What Made You Want A Freshwater Aquarium?

[robertmarda]

I chose a fresh water tank because it costs less to start.

I am Robert Marda. Sometime 1997 I got a 10 gallon tank and bought some fish. I think I decided to set up the fish for the pleasure of my son, who was 2 or 3 at the time. Since then I have become hooked and I keep fish for the pleasure of our entire family.

In October 1997, I moved with my wife and son from Utah to Northern virginia. Since we decided to drive, I gave the few fish we had to my father and moved with the empty tank to Virginia. Sometime in Late 1998 or early 1999 I set that tank up again and have been keeping freshwater tropical fish ever since.

We found an ad for a 55 gallon tank for free in Sept 2001 and picked it up and set it up. I currently have a 10, 20, and 55 gallon tank set up. All have tropical freshwater fish in them. I began breeding fish in Jan of this year and currently have groups of mollies born in March 2002, July 02, and Sept 02. I have about 40 redwag swordtails that were born a few weeks ago. In about a week my female silver lyretail molly should have more babies.

I have an ongoing experiment in my 55 gallon tank. In Jan 02 I bought a convict chiclid (he was about a half an inch when I got him) and put him in the tank with mollies, platies, swordtails, tetras, barbs, and an 8 inch long pleco (I've had him since Nov 1999). When I bought the chiclid he was the smallest fish in the tank. Now he is the second larges fish in the tank and for the most part acts like a community fish. He chases fish sometimes but not enough to stress them out nor does he strike out at them except on rare occassions, in fact this morning I watched as the painted glass fish in that tank swam directly in front of the convicts mouth and then did it again. Both times the convict seemed to touch the fish gently and do it no harm.

My 20 gallon tank houses the baby fish until they are large enough to not fit in the convicts mouth. I use the 10 gallon tank as my hospital tank.

I dream of having a salt water tank because of the brighter color fish you can get, but as yet I can't spend the money required to get started.

 

[Guest]

Welcome to the site Robert! Good story!

 

[Grant R]

Excellent story.
I can totally vouch for the addiction thing. I've had my 11.1 gallon just over a month and I already have plans on setting up a 20 - 25 around xmas time and transferring the current fish !!

Fish keeping is dangerously addictive ! But good fun.

 

[JurassicRIP]

My story

Well, i became interested in fish when i was about 10/11 years old. Try as i might i couldn't get my parents to agree to any form of living creature (apart from humans!) until i turned 16. This was when a line of cats (currently 3, has been 4 in 1 house....hmmm lovely!!)all of whom i adore to the ends of the earth appeared on the scene, but i put the fish on the back burner(not literally!!!).That is until now, i'm an undergraduate reading earth sciences in portsmouth, whose digs have forced her to leave her kittys behind(nasty ,horrible landlord),and i have a fundamental need to have living things around me, so i finally decided to set up that long awaited goldfish tank(i just adore fantail and moors......hmmm,sweet)and its safe to say i'm well and truely smitten.

 

[cricket]

I started keeping fish a little over 2 yrs. ago. Bought a 10 gal. kit from WalMart, and some tiger barbs. I read a book on the basics and thought I would be fine. Didn't yet recognize the need for water testing,etc. Everything was fine for mos. then suddenly all the barbs died on me. I started over, got a computer and suddenly had access to a lot of information on fishkeeping. That's made all the difference! Next I had to have a bigger tank, a 30 gal. Filled it with tropicals, a couple of this, a couple of that. Then I decided I needed a 55, which at the time seemed huge. Moved the tropicals in there, then decided the most interesting fish I had was the Blue Rams. Then I kept Kribs, and bred them and decided to go all cichlids. So now I have a 55 gal. Malawi, a 55 SA cichlids, a 30 CA cichlids, a 30 gal and 10 gal. fry grow out tanks. Also keep loaches, I love them as much as cichlids. And 2 bettas in smaller tanks. I am just starting with some easy plants in my 10 gallon tank. Also, someday I would like a saltwater setup, I've done alot of reading on them already. But for now freshwater more than holds my interest.

 

[Somethingfishy]

I have always had an interest in fish, but only started in earnest around January time, when my then fiance bought me a 45G for Xmas. Since then I have got a 10G Q/grow out tank, a 20G and a 30G. I have now recently just purchased a 130G so am consolidating all the tanks. But next year will be looking at setting up a 45/55 marine tank.

 

[SleeplessLwd]

Several years ago I had a 45 gallon freshwater tank, but I got rid of it when I moved. I was sorry I did years later. A few years ago I went to a Chinese Auction with a friend of mine and tried to win her son a 10 gallon tank set up. She won it instead. After watching them set it up I decided to start a tank again. I started with a 5 gallon, then went to a 10 gallon, then a 20 gallon hex tank, then a regular 20 gallon. Then I moved up to a 29 gallon tank. I am currently running a 29 gallon freshwater and a 5 gallon for my bettas. After a couple of years of freshwater I started a reef. I love the reef, but it was very expensive. I kept finding things I wanted to add to it and I didn't have the room. I shut down my reef for now and when I have more money for a bigger tank and more time to devote to it I'll start it up again. But for now I'm still enjoying my freshwater fish.

 

[ReefRaff]

Hello, when I was 13 or 14 we (me and my sister) had two 20 gallon tanks with all kinds of fish. I (and my dad) were also inexperinced and rip them tanks down once a month. most of the time I would loose a fish or two. After overworking ourselves and loosing to many fish we gave it up.

Alot of the time it seems like it's the KIDS that get the spark going in all of us cause I to got back in to it when My GF's niece brought home a goldfish. From the school fair. Although the goldfish died I went out and purchased a kit, 36Gallon. then I broke up with the GF, but not to woory, I took the tank w/me. Along with both tv's,couch,waterbed,all the cats and my car. now I have a 36G F/W, a 75G Marine (FOWLR) and another 36g failed marine, wich I have to start over. I like Fish,corals,cata,dogs,birds although the birds have to stay out side

Tim

P.S. I have found that if you keep the cats well feed than they leave the fish alone. 8O

 

[Thaiboxer]

why

I had a goldfish bowl as a kid, and always liked it. We had three fish, and they lived forever! Like 8 years! (I suspect what really happened is when they died, one parent would distract me while the other ran and got another fish and put it in the bowl so that I never knew...)

When I saw the wonderous variety of fishies out there, I knew I had to have an aquarium. Now that I'm stable financially and not physically moving a lot, I'm building my tank how I want it! Pictures coming soon!

 

[goozy]

I went to petsmart for some doggie stuff and I saw those poor little bettas in cups, there were about 100 of them. I bought a little one gallon tank thing and a betta just to save him. A week later I decided it wasn't big enough or warm enough for him so I bought him a 5 gallon aquarium. I had no intention of getting any more tanks but I did. now I have 6 tanks. (down from 8 during the summer)

 

[Wowzers]

My dad stored his old aquarium in our shed, and I was rumagging through it one day and found the tank. I decided to set it up. I had a normal community tank for a while, but my personality is one that if I get involved in something, I have to learn more and more about it. So in doing that, I learned of cichlids, and they're now my main focus. I have 3 tanks running right now, two 29 gallons and a 37 gallon, one of which isn't populated at the moment, but I had 8 breeding tanks going about a year ago (I got to busy for that many tanks at that time) . I'm going to set up a couple large tanks soon.

 

[Murphy]

Fishy Hobby!

Hi everyone!, well hear goes. I was introduced to the aquarium hobby by my sisters ex. He had tanks everywhere! I was mezmorized by the beautiful colors of the fish. It was then at the age of fifteen that I was captured by the underwater world. I learned to scuba dive so I could see the underwater world for myself. For those of you who dive, you know what I mean. It's a whole new world down there. Anyway, I have had numerous aquariums. To date, I have kept and bread guppies, and most of the livebearers. i've done the African Cichlid tank, bread Zebras, Danios, Bettas and have successfully kept, bread and raised Discus!. The best of all is that my sister re married a guy who is a major fish importer for most of the fish shops in Southern Ontario. His warehouse has thousands of tanks with every fish you could imagine, a hobbyists dream!, and best of all is that I get my livestock for free!!!!!!

 

[zephyr]

hello, my name is justin,
I just accidently made the screen go backa nd lost everything i ahad just ritten, BIT GAYEr! oh well i wil just hav to rite it again. I got my 1st aquarium about yr and a hlf ago. It was a 10g. I put sum guppies in it. The males died thru the cycle but the femails din't. I got heps otha fish too, but i cant really rememberwat they were. My favs would hav been the dwarf flame gouramis, simanese sucky and my bronzies. They really had charater. They wer kool. But i had a chronic plaige of brown algaes and i just stopped the aquarium. i dn't know wat 2 do with the danios (2), so i din't feed them 4 a bout a month and one just surnvied! i ut it i nour pond and it just kept living 4 about 2 mor months, shows the hadrinest of sum ifhs. Well now my bros got that tank an dit s got a i think a pair of gupies(had an harmen but one died), one platy and a peppy cory. I set up another tank, 10g coz i'm still a bum coz i just got job. I'm gotting lights 4 it soon, flurestent is wat i want., but i gottat earn more aoney. i got 80 bucks but mum made me bank half it so yeh i gotta earn 60 i think. bout 4 more works coz i spent sum. My 10 has lots of rocks that form caves and stuff and its got sum java l moss and it is nice to lok at. Fine snd bout 3 cms at front and 5 at the back. I dont wunna turn on dads comp to find out how ot change cms to inch coz. I'm gonna get some draf anuibias and put it shadowed by sum rocks and get sum java fern and mybe sum form of cryprotune wen i get lights. i'm gonna get sum bolivian rams! YAH! they r gonna luv my tak i hop coz i want them to survive. I'm gonna feed them cichlid pellets and brin shrimps ocansoinly.
Thats basiclyy my rtank and sorry coz irit this very fats coz i am tryig to cook pancakes and dnt wanna burn them.
I belive i am oright aquaritst for a 14yr old, hail the teenages!
cya from
Justin

 

[mitche8359]

Saw the thread and since I'm new I figured it would be a good way to let people know some stuff about me.

Can't remember when I got the first tank. We had a couple ten gs growing up, then graduated to a 20 g tall tank. Took the tank with me to college where I physically lost a gold fish as I was moving out for the end of the year. I always kept an angel, red tailed shark and gold fish together. The three fish had survived two years with me in college. I put the three fish in a five gallon bucket, covered it with a pizza box and headed for home. When I got home, with NO stops, the gold fish was missing. Looked in the car but couldn't find it. Now that I think about it, I didn't look in the pizza box that I can recall.

After college, I didn't have a tank for a good number of years as I headed west to make movies and then returned to OH. When I settled back in OH and set up my own apartment, I was sort of shocked at how much the urge caught me to want another tank. I bought a 55 g and started in again. I like the ocean so as my stand, I used treated posts to build a pier structure with a butcher block top. Completed the set up with rope.

That tank has suited me for the last 8 years. Moved it from my apt to the girlfriend's condo, to our house after we got married. I didn't pay as much attention to it as I should have the first couple of years at the house, but since our son was born we've been spending more time in the basement rec room watching tv and videos.

I really want to know what the deal is with plecos. I really don't like the look of them, especially when large. A friend decided to take down their tank and asked if I would take their pleco. It was HUGE! I agreed. My sister tore down her tank next and asked if I'd take my neices pleco. My neice used to check on it every time she visited. After she stopped checking on her fish, I decided that it was time for them to find a happier home since they had outgrown the 55g tank. I traded them for some other fish. With that said I have some plecos because the LFS said they were one of the best algea eaters. My tank sides do look clean.

My current theme to the tank is South American river, with angels, some cats and tetras. The tetras are more for the wife and son, though the son is still a little young to really find interest in the fish.

I'd like to set up a breeding tank for angels and try to get some cross breeding going to get long finned golds or black angels. My wife would freak if she heard me say another tank since I'm having problems with a recent rebuild of the 55 g.

 

[zephyr]

I really want to know what the deal is with plecos

Think abut the fish in the whole world that you adore the most, that is how much i like plecos. they are very quirky, which is wat i find best in all bottom dwellers.
and they have larg fins and great colours.
but its everyone to their own opinion, so yeh.

 

[mitche8359]

its everyone to their own opinion, so yeh.

Yes I agree.

The thing with plecos to me is that it looks sort of prehistoric, especially the sailfin variety. Until recently I didn't know that plecos came in various colors, so my recourse was with the plain brown variety. My wife saw a polka dot pleco at the lfs last week and I'm sure one will end up in the tank.

 

[zephyr]

The thing with plecos to me is that it looks sort of prehistoric

Thats a great way of explaining them! I am a little dinosaur fanatic, (or used to be) so that appeals to me.

 

[jeffd902]

I guess I have allways been facinated with fish. Everytime we went to a store that sold fish, I would allways stare at the display tanks. One time last summer we were at Mejer, My wife finally said that were getting a tank because maybe if I had my own fish, we can move past the fish in the store without me staring forever. Needless to say, It didnt work. Not only do I look more, but now I drag her to pet stores, looking at 55 gal setups, Drooling over African Ciclids, going back and forth over the food to give my current crop of Tetras and Corys. I also talked her into letting me subscribe to a magizine. Now im waiting to get that 29 gal I got from a buddy set up.
WOW 7 months in and I'm truley addicted

 

[jollyone11]

How I got started ,Hummm. Well at 13 we had a 29 gallon tank with oscars . Both got to big for the tank . One day the one broke the heater . I guess you all know what happens next , Boiled oscar! Next it was a commuity tank for a bit then one day then guy at work gave me convicts . Well me 17 at the time and still not knowing much about fish put them in . Needless to say in weeks to was now a convict tank . They were fun to watch, but I then went off to college . I had no interest in fish for long time . In 2000 I got married 27 at the time . One day i say to my wife that I would not mind having a tank. Two
years latter while she was a yard sale bought me a 10 gal.tank. Well , at this point i still didn't know a whole lot about fish . We went to wal-mart and got 4 gold fish 1 beta and a placko . Well did not take long till the placko and the beta was dead A.K.A ammonia . This made me get a book (what should have done in the first place )and read . Boy did I have a lot to learn (still do lol )
Next we got a fish bowl for the gold fish . I really don't care about goldfish that much ,I wanted better fish. Next we got glo light tetras kinda cool looking .Still have both . I next knew I needed a bigger tank . One day in the paper a 30 gal was in there $50 latter a new tank. This tank did not take long to fill . Bought 2 more 10's at a yard sale . Put a blue lobster in one and a pair of endlers in the other in hopes of breeding them . both of the died The blue lobster lived for a while , it is not that great of a fish to watch . It died too not sure why still? Well next I found a 55 gallon for $20 at a yard sale this what I was looking for . It was not all there and it took me a few months to come up with what i needed ,but I got it done .
Well I knew what I wanted next CICHLIDS .I was first thinking of oscars which are cool ,but I have friends who all have them and I had them at one time . I wanted something different . Well I found it the green terror .
I love the sound of that named . Got one of those and a Jack and a firemouth .
Well the fish got sick (thats when i ended up here thank god i did)
I saved the jack and the green terror ,but the firemouth died
Now they are doing great . The terror eats so much I call him gulp. The Jack is tiny because he is the smallest .

 

[BlowFish]

Always had one.
Guess it was the first thing my family gave me after I was born.
Or maybe they already had one started for me even before I was born...