The direction of the aquarium hobby

[Angelman]

Seems that people have forgotten where they came from? We did not all wake up one morning with a tank in our living room and all the knowledge that went with it. We all started from somewhere, It’s not about how many tanks we have, how many fish we have breed and sure not about all the money that we have all made. It’s all started because we feel in love with the hobby and it seems like we have all forgotten that. For me it all started at the age of 9, my Parents had tanks. They were nothing special, but give us something to do together and help me forge a better relationship with my father. After he passed away I went and got a fish tank, because I wanted to reconnect with my past. We did not have all the answers; went to LFS and asked allot questions, watch YouTube, purchased an aquarium dummy guide and went on road trips to see what others were doing. Most people where open to helping and other acted as if we were out to take over there aquariums. We tried to take a little something positive from every one we came in contact with and head home to try it out. Pain or pleasure feast or famine, I did my best to figure it out.

Until that one after noon we went over to meet Jon and Jan Miller. We went there just to stop over say hi and see his fish room. Figured we would be in and out in less than 15 min. Boy was I wrong, Jon and Jan took us to each of their tanks explained everything in full details and provided us with enough information to fill a book and that 15 minutes turned into 4 hours. Still to this day I talk to Jon and Jan weekly and they have become more then fish folk, but very important part of our family. That is what make this hobby what it should be about helping one another, because the last time I checked there was no popularity contest that goes along with fish keeping. Promoting the hobby in a positive productive manner helps to keep this hobby alive, and I feel we need to go back to basic with our self’s and with helping others grow in our community. It’s time to give something back, time to start helping others, inspiring others and getting involved in the community; Building those memories for the next generation of hobbyist.

With that being said, why did you get into this hobby? Who was your major influence, and what did they do to help you out? For most of us this hobby is something that is completely opposite of what they do for a living. What drives you to still keep an aquarium?

Please note that this is not directed at any one person or any group. Just something I felt needed to be said.

 

[JimA]

Nice read!  

   I kept some fish when I was in high school, Oscars, Dempsey's and a big piranha. Then high school ended life hit, and I went into the Navy.   Fast forward 30+ years later and about 4 years ago someone left a 40 gallon tank at work with the stand for the taking.   So I got the tank set up and cycled then the family went to Pet smart and picked out some pretty fish for the tank without a clue of what we were buying, and of course the ignorant person at pet smart didn't have a clue either.    Once the fish started killing each other I started doing research found forums and the rest is history!  40gal to a 46 to 110 then a 160 to end with a 240.   I honestly never thought I would be keeping Tropheus, but that's one thing with this hobby it can take you in so many directions.  Large fish, small fish or all plus the multiple tank syndrome, which has not hit me.  

As far as where it might go I am not sure yet, life can throw curveballs at you, then sometimes throw a whole bunch of curveballs at you all at once. We take it one day at a time and see where it goes and for "me" what the Lord has planned my family and I..

Again nice thread started!

 

[Anonymous]

Wow!

Um, one day my boss was like I have a fish tank, want it? Never thought about aquatics up to then. He said it was a 50g, I spontaneously accepted. Twas a 56 g acrylic saltwater set up. I learned everything about plumbing, freshwater fish for the next two years from Clark & Jesse at Pet Pourri in Everett. They would catch me peering under their tanks learning how to plump sumps, lifting hoods to check out lighting. Twas good times!

My oldest son started keeping fish. Now my youngest is grabbing ahold of the algae scrapper and cleaning glass . NeatO!

 

[PokeSephiroth]

I was first introduced into this hobby when my mom bought me a betta when I was 4 years old. It was my first pet ever, and I fell in love with him! Soon after my betta had passed away, my dad got me a 20 gallon tank and we kept goldfish (Red Capped Orandas and Ryukins) for several years. It was more my dad's tank than mine, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

After that, there was a dry spell and I didn't keep any fish during my middleschool/high school years... and then I went back into the hobby when I was in college, while I was in the Philippines. That lasted for the entire duration I stayed in the Philippines, and then it kinda died back down after I came back to Washington.

Then I started back into the hobby, stronger than ever, about two years ago when I finally ventured out of my parent's grasps. I could finally get as many tanks as I wanted, and whatever fish I wanted without my parents influence LOL... and I've been hooked, ever since

 

[MorganEA]

When I was little my Aunt had a 55 gal tank that I loved! But my passion for aquariums didn't really take off till recently when I found out about planted aquariums. The science of growing plants and the relationship between the fish and plants has always been interesting to me. I did have a rough start though, I got lots of bad information from my LFS and killed lots of plants !: 

 

[cichlid-gal]

I was a teenager when I got my first tank.  Of course I ended up with cichlids...a beautiful angelfish that just kept growing and growning.  I had guppies in the tank and a tiger barb.  My tiger barb was being so naughty I decided to take it to the local fish store.  On the way out of the driveway my jar with the fish in it tipped over, I leaned down to pick up the fish and jar and ended up driving through my neighbors yard and wiping out their mailbox.  Suffice to say...I shut down my tank and didn't get another tank for quite a few years.

Fast forward about 10 years and I was married to John.  He and I set up a couple of tanks...a 55G which we thought was a huge tank and a 20G tank.  Again...cichlids and a mixed community tank.  We loved those tanks.  Moving a few years later brought us to Washington State and here we simply didn't think about the fish for many years as we were busy raising chickens, rabbits, cows and other assorted animals.  Moving to town brought us full circle..we are back in the hobby and enjoying it more than ever.

 

[KaraWolf]

Lets see...XDDD My grandpa had 2 ponds, one "seasonal" which is to say sometimes it was a puddle(but was probably a 12-15ft deep hole), and one year round stocked with koi and goldfish galore. He would put extra goldfish in the seasonal one to either feed divert the birds or something cause he had a stork problem for a while >>  I absolutely loved catching the little goldfish and releasing them. We often managed to snag our favorite and mom bought a dinky 1 gallon goldfish bowl to keep it in and it usually died within probably a year for a variety of reasons; now that I know fish I'm pretty sure it was a nitrate killing. The poor tank had no space no heater (at least I was doing that right for it) and no filter. At one point I had an angelfish in there....soon I found out dead angelfish sink not float. :/ That tank was on and off for probably several years. Before I was banned from both fish and birds in probably 5th grade or sooner(and snakes though I had never owned one just asked to).

Then 4ish years ago (this is based on the so-so age of my RTS because I have a "birthday" record of most of them heheh but I hadn't started the list when I got her so it's kind of iffy) my mom got me a proper 15 gallon, managed to not kill anything with the cycle though my version of "cycling" was to leave it running with no fish or food or anything. The only survivor of that tank now is Mojo Jo Jo the red tailed shark mentioned ^. But most of them have died at the average lifespan. I have had otos, phantom tetra, black skirts, and glofish which I will never keep again; They either spontaneously died or literally chased each other to death within a month. fast forward to june or july of this year and I suddenly had an empty 30Z(trying to get Mojo room), an empty 55(early valentines gift 0.0) and was moving. Upgraded the 15 to the 30 immediatly because poor Mojo was over 4" and I had all the supplies and started trying to cycle/decorate the 55. I'm still fighting the cycle now >> it's driving me insane because it's barely stocked with Mojo, 2 otos and 8 orange von rios. But every 2 days or so they don't want fed due to a small amount of ammonia that clears up by the next mealtime. I've found their behavior a quicker/cheap judge of the ammonia content then testing for it because they suddenly don't respond to me wiggling fingers in the water. I now have the 30 sitting full of deco waiting for the 55 to quite being a jerk, a 2 gallon sitting in the kitchen with 2 male endlers and some slowly breeding shrimp, and a 125-135 sitting outside waiting for our next move(sooo excited if everything goes as planned it'll be December ). I also have the empty 15 currently holding fish stuff so I don't get the carpet wet with random supplies, and a 20 gal that gets filled when I have new fish in the house. I have been banned from picking up new tanks for a long while, probably until I setup what I have empty first LOL

awesome possum topic!!

 

[hyp3rcrav3]

I got a 10 gallon tank for Christmas one years as a request. I must have been about 12. It had the usual assortment of el cheapo fish. Our guppies were feeders. We had black mollies and platties and an angel fish. We had no idea of the nitrogen cycle (1967 or so) so we would take the whole tank down and clean it every week or so. Poor fish. Tank was broken with a broomstick accidentally and didn't have a tank again for years. Got a small tank in the 70s but that went nowhere. In the mid 80s I picked up a 29 and got my first fire eel along with a blue and an opaline gourami. I bred them and just got a kick out of it. (They are the same species.) Took a couple of year break while I was out of town and have since bred discus (don't have any now but I have a planted 55 that is ready for some when I can afford it) and other fish. I just recently got into Africans and have a yellow lab who is his own uncle (older brood). His mother was his grandmother. Had those genes around for 10 years but just started studying all of the variety in the rift lakes.

 

[dwarfpike]

It started when I was 10, a friend got a ten gallon tank with tiger barbs and liverbearers. I'd spend hours watching it. He moved when we were 11, and got a 55 gallon with angelfish. At the time we thought it was a HUGE tank. The angels hooked him totally, so I asked for a tank and on my 12th birthday I got a 20 show tank. The rest as they say is history.

 

[Flyfalcons]

My wife made me get into the hobby. Sort of. Last year about this time, she asked for a Betta bowl for Christmas, which I really, really didn't want to do. One more thing to take care of around here. So as it was, I was doing some Christmas shopping at a Petco for the wiener dogs and decided the old axiom is true, happy wife = happy life. We already have enough animals to stock a second Ark, what's one more in the grand scheme of it? Off to the fish section I went. As I was looking at various Betta bowls and tanks, I noticed they were selling 10 gallon setups for $40, just a few dollars more than most Betta setups I was looking at. I decided that a 10 gallon with more fish and space would be more interesting than a single Betta sitting in a bowl. I picked up the 10 gallon and a $20 gift card, thinking that would be enough to get the tank up and running (ha.....ha......ohhhhh............).

Christmas came and my wife loved the tank. It was a completely unexpectd gift, as the last word from me on it was something to the effect of "No freaking way". What came next was pretty much what I expected was going to happen. It was up to me to figure out how to get the thing up and running, hopefully with some degree of success. So I spent a lot of time watching how-tos on YouTube, and reading various articles on fish keeping. I was getting into it, and looking forward to getting the tank set up. Eventually we got the tank running and stocked with little fishies.

By default I became the principal fish tank keeper, but that was okay with me. I continued to watch YouTube videos, and stumbled upon Dustin's Fish Tanks. That guy has a lot of informative videos and his enthusiasm for the hobby wore off on me a bit. So just a few months after getting the 10 gallon setup, I was on the hunt for a larger tank to try a planted setup. What was once something I dreaded was now something "I" wanted to do, and here we are now with me browsing fish forums and taking care of two freshwater tanks in the living room. My 3-month old daughter loves looking at the fish tank, so I think they are here to stay.

 

[escapay]

I don't recall how exactly we got the fish. Whether I asked or parents bought as a gift. I think I got my first betta in Jan 2000. Only survived like a month (he was white and I named him Cloud, lol), but then we got a new one. My brother also had one in a 2 gallon (named Rainbow). Rainbow lived a few years as I recall. I ended up with many other bettas over the years, even having up to 6 males at one time. I lost my last one this past year to columnaris. I want to get a new male, but I don't have the space or proper setup for one at this point.

Not sure what year my parents bought a 5 gallon for us, but I remember having African Dwarf Frogs, Zebra Danios, and Blue Longfin Danios. In summer 2002 we went on vacation - sent the bettas in their small tanks to my relatives (we probably only had 2 bettas at that time) and I'm assuming the danios were in a big jar or something, as the tank was still at home. When we got home, there was something floating in the 5 gallon... thought it was snail eggs or something but turned out to be danio eggs! I remember trying to count them, especially once we figured out they were fry. Gave some to relatives and kept a few. Two of them lived for 9 years and terrible conditions. We're talking minimal water changes, minimal feeding, filter system not really in existence (was UGF). It just basically had a lot of nitrates, but it was and stayed cycled as I recall.

After starting work at Petsmart in 2008, I bought a 29 gallon starter kit at the end of the year. I still have that tank. In middle of 2009 I purchased the 36 gallon ensemble because it was like $70 on clearance. Bought the 10 gallon from my best friend in 2011 I think.

I didn't really have anybody that encouraged the aquarium keeping. I think it was mostly stemmed by the fact the only pets I could keep were fish besides my dog (who was not an inside dog except for the garage). So I guess it was my dad that encouraged this growth because he was the one that restricted me. I'm very thankful though as I absolutely love my fish and keeping them.

 

[KaraWolf]

I forgot o.o my dad had a gaint Oscar that would nibble fingers when i was little which is why I want some. And story is.....before they had me they kept piranah (before it was illegal) o.o nope no thanks I want my fingers still please! So there are fish on both sides

 

[master chi]

I actually was born with a large aquarium in my living room.My mom says it was a 100 gallon.
That tank had american cichlids in it for years,along with a large Pleco. when I turned 11,My mom got me my own tank. I kept a convict,and a JD in there for  quite sometime. The JD outlived the convict by a couple years or so.  During those years,I added 2 Cobalt Zebras.I didn't know anything about keeping africans,and was lucky they survived together,just the two of them with the JD  for so long.Eventually my long time wet pet JD(named Kane) passed of old age. I kept the Zebras but eventually got out of keeping fish for about 5 years.During  this time I met the woman who would eventually become my wife.I had told her about my desire to someday keep fish again.One day after work,I came home to a 10 gallon tank,with a piece of decor,and a pet store gift card.Awe how sweet. I told her she opened up a can of worms,but she had no idea the size of the can.  That ten gallon now acts as my fry tank,and I now have 3 large aquariums,all housing my beloved Malawi Cichlids. I am addicted,and she reminds me of that from time to time.Then I remind her,she started it!!

 

[Chiisai]

Wow I feel bad... My story isnt near as neat as everyone else... When I was 22 I went to the Seattle aquarium... been stuck on fish ever since... well and chickens...

 

[Anonymous]

Wow I feel bad... My story isnt near as neat as everyone else... When I was 22 I went to the Seattle aquarium... been stuck on fish ever since... well and chickens...

CHICKENS, WT? lol

 

[fishloverRon]

Wow I feel bad... My story isnt near as neat as everyone else... When I was 22 I went to the Seattle aquarium... been stuck on fish ever since... well and chickens...

Nothing wrong with that! Any way to get started is a good way!

I was born and lived in Virginia most of my life. My Mom was from a very small town in Arkansas, so we would go there for 2 weeks in the summer and stay with my Aunt. She had her own business and office. When I was 10 we were there and I went to her office with her one day and fell in love with her old battery jar with some plants and some guppies in it. Every day I would go in for a little while just to watch the fish.  

When we leaving for home on that visit she came out to the car with a battery jar with some plants (elodea, I think) and a few guppies for me to take home. The drive was 24 hours straight through back then, and I got them home without a problem.  That was the beginning of a great love affair for me.

Watching the birth of baby guppies was an event of sheer magic for me.  Watching the development of snail embryos in a little gel-patch on the side of the glass was my earliest lesson in embryology. 

And it is no different today!  This hobby has brought much joy into my life.

 

[Anonymous]

my mom used to replace the tv with a fish tank every few months when she thought we were spending to much time in front of it, now 20 years later the tv is just background noise while I watch my fish for hours.

 

[pocketlama]

I started with a 10 gallon tank about 20 years ago but I just couldn't make a fish stay alive for anything. I grew to care little for my fish because they always died on me. Then someone suggested I go with a larger tank and I got my 55 bow-front, it's been smooth sailing ever since. I have had a red-terror (Greta) in there for about 14 years. In my 40 gallon I have two Oscars (The Twins), and I also have a 10 gallon again with a blue cichlid (Stella) that's been with me for going on 10 years.

 

[Chiisai]

I told her she opened up a can of worms,but she had no idea the size of the can.  That ten gallon now acts as my fry tank,and I now have 3 large aquariums,all housing my beloved Malawi Cichlids. I am addicted,and she reminds me of that from time to time.Then I remind her,she started it!!

Just 3? My wife would love for me to go down to 3 tanks... how big are the 3?

 

[master chi]

A 6 foot 75, a 55,and a 40!! Wifey approved me to go ahead with plans for a fish room too. I'm a while from starting that up, but when it's done I wanna challenge Madness to see who has the most tanks/ species LOL, JK, sorta!!