The tank that started it all...
Saw the thread and got lost in people's stories so I thought I'd share mine.
When I was about 13 or so my mom agreed to buy me a 10g tank from the local Pet Supermarket. Blue gravel, some plants, Black Skirt Tetra's, Danio's and a Common Pleco. The fish later on of course. Being a 13yr old without my own computer yet and without the resources to go out and buy stuff...let's just say it was tough. The only fish I managed to keep alive was my pleco. It would not die!!! I remember being mad that all my other fish kept dying so I would just not want to feed the pleco. It managed to live for probably 5 years and got to 9 inches in my 10g.
I played soccer my whole life and played college ball for a year (super time consuming). I decided not to play my sophomore year. My current girlfriend, when we started dating loved that I had a fish tank. She wanted me to get more fish but I told her I could never keep anything alive in that tank.
Being in college, with a workstudy job, and now no soccer, I had freedom to start up my fish addiction.
I went to PetSmart one day and bought a 50g tank without telling anyone. Brought it home, set it up, took a picture and sent it to my mom asking if we could go shopping (more because she would pay for some stuff, not because I needed her help). She was very surprised to say the least. My girlfriend also surprised me one day with 4 goldfish to keep in the 10g.
Once I got the 50g running for a few months I wanted another tank. PetSmart had a sale for a 37g tall starter kit. I felt obligated to take advantage of the sale and came home with another tank without telling anyone but my girlfriend.
My mom was even more surprised that I bought another tank. Sadly, it started leaking 2 weeks after I got it going and had to take it down to seal it.
During the process, I got my friend hooked on fish and helped him set up a 20g (after some heavy convincing to his mom to let him). We started talking about how we wanted bigger tanks. One day he mentioned Craigslist. This sparked an intense search for a bigger tank. Months of searching and researching and planning I found a 180g tank. My room is only 10x10 so at this point, 3 tanks is a lot. I fell in love with this 180g tank and was determined to make it fit in my room. I spent hours measuring all my furniture to see where I could move it to to free up the wall where my 50g was sitting on my dresser.
After deciding to give myself the green light to buy the tank, my friend and I took down my 50g and moved the furniture. My mom came in and was wondering what was going on. I mumbled..."I'm getting another tank." She flipped out and was like ARE YOU SERIOUS!? I chuckled and said yes...she then asked how big. I mumbled 180g and she almost passed out.
So we get the tank home in my friends truck and put it on saw horses to clean it good. Night comes and my parents want me to move the tank inside so nothing happens to it. They insisted, even though I knew nothing would happen...nobody would be able to steal it. So as we are going to move it one of the sawhorses gives out and it falls and shatters. At this point, my hands are stuck under the end of the tank scrapped up and bleeding. My mom cut her finger and part of the tank landed on my dads toe. I wanted to die.
We cleaned it up and they said they'd pay me back for the tank since they wanted to move it.
So now sitting on another $300 and a stand, it was back to Craigslist to find a replacement. Another long, miserable month of nothing or tanks that I couldn't afford.
I decided to settle for a 150g drilled after numerous failed attempts to get a 180g. This time I was determined to get it in my room in one piece!!
And now it's being constructed.
My mom has complained about me getting more tanks and the other day she suggested that I get another tank bigger than 10g for the goldfish since they are outgrowing the tank. Obviously I can't turn down my mom telling me to get another tank. As I'm helping my dad replace boards in the attic, my mom tells me that there is an old tank in the attic that someone gave us. I go find it and sure enough it's a 15g (just needed a hood). I got it out, washed it out and set it up in my sisters room. Went to PetSmart at 8:00 and bought a filter. She thinks it's great.
That is my story....19 with 5 tanks...the future only holds more tanks...
10g - going to be shrimp
15g - 4 goldfish and 2 albino corries
37g - 5 tiger barbs, 1 opaline gourami, 1 senegal bichir, 1 pleco
50g - 8 phantom tetras, 3 gold mystery snails, (yellow labs and melanochromis maingano coming soon!)
150g - going to be planted with driftwood - transfer SA 37g fish
I remember my mom cleaning the tank. Must have been 1985 or so because I was rather small. I just recall her sucking on the end of a tube and spitting fish water out of her mouth. Why would I ever want fish after that? 
THEN I noticed our fish were acting weird.
I took some water in to be tested at the LFS. Nitrites ? Nitrates 7.6 and PH ? I just recall the guy saying "you still have live fish? They should be dead!" He directed me to do a 50% water change. It was then I realized I didn't need to put my mouth anywhere close to the tube.
