The direction of the aquarium hobby
- Thread starter Angelman
- Start date
LOL 8) Hopefully by the time you are done with yours, I will have my new fish room up and running. (but thats a couple years out for me)master chi said:
Ok my turn.
You see doc it all started when I was 7.
Seriously it did.
My dad always had a tank up and running. He went through a lot of fish, now I know why. More on that later. My dad built a little room/closet to encompass the entire 40gal tall tank. He went through Angels, Tetras, he even tried Killie's, they always died. Reason is he never did water changes, NEVER!!!!Fast forward to when I was 19 and moved out on my own. I purchased a 55 gal and had it in my room, I have always been fascinated with big Cichlids. I had a RD, Black Shark, Pengasious (probably spelled wrong) Shark, a GT and a Convict. When I moved to my own place (had 2 roommates prior to moving) I purchased a 125 gal so that my fish would have more room. I had this tank until I married at 24. Because this tank was nothing fancy and had concrete blocks as a stand, my wife (now ex wife) wanted something nicer. So we bought a brand new 75 gal. Because i learned how to maintenance my tanks from my dad, (bad idea) I lost all of those fish and then some. After my divorce I couldnt afford any fish for a few years. When I was 30 I set up that 125 and the 75 again, this time learning more about maintenance. I thought that I had it all down, and one day my fish started dropping like flies again. Turns out my son wanted a sunken treasure in my tanks and dropped a pile of pennies and nickles in the back corner. Yea, not good. LOl
Fast forward to when I bought my home here in Puyallup in 2002. I still had the 75 and 125. Then I made a major mistake, and that mistake was visiting APFP (a place for pets) in Burien and meeting Matt. Matt opened my eyes to all the new and wonderful Cichlids that are now available. I soon bought 3 more 55's and another 135.
A couple years go by and I picked up another 135. Then I meet Jeff from Eatonville. Jeff had just moved to Eatonville, from I believe Minnesota, he had this 300 gal Marineland tank full set up, along with a full set up of 2 x 20's and 2 x 40's. All of the smaller tanks were empty, the 300 was housing a beautiful 13" and 7" WC pair of Costa Rican Blue Dovii.
That was my first big tank, I bought everything for $1500. That was in 2008 or 9. Since then I have acquired 3 x 300's, a 285, 250, 406, 210, 3 x 5' 120's, 2 x 75 and 10 x 40 breeders. I blame Matt on my MTS. if there were still just RD's, GT's, JD's and cons I would have never got in so deep.
Not that I am complaining.
YET!!!!!!!
A
Anonymous
Guest
Think I remember Matt. He was the Peacock Bass guy with a 400 gallon tank with Bass & Pike!?
master chi
Member
Yeah. The reason for me getting a future fish room. My wife had no idea the obsession.Chiisai said:
It's not just in how many tanks I have,or how many fish are in them. The amount of research I have done,the lengths I've gone to acquire high quality specimens,the abundance of knowledge I've acquired,and often exhibit to family,friends,and fellow fishboxers.
It all adds up to a very passionate aquarist.I'm always telling her about the origin of a certain fish,how they're named,why this one or that one can't be held in the same tank. she now knows more about cichlids than she ever wanted to.
She loves watching them,but I'm the one responsible for their well being.Plus,she doesn't want any more tanks set up in our living areas,so I had to stop at 3. Actually I sneaked the 40gal in.
I built a double stand for my all male tank a while back.with the secret intention of placing the 3rd tank on the lower rack
She was like" so you built that stand,just so you could get another tank without taking up more space,huh?"
: She was cool about it. Then she said "Maybe a room for you to keep as many tanks as you can fit might be a good idea,if you want to add more tanks":cheers:
master chi
Member
So how many stages of MTS do you think there are?
I guess if I had the dough,I could buy a zoo sized aquarium....Oooh!!
I had plans for a monster malawi tank,which included a shoreline,so I could keep Malawi blue crabs.
Anyone who has been to the Point Defiance Aquarium might have an idea or visual there. When you 1st walk in your at ground level,and there is a shore/beach.
As you go further in the walkway takes you to ramps downward along the side of the shoreline,where you become eye level with the water,and there's many smaller fish to see face to face about 6 ft tall here.
going further in it expands to the shark tank,and it's as if your in depths with them. It all seems to be one big tank,with separate viewing depths. Pretty cool for a smaller zoo aquarium,well smaller than Seattle's anyway.
I'd love to do this with a malawi theme,shoreline with crabs,eye level view with mbuna,and peacocks,and then a fully covered deep water section with all the large predator haps swimming in the open.
I guess if I had the dough,I could buy a zoo sized aquarium....Oooh!!
I had plans for a monster malawi tank,which included a shoreline,so I could keep Malawi blue crabs.
Anyone who has been to the Point Defiance Aquarium might have an idea or visual there. When you 1st walk in your at ground level,and there is a shore/beach.
As you go further in the walkway takes you to ramps downward along the side of the shoreline,where you become eye level with the water,and there's many smaller fish to see face to face about 6 ft tall here.
going further in it expands to the shark tank,and it's as if your in depths with them. It all seems to be one big tank,with separate viewing depths. Pretty cool for a smaller zoo aquarium,well smaller than Seattle's anyway.
I'd love to do this with a malawi theme,shoreline with crabs,eye level view with mbuna,and peacocks,and then a fully covered deep water section with all the large predator haps swimming in the open.
A
Anonymous
Guest
It started when I help a friend move a 55gal on stand with piranhas (red belly) from liem's aquarium. That made me want a fish tank. Went to a LFS in Seattle. The guy sold me a 20gal and a oscar. Man what a big mistake. Well I returned him after he got too big for the 20 gal. Then my cousin gave me a 35gal hexagon with community fishes. Had that aquarium and bearded dragon in 40gal long terrarium. Had fishes till I moved out but had the reptile hobby till I got married, got 2 kids, and mortgage. Family didn't like my pet lizards in the house. My lizards passed away of old age (13-15yrs). So I convinced my kids to ask their mom for a fish tank. Bought new 36 bowfront tank with different fishes that didn't belong together (petsmart employee said it was ok, new to the hobby again). NOT. Well my little MTS bug hit me when I bought a 55gal full setup from Craigslist for my africans and 30gal eclipse tank for my first attempt on planted tank. Well after going around buying african cichlids on Craigslist, 55gal got too crowded. I got a 105gal tank to put the Africans in but the agreement was had to get rid of the 55gal and 30gal eclipse tank. I found Fishbox and started to learn better about the hobby from experience people. MTS still hit me bought a regular 29gal tank, 10gal tank, and stand that holds both of them. And still had the 36gal bowfront tank. Thats 105gal tank, 36gal bowfront tank, 29gal tank, and 10gal tank. 4 tanks. A month ago gutted out the shelves of the stand of 36gal bowfront tank on the right side. Put a 10gal in and hid it for a week to cycle. Then put lab frys in, turn on lights, removed the right side door of 5ft stand. Wife got upset oh well. Now I want more but no more room. So now I have 5 tanks, my friends and family thinks im obsessed. Only they knew you guys.
http://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/friday-dopamine-23.jpg
Told my wife if I had this aquarium I promise to give up all my others.
Told my wife if I had this aquarium I promise to give up all my others.
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Anonymous
Guest
You would be broke maintaining that tank.Chiisai said: