What Made You Want A Freshwater Aquarium?

[Caspar]

My son came home with 3 feeder goldfish from his brother's wedding last month. After witnessing the agony of their living in a small glass flower vase for a few days I headed off to the B&I and bought a cheap 10G starter aquarium. After setting it up and receiving the fishes appreciation I was hooked.

I just bought a 29G Regent/Aqua-tech aquarium starter and have started cycling with 2 Marigold Swordtails and 1 Red Wag (sorry I did not find out about fishless cycling until today) and I am looking forward to fishkeeping for a looong time.

Take Care!

 

[naitch1980]

Well, my girlfriend and I have just set up home in Liverpool, which is about 100 miles away from the town I grew up in back in Wales.
My mother has two tanks, has had for years and they were always so relaxing.

So basically, it was my girlfriends way of helping me settle in in the new home, something that would remind me of home. Add too that the fact that i've changed jobs, which is quite stressful, and just watching the fish can chill me out.

Plus, they just help make a home.

 

[coldmachineUK]

Well, my girlfriend and I have just set up home in Liverpool, which is about 100 miles away from the town I grew up in back in Wales.
My mother has two tanks, has had for years and they were always so relaxing.

So basically, it was my girlfriends way of helping me settle in in the new home, something that would remind me of home. Add too that the fact that i've changed jobs, which is quite stressful, and just watching the fish can chill me out.

Plus, they just help make a home.

Hah! Small world: I'm 'across the water' from you

For me, I started off keeping fish 15 years ago when I was given a 2' tank as a christmas present. I admit I was perplexed at the time, and wondered what the hell it was for! Then, I was taken out, not told where, and we arrived at a large fish store about 30 minutes from where we lived. Needless to say I was pretty awe inspired by what there was, but with being a newbie I was advised to start with black mollies and so I had a tank of them and a little peppered cory strutting about in no time (I didn't realise back then...well...anything really...so he was all on his lonesome). I had them about a year before things went wrong: they got whitespot, which we didn't know anything about, and died in droves We tried water changes, but I don't recall there was much in the way of these fangled chemical solution products around back then, or it could be we just didn't know about them. Sadly, I lost the whole tank through 'ignorance' and put it in storage since I was depressed about the whole thing.
I eventually started back up again: once you've got the 'bug' it never leaves! I have to say, things have got a LOT easier with having the Internet these days

 

[current516]

My son came home with 3 feeder goldfish from his brother's wedding last month. After witnessing the agony of their living in a small glass flower vase for a few days I headed off to the B&I and bought a cheap 10G starter aquarium. After setting it up and receiving the fishes appreciation I was hooked.

My story is similar. But it was 2 goldfish for my daughters, from their grandmother, in a bowl!! I was determined to keep them alive, but by the time I did my research and got the 10 gallon set up they had ick and died.

1 year 2 Months later I'm in deep. Saving all my money to upgrade to a 6ft. tank, and convert my 60g to Saltwater. It's all good though, I would've spent it on something stupid anyway. My fish seem happy.

 

[sarah5775]

When I was ten I decided I wanted fish. Don't remember exactly why. One summer I asked my mom for a plastic wading pool and filled it up with water from the hose. Like any reasonable mother, she probably thought I wanted to sit in it on hot days. No. The next day, I went out with a friend to Walmart and came back with about a dozen little comets. When I brought them home, my parents didn't know quite what to do. They finally said I could put them in the fish pond if I promised not to let it smell or breed mosquitoes. We had well water with no chlorine, and the pool was big even though it had no heater or filter, so most of them did just fine for a while. Every week or so I'd go to walmart and get a few more fish. Problem was, algae grew like mad and I had to scrub the pool every day. But I didn't give up until a cat (or something) started making a meal of my goldfish. Then I got a ten gallon tank and brought the remaining fish inside. Sadly, they all died. A ten gallon tank is just too small for a bunch of comets, though a few lasted a year or so.
It wasn't until college that I got my next fish, a betta. I had a few of them over the next six years one after another in a hexagon 3 gallon tank. That was all I had room for. I wish I had known better what to feed them and that I needed a heater, the lfs always told me all I needed was a bowl.
When I moved out on my own the first thing I did (before I even finished unpacking) was buy myself the biggest tank I could afford (29 gallons) and check out the internet for information on which fish to keep. AA (that's Aquarium Advive, not Aquariums Anonymous, though I think I need the latter also) helped a lot, and while I made a few mistakes, I lost only a few fish. I later added a five gallon and a betta, and a few days ago another five gallon and another betta. That's all for now. Really! I can stop anytime....But when my molly has babies, I really want another tank......

I know have:

2 bettas
1 apple snail
1 ramshorn snail that came on my java moss
2 female mollies, one pregnant
4 platys, one male, rest female
4 gold barbs (which the lfs told me were lemon tetras)
4 black longfin tetras
1 otto
and
6 neon tetras

 

[onah]

yea i started with a 5ghex, with in the wk bought a 20g(i got hooKed quick by my goby, a few wks later got a 10g free and then a wk later got 20g also free,. i have become infatuated with snails, i knew there was alt out there, but nothing has had me this intrigged since my first set of turntables!

 

[critter333294]

What made me want a freshwater tank? When my parents and I decided to redo my room, I made them promise me one.....i've always been into nautical/aquatic things.

 

[Pleco]

What made me want a FW tank.. Well the biggest reason was my bank account begging me to change over after being drained from my 250G reef setup that i ran for 4 years. The next was the desire to have a community tank, after having my hand go numb for hours after touching an anemone, being bitten by several different SW fish and having a Fire Shrimp go postal and eat everything it could i decided that a community tank would be a bit more peaceful after coming home from work. I also ran out of time for maintenance on such a large tank as i got one of those things called "a life" , i know sometimes they are overrated

-Pleco

 

[IHaveNoLife]

I remember when I was thirteen and my aunt and uncle told me for my 13th bithday I would get a 20g freshwater tank. This is pretty easy to remember, seeing as i turned 13 yesterday. I am getting it soon. Thats.............. pretty much it.

 

[IHaveNoLife]

I also ran out of time for maintenance on such a large tank as i got one of those things called a life"

Go figure. As you have probably gathered by now, I have no life.

"I know sometimes they are overrated

So true. Sad, but true.

 

[Gplayerz]

Hi my name is Gary from Queens, N.Y A couple of things got me intereted in this hobby. When i was a little kid my dad had two big tanks in the wall one in the living room and one in the basement, i used to watch the fish all day long. Now i am 22 and i been working at blood laboratory and my boss has a 50 gallon tank and i would find myself watching the fish he has cichlilds so i decided why dont i have something of my own so i went out and bought a 10 gallon starter kit and its up and running. I put a coupld of platys in it and just last night i saw 3 platy fry, i only got the tank about a week ago. I am so excited and cant wait to get a bigger tank maybe in a couple months. thats how it all started for me.

 

[flushingfish]

I started when my 5yr old daughter won a goldfish at the San Gennaro festival in New York and my wife why don't we get a real tank and keep it alive. Now I am working on a nice 20g planted community tank and am planning another 5g setup for that same 5 yr old's (now six) room. I may be exhibiting the first signs of MTS.

 

[JDogg]

WOW I have been here a while and I do not think I have posted in this.... I looked and could not find myself :?

Ok here is my story thus far...

Before I was born my father had a 20 gallon with a Red Belly Piranha name "Pete". Well it died and he sold off the tank, he did however keep his fish books. They were not much of books; just paper back jobbies form the 60s/70s, not very thick. He had one on cichlids (my favorite ) catfish, tetra, livebearers, barbs and plants... (Might have been more but those are the ones I remember. I used to love looking at the books, I loved the pictures, and as I got older, I think they were some of the first books I ever read 8) . I also used to love to visit the only lfs in town, Tom's Pets and Hobbies (use to like to build model cars and planes as well, lol), the closed about 10 years ago now though .

As I kid I had the prerequisite goldfish in a bowl, I also one kept a baby bullhead in that bowl as well as a baby mud turtle...

When I was about 10-12 he decided to pick up a 10 gallon, I still remember the first stocking list... 2 angels, 2 julii cory (the only kind I have ever kept) two zebra danio and 2 silver hatchet fish. Eventually he added a pair of swordtail.

As fish would die, he let me help to pick out new fish... (we went through a lot of fish over the following year...my father did not know anything about cycling or testing water, he did do a once a year (full cleaning 8O )

After about a year he did upgrade to a 20 gallon, it is currently grossly over stocked (red tail shark, tiger bars, bala shark, 10" pleco, kuli loach, silverdollar, ...) I have educated him a little in the last few year...

After college I got my fist job and "officially" moved out of my parent’s home. I knew I wanted my first, personal, aquarium, so when my friend wanted to get ride of her 10 gallon, I jumped on it... MTS ever since

 

[Shubunkin01]

My school used to have a lovely aquarium, and I remember being awed by it; lately a friend of mine purchased an aquarium, and I thought that it looked an easy way to brighten up a room, and not to difficult to look after. How wrong I was! I only have one tank, but even now I am looking to expand. I think I feel mts setting in!

 

[grumpy^dwarf]

what made me want one was....

that 13 inch ryukin that was bought fer the wife on mothers day rip titan u were a big gollie and now i just to lazy to get into salt water lol

 

[AngelaOlsenFan]

I had always had goldfish growing up, just a little one in a bowl (we didn't know it was mean back then!) Then one day when I was 12ish, I thought it would be nice if my goldfish had more space and had a friend to live with, so I got a 5 gallon tank for Xmas (back in '94). Then I thought it would be nice if they had even MORE room, so then I got my 25 gallon tank.
And the rest is history!

 

[squeekness]

I've had tanks for years and I've had my 110 for about 7 years or so now. I just love fish -- never had much luck with salt water though. I've had good luck with my freshwater tank and most of my fish are older than 5. I never knew they could live so long! I have an aneaus catfish that is 14!

 

[Mr.Kelso]

I took a trip to the local pet shop with my then 10 year old Grandson to buy a new colar for the dog, He took one look at the fish and my Life and house have never been the same.
1 300 gal freshwater tank with large fancy Goldfish his favorite.

1 60 Gal with Neon Tetra's , his favorite.

1 55 gal with all sorts of tropicals that he picked out during our travels.

He is now 11 and has plans on another tank for guppies. As i said my life and my house has not been the same. "Kids" You gotta love there hungry minds.

 

[pauliedanger]

Hey everybody, this is probably the best place for a first post.

I've always been a big fan of fish. I love going to aquariums and stuff. But a while ago my doctor told me I had high blood pressure. Told me there were two real ways of dealing with it. Pills, or environment control (diet, and influences). So I did some research and discovered that jazz music and fish tanks were awesome for blood pressure.

I've had a 20 gal freshwater, and now I've got a 30 gal freshwater. My next step is saltwater. Too cool to not take a shot at.

 

[kickeralpine]

it all started for me around 15 years old had couple 10 gallon tanks my grandfather had 135 gallon with a sand shark in it. thought that fish where cool well got married and bugged grandfather for over 15 years for that tank finally he gave in i just resealed the tank this year its over 40 years old he passeed away 2 years ago so its a good way for me to remember him he really loved fish to . fish tanks to me are just a really fun hobby and i also have a 55 gallon and soon as i find a good deal on somthing else ill have another one lol .iv had an oscar for 10 years before he decided to jump out of the tank and had pirahnas never again to mean now i have over 10 different types of tetras fun fish and today im adding some plants allmost forgot my new little buddys got some ottos really neat little fish