What Made You Want A Freshwater Aquarium?

[mikeybabs]

I work with developmentally disabled clients, and one of them got a 5 gallon fish tank that I helped them set up...

From there, I decided to try fish on my own for the first time since I was a kid (as a kid I had a gold fish but it didn't last long)

I started off with a betta fish in a half gallon fish bowl... after getting him I did lots of reading and decided that a half gallon fish bowl is not the right home for a betta fish, which is just like any other tropical fish that requires a filter, heater, bubbles, more swimming space, etc...

from there my friend sold me a 30 gallon tank as my first tank....

and 2 months later I have 6 tanks setup lol... it got to be an addiction, especially when i started finding used deals on craigislist that i couldnt resist...

also, i got my parents a 30 gallon tank and now theyre enjoying fish too

so thats my story, it started from a small inspiration at work and just grew into an addicting hobby

 

[daileene]

I work with developmentally disabled clients, and one of them got a 5 gallon fish tank that I helped them set up...

From there, I decided to try fish on my own for the first time since I was a kid (as a kid I had a gold fish but it didn't last long)

I started off with a betta fish in a half gallon fish bowl... after getting him I did lots of reading and decided that a half gallon fish bowl is not the right home for a betta fish, which is just like any other tropical fish that requires a filter, heater, bubbles, more swimming space, etc...

from there my friend sold me a 30 gallon tank as my first tank....

and 2 months later I have 6 tanks setup lol... it got to be an addiction, especially when i started finding used deals on craigislist that i couldnt resist...

also, i got my parents a 30 gallon tank and now theyre enjoying fish too

so thats my story, it started from a small inspiration at work and just grew into an addicting hobby

very inspiring....

 

[tlkng1]

I have two addictions...the fish and my horse. At one point I had 7 tanks running and realized I flat out just didn't have the room in the house or the time to take care of them properly. Down to just three now not counting the double Betta tank since it is so small (2.5 gallon). I count that one as a centerpiece..not a tank . Future plan is to reset the 20g into the 40g and transferring the 14g reef into a new 29g All-in-one tank reef. I have to be careful of floor space as new wood floors are going in soon and the installers won't move fishtanks. Sizes are limited for my kitchen counters

20G cycling planted
10G planted with pair of wagtail koi swordtails
14G Biocube cycling reef
2.5 g double betta tank with one red halfmoon tail inhabitant; one blue crowntail inhabitant.

 

[sherlock1315]

OK... THIS IS GONNA MAKE MY HEAD HURT!!!!! First, I got a small .25gal aquarium for 2 tiny ADFs. While I was fascinated by that my teacher had a guppy tank and gave them out after the aquarium unit. so i got one fish and put it in my small ADF tank. I felt bad for them and moved them to an old 10gal from... i have no clue i was sooooo little. I had no idea about fish tanks so of course i ended up dumping them in there with tap water and a filter. Guess what?! of course they died within a half hour. I dont really remember much but i ended up with some gravel a heater and decor for the tank. still didnt know about cycling the tank so i just bought a BUNCH of random fish thinking my tank was so peaceful that my fish would never fight! even tried multiple bettas together! bad idea anyway they ended up dying and i wanted a bigger tank. not to bad considering i was little doing it all myself. so we found out we loaned a 20g to some friends and it wasnt being used so i got that back from them and it didnt have anything with it not even a lid. so i got it set up with all the basics still not cycling it and put the bettas in there 1 male 1 female. the 10g was still hanging on during this so i need a hood and light for the 20g. we went to the store and the hoods cost just as much as the whole 20g starter kit so we bought the kit with everything you need and did everything right except CYCLING! meanwhile the old 20g had bettas that at that point i was trying to breed! so i moved everything except betta fish to the new 20gal and used the old 10 and 20g to breed bettas but they wouldnt survive and died a few weeks after.so after 6 months ( remember i did everything by myself with no help and am still doing that) i got a 55gal for my elem. graduation and birthday! so this is where i am now the summer of 2011! Still doing everything myself! its lookin good! I AM OBSESSED WITH FISH!!!!

 

[mr.waffles1842]

When i was a kid, i wasnt really interested in fish. Until i went to the doctors office and saw their huge 55 gallon aquarium! It was amazing, with 2 angelfish, black mollies, and danios. Then, i decided for my 7th birth day id go ahead and get one. After alot of begging, i finally got a marineland 12 gallon tank. It was great!

 

[ocean]

I remember when I was a child my mom had a tank, no lid and no filter! But I do remember her cussing every week when she took all the fish out, bailed enough water out so she could carry it the kitchen and clean it in the sink! Having a fish tank wasn't to appealing to me then! But......years later got my first betta and a gallon bowl. I wanted more!! First tank was a 29 gal. Kit. The betta was very happy, along with a few other fish.

 

[pyrotechnic100]

It started with my grandpa who kept fish where ever he lived at the time (not sure about taiwan) though but he did move alot because he was in the Navy. Then my dad got into it . Then he got a job at a petstore. So he got a lot of free gravel Generic store kind), decorations, a 10 gallon tank set-up, and a 50-100gal. set-up. We choose freshwater becuase it was much cheaper( I saw a salt water fish once that was over $400 and it was the size of my hand), and we had them both set up almost constantly all my life . Until the bigger one cracked in Kansas. We used the 10 gal. up to about 3 years ago when it cracked while we were putting it into a hand bulit loft(made by my dad). We were using it for keeping some bait fish. it was good that we got the 48 gal. a year before. I got a 2 gal. "Goldfish" tank for chrismas the same year as the tank cracked. I got a Minibow 5 about a week ago ,and I just stocked it with some guppies and a mystery snail. I gave my dad the 2 gal. for his office if he gets one(he just retired from the navy but found a new one quickly). Thinking about using another filter in the tank. My family jokingly call the severum France becuase he was scared of black mollies and fast movment outside the tank.

 

[warthog76za]

Well Im a hobby astronomer and I when one has alot of bad weather, the hobby does get somewhat frustrating so it was a toss up between getting myself to do angling or start my own aquarium, opted for the latter and I must say, 7 months in...its a joy, love every minute of it and the family take alot of pleasure out of it as well. I also find, just watching them all in the tank a very relaxing experience.

 

[Twinkletoes69]

Soo..

Well... It all started when I walked into a Walmart and I saw this sad-looking betta sitting in a pathetic plastic cup of yellowish water. Automatically, I knew that I had to have him. I knew almost nothing about fish, and though my mother had kept fish, she was awful at it and they all died. So I bought a 1 gallon kit (I didn't know any better!), some food, and water conditioner. That was almost a year ago, and Ray is as spoiled as a fish can be in a 10 gallon tank, it's an improvement on the plastic cup, in my opinion.

 

[Ellenquacker72]

The time I saw a black ghost knife fish in my lfs. Haven't been able to get one yet, but it's my goal as a fish keeper.

 

[Bud]

I used to keep fish years ago and enjoyed it, but knew nothing. Did some research and was interested in trying again, but the right way. I quit smoking a few months ago and now have more issues with stress, anxiety and anger. My fish tanks now help me with the stress relief that I need. Plus, I just love the little guys.

 

[Mr.Albiman]

We used to have a 100 gallon tank mounted into the wall when i was a little bit younger with 6 goldfish and an angelfish (i know, i know..), but when we were moving house it cracked. So we were forced to give the fish to my mum's friend (all except the angelfish because it had died during moving ). I goot upset and said i wanted my own tank in my new bedroom to save my goldfish in. So my mum bought me a 3.5 gallon tank and we went to get 2 of my goldfish back only to find out that my mums friend had bought 2 huge oscars and they'd eaten all my fish :'(. mum took me to Pets At Home and bought me two oranda goldfish. They died not long after and i got 3 White Cloud Mountain Minnows and 2 Endler's Livebearers. At this point i knew nothing about fish keeping or cycling, and they died as well. After that i decided to research and stumbled across this site . I cycled my now empty 3.5g tank and stocked it with 20 Red Cherry Shrimp and 2 Nerite Snails.

A year on and I have a 15g with the same Red Cherry Shrimp, one of the Nerite Snails (the other died) and 4 Panda Cories. I'm going to be getting 10 Harlequin Rasboras and a Male Betta Splendens.

That's how i got into the hobby, and I love it!

 

[roundar]

I wanted freshwater fish. Apparently to do this you need a freshwater aquarium.

jk. I've always been into bonsai and similar art, and when I saw some Amano Takashi aquariums I had to get into it.

 

[karen21]

I have fond memories of my Dad having a freshwater tank.
He got quite into it, with his Sharks, Angels etc... but I just liked seeing the baby guppies turn into beautiful princesses!! (yeah, ok, they were males, but what did I know at 4..!!) Lol!
I STILL love it when my Guppies have babies.. just seeing how they turn out.
Also, as it was the '70's.. the tank was quite noisy.. Loved it.. It was hypnotic..
Still is for me now! (Who needs drugs/Coronation St..!) Lol!

 

[maddybrat]

I had a goldfish when I was five. He died five years later. My dad got my hooked on
Bettas for a while. Then I liked snails! Also I got a ten gallon and it kinda went up and down then up again from there

 

[Terrance]

My parents owned a few aquariums several years ago, but I was never interested at the time. I moved out 1 year ago and wanted a pet. Easiest and most intriguing pet for me was fishes. After looking at some fish tanks online, I became addicted with fish keeping and controlling the environment that they inhabit.

I have a 29 gallon for now, but I intend to get 2-3 tanks within the next year.

 

[donh]

Long time aquarium lover

Growing up in the '70s, my Dad and one of his brothers really got into aquariums. I remember Dad having one that must have been a 29 gallon and my uncle having a room filled ceiling to floor with tanks.

Dad spent his time breeding guppies, platies and swordtails. He always had a couple of angels and some neons. My uncle was a true addict! He ended up with a little of everything - tropical, saltwater, African cichlids - even piranhas. He was a butcher and always had leftover meat to feed them. I remember them being full grown adult fish. I don't think it was as big a deal to have them back then.

I started working at the Memphis Zoo in the 90's and spent a lot of time helping out in the aquarium. I setup a heavily planted 30 gallon South American tank at home that thrived for a few years. I took a job at the Baltimore Zoo and we broke it down and sold it for the move.

I haven't had a tank for about 15 years and just bought a 55 gallon to get back into it. Aquariums are bigtime therapy for me. Someone above said it best - they are hypnotic. I love caring for the fish and seeing personalities develop in individual fishes. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment and joy to see a tank flourish.

 

[WendiDell]

Growing up in the '70s, my Dad and one of his brothers really got into aquariums. I remember Dad having one that must have been a 29 gallon and my uncle having a room filled ceiling to floor with tanks.

Dad spent his time breeding guppies, platies and swordtails. He always had a couple of angels and some neons. My uncle was a true addict! He ended up with a little of everything - tropical, saltwater, African cichlids - even piranhas. He was a butcher and always had leftover meat to feed them. I remember them being full grown adult fish. I don't think it was as big a deal to have them back then.

I started working at the Memphis Zoo in the 90's and spent a lot of time helping out in the aquarium. I setup a heavily planted 30 gallon South American tank at home that thrived for a few years. I took a job at the Baltimore Zoo and we broke it down and sold it for the move.

I haven't had a tank for about 15 years and just bought a 55 gallon to get back into it. Aquariums are bigtime therapy for me. Someone above said it best - they are hypnotic. I love caring for the fish and seeing personalities develop in individual fishes. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment and joy to see a tank flourish.

Welcome to AA and I agree that fish are great therapy. It started as therapy for my grandson Casey who has Aspergers Syndrome, but I have to admit they work really well for me too.

 

[donh]

Welcome to AA and I agree that fish are great therapy. It started as therapy for my grandson Casey who has Aspergers Syndrome, but I have to admit they work really well for me too.

I decided to get back into it after I had a mild stroke in April - at 43 years old. My stress levels were (often are) off the scale. The tanks really do have a calming effect.

We have friends with a son that has Aspergers Syndrome. I can definitely see how an aquarium would help calm and also help him focus on something different for a while.

 

[WendiDell]

I decided to get back into it after I had a mild stroke in April - at 43 years old. My stress levels were (often are) off the scale. The tanks really do have a calming effect.

We have friends with a son that has Aspergers Syndrome. I can definitely see how an aquarium would help calm and also help him focus on something different for a while.

43 is way toooo young to have a stroke. I hope you are on the mend, without to much residual damage by the stroke. Although April wasn't that long ago.

Aquariums are amazing therapy, they help to clear out the cobwebs. I have a family of disabled. Casey as I said has Aspergers Syndrome, he was diagnosed at 4 years old. His Mom, Megan, my daughter has Fibromyalgia, IBS, And GAD. And I've had 5 low back surgeries and 1 hernia surgery. So our 4 tanks are well watched on a daily basis.

The PWC (partial water changes) can be a pain at times but it's well worth the extra pain, to have healthy happier fish.
What kind of fish do you have? And how big is your tank/tanks? Do you have any photos? If so, please post.
For now I have a 55g in Casey's room with 14 Mbuna and a BN Pleco and a 10g QT with 4 Black Skirt Tetra. And In he living room we have a 55g Angelfish tank with 2 Koi Angels, 2 Gold Veil tail Angels and 2 Half Black Blushing Angels and 1 12" gold Common Pleco that we will be returning to the FS to re-home and trade for 3 long fin Albino BN Plecos, and a 10g with 16, 6 week old known fry (could be more) and 2 Green Dragon BN Plecos.
As you can see our hands are full but in the long run it makes my house a calmer home for all of us.
We are thinking of adding a 29g breeder/fry tank, in my room. Since our fish seem to keep having more fish.
One would think that working in a zoo would be a fun low stress kind of job, apparently not

You are in our prayers for a full recovery, from your stroke.