What draws you to the hobby?

I've been scrolling through this forum for the past few days and am really enjoying all the stories people have about their fish, the knowledge and passion that folks have, and the seriously welcoming environment and willingness to help others succeed in keeping their aquatic pets happy and healthy. I am new to the hobby and even newer to this forum, and would love to hear more about why you're here! What brought you to the hobby and keeps you passionate about it?

For me, starting up my tank is not only a way to cope with everything going on in the world today, but a way to find some simple joys in my life. I earned my Environmental Studies degree in college after starting off as a Marine Biology major, and aquatic life (from orcas to diatoms) have always held a special place in my heart. I kept the friendliest little petco-purchased betta named Sterling (rest in peace, lil buddy) in a little 5 gallon tank during my three and a half years of school and have wanted to delve deeper into fish keeping ever since. This pandemic just gave me the perfect excuse to do it and I wouldn't trade my past week of obsessive water testing for anything! So excited to have another fish in my life once its cycled!

Thank you for this forum!

 

What brought you to the hobby and keeps you passionate about it?

For me it's how I can chose my own world in a glass box. The feeling of achievment in the end is amazing and beautfully rewarding. Also, there are just soo many options to do. So many types of fish, plants, decor, and types of water.

 

I started off with an impulse buy betta (Tuti Fruiti) in high school and it went from there. Now, I really enjoy finding and keeping some nano oddballs and have been breeding Betta albimarginata. I’d love to try breeding more wild bettas and keeping bichirs eventually.

Currently, I am a senior in college working on my thesis project about marmorkreb crayfish. I’ll be graduating with a degree in biology with a population concentration and a studio art minor. I had also started an aquarium club at my school two years ago and it’s still going strong. My goal is to get into a graduate program for evolution/ecology concerning ichthyology or astacology.

 

The money

 

The fish initially. Have always loved fishing and love being around water. Should see the poking and prodding that goes on when i catch a shark!

What keeps me going is always something new to learn, whether it is about myself(like how many tanks i am willing to maintain at once),the fish themselves or fishkeeping in general.

Pro Tip: if you have MTS, learn your limits early on, may help a lot in keeping you from grtting burnt out on the hobby.

Pro Tip #2: always research fish you don't have, so you can always have a new challenge or new dream fish in mind. Helps keep the hobby fun!

 

I've been scrolling through this forum for the past few days and am really enjoying all the stories people have about their fish, the knowledge and passion that folks have, and the seriously welcoming environment and willingness to help others succeed in keeping their aquatic pets happy and healthy. I am new to the hobby and even newer to this forum, and would love to hear more about why you're here! What brought you to the hobby and keeps you passionate about it?

For me, starting up my tank is not only a way to cope with everything going on in the world today, but a way to find some simple joys in my life. I earned my Environmental Studies degree in college after starting off as a Marine Biology major, and aquatic life (from orcas to diatoms) have always held a special place in my heart. I kept the friendliest little petco-purchased betta named Sterling (rest in peace, lil buddy) in a little 5 gallon tank during my three and a half years of school and have wanted to delve deeper into fish keeping ever since. This pandemic just gave me the perfect excuse to do it and I wouldn't trade my past week of obsessive water testing for anything! So excited to have another fish in my life once its cycled!

Thank you for this forum!

I'm not sure really...my family has had at least one tank in the house ever since I was born, so I've just always been around aquariums. It's only natural that I would have my own.

But I agree with everyone else; it is immensely satisfying to work and work and work at a tank, whether its aquascaping, choosing the right fish and plant species, or even just deciding if a piece of driftwood "works," and then having the results be just the way you wanted (though with fishkeeping, that's rarely the case ).
Welcome to the forum by the way! Considering your major, we'll be the ones asking you the questions around here haha.

 

for me, its the natural inviorment and aquarium creates. one time I looked into my aquarium and saw hydra every where. I got really exited because I had never seen it before. I like how algae grows, tiny crustacions that naturally apear and how fish interact with the inviorment

I've been scrolling through this forum for the past few days and am really enjoying all the stories people have about their fish, the knowledge and passion that folks have, and the seriously welcoming environment and willingness to help others succeed in keeping their aquatic pets happy and healthy. I am new to the hobby and even newer to this forum, and would love to hear more about why you're here! What brought you to the hobby and keeps you passionate about it?

For me, starting up my tank is not only a way to cope with everything going on in the world today, but a way to find some simple joys in my life. I earned my Environmental Studies degree in college after starting off as a Marine Biology major, and aquatic life (from orcas to diatoms) have always held a special place in my heart. I kept the friendliest little petco-purchased betta named Sterling (rest in peace, lil buddy) in a little 5 gallon tank during my three and a half years of school and have wanted to delve deeper into fish keeping ever since. This pandemic just gave me the perfect excuse to do it and I wouldn't trade my past week of obsessive water testing for anything! So excited to have another fish in my life once its cycled!

Thank you for this forum!

also, I am crying right now. that goat in your profile pic is ADORABLE I can't handle it

 

Welcome to the forum first of all. I'm enjoying the posts. It's nice to be around people who don't look at me like I'm a crazy cat lady. You know, like my wife does. And my kids. And my employees. And I think I've seen my dog roll his eyes at me. I find cleaning and aquascaping (repeatedly) to be both relaxing and rewarding. It's a Zen moment moment for me, and I thoroughly enjoy creating a habitat where these beautiful creatures can thrive and cohabitate. Luckily, here I don't have to explain that. You just get it

 

What brought you to the hobby and keeps you passionate about it?

What initially brought me to the hobby was being stuck at home with no pets (my parents won't let me have a dog no matter how much I beg and try to convince them). I started to research fish since my mom had fish as a kid so she would allow them into the house. I began to love fish and will continue to love them. Seeing and learning new things as well as just admiring the tanks that I create is what keeps me passionate. It's just something about fish that I just gravitate to...

The money

and the pure thrill of spending it!

 

I mostly love just sitting and watching the fish! It’s really relaxing for me. Plus I love animals and have a zoo at my house, so why not add fish into the mix!!

 

 

For me I think it also started as a child with fishing and developing an interest in all of the aquatic creatures that inhabit the waterways. I remember watching all of the little fish in the shallows and having an urge to create something at home where I could observe them more closely. I managed to talk my dad into making a garden pond and later I got my first fish tank. I get a lot of satisfaction out of trying to create at least a semi-natural environment and watching fish, shrimp and plants grow and thrive and observing the interesting behaviours of various species. The opposite to that and the biggest downside to me is disease. I hate it, because I know I'm responsible for the health of my fish.

Apart from that I just find it therapeutic and relaxing. Whilst enjoying my hobby I can forget about all of the other stresses in life. I enjoy gardening for the same reason.

 

What’s drawing me to the hobby is what’s drawing me away from other people: the educational value of the hobby and productivity. Learning about aquatic life and developing skills through the hobby is what’s drawing me ever closer. I’m so glad that today is the final day of school before the Easter holidays because soon I’ll have a better chance to talk to people with actual interests, such as you guys on the forum.

I have many friends at school but there’s one I talk to more than any other. Both of us are autistic and we each have our fixed interests on a topic. For my friend it’s vintage computers and building them and for me it’s the hobby. Him and I always talk to each other about how everyone else lacks interests and productivity.

I’d rather be spending time with my fish rather than my peers at school. When I spend time with my fish I don’t overhear noisy groups of girls all talking over each other about how their friends (no older than 15) are going to prison, or that quiet friend group who are so annoyingly political and extremist about everything as if they can’t talk about anything else.

What I’m trying to say is that the hobby provides me with companions, an interest, an escape route and things to do at home. I’m sure this is what draws you all in as well. Life is too short to be like the other kids.

 

Welcome to the forum first of all. I'm enjoying the posts. It's nice to be around people who don't look at me like I'm a crazy cat lady. You know, like my wife does. And my kids. And my employees. And I think I've seen my dog roll his eyes at me. I find cleaning and aquascaping (repeatedly) to be both relaxing and rewarding. It's a Zen moment moment for me, and I thoroughly enjoy creating a habitat where these beautiful creatures can thrive and cohabitate. Luckily, here I don't have to explain that. You just get it

My whole family doesn't support me . lol, they say I'm crazy, that it's a waste of time and in the end they always look at my tank in awe.

 

Welcome to the forum first of all. I'm enjoying the posts. It's nice to be around people who don't look at me like I'm a crazy cat lady. You know, like my wife does. And my kids. And my employees. And I think I've seen my dog roll his eyes at me. I find cleaning and aquascaping (repeatedly) to be both relaxing and rewarding. It's a Zen moment moment for me, and I thoroughly enjoy creating a habitat where these beautiful creatures can thrive and cohabitate. Luckily, here I don't have to explain that. You just get it

In my house, my wife is the Crazy Cat Lady...and i am the Fish Hoarder!! She has i terest in the fiah too, but i have to keep some livebearers around because mostly what she likes is the fry...

 

My whole family doesn't support me . lol, they say I'm crazy, that it's a waste of time and in the end they always look at my tank in awe.

I can relate. My family always tell me what’s best when they don’t know the fish as well as me.

In my house, my wife is the Crazy Cat Lady...and i am the Fish Hoarder!! She has i terest in the fiah too, but i have to keep some livebearers around because mostly what she likes is the fry...

My mum always threatens to get more cats! My FunTips and spirulina wafers are already in shreds!

 

I can relate. My family always tell me what’s best when they don’t know the fish as well as me.

My mum always threatens to get more cats! My FunTips and spirulina wafers are already in shreds!

fr, like they say," oh, you don't need to do the nitrogen cycle". And I have to explain the whoole cycle for the millionth time

 

At first it was to encourage my son’s love of fish (he’s 5.5), he wants to join the wild kratts and help them with their fish discoveries. We already had a tank, so I figured we had the expensive hard part figured out. Then I realized how wrong I was! (Naturally AFTER getting a betta, we currently don’t have anything living in the tank other than plants ). I’m still loving the idea of having fish though. Once I get the chemistry part of the cycle set, then I’m sure I will end up wanting more and more! So maybe my current “why” is spite? Lol

 

At first it was to encourage my son’s love of fish (he’s 5.5), he wants to join the wild kratts and help them with their fish discoveries. We already had a tank, so I figured we had the expensive hard part figured out. Then I realized how wrong I was! (Naturally AFTER getting a betta, we currently don’t have anything living in the tank other than plants ). I’m still loving the idea of having fish though. Once I get the chemistry part of the cycle set, then I’m sure I will end up wanting more and more! So maybe my current “why” is spite? Lol

Thats so cute I loved the wild kratts growing up! Its so nice when TV encourages kids to care about things like animals and the environment

I got into the hobby because of a biology project my freshman year of high school. I had to get a fish for it and I've been hooked ever since. I left that fish with a friends mom while i went on a trip for my bday later that year and she ended up killing it
I had to go on and on about wanting another fish for 2 years before i got to get new fish.

 

I set up a 50 or 60 liters tank when I was 19 or so. I found it fascinating to fuss with plants and watch the fish. Unfortunately, around the age of 21 other things had become more important and I gave up the whole hobby. It wasn't until some 3 years ago that we were forced to buy a nano tank for a betta given to my kid at school. And it wasn't until recently I felt the itch to be more ambitious again, so I decided to "plant up"! Back riding the learning curve! Positive side effect: my blood pressure has come down tremendously!

Oh, and I'm not really good at keeping potted plants save for my cactus. So, dealing with submerged plants really eliminates the risk of forgetting to water them

 

and the pure thrill of spending it!

I mean you like what you like I guess...

 

I was around 10, when I got a few convicts. Two of them paired off, in about 2 months. One day I was looking in at my tank, and I saw eggs. I did tons of research and then went back to check on them. I was a little kid... so I pressed my face against the glass, and just stared at them with my big eyes. (They were probably freaking out) The eggs were gone in the morning. (they ate them) But ever since that day I just loved how-..... fish are amazing! I love raising the new borns, and watching 2 fish pair, and mate.

If you are wondering they were not the best mating pair. They killed all of their tank mates, and then fought, and broke up. And ALWAYS ate there eggs...

 

At first it was to encourage my son’s love of fish (he’s 5.5), he wants to join the wild kratts and help them with their fish discoveries.

Thats really sweet
One of my favorite kid moments was when we were having an “open farm” day at my family’s small farm ( ag+ art tour, if you’re from the Carolinas)
And this little boy came up to me and asked what he should do with his banana peel. I told him there was a trash can across the field, or he could put it in the compost pile, and explained in short what that was.
His eyes lit up and he exclaimed “that’s just like on wildkratts!!” And began telling me a mile a minute about worms and dirt and decomposers. It was *so* cool to see him connect a random concept with our real, physical garden and compost!

 

My undergrad job was what eventually led to my fishkeeping. I majored in biology, and worked part time as support staff that helped set up each day’s bio lab classes (hand out microscopes, things to dissect, etc) and also maintained a variety of animals - essentially as pets, just there for everyone’s enjoyment, NOT for experiments! At our high point, we had a milk snake, bearded dragon, leopard frogs, fire bellied toads, tarantula, and about 10-15 aquariums that ranged from 10 gallon guppy tanks up to a 75-100 gal reef tank. Both fresh and saltwater, with everything from guppies and fiddler crabs, to a red devil cichlid, convict cichlids, saltwater angel fish, triggerfish, anemones, and many more in between that I’m forgetting. That’s where I learned all about fish care (and herps, for that matter). We thankfully had a few people on staff that were big into the aquarium hobby already, and they made sure our care was top notch.

For entirely unrelated reasons, I also ended up doing an undergrad thesis on the phylogenetics of select Lucania killifish populations, and also helped do some aquarium care for that lab as well. It’s funny, I didn’t originally have any particular interest in fish, but there was a LOT of fish research on our campus so I kind of just...ended up in it. And later I did my masters on polar fish research.

Anyway, getting ahead of myself. As soon as I finished undergrad, I decided that I finally wanted to start my own aquarium - a 10 gal starter kit. With horrible fake decor/plants, and suuuuper white sand. Even with my previous experience, I still made a lot of errors early on - many due to impatience. I opted for a betta sorority, and lucked out that they had no problems. The African dwarf frogs I attempted were not so lucky.

Fast forward 11 years, and I’ve come a long way. At the moment I have 5 aquariums, the smallest being 3-4 gallons and the largest 75. All freshwater, all with live plants and natural decor. And I tend to do a ton of research before adding any new species, to make sure they’re likely to be a good fit. I’m also in it for the long haul - I’ve never torn down an established tank with fish inhabitants to restart as something different (short of when I just scaling up tank size), and have let our community tank slowly morph over time.

I really enjoy how peaceful my aquariums are to watch, and of course have found species that I absolutely love! My betta and adult male gudgeon definitely have the most personality and are my favorites (shh, don’t tell everyone else), though I love them all.

Every once in awhile I do get worn out and admittedly get rather slack about water changes and other maintenance (good things they have lots of plants to help), but something always eventually reenergizes me and I get back to it! Honestly, conversations on this forum really help to continually fuel my interest in my aquariums. Of course, it’s also fueled my MTS

 

The money

lol I can respect it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Oh boy, there's simply too much to love in these replies to be able to respond to everything! Thank you for sharing! From throwing yourself into the learning and enjoying the potential for solitude in the hobby, to getting involved via habit or education, to doing this simply because you love fish and think they're neat, there's so much here to relate to. Really enjoyed reading what everyone here has to share.

p.s. I grew up with Zoboomafoo/Kratts' Creatures rather than Wild Kratts, but I'm so happy to hear that they're still making shows! They inspired my love for animals too

 

My undergrad job was what eventually led to my fishkeeping. I majored in biology, and worked part time as support staff that helped set up each day’s bio lab classes (hand out microscopes, things to dissect, etc) and also maintained a variety of animals - essentially as pets, just there for everyone’s enjoyment, NOT for experiments! At our high point, we had a milk snake, bearded dragon, leopard frogs, fire bellied toads, tarantula, and about 10-15 aquariums that ranged from 10 gallon guppy tanks up to a 75-100 gal reef tank. Both fresh and saltwater, with everything from guppies and fiddler crabs, to a red devil cichlid, convict cichlids, saltwater angel fish, triggerfish, anemones, and many more in between that I’m forgetting. That’s where I learned all about fish care (and herps, for that matter). We thankfully had a few people on staff that were big into the aquarium hobby already, and they made sure our care was top notch.

For entirely unrelated reasons, I also ended up doing an undergrad thesis on the phylogenetics of select Lucania killifish populations, and also helped do some aquarium care for that lab as well. It’s funny, I didn’t originally have any particular interest in fish, but there was a LOT of fish research on our campus so I kind of just...ended up in it. And later I did my masters on polar fish research.

Anyway, getting ahead of myself. As soon as I finished undergrad, I decided that I finally wanted to start my own aquarium - a 10 gal starter kit. With horrible fake decor/plants, and suuuuper white sand. Even with my previous experience, I still made a lot of errors early on - many due to impatience. I opted for a betta sorority, and lucked out that they had no problems. The African dwarf frogs I attempted were not so lucky.

Fast forward 11 years, and I’ve come a long way. At the moment I have 5 aquariums, the smallest being 3-4 gallons and the largest 75. All freshwater, all with live plants and natural decor. And I tend to do a ton of research before adding any new species, to make sure they’re likely to be a good fit. I’m also in it for the long haul - I’ve never torn down an established tank with fish inhabitants to restart as something different (short of when I just scaling up tank size), and have let our community tank slowly morph over time.

I really enjoy how peaceful my aquariums are to watch, and of course have found species that I absolutely love! My betta and adult male gudgeon definitely have the most personality and are my favorites (shh, don’t tell everyone else), though I love them all.

Every once in awhile I do get worn out and admittedly get rather slack about water changes and other maintenance (good things they have lots of plants to help), but something always eventually reenergizes me and I get back to it! Honestly, conversations on this forum really help to continually fuel my interest in my aquariums. Of course, it’s also fueled my MTS

thats super cool. it must be fun to take something you know so well and turn it into your hobby

 

lol I can respect it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Oh boy, there's simply too much to love in these replies to be able to respond to everything! Thank you for sharing! From throwing yourself into the learning and enjoying the potential for solitude in the hobby, to getting involved via habit or education, to doing this simply because you love fish and think they're neat, there's so much here to relate to. Really enjoyed reading what everyone here has to share.

p.s. I grew up with Zoboomafoo/Kratts' Creatures rather than Wild Kratts, but I'm so happy to hear that they're still making shows! They inspired my love for animals too

Now, who is going to admit they got into the hobby because of GloFish(TM)?

 

I've been scrolling through this forum for the past few days and am really enjoying all the stories people have about their fish, the knowledge and passion that folks have, and the seriously welcoming environment and willingness to help others succeed in keeping their aquatic pets happy and healthy. I am new to the hobby and even newer to this forum, and would love to hear more about why you're here! What brought you to the hobby and keeps you passionate about it?

For me, starting up my tank is not only a way to cope with everything going on in the world today, but a way to find some simple joys in my life. I earned my Environmental Studies degree in college after starting off as a Marine Biology major, and aquatic life (from orcas to diatoms) have always held a special place in my heart. I kept the friendliest little petco-purchased betta named Sterling (rest in peace, lil buddy) in a little 5 gallon tank during my three and a half years of school and have wanted to delve deeper into fish keeping ever since. This pandemic just gave me the perfect excuse to do it and I wouldn't trade my past week of obsessive water testing for anything! So excited to have another fish in my life once its cycled!

Thank you for this forum!

The biodiversity of species and thier part of the cycling process. There's also something about water,plants and species swimming in water that attracts me.

 

Only one week in to the hobby here but the peace our 29 gallon planted tank has brought to this house is awesome. One little mystery snail named Dyson is enough to keep everyone here interested. My favorite part is finding my two teenage boys sitting in front of the tank just staring and zenning out.

 

I just love watching the fish and taking care of things.

 

My betta addiction.....

 

It's so Interesting...

 

Fish keeping had always brought so much peace and tranquillity to my life that I instantly fell in love with it. I can literally sit in front of my tank and watch my fish swim around for hours. Now that I have children of my own I wanted to share the beauty of nature with my kids. To teach them to value and love the world they live in and also the wonders which make this wonderful world of ours. How we can observe fish in their natural environment is just awesome. Not something the great majority of us get to see on a daily basis. And thus, for me and our family it’s a great blessing to be able to watch our fish in their environment and to have a window into nature 24/7. This of course also includes the natural plants we keep in our tanks.

 

Well, in school I was in FFA. They have a competition called Aquaculture where you learn, memorize, treat, etc different fish diseases, learn about fish keeping practices (large scale for agriculture), all the different species (whether it be salt or fresh though fresh was a larger catagory), all the plants, all the invasive plants even, the chemistry behind keeping the perfect pond, the best selling fish and all that amazing stuff!! I was immediately hooked and decided to get another fish to match the occasion. It got me to researching and continuingly studying for the contest, realizing I knew NOTHING about fish before and was a terrible fish-owner previously. It left me wanting to change that and fish-keep right. I love walking down the rows in the LFS (and Petsmart) being able to name the scientific names, what that fish is called, "OOO I KNOW THAT PLANT"!! Still to this day (though I have forgotten a lot over the years)... It's the best and I fell down the rabbit hole of fish, therefore here I am

One of my favorite parts is it's not just one singular hobby, it's a bunch of hobbies in one!

 

Years ago when I was renting an apartment, no dogs were allowed. Bummer. I had kept fish when I was much younger and enjoyed the hobby, so an aquarium seemed like a good fit at the time. Also, watching what's going on in a planted tank can be a great stress reliever after a tough day at the office.

 

The money

For me (Alejandro's dad) its the money too - i hate that stuff - it keeps appearing and filling up my bank account and I'm afraid of the potential mess if it overflows... so I buy fish tanks to stop my bank account overflowing...

 

I would rather watch the aquarium than the TV

 

It was in 1992, I was 8 at that point, when my dad bought our first fish tank. The rest is history.

 

What brought you to the hobby and keeps you passionate about it?

My mom passed away in October and she had bought a 55 gallon when I was 10. It was easily the best birthday I ever had. So, for my 30th this year, I got myself another 55 and told my kids "we are going to build a fish home with science like Mawmaw did for me"

And I will tell you, it has already paid off ten fold. They are just as thrilled to watch the community as I was! It brings back cherished memories and we keep making great new memories (even when it's detective work and lunchtime trials to determine a fun nipping culprit's identity lol).

 

I've been scrolling through this forum for the past few days and am really enjoying all the stories people have about their fish, the knowledge and passion that folks have, and the seriously welcoming environment and willingness to help others succeed in keeping their aquatic pets happy and healthy. I am new to the hobby and even newer to this forum, and would love to hear more about why you're here! What brought you to the hobby and keeps you passionate about it?

For me, starting up my tank is not only a way to cope with everything going on in the world today, but a way to find some simple joys in my life. I earned my Environmental Studies degree in college after starting off as a Marine Biology major, and aquatic life (from orcas to diatoms) have always held a special place in my heart. I kept the friendliest little petco-purchased betta named Sterling (rest in peace, lil buddy) in a little 5 gallon tank during my three and a half years of school and have wanted to delve deeper into fish keeping ever since. This pandemic just gave me the perfect excuse to do it and I wouldn't trade my past week of obsessive water testing for anything! So excited to have another fish in my life once its cycled!

Thank you for this forum!

I don’t know if someone else said this but for me it’s the love for my fish I have goldfish and I think of them as pets not just fish you know

I don’t know if someone else said this but for me it’s the love for my fish I have goldfish and I think of them as pets not just fish you know

Also after a long day or even waking up to your fish happily swimming about makes you happy