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!

 

The money

The money you always wanted to spend? That is definitely an interesting perspective

I would rather watch the aquarium than the TV

That's exactly it. I don't have a TV because I have an aquarium. Much more relaxing, except when I am going on a pest snail murder spree.

 

Anybody that bypasses a fish pet shop would think about keeping a pet fish but the thing that kept me continuously in this hobby is the great wealth of knowledge.
Nitrogen cycle, ammonia, schooling fishes, dwarf shrimps, marine fish tank, filter, beneficial bacterial, substrate and anaerobic bacteria, distilled water for shrimps, water conditioner, chlorine, oxygen in water, co2, bioload, glass, acrylic, low iron glass, aquatic mosses, short to tall aquatic plants, hornwort allelopathy, floating aquatic plants, self sustaining ecosystem, rasbora, catfish, plecos, kois, tetras, community fishes, aggressive fishes, aquatic snails, aquascaping basics, Iwagumi style, Dutch style, my own minimalist style.

 

What draws me to this hobby...? That's not always so simple to explain...
I'm totally intrigued by fish in general. How life is different beneath the water surface in comparison to above the water surface...
And it's my parents fault... Shame on them to feed me the fascination of the aquarium world...

My parents got me into it. And it's the love (... yes, love...!) that kept me addicted to it.

 

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!

Well, I started out by falling in love with guppies and wanting a small tank for some. But, then I fell in love with a lot of varieties of fish, and now am obsessed with wanting to make gorgeous aquascapes and finally my dream project a 300 gallon paludarium, and I can't forget wanting to get into shrimp and so so so so many species of fish! Passion is what keeps me involved. My fish are my comfort, and they depend on me, and I really genuinely love them and taking care of them (I even baby talk them, I always have lol.)