What Made You Want A Freshwater Aquarium?

[GuppyAquatail109]

My story starts like this..
When I was 3,
I always hated pet fish,and I wanted to get a dog,but it costs too much.I wanted a pe

 

[GuppyAquatail109]

My story starts like this..
When I was 3,
I always hated pet fish,and I wanted to get a dog,but it costs too much.I wanted a pe

sorry,accidently pressed send..

When I was 3, I wanted a pet so I always got crabs from the beach and stuffed them in my mini nemo fish tank set(It was a toy,duh)They all died so we had to throw away the whole thing...They didn't even last a day in there...
8 years later, I got a 10 gallon fish tank.A long time ago I thought they were the most stupid pets in the whole wide world.

now I am staring at them every 10 seconds...

 

[Pezzep]

I remember as a child seeing my dads 110g I believe it was and he had an assortment or fish in there and I always thought they were neat, but never really knew where to start being so young. I've had gold fish as a kid kept in little bowls which I know now is just terrible, but that sort of setup just wasn't doing it for me. It wasn't till recently say 3-4 months ago that I started looking into aquariums again and I found all these planted tanks with gorgeous aquascapes and for me, being somewhat of an artistic type, this really got me going on trying to build some beautiful tanks. I now have 3 tanks 2 8gallon nano tanks and one 20gallon my 20still needs alot more plants in it for me to really enjoy it and the nanos are coming along great. I'm going to be getting a free 20g from my cousin soon and I can't wait, just need to find space for it aha.

 

[Amanda Guitar]

We wanted a freshwater aquarium firstly because we're new to this and knew saltwater was far above our heads. There are so many fish we love that are freshwater so it really was an easy decision.

 

[mccorkle]

hi my name is Shirley
I have 3 tanks one 5gal. one 16 gal. one 55 gal. tanks I mostly have guppys now I lost almost all my fish in the 55 gal. tank they got ich but before I could get the meds for them I have 4 left out of about 40 fish I live 30 miles from pet store .
can you tell me what cause s ich???
thank you
mccorkle
70 years old

 

[Andy Sager]

hi my name is Shirley
I have 3 tanks one 5gal. one 16 gal. one 55 gal. tanks I mostly have guppys now I lost almost all my fish in the 55 gal. tank they got ich but before I could get the meds for them I have 4 left out of about 40 fish I live 30 miles from pet store .
can you tell me what cause s ich???
thank you
mccorkle
70 years old

Ich is a parasite that attacks fish most when they are under stress. Most every fish has the parasite in them if they have been exposed to wild fish. When they are healthy, they fight off any infestation of the parasite but once they are stressed, they succumb. Some usual causes of stress: rapid temperature change, rapid water condition changes, fighting amongst tankmates, Bullying from tankmates, poor water quality (#1 cause) either in your tank or the tank they came from.

As you live so far from your LFS, I would suggest you keep stable meds at your house "just in case." Powder forms of antibiotics ( My #1 is Furan-2) and a med for ich (the most common disease fish keepers will face) are a must. Time is not your friend when you need these meds. The sooner you use them, the higher the chance you will defeat the disease you are treating.

You should also look into using a quarantine tank for any new fish. This is the best way to not add any diseases into your main display tank(s).

Hope this helps

 

[John-Solo]

My wife was drunk and wanted a gold fish and it escalated from there... thats about it.

 

[RachelG]

I wanted a pet, mostly a cat, but I can't have any where I live now. So I snuck in a few small tanks. Fish are neat. A lot of work, I've learned, but neat.

 

[Delapool]

I kept goldfish, tropical and native fish as a teenager and then started work and was always busy. Still remember watching Siamese Fighting Fish build and breed in bubble nests – very cool to watch. About 18 months ago I took the family down to inspect a fish tank and furniture stand. It was a small shock when I came back with one twice as big.. After some false starts, they thought the place was on fire when I rushed in to announce some baby mollies. Still to learn a lot but I think I watch it more than the TV..

 

[catfishkid]

Hi all.

Well when i was a kid (like second grade) the lobby of my doctors office had a tank, I don't the exact size but it was a saltwater and I loved it. I kind of forgot about fish for the rest of elementary school but in 6th I found the show "Tanked" on Animal Planet which sent my fish-loving gears into motion. I also had an AMAZING science teacher who would take us outside into the woods behind our school. And one day he caught a whole batch of tadpoles and I decided to take three home. Long story short my mom was not very excited when I came home with live beings. We had nothing to put them in so I filled a pitcher with stream water and plopped them in XD. Two of the tadpoles died off but I successfully raised a frog. Yes we ended up getting a small frog tank and food, he didn't live in a pitcher. She died at the end of 6th grade. But here i am today with a 20 gal tank, many fish and snails, and trying to get a bigger one.

 

[Hunnelips]

I guess for me it's always just been the case of how interesting it is to have a little mini environment forcefully integrated with our own. You simply cannot walk through an office or someone's home that has an aquarium without looking at it.

I love to aquascape...and love it even more when my fish enjoy the setup I create for them. It's like creating my own little underwater world.

Large freshwater fish such as rtc and arrows have always been a big interest of mine, but I refuse to own them until I construct a suitable tank for them myself with my own hands. I'm not paying thousands of dollars for an aquarium. I have tons of ideas running through my head constantly, but thus far have not had the money or time to purchase materials.

 

[FishieMomma]

I got a Betta for my kids once after seeing a (very small I know now) tank for them at a chain store. I bought the tank and a pretty Betta. Then I researched them and, of course, realized I had the worst set-up for a happy Betta.

I got a 5 gallon hexagon tank with plastic plants and HOB filter and a small heater. Somehow George survived my clumsy attempts for awhile and lived until I changed his water without de-chlorinator. He died all slimy and then I did a lot more research. I have a 55 gallon now.

 

[gobbledygook]

My 5 year old son has been asking for fish for over a year. He went so far as to take out every book on fish in the library, plan out what kind of fish he wanted, and was able to tell me exactly what I needed to buy to make it all work. He's a bit of a self-motivated kid. My husband and I had said we'd get him a tank for Christmas, but then summer camp came around and one day he walked out with a minnow, a snail and a piece of anacharis in a 1/4 gallon container. The minnow didn't live long, but the sheer joy in his face when he sat talking to the fish was infectious. We bought a 10 gallon tank and the guppies he wanted. And then came the 20 gal setup. And the nano snail bowl.

I suspect that's just the beginning.

 

[Alyxx]

My 5 year old son has been asking for fish for over a year. He went so far as to take out every book on fish in the library, plan out what kind of fish he wanted, and was able to tell me exactly what I needed to buy to make it all work. He's a bit of a self-motivated kid. My husband and I had said we'd get him a tank for Christmas, but then summer camp came around and one day he walked out with a minnow, a snail and a piece of anacharis in a 1/4 gallon container. The minnow didn't live long, but the sheer joy in his face when he sat talking to the fish was infectious. We bought a 10 gallon tank and the guppies he wanted. And then came the 20 gal setup. And the nano snail bowl.

I suspect that's just the beginning.

Sounds like me when I was a kid. I, too read every fish book I could get my hands on, and my mom lets have total control of my tank. I picked the fish, fed them, cleaned the tank and changed the water, and the tank was in my room. I was a little older, maybe 7 or so.

 

[elfuzz4]

I have always been fascinated with fish, ever since I can remeber, I wanted one. My mom bought me a beta fish when I was about seven, and it lived for three years before my uncle hit the bowl off the table on accident. After that, I waited five years, but then the urge came again, and I took $300 dollars out of my lawn money to buy a 40 gallon tank, and have enjoyed it for the past few months. I hope I don't make any too huge mistakes, and that my fish can live long happy lives. I also hope that I don't have to spend too much more money on it.

 

[purestar]

I owe it all to Alphie, the betta fish. Finding a better home for him led me to discover how cool fish really are. Now he lives in a 28 gallon tank, very peacefully with my tetras and cories. He's only ever flared once (during feeding time) and has never tried to nip or make any aggressive movement towards the other fish. The other fish are fine with him too. My happy (and half blind) cories don't even seem to know he's there. Now that I've seen all the amazing fish @ the LFS, I want a bigger tank already! LOL.

 

[kitty2234]

Hi Fish lovers,

When I was young, I wanted an alligator.

Later on, when I was older and I started to go to college for a Master Degree in Business Management, I developed a business strategy and business idea. I plan to diversify a company. I have visualized the store setup.

At this time, I decided that I planned to start the company in approximately 3 years. I also decided that Tropical Fish Sales would be around 25% of my expected sales.

I have always loved the look of many of the fish that I have seen in books and on display. I especially have loved the Sailfin Mollies. I want to go back to the wild caught fish because many of the look much better than our domesticated fish.

I joined the Erie Aquarium Society in October at the same time as attending my very first fish AUCTION and SALE. I even talked them into letting me write a check because I wanted to overspend my money. I brought home all the tanks that I could fit into my car and made arraignments to buy more tanks and a stand. I noticed that when the spring auction came, that the price of tanks are much higher at that time. In the fall, the tank prices are cheaper.

I have two more auctions to attend within the next 2 weeks. I can't wait to see what I bring home next. At the last auction, I picked up two -55 gallon tanks for $10 and for $30!

kitty2234
KalosKrittersKanSwim (this is a temporary business name until I start my company).

 

[keigan]

Rescuing bettas from neglectful owners! I'm on my third adoptee, first aquarium. Got a Baby Biorb *cheap*. I was instantly hooked and have several mods/projects planned.

 

[Cageyme]

I started with a 3 gallon AquaFarm because I love gardening and the idea of having a fish provide the fertilizer was intriguing. I didn't know anything about fish, but I bought a betta and a snail and a plastic plant for the tank. The plants up top grew, but I had constant problems with algae and with keeping the water clean. I threw out the AquaFarm and bought a 20 gallon. It is full of underwater plants and platies and a couple of danios. (The poor betta died.) I also have a 10 gallon with a different betta and some more plants.

 

[Tmar]

My leap into the aquarium hobby all started when....
My sister decided one day that she was gonna clean up the aquarium tank her ex had left when he moved out. So she did and asked me to go to the pet store with her to get fish for it when it had cycled and I said yes...
Now I am horribly addicted and have myself one lil 10 gallon freshwater already cycled with some fish but not fully stocked. Another lil 10 gallon currently cycling because I like to fiddle with the tanks daily and now... I just finished painting the back of a 55 gallon tank and will set it up for another freshwater.
I scored a 250 gallon & 150 gallon sump tank together on craigslist for $400 and havent decided what I'm doing with those yet and one of the contractors I work with gave me a 50 gallon for free. They all hold water and it's a good thing my basement is unused...