What Made You Want A Freshwater Aquarium?

[peacockkeeper]

Well I'm sure like many people on this site my parents had a tank when I was growing up but I have to admit we were terrible fish keepers. I don't ever remember doing any of the things that lead to healthy fish I was young but aside from occasional cleanings I never remember doing water changes or testing of the water. That said our fish eventually died off and the tank was shut down.
Fast forward 20 years and I am finding myself getting very into the hobby. It all started with a visit to a friends house for a game of poker. My friend had 5 tanks running and his main show case tank was full of colorful and beautiful African cichlids. He had that one a grow out tank and a fry tank dedicated to the cichlids. As soon as I saw them I knew I wanted them. I took the $40 I won that night and bought a used 10g tank from him and I got 3 of his small juvenile cichlids.
After a few months they started to grow and show some color and I started to get excited. I soon added a 29g as my current tank was too small. I added 7 more juvenile cichlids knowing another tank was coming soon. That brings me to today where I just set up my new 75g. I'm excited to get my fished moved over and add to my current stock. I can't wait for the day I have the all male show tank it's getting closer at least.

 

[3tankkeeper]

Good memories

I was about 10 yrs old when my older brother was allowed to purchase a 20 gallon tank. I was hooked. Years later I had a 20 gallon tank for the first time in my life. Unable to maintain it due to my work schedule, I was forced to give up the hobby. It brings back so many memories about my childhood and the mistakes we made with the whole experience of aquariums. Now I have a 125 gallon freshwater, 55 gallon goldfish, and a 10 gallon (3 split betta). Still learning about the hobby and loving it. Thanks to this forum and all the information I get off these threads. Thanks guys!

 

[trinifella]

My mom bought my brother and i identical 20g tanks on our 8th & 5th b'day respectively (which is the same day btw). It was the best present ever. I've kept everything from swordtails to oscars, had lots of bettas and angels, and am currently now into Gouramis and live plants, since i never tried them before. Never knew about cycling tanks and water pH and all that

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[venymae]

I wanted a hobby that would be relaxing and also provide an apartment friendly pet for my son.

 

[Edgar1]

I got into the hobby by a co worker of mine. I was working one day. And he called me saying there was a lady that was throwing again a 45g tank. So I took it off her hands. I started with koi's then, one yr later I got a 55g Demi aggressive tank, and now a 46g fully planted , with amazing fish.

 

[Kbiff]

My parents are actually the ones who got me into this hobby. When I turned 5 years old they bought be a 40 gallon tank. They showed me how to set it up and how to be responsible for something other then my self. I was given 2 Oscars 1 albino and 1 black and orange with a normal pleco. And ever since then I have been addicted to fish and aquariums. It also didn't help that I had year passes to the Baltimore aquarium.

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[CyberFisher]

One Eye

This is my current baby I have to put up for sale because I lost my job.
I dont know if im allowed to post youtube but me and my wife made one.
Local shipping anyway. Im doing everything to beable to keep this set I practically fashioned with my own hands "front recycled parts"

Jack Dempsey community tank with turtle - YouTube


I was given a red eared slider as a friend and because I was going through some depression issues and "Eugene" really perked me up. and I thought one day I needed a pet fish for the turtle, even if the turtle ate that fish and it went from there.

So I went to the local fish pet store and looked around and bought a few random fish to throw to my turtle to see what happens. I told the keeper I just intended to feed these guys to my red eared slider and Id buy what ever he recommended that wernt gold fish, so often more than not I bought beat up fishes weak fishes, baby fishes or fishes with 1 eye. And one of the fishes as a lightning Blue Jack Dempsey about 4 inches long with 1 eye and torn left fix and chewed everything else.

Turtle ate everything but that lightning blue Jack Dempsey with 1 eye "it later died from either poor cleaning or being chases in a 25 gallon all day.

Either way it perked my interest to breed and care for those fishes with a passion. It started with dreams of if and clear water and colorful fishes and for the first time in as long as I could remember I woke up feeling refreshed,

So I decided to care for them with a spirit of excellence as my pocket book could afford, and I can tell you I cant afford much yet I was able to save and obtain all these fish either for free or at used prices. By now 3 years later The shop keep "same one" sells me other people favorite pets they had but cant keep. But I get a discount out of the "used" tank and I have found nice things there.




So, I did no reading, no research no, anything, heck I didn't even like fish, or fishing or fish in water before this, but I liked being relaxed and not felt like im always working too hard.

I just simply kept the tank as clean as I can as long as I can with as much junky filtration 2nd hand filters I could.

You'd be amazed how often you find a open box of carbon or bio agent people will sell you for 50 cents when in fact whole box cost like 20$ or more and is only half used. Nice discount there.

And it worked. I went from a 33 gal tank to a 66 gaL plexi tank "traded my tablet for it galaxy 10.1 mark 2" I was supposed to get nice pumps with it but everything "but the tank" was stripped but the tank is in Awesome condition.

I also got a 125 gal for 100 bucks on craigslist no leaks or cracks, Hit second hand stores and yard sales and picked up all pumps filters cartridges, I could, Scored another 55 with a tortoise "Witch I have still in that tank" and another 44 gal empty I plan to use as a Juvinile Tank for my lightnings

All of these was easy to obtain and I just had to worry about killing the fish, and if I did that I fed it to my cat outside.

"and about half of them died from the trip home from the shop".

I lost everything my first go around because the jack Dempsey kept darting across the tank really fast and broke 4 different heaters. So there was a cold snap, there were beat up goldfish spread ick in the tank with the Dempsey's and the rest of the fish.

"I had 6 lightning blue babies but they were all deformed in some way: I also had like 300 dollars of assorted chicids as well, they all died when the temp dropped and almost everybody got sick and died by the time I figured it out I managed to fix the heaters increase heat and turn the fresh water into more of a brackish water solution witch to this day works very very very well against that parasite.

Again shop keep gave me this info about using common sea salt with high temps, when I asked him about fixing my ICK problem with out medicine. But through my scrounging, I had picked up several half used bottles of that medicine and mixed them all together and dumped it all ito the mix. The trick was, making sure I was slightly overpowering the water and adding the right amount. But I got lucky and had more then enough to dose the tank 4 times anyway.

So Hector and Phillip were the only ones to survive Ick. Now Im breeding Hector with Cleo a really aggressive pretty female i picked up at random from a mail order batch online.

If I can avoid inbreeding and Breed out that lightning Blue I can break into a market that pays me to do something I love and right now a lot of breeders
I have access to only want to sell me their rejects and for around 30 dollars a fish.

So I decided to play the game and become a breeder myself.

I also like feeding the left over babies to the Red Devil whom I got for the fact that he was a bully.

He Has a temperament like a small dog, and even lets my wife pet and hand feed him.

The rejects he gets to eat in his own tank, Hard but true. I dont assume I can sell all the minorities. I'm doing this for the Lightning blue specialization.

This guy I feed all my rejects to and hes always with in sight of the community tank.

And I have thrown him in there with my jacks for him to thin down their numbers then I selected from the healthiest survivors to match with Hector.

Honestly What people said could takes over a year to do took me no more than 2 months to do. I dont know if this was mean, but I thought of it like it was in the wild.

Ive breed cocker spaniels when I was a teenager so I trying to adapt that experience to the fish hobbies, and I feel that it has indeed worked out.


I didn't really look anything up until I understood what I needed to do and I learned the way all hobbyist should learn. By hands on experience. Quite Soothing.

Now I have a 2 matched pair of breeders one in my kitchen in the 66 gal of Jack Dempsey with the male carrying the lightning blue gene witch is what I'm going for, and the female with her first batch of eggs ready to hatch any day.
And another less attractive Pair in the community 125 gal tank.

I started this hobbies for piece of mind and those pretty night time times, I sometime have when I'm at peace when I go to Sleep.

My favorite Colour is Lightning Blue. And Much like these fish I have a personality that could pack a punch.

I play music write piano songs for the video games I program.

if this is okay

My main Community Tank I have to sell but If something works out before I sell it Then Im gonna keep it.

Hector and cleo - YouTube


Well I hope we like each other and do plenty of lock jawing together.

Sincerely

-CyberFisher

 

[trinifella]

Sorry to hear about the job bro. I wish you all the best with your strain of JDs

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[CyberFisher]

Thanks after reading others peoples stuff I realized this was a pretty darn neat site to be a part of and as a nerd I like to forum chat anyway.

Be well fell fishers.

Sorry to hear about the job bro. I wish you all the best with your strain of JDs

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[laurieb]

I have been fish keeping for about 3 years now. It started when my son won a common goldfish at the fair. I set him up in a 10 gal kit from Walmart but he died soon after. So I replaced him with a calico fantail who survived for year in that little tank. When he started ailing I quickly learn the proper way to care for a fish..the nitrogen cycle and all that.
He was upgraded to a 20 gallon and now I have him and 2 other fancies in a planted 55 gallon. It is the centerpiece of my living room and I love those fish to death. I never knew fish could bring so much pleasure till I brought home that fair fish!
After I moved Lightening the Goldie to the 20 gal I had promised my son I would get him some smaller fish that could live in his 10 gal. So I started a community tank in his room that has neons, cories and a crowntail betta. They have been going strong for over a year now and I love them too! He thinks they're his fish but they're really mine..lol!

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[J1Time]

My brother bought me a TopFin \10gallon stater kit when I was a kid. Form here I was hooked. I did everything you could think of the wrong way. Since then I have grown and learned a ton. Its an awesomely fun and additive hobby!

 

[DGrab]

I's cool to hear everyone's story. I don't remember how I first got in the hobby, most likely because as a jr high/high school student I found some kind of peace in it, then it turned into my mom and I's hobby when we decided to get a salt water tank up and running. After I had quit for some time I recently got back into the hobby when I was at a thrift store and saw a big bowl and wanted to get my son a pet betta. Seeing how much he loved it I decided I wanted to give the betta a better living environment so I did some research and then the next time I was at a thrift shop I saw a small tank (my guess is about 1.5 maybe 2 gallons) bought it and it just peaked my interest to get back in the hobby, again because my son loved the tank so much we bought a 10 gallon. Of course now that I have the 10 gallon I want nothing more than to buy a bigger tank. I find tanks to be very calming and peaceful and with the stress of my job anything that helps is worth it!!! haha.

 

[Ventura]

We always had fish tanks growing up, but nothing special and nothing I was overly interested in as we also had a farm and cows and horses took most of our time and money. Went to college with a 10 gallon planted tank with a couple of gourami's in it. Came home and transferred the obsession back to my aunt who lived with us and she and I found the time after the death of my grandmother (who lived with us and required a lot of care) to set up some fish tanks. By the time I moved out we had 2 75's, a 55, 2 40's, and a 20 baby tank all with just general community fish breeding like it was their jobs.
Downgraded in my first apartment due to size to a 47 gal with rainbows and some betta tanks.
Spread the hobby to my current boyfriend who I now live with. Over the past 2 years we have accumulated a couple more tanks and are now trying our hand at salt.
My aunt and parents sold the farm and actually traveled in an RV across the country for 14 months with 3 adults, 2 dogs, and yes, 6 bettas all in their jugs carefully cared for. 4 survived the trip and my aunt is successfully breeding guppys and others in her new home in TN.
One of my fondest memories with my aunt is all the intricate records we kept for the tanks. We wrote down purchase dates of fish, filter changes, water changes, and even tracked types of food fed to each tank. We monitored and compared life spans in the tanks and ran experiments on feeding schedules. It was a lot of fun and great scientific experience for me!

 

[pittbully13]

We always had fish tanks growing up, but nothing special and nothing I was overly interested in as we also had a farm and cows and horses took most of our time and money. Went to college with a 10 gallon planted tank with a couple of gourami's in it. Came home and transferred the obsession back to my aunt who lived with us and she and I found the time after the death of my grandmother (who lived with us and required a lot of care) to set up some fish tanks. By the time I moved out we had 2 75's, a 55, 2 40's, and a 20 baby tank all with just general community fish breeding like it was their jobs.
Downgraded in my first apartment due to size to a 47 gal with rainbows and some betta tanks.
Spread the hobby to my current boyfriend who I now live with. Over the past 2 years we have accumulated a couple more tanks and are now trying our hand at salt.
My aunt and parents sold the farm and actually traveled in an RV across the country for 14 months with 3 adults, 2 dogs, and yes, 6 bettas all in their jugs carefully cared for. 4 survived the trip and my aunt is successfully breeding guppys and others in her new home in TN.
One of my fondest memories with my aunt is all the intricate records we kept for the tanks. We wrote down purchase dates of fish, filter changes, water changes, and even tracked types of food fed to each tank. We monitored and compared life spans in the tanks and ran experiments on feeding schedules. It was a lot of fun and great scientific experience for me!

Awesome story. Welcome to AA!

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[ClassicRocker]

Never had an aquarium before, but had talked to my wife about getting one. We love looking at saltwater and freshwater aquariums that we see at restaurants, especially at the Rain Forest Café at Downtown Disney, Orlando and at the MGM in Vegas. While at SeaWorld, Orlando, we had lunch/sat right by a huge saltwater aquarium full of sharks, etc.. Quite the experience! Also the aquarium at the Mirage Hotel in Vegas is terrific! Went into the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay Casino in Vegas, as well.

Other than my ex-wife, back in the mid '70's, I've never know anyone who owned an aquarium. My wife now has never known anyone either who's had a fish tank.

Anyway, we want a "lap dog" (Shih Tzu), but for now it would have to be our very nice Marineland Eclipse Hex 5 and our beautiful male betta, Stormy. Later, may get either another Hex 5/betta or a 10 gallon tank w/? But, now, we are very happy with what we got. Our doggy will come later this year.

One thing for sure, we sure have/are learning a LOT about "fishkeeping" and have to thank you folks for that!

 

[MonkeyMonk86]

I'm 62yr old widow, taking care of 92 yr mom. No vacations since 2008. I wanted to celebrate life again.

I had aquariums in my youth and really enjoyed them. Every surface in my bedroom had a tank on it and I bread guppies.

Later, married my husband and we had a beautiful saltwater tank. Then, shift work, new old house and babies and no time for fish.

35 yrs later, I wanted that challenge and joy and fish bonding again. I wanted to celebrate life!

But, in honesty, it is so expensive, and so changed from the good old days.

I made a friend here whom I message with and he has been a great help! Also, all my posts have gotten great responses so I am truly hoping to master this field again.

 

[LudicrouSpeed]

My wife is allergic to everything but wanted a pet really badly. We considered birds (too noisy) or hypoallergenic breeds (too expensive) and settled on fish. Although, the idea that fish were inexpensive is an idea I'm quickly letting go. It wasn't really what she wanted, honestly, but now that we have them we love them.

We've got a yellow balloon molly named "Popcorn Pooey", because he looks like buttered popcorn and has quite a personality. A dalmation molly we might call "Jagger", because he's turning black (paint it black). A black balloon molly, a panda platy, and a few turquoise guppies, unnamed.

Is it weird to name your fish?

 

[Kittykat364]

I name my fish all the time though mostly after a month or two so that I don't get attached to them if they have a disease or get stressed when I bring them home. But I also just name them as it comes to me.

 

[NinjaTetra]

I name my fish- from first to what I have now: Mr. Betta Fishy (Don't judge... I bet you can't geuss what kind he was), Comet and Vixen (my sunburst platys, got them the day the radio stations started christmas music), Kermit and an unnamed female African dwarf frog, my sister dubbed a dwarf gourami I had Rainbow but I called him blue, and then I had four black neons that have passed on, namely Goliath, Survivor, Pewee, and another one.... And the four I have as of today, Preto, Rio, Shark, and another one.... And as I finish stocking my new tank I think I will name the angelfish pair Captain and Angel, I'll come up with four more names for black neons, for corydoras things like Cory, Pepper, Salt.... And hatchetfish Admiral, Axe, etc. so i would say it isnt THAT weird to name fish...

 

[Pokechoo]

Molly fish!
I loved looking at those guys in the pet shop. How playful and how each one has its own personality. They will always be my favorite and my reason I wanted a fish tank.