JennDFK

I was just wondering what different people's personal reasons were for getting into fishkeeping...

For me I find it relaxing to watch fish... I thought it would be a great family hobby that everyone could enjoy. I also love the way an aquarium looks in the house. Once I got started, however, I found it was so much more.

CHoffman

My 3 year old loved fish so I got her a tank for her 3rd birthday and the rest is history...lol..I honestly don't know how many tanks I have now!! I just love the hobby and the fish.

pinkfloydpuffer

My sister got this little stuffed pufferfish... it was so cute that I decided I wanted a real one, started research, came across the GSP, and it was love at first sight!

Amanda

I'm not entirely sure...one day I decided that I wanted a betta.
The rest is history.....

Llama

My aunt gave us a fishtank, was pretty simple - a couple of mollies and guppies, no heater and a sponge filter.

Also my father used to keep fish when he was younger, as did my uncle. So we ended up digging out a bigger tank eventually, my father found an old book of his which I almost MEMORISED...

aquarist48

I've had aquariums throughout the past 40 years. One of my neighbors had a 5g with a ton of guppies in it and I love it. I saved my $ and my folks let me buy a 5g....later on they bought me a 29g. Been loving it ever since.

meg1220

My very first fish were generic guppies I got in third grade- nothin' fancy about them. My class got a bunch of newts we took care of in class for a while, then students were going to take the newts home. I decided I wanted the guppies that came with the newts to feed them, so my mom talked to the teacher and she let me have them. Since then, as a kid I had goldfish, barbs, gouramis, and bettas. Actually, I had bettas since middle school all through college. All this without knowing anything about the nitrogen cycle. Then, for about 6 or 7 years, I had no fish, until the impeding switch to HD broadcast t.v. I decided a fish tank would look better than the tv that was about to become almost useless, so that's what I got. Thanks to the magic of the internet, I know much more now, too.

KyWildFish

I saw my future brother-in-law had a couple small tanks and I took interest in them. Cincinnati has some great LFS's and I was able to shop around and get a good set up and have a good selection of fish to stock with. Now I have 4 tanks and probably wont stop there.

MizRamzi

My first job was at our LFS sum 30yrs ago.....my second job was with the Cleveland Zoo Aquarium....I've always *tanken* my work home with me

Red1313

A friend of mine last year planted the seed (she made us all go get a fish... my goldies didn't last long RIP) but I pulled the tank back out a few months later when I was lonely during summer classes and did some research and started with Red and then I wanted another and Coolie pushed me into MTS.

prairielilly

I've always had a thing for furries and finnies...I used to go and browse the aquarium section of the pet store for hours. I kept a 10g for a little while years ago, and bettas in a 3g for many years too, all without knowing about the nitrogen cycle unfortunately. There was this huge community aquarium at the local Dairy Queen down the street, with angels and tetras and live plants - when I was in university I'd go and get a Coke and just sit and watch them, they were so beautiful. When I graduated and moved away I decided I wanted another betta, so I went to Petsmart and got a little blue boy and put him in a 1g...pretty shortly felt sorry for him all cramped up, and bought a 20g to put him in with lotsa other fishies...well that was this past October and now I have 5 tanks

Fish Addict

I think I have the best story, I went to a festival-like thing, and there was a game, where if you won you got a coupon for a free goldfish. It was really easy, so I won, and kept begging my dad for a fish because of it. Finally for my birthday he bought me a book on keeping fish, and said once I read the whole thing I could get a tank. I've now read it like 20 times!

eepruls

I have always been fascinated by fish and the environment we as land dwellers never get to see. I'm always wondering what's going on beneath the surface of a lake or river. It may be windy and raining above the water, but down below it's a totally different world. I've always liked the fact that fish can move in three dimensions (left/right, forward/back, and up/down). It's just so relaxing watching what goes on in a place where we can't live!

GypsyGirl71

My dad and his parents kept tanks on and off throughout my childhood. We also had tanks at different times growing up, easy stuff, mollies, swordtails, etc. As an adult, I had 3 10 gals at one time and then a 30 gal hex. I moved around alot and moving those tanks became a real chore. I eventually sold it all; that was about 10 years ago. This past year I started reading up on it again and bought the 55 gal in January; I am loving fish keeping again! Fishlore has made it much easier!

pepetj

My first fish was a native (Endler like) guppy. I was 7 years old. I think it was the idea of doing what my friends (all older than me) were doing. I don't recall exactly but I kind of remember having a fish a fascinating thing to do.

Pepe
Santo Domingo

hssea

Had a aquarium as a kid. Just before getting engaged I went out and bought a 20 gallon (that was 22 years ago)..... that way I didn't have to "ask" if was ok !!!! LOL After that if I got anything just said "oh my mom sent it to me!!!!!" lol lol lol . It works!!!! The rest is history........

TedsTank

when I was in my early teens my parents bought me one of those brandy snifter fish tanks with 1 neon and 1 zebra danio. Well of couse those LFS things just kill fish but it got me started....up to a 20 gal long tank and some convicts that spawned and i was hooked...40 some years ago....there were only LFS's.....I miss them.....most of them.

JennDFK

Some really cool answers...

When I started this thread I forgot to mention that my answer was based on getting back into fish keeping. I had a fish bowl with a goldfish when I was a kid. My mother made me get a book at the library before she would let me get a fish. I guess the book I got didn't teach me much... because I tried keeping all kinds of things in the bowl before it got so over run by snails that I gave it to a friend at school. I don't know what he did with the snails... hopefully I am not responsible for some horrible snail overpopulation in a creek somewhere.
I tried again with a 10 gallon tank with an undergravel filter when I was in college... I knew a little bit more by that time... but I still didn't really know what I was doing. I let the tank get murky and didn't really know what to do about it. I gave away my two surviving fish and sold the tank at a garage sale.
I have a good friend who has always kept tanks... and they are so beautiful that I decided that now that I have kids I wanted to add a little nature to the house. This time I told myself that I was going to do it right. I made a few mistakes at the beginning, but thanks to fishlore I am on the right track and about to start my second tank.

Jess

Nine years ago I was house hunting. I found my home in a late winter snow storm. They were having an open house so it was filled with people. I watched a lady step back into a snow covered fish pond. Apparently not frozen, because she fell in! I bought the house and cleaned out the pond. It was never deep enough so I had to move the guys in side to survive winters. Since, I've deepened it and have Koi and goldfish galore. : ) That inside 55 gal tank now holds Discus and many others. I missed the action of the fish indoors. That's my fish story.

tomtread34

My husband has been very ill for the last year, as a last ditch effort 2 make him feel better the doctors put in a feeding tube . he is on it for about 18 hours a day and really doesnt like tv so his mom gave us a 20 gal. tank they were not using anymore. he has fallen in live with it. i have fish tanks everywhere and now he wants 2 build a huge one.


right now we have 2 dwarf puffers, 4 neon tetras, 6 zebra danios, 1 irridecent shark , 1 bala shark, 2 dalmation mollies, 1 sailfin molly, 1 balloon molly (expecting any day), 2 orange and black platties, an angelfish, albino pleco, 2 swordfins, and 2 crazy african dwarf frogs. Friday our newest tank will be ready for us to bring home our 2 green spotted puffers. they are all wonderful

hssea

I remember my tank as a kid, it was probably a 10 gallon, with a metal edging. I remember getting a little shock sometimes when a touched the edge and believe a had my hand in the tank at the same time. Does anyone remember that happening I college a had a goldfish bowl..it was a very large one...and had an undergravel filter with a riser tube coming out of the center...I remember it was a round undergravel filter with an other ring that could be removed for smaller goldfish bowls. Not knowing any better I kept 2 goldfish in there. They both lived a long while...I did know the importance of water changes but had no clue about living conditions. I've got pictures of that bowl . I'll have to find them and try to post a picture.

JennDFK

I guess I must have had an undergravel in the fish bowl I had in middle school... because it sounds exactly like you describe yours... I'll have to look through old photos and see if I can find any... but that was like 25-30 years ago so who knows....

I don't see a smiley face with greying hair, sitting in a rocking chair... thinking of that fish bowl made me feel OLD!

hssea

In recent years I've never seen anything for goldfish filtration like that. That's been such a long time ago. haha

snowflake311

Growing up I had fish around me never in my own home. I would go fishing with my dad. We had a water garden with goldfish. I loved them. Then my best friend had a 30gal tank in her house with 2 black skirts cory cats and a pleco. Seeing her tank made me want my own. So when i was 15 I got a 5 gal tank at a yard sale. I knew nothing about cycling. I got some guppies and they all died. Then I got some mollys and 2 cory cats. The mollies had babies like crazy I had so many problems trying to move them to a larger tank. I learned alot. I also had 1 betta that lived to be 6 yr. I kept bettas for 10 years and now that I'm not moving around anymore I set up my 36 gal 2 years ago and I'm cycling a 55 gal right now. I still have one betta in a 5 gal.

I'm hooked.

jack--sos

I have always been interested in fish, i remember going to Monteray Bay Aquarium when i was around 7 also my mum has a really old gold fish she has had since i was 2 (around 15 years) so i guess i've grown up with them.

catfishtabbi

A friend having had no money to pay for a tent my husband was offering he gave him a fish tank we had to pick up, all the way there 50 miles (of mind changing time) i said "we can't afford this you know" well we got there and i luv'd it. Well he didn't know that i had plans for it and knew how to do it so after spending our first$300 he was singing my song haha. Now i have two 50.s , i just can't stop!!! and spending his $ ha ha ha ha.I can't imagine being without a tank it's like it belongs like a piece fo furniture does.

Aquagirl12

When I was about 8 years old my mom surprised me with a small tank with 2 endlers in them. After they passed I got a goldfish bowl with two goldfish. A few years later when I was about 11 I convinced my mom to let me get a 15 gallon tank. She agreed as long as I paid for half and helped with maintence. I had that tank running for 3 years then we redecorated my room and the tank got torn down and never got re set up.(the fish were given to my little brothers tank)

Then a few months ago out of the blue I wanted to begin fishkeeping again. I bought a 5 gallon and decided to re start slowely, since I have to do all maintenence now and had to learn the hard way. But once I saw all the fish at the store I knew a 5 gallon wouldnt be enough so I dug out the 15 gallon again, got new eveything for it and now Its up and running again also. Along the way I also got my little betta tank with my newest additon.

kimb

My husband had always wanted a fish tank. This year for his birthday (February) I decided to buy him one. I bought him a 10g which we promptly returned for 29g as it is much smaller when out of the box! He love to watch the fish and finds it relaxing, I love the science side, and the fish research! Works for us.....29g, 20g, 10g, and 55g...You do the math

AmongthePuffers

When I was 10 yrs old my elementary school was having an event known as a Fall Festival, where we would celebrate Autumn by setting up games and stations and candy vendors and such all over the school. Well the last station I went to before we left was a goldfish catch. Where people would try to catch little goldfish out of a wading pool. Well, I caught one and brought it home, and not knowning the first thing about fish at the time, I immediately put it into tap water. Well, it died.
Out of grief I started researching freshwater fish, a lot. Then after about 2 months i set up my first 14 gal molly tank. and ever since I've been addicted to fishkeeping.
Needless to say, I had some issues with my first tank, because one day my 19 yr old (at the time that age) brother decided to slip a 9 inch ropefish into the tank. and that was insane.

PaganGodess

I got started with fish tanks about 5 years ago. My aunt was given a 45 gallon bow-front tank and stand and gave me her 20 gallon. I put several fish in it but knew nothing about caring for the tank.
When I moved to Oregon, where I presently live, I brought the tank and fish with me, but lost most of them.

About a year ago, I got 'that' tank back from my ex and current boyfriend and we set it up with a couple breeds of tetra, some African Dwarf Frogs and a pleco. I decided then that I wanted a bigger tank. I know have 6 tanks, 5 of which have fish in them right now, and one that is a grow out tank for Angel's.

This week I have bought three more angels, all small and have a total of 7 for my personal pleasure.

Next I am going to try Discus.