How long have you been keeping fish?

HI everyone. I remember seeing a similar back a while ago, but no way am I going to find it now.

Am curious to see what our actual fish-keeping experience is. I think a lot of us (myself included) have only been keeping fish for a very short while. I wonder if the bug will stay. I sincerely hope so for my fish, as it would be a shame if it just waned away.

So all the REALLY experienced, long-term fish keepers out there, come out and declaire thyselves to reassure us the once bitten, LFS is there to stay!

How long have I been keeping fish: only 4 months (since March 07)! It seems funny that I give advice to newbies, but it's really been a steep learning curve and since then, I've been sleeping, eating, breathing and, most of all, reading fish. My bookmarks are full of fish articles and so are my bookshelves! My wedding list was 1/2 presents to the developing world, 1/2 fish stuff. Also, I kept fish for years and years when I was little, but I hardly remember any of it.

 

I was keeping fish alittle before me and my wife got married. Our 3yr anniversery is coming next month. So, I had fish alittle over 3yrs!!!

 

Ooooh, am impressed. So are you still in love?

 

With the I mean!!!

I got married last week and I sincerely hope I'll still be in love in 3 years!

 

Not as much as I was. I love my wife and son more then my fishies.

 

Oh dear. No kids for me then!

Has it become this total chore or you're still enjoying the fish? When did it start to wane a bit?

 

Oh dear. No kids for me then!

Has it become this total chore or you're still enjoying the fish? When did it start to wane a bit?

No, I love my fishies, so does my son. Its not a chore. I take good care of them.

 

we got our first Betta fish a couple days before 2007 as one of Stacy's Christmas presents. That 10 gallon tank for a Betta has turned into 10 tanks from 2.5g to 30g, 7 betta splendens, 2 betta mahachai, 9 platys and some shrimp and baby mahachaI with more fish and tanks to come. along the way we've lost fish, but are learning and look forward to developing good breeding abilities and maybe even making the hobby pay for itself (if we can ever part with baby fish. )

 

I have been keeping fish since I was about 3, my parents really took care of them, but I called them mine(I was a greedy little 3 year old). I might want ot add, I am 17 know.
Tom

 

ummm only Had Mine 6months hey I'm only 12

 

27 years, this past June.

 

27 years, this past June.

I don't think anybody could beat you.
Tom

 

wow. The people that I seem to think of as middle aged keep turning out to be in the teens!!!!

<---4 months. And I'm a fish addict!!

 

I have had fish my whole life(pretty much)! Or at least ever since I could talk, I also claimed fish to be mine like "that spotted one is mine, if you guys touch him you are in biiiiig trouble!"I had a betta at 3 years old though my mom took care of it. My first actual fish was when I was 6 and I decided that I was to old for my sandbox so I transformed it into a goldfish and native species pond. I have been keeping fish for 11 years (I am 14).

Oh and I know a few people that have kept fish longer than Dino. My mom has been keeping fish for 40 or so years now and my LFS owner has been keeping for 33 years, he used to own a gas station in the sixties that sold bettas and has upgraded the gas station into a giant fish store. What a great idea.

 

Well, I've had fish on and off for as long as I can remember. Of course I didn't know what I was doing as a kid trying to keep Goldfish in 10gals and such, so I don't really count that in my years of fishkeeping.

If I remember correctly I set up my first real tropical tank 2 summers ago. Have been completely addicted ever since.

 

I have been keeping fish since I was about 3, my parents really took care of them, but I called them mine(I was a greedy little 3 year old). I might want ot add, I am 17 know.
Tom

I have been keeping fish since I was about 3, my parents really took care of them, but I called them mine(I was a greedy little 3 year old). I might want ot add, I am 17 know.
Tom

Wow, Tom. You might just about the the longest-going continuous fish keeper!

 

ummm only Had Mine 6months hey I'm only 12

6 months is more than me. You still like it?

 

Oh dear. No kids for me then!

Has it become this total chore or you're still enjoying the fish? When did it start to wane a bit?

No, I love my fishies, so does my son. Its not a chore. I take good care of them.

Cool! The future's not so bleak for my finned friends, then

 

27 years, this past June.

W.O.W!

 

I have had fish my whole life(pretty much)! Or at least ever since I could talk, I also claimed fish to be mine like "that spotted one is mine, if you guys touch him you are in biiiiig trouble!"I had a betta at 3 years old though my mom took care of it. My first actual fish was when I was 6 and I decided that I was to old for my sandbox so I transformed it into a goldfish and native species pond. I have been keeping fish for 11 years (I am 14).

Oh and I know a few people that have kept fish longer than Dino. My mom has been keeping fish for 40 or so years now and my LFS owner has been keeping for 33 years, he used to own a gas station in the sixties that sold bettas and has upgraded the gas station into a giant fish store. What a great idea.

Wow, Jacko! I want to live around where you live! Sounds like fish-arama!

 

ummm only Had Mine 6months hey I'm only 12

i've had my tanks for around 3 months i'm only 12 aswell

Peace Out Callum!

 

Oh dear. No kids for me then!

Has it become this total chore or you're still enjoying the fish? When did it start to wane a bit?

No, I love my fishies, so does my son. Its not a chore. I take good care of them.

Cool! The future's not so bleak for my finned friends, then

true - as long as you don't feed them marmite!

 

I voted wrong! >

ive been keeping fish since I was 12. so that's 5 years...
and yes I still like it! Its more interesting now!

 

I wouldn't have kept them if I didn't like it

 

Wow, Jacko! I want to live around where you live! Sounds like fish-arama!

Yeah, there are about 16 easy to access fish shops around here, not all of them are good though about 6 of them I would consider well cared for and knowledgeable. More than half of them are in chinatown too. LOL.

Thinking about it again, my favorite fish stores founder is 80 somewhat years old and has been keeping fish since he was like twenty. That was before even the slate bottomed tanks!

 

Oh dear. No kids for me then!

Has it become this total chore or you're still enjoying the fish? When did it start to wane a bit?

No, I love my fishies, so does my son. Its not a chore. I take good care of them.

Cool! The future's not so bleak for my finned friends, then

true - as long as you don't feed them marmite!

Well if you did they'd live forever. It's all a question of priorities.

 

My priorities go like this:

1. Family (always number 1)
2. Job (if I don't have one, I can't take care of my family)
3. Friends (can never replace them)
4 Then my fishies!!!

 

Whereas am more:

1. Family (always number 1)
2. Friends (can never replace them)
3 Then my fishies!!!
4. Job (if I don't have one, I can't take care of my family)

 

Just curious to see how long everyone has been into the hobby.

 

There's this really great thread on this, but I don't think it got stickied.

I used to keep fish for years when I was living at my parents, then I stopped for 15 years and now I've started again recently (in March 2007). Am bit by the gut real bad, though.

Mainly we had livebearers, neons, common plec, goldies, betta, and Labeo bicolor (I think they're called red-tailed sharks in English).

Now we have dwarf puffers, a fancy pleco, a BN pleco, loadsa mollies of all types, 'common' otos, zebra otos, couple of kinds of corys, amano shrimps, bettas (m + f), and kuhlis.

 

I have been keeping fish since I was about 2. But I didn't upgrade to a large tank until Feb. 2006.
Tom

 

I've been into fishkeeping for 6 years; goldfish for the first 5 years and tropicals fish for 1 year.

 

28 years, almost everything freshwater.

 

1 year and 4 months! I've had danios, neon tetras, bettas, corries, + guppies.

I'm planning on getting tiger barbs and shrimp soon tho.

Gwenz

 

To Start ....

When I was little I had 10 goldfish that all died because they got sucked to the filter....

Then I was about 10 and I won a goldfish at a school carnival and had him with another goldfish and a pleco.... Then they died except the pleco so we then bought a lepeord danio and a zebra danio and we went on vacation and came back and our fish babysitters killed my by WAY over feeding them and making the tank totally nasty and so we only had the lepeord danio and pleco left and gave them to a friend because we had to move ........

then we moved to texas and I got Aquamarine ( female betta) and she died... we got cal at that time too......

Then I got 2 neon tetras , Skittles and Happy Chef, and they both died
Then I Got Oscar (betta) then Skip(betta) then Dennis Bubbles (oto) Then OllI Trout(oto) He died , Then JD Turkeltin (oto)

Fishes names -

10 goldfish - unnamed (died)
Carnival goldfish - Rice (died)
Other goldfish - Lake(died)
Pleco - Squeegy(gave away)
Lepeord danio - Zip(gave away)
Zebra danio - Nico(died)
Betta - Aquamarine(female)(died)
Betta- Calamarrie (crowntail) (alive still ;D )
Betta - Oscar (crowntail) (alive )
Betta - Skip (crowntail) (alive)
Oto - Dennis Bubbles (alive)
Oto - OllI Trout (died)
Oto - JD Turkeltin (alive )



Miley ♥

 

Well my sister suggested a Betta for Stacy for Christmas last year and gave us a vase. I did a bit of research and got a 10 gallon tank kit. We got Super Mario that Saturday and that started us to where we are now.

 

We had a 30 and a 20 for most of my childhood. After a big move we lost several fish and eventually we didn't have them at all. I always missed having them so when I was 15 and finally had a job, I bought a 10Gal Walmart Special. Neons and Black Skirts. I have had many tanks ever since. 15 years of upgrading, moving and giving away has had me seeing several tanks from 2 to 150 gallons. I have kept various tetras, gouramis, gold fish, many barbs, and a few catfish, plecs, CAEs, crayfish, one African cichlid, a couple Oscars and yes a Betta or two. This year I entered the reef world and have a tomato clown and 2 chromis. Had a wrasse once. You can hear all about that demon in "Species specific" though.

 

Only just over one year now. I've kept tons of guppies, palties, swordtails, several tanks of multies, neolamprologus pulcher, tons of BN catfish (L107, species 3, and an unidentified one) atleast half a dozen to a dozen different cichlids, several types of snails, tons more, just can't remember them all right off.

 

I had HORRIBLE Luck With fish ( ALL of my fish died ) ♥ Zip, ♥ Squeegy, and ♥ Cal were all my sisters - they all didnt die ... and all of mine died before I found this site - I think I wouldnt have fish if I hadn't found this site. Thank you all for that!!

Miley ♥

 

I 've kept fish one way up till now for 5 years. Looong before when I was a kid we tried keeping koi but the tank started leaking and my Mom said no more. But then 5 yaers ago I got smaaaall tank from my Moms friend, upgraded it to a 20something gal which I kept fw fish then from there we got a 67gal (last year) and I tried it with Malawis, nearly gave up fish keeping with them but the went back to fw in jan this year.