What Made You Want A Freshwater Aquarium?

[Viccy]

For me it is simple , I love watching fish ... I dont care what kind . I am a Master Diver Trainer so why not have what I love at home as well , salt or fresh matters not . They are relaxing and peaceful , enjoyable to interact with .

 

[GLOBAL1]

I had goldfish, they were to boring and plain, then I noticed some Harlequin rasbora in the shop about 5 years ago and wanted them, so I went out and got all the things I needed and I made this and love everything about it, it's trying to make something beautiful and peaceful I love

 

[Jobin13]

I just love the idea of having a fully functioning ecosystem living in my home and I love trying to maximize the functionality and ecological food webs within a planted tank!

 

[V227]

I totally respect the skills and knowledge of those who practice on the salty side of our hobby.
The cost of the required equipment, skimmer, UV sterilizer, canister filters, sump and the back
Up power generator would be quite a financial undertaking. Around here 5 gallons of pre
Mixed sea water sells for $15.
All my tanks are fresh water. I change 30 gal. A week in my display tank. That probably cost me a nickel towards my monthly water bill. The expense really isn't the reason for my fresh water preference.
I had a small 58 gal. Salt water tank back in the 80's. That was the early days of home salt tanks. The equipment then was not nearly as advanced, live rock and coral were not common place. I found that the fish selection was relatively small. The stocking level of a salt tank is very low compared to fresh. It was very difficult for me to keep the tank clean; salt build up on the top and outsides of the tank. Mixing sea salt was a major pain. After a few years of that, I donated my sea fish to the zoo.
I've had friends with spectacular home reef tanks, no expense spared. The tanks were awesome, but one can also aquascape a freshwater tank and acquire colorful, interesting fish that can match or even surpass the reefs without the enormous expense and related hassels.

 

[PlatyTetra831]

I remember my cousin had a aquarium and it was always relaxing watching them so I decided to get one myself.

 

[splattered]

So many reasons really but mainly my proximity to a spring water source. I don't add anything to it it's glorious. If I had to whip up a batch of sea water every time I had to do a water change I wouldn't be able to do them as frequently. If all I had access to was tap water I'd just to saltwater tanks and maybe a tangynikan tank cuz I'm already making soup anyway so might as well go all out.

 

[BettaPonic]

Seeing generations of Guppies living side by side.

 

[BettaPonic]

Watching Guppies breed in a middle school tank.

 

[Crabcake]

Well, first, i had a pet crab. When i went to my LPS to buy food for the crab, I saw some fish. I started having interest on fish, so then, i got a betta in a 2 gallon tank. A few days later, i decided on having 2 frogs, 3 ghost shrimp, and other pets. Then, I got a 10 Gallon Tank and got a few nerite snails.

 

[RaeShell]

My dad fixed a friends Air Conditioner one weekend in Las Vegas, and when he came home a few days later he had what I imagine was 40gallon fishtank that he'd received as payment. Fish included. All I remember was a pleco "Blackrock," a Chinese algae Eater "Flipper," and a mated pair of convict cichlids "Ma and Pa." I watched them nest in the corner of the tank and raise their fry. It was fascinating.

 

[JM1101]

My son won a goldfish at a carnival and it came with a small packet of food and a bowl. Needless to say it flopped out of the bowl in the middle of night. Shortly after I did some quick research and bought a tall 29 gallon complete setup at the local wally world got it set up and cycling water while I waited for my plants arrive from Amazon.com. In the meantime did a little more research on community tanks and water nitrate, nitrites, ammonia and all that. One week after adding the plants and 2 weeks after cycling the water we added all of our fish at once all from the same pet store. We had 3 fatalities in the first 4 days, replaced them all and everything is stable and so far so good! Fingers crossed! We have 6 platies (1 red wag, 3 sunburst, 2 green lantern), 5 zebra danios, 5 neon tetras, and 1 black molly. I love doing this and watching the fish with their little personalities and am already mentally preparing my next tank!

 

[wendy fm]

It started with my son wanting fish a couple of years ago. So we tried Beta fish,one in a five gallon,one in the vase peace Lilly set up. They both died after two months. We then moved onto gold fish in the five gallon( I know,too small of a space) they died. Finally I got smart and bought a ten gallon tank and have been a fairly successful fish keeper. I want to move to a twenty gallon, Before my tank gets too crowded. I have two sword tail one Molly,one Cory cat and around eight baby swordtails, they're two weeks old so very small, right now, but I know they will get bigger.[emoji4]

 

[Noah0504]

I have two sword tail one Molly,one Cory cat and around eight baby swordtails, they're two weeks old so very small, right now, but I know they will get bigger.[emoji4]

The Cory will do much better with some friends as they're a schooling fish, however, you'd really need to get a bigger tank to make that happen.

 

[V227]

Current residents

What made me want a freshwater tank? The current residents. Who really needs salt water?

 

[wendy fm]

The Cory will do much better with some friends as they're a schooling fish, however, you'd really need to get a bigger tank to make that happen.

I found that out after I got the Cory, I then bought a Panda Cory to be his buddy, but this one was very shy and did not do well. It died about a month ago,no apparent illness, I think It just gave up. The Original Cory is fat and sassy and I plan on looking for a couple more once I get a larger tank. I know six is the preferred number, but I figure three is better than one.

 

[xshainax]

Well, a friend of mine got me a betta named Antoine for Christmas in 2010. He was in a nice 2 gallon bowl, but he died because I had no idea how to take care of him. Then I got a 2.5 gallon with a new betta named Lucifer. Then I won a goldfish at the fair in 2011. I was going to get a 29 and put him in there, but he died the day I got the 29 gallon so I put platies and mollies in it, never knowing what the nitrogen cycle was. They all survived though until I did a huge WC and killed everything. Then I got a 10 gallon, and a 20 gallon long. The 10 I am cycling and the 20 gallon long will be started after Christmas

 

[ebjornsgard]

I have loved studying the ocean as far back as I can remember. I would have loved to have a salt water tank, but it is such a time and money commitment that I haven't the resources to do that yet. Maybe someday.

But I started out with freshwater tanks when I was probably 8-9, my mom bought me a tank. I don't know how big it was, probably a 10-20 gallon. I had the typical "easy" freshwater fish, neon tetras, a molly, maybe a platt, some kind of smaller pleco, and tons of guppies. We started with like 3, but the pet store didn't tell us how quickly they multiply. I was little, and I was pretty much in charge of feeding them, with my mom doing everything regarding to actually keeping them alive. I had so much fun with that tank, even though looking back it became grossly overstocked with several generations of guppies (I haven't owned on since). Then my little brother, who was probably 6, wanted to help when I wasn't home and dumped about half a can of flakes in the tank, pretty much instantly killing all inhabitants.

I then took a break until now, my mom bought me a tank last Christmas that I again have set up, the differences being that I take care of water changes and everything. And then a few months ago I started researching lesser known freshwater aquarium fish, and I came across the Dwarf puffer fish and fell in love. So I went I found out a store sells them relatively close by, I decided to get a mini tank going with one of them. After the tank was done cycling I brought him home, and I'm so happy with my two tanks. And since it's been more than 10 years, I even let my brother feed the community tank... once... and only wafers when I was gone... [emoji4]

Not to say that they are easy, but if you take into account how much time and effort some pets and salt water tanks are, the relative ease that freshwater tanks can be and that they can be so calming and relaxing are what made me want one (or two).

 

[jc102]

I had a 10 gallon tank when I was a kid, but we were never able to keep fish. They always ended up dying or the tank would become cloudy and disgusting. So, after a few unsuccessful tries of filling up the tank, plopping in fish, and watching them die, we (my parents and I) gave up and got rid of the tank.

A friend of mine in college had a betta in a 0.5 gallon bowl in his dorm, and I thought it looked cool. I decided to get myself a betta for my dorm, which consisted of a 1 gallon tank kit and a betta! I kept him alive for 3 months until something very unfortunate happened. My dorm-mate at some point decided to clean my betta tank. He did a great job cleaning it, except my betta died. He honestly did not know what he did wrong. I was upset, he was upset, and I was asking a ton of questions to figure out what happened. "Did you use any soap?" "Did you make the water too hot/cold?" Did you treat the water?" etc... He did all of that. The only thing that he didn't do was put the betta in water while he cleaned the tank. He put it in an empty cup. He said something like, "Well, they breathe air too so I thought it would be fine!".

Anyway, after that incident I kind of put the idea of owning another fish away for a while. It wasn't until February of this year (about 2 years after the incident at my dorm) that I got another fish. I was a lot more informed this time around. I did my research before committing to the idea of it. I bought a Betta, a 5 gallon tank, heater, thermometer, water test kit, food, and decor. He has been thriving in his tank ever since! I actually bought another Betta and did the same setup a few months down the road. The last tank that I bought was a 10 gallon and I put several Danios, Tetras, and Barbs in there. They are also doing great! I'm proud of the progress that I've made and I've really started to get addicted to this hobby. I'm already planning on setting up a 6o gallon aquarium and getting a few more 10 gallons.

Unfortunately, this morning I noticed that my Betta (who I named Mr. Bubbles) has a large white mass on his side. It looks like a tumor, but I'm not really sure. I'm worried about him, and if he passes I will be very upset. Here's that story: White Spot on Betta

I guess illness comes with the hobby, but it can be depressing. Anyway, that is my story summed up. I just really like learning about the hobby and caring for the fish. I'd like to take my turn at breeding them soon. Maybe that will happen next year!

 

[Angie M]

six years ago I lost my son and was going through a very hard time with it. We were at pet smart one day and there was a sale on aquariums. My husband asked me if I would like to try starting an aquarium. I don't know if you realized it at the time, but he just found my new therapy. Not only did I find something to put my mind to, but also the peace and tranquil escape into watching my fish world helped in my healing more then anything ever could. Soon we had to 2 tanks going.

 

[nirbhao]

six years ago I lost my son and was going through a very hard time with it. We were at pet smart one day and there was a sale on aquariums. My husband asked me if I would like to try starting an aquarium. I don't know if you realized it at the time, but he just found my new therapy. Not only did I find something to put my mind to, but also the peace and tranquil escape into watching my fish world helped in my healing more then anything ever could. Soon we had to 2 tanks going.

(So many hugs)