SpaceFish42
Aquarium Advice Addict
I think the title says it all. How did you get started? What was your first fish? When did you start? Etc.
How did you discover aquariums?
- Thread starter SpaceFish42
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Nils
Aquarium Advice Addict
When I first wanted to raise bullfrog tadpoles, and my whole family got me a 2.5 gallon Minibow for my birthday, and I decided I wanted fish not to raise them, and then I got to get a 10 gallon because I told my mom 2.5 gallons was too small for anything. Lol I started going around the store looking for fish, and I wanted a electric yellow cichlid, and I had no idea about fish at all and I decided on getting 1 peppered cory and 2 julii cory's the very next day after I filled the tank with water.......and they all survived the fish in cycle! I had no idea what a cycle was in the first place back then, and this was only a year ago. Now I've progress dot a 16 gallon planted, and a 2.5 gallon mini bow and I've discovered the awesomeness of fish and fish keeping!!
Nils
Nils
My first real aquarium was a 29g kit the spouse got my as a surprise Christmas gift in 2003. I'm pretty sure my first fish were platies. We lived in a townhouse so it was set up so that the front could be seen from the living room and the back from the kitchen.
I just dug up some pics, what a crazy mess! Platies, a GBR, 3 spot gourami, a BN, kuhlis and queen loaches. They all lived for a long time though.
I just dug up some pics, what a crazy mess! Platies, a GBR, 3 spot gourami, a BN, kuhlis and queen loaches. They all lived for a long time though.
ImACoolguy
Aquarium Advice Addict
It's hard just to look at this.. My first was a dare from my cousin to have a fish like he did. I had a black moor goldfish in a 2.5 gallon tank. I had no idea cycling existed and dosed so my chemicals to try and get the water clear. He died in a week of Ich. Since then I have done hours and hours and some more hours of research and set up what would be my 45g.
Caleb
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Angela1108
Aquarium Advice Addict
My parents had one when I was younger. Eventually once the last fish died they just took it down but once I was on my own I got some
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sydneypaige690
Aquarium Advice Regular
We had Betta's growing up from begging momma in Walmart lol. Then I wanted a fish tank and used the science fair as an excuse to get a 10 gallon and 4 fancy goldfish. Big mess. But I won 3rd place and some prize money for my feeding experiment! Then I upgraded the 10 to a 20 for my birthday one year.... Then I realized how much I was limited to my choices on stocking with that size so I used my Christmas money to buy my current 36 Bowfront setup. Crazy how once our fish bug bites we always want bigger and better tanks and fish!
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Angela1108
Aquarium Advice Addict
Or smaller!!! We have a 55g that we do want to upgrade but I have really been into small aquariums with neo shrimp and nano fish lately!
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Yup! Not long after getting into it I had 12 good-sized tanks, the largest was a 75g. A few years out of the hobby now my largest is a 16g.
Angela1108
Aquarium Advice Addict
In a way I almost think the smaller tanks are more challenging??! Smaller room to scape and harder to get the correct occupants.
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ImACoolguy
Aquarium Advice Addict
I think smaller tanks are harder just because, even though it may be less water, you usually have to do more frequent water changes. It's harder to keep the chemistry stable.
Caleb
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Caleb
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Absolutely! I'm actually taking a break right now from setting up a Walstad/NPT type tank....let's just say I really needed this break
OP
OP
SpaceFish42
Aquarium Advice Addict
I started researching aquariums when my grandmother got a 5 gallon bowfront with goldfish. (The number varied, because she was always having to replace them. Poor fish. ?) I decided I wanted one too. At first I was going to get a 5 gallon with comet goldfish, but after lots more research, I learned my mistake and about cycling and everything. My first aquarium was a used 10 gallon with a lonely gold barb named Diablo. His owners had had him for 6 years, and he had lived through all their attempts to get rid of him. So I got a little school of other gold barbs for him, and he lived happily for another year.
A friend got me started and we picked up a tank from the shop.
Goldfish first, then tropical;
then another tank with crayfish or Australian natives.
A third tank had a betta I bred every so often.
Now back to one tank pretty much.
Goldfish first, then tropical;
then another tank with crayfish or Australian natives.
A third tank had a betta I bred every so often.
Now back to one tank pretty much.
DazF
Aquarium Advice Freak
My other half bought my first tank which was a 30l about 15 months ago as she knew i'd always wanted to keep fish, I kept that and it is now my betta/shrimp tank.
I then bought a 4 ft 150L tank which has been set up for about a year now, THEN i bought my rio 180 which I am yet to set up as I'm waiting to move in the next few weeks.
Originally that was to replace the 4ft tank, however I am tempted to keep both!
She says she doesn't regret buying the first one, but i bet she does
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I then bought a 4 ft 150L tank which has been set up for about a year now, THEN i bought my rio 180 which I am yet to set up as I'm waiting to move in the next few weeks.
Originally that was to replace the 4ft tank, however I am tempted to keep both!
She says she doesn't regret buying the first one, but i bet she does
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stooker
Aquarium Advice Activist
My first serious foray into keeping fish was back in junior high when I got a used 30 gallon tank from a family friend. I had ZERO clue how to keep fish. Keep in mind this was before the internet, so I had practically no resources on how to properly maintain a tank.
I ended up with a bunch of mix & matched cichlids and the tank was actually semi-successful for almost a year considering I was doing weekly 100% WCs (and rinsing gravel each time), I can't even recall what type/size filter I was using, and the limited information I got from the LFS. I was just an annoying young kid with a very limited budget, so got little love from the employees. I literally knew no one who knew how to properly keep fish.
That tank came to a sudden and trajic end when a seam failed and all 30 gallons leaked overnight onto the living room floor. Suffice it to say my parents were a tad upset.
I ended up with a bunch of mix & matched cichlids and the tank was actually semi-successful for almost a year considering I was doing weekly 100% WCs (and rinsing gravel each time), I can't even recall what type/size filter I was using, and the limited information I got from the LFS. I was just an annoying young kid with a very limited budget, so got little love from the employees. I literally knew no one who knew how to properly keep fish.
That tank came to a sudden and trajic end when a seam failed and all 30 gallons leaked overnight onto the living room floor. Suffice it to say my parents were a tad upset.
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