I don't mess around Out of all the forums I found, and of the bunch I joined, this one of the 2 that really feels like home

[TankGirl]

I could say I am addicted. I even have an AA sticker on my car! I have to really squeeze out the time to visit, but any chance I get, I do. My tanks look great and always get lots of attention and improvements, I am always on the computer, and my house is a wreck! Sound familiar?

[fishfreek]

Thanks for buying the sticker.