curiosity

[gmueller]

just out of curiosity, how did everyone get in to the aquatic hobby??
i myself got in to it because a friend at work enjoys it, so i decided to gogive it a try

cheers

Gerald

[nickie]

I worked at my friend`s parents pet store after school...I was given a 10gal, repaired it and kept live-bearers ,.. I had fish on and off for many years,,, even kept large fancy goldfish in a 20 gal ,.  What really got me hooked was a movie threater  had a 200 gallon tank with a bunch of fancy goldfish... I enjoyed watching those big goldfish swimming around !!!!...  Presantly have two 20 gal tanks ,.. 6 kribs,  tetras,two barbs, some clown loaches, a large pleco that I never see...                                      Take care ,... John

[BigDaddy]

My kids walked into the pet department at Walmart and insisted they wanted goldfish

[Shouganai]

I don't know what originally got me wanting to have fish.. probably just because I've traditionally had a lot of pets.  My grandfather had a 15g that he did everything wrong with, but his fish interested me.  I read up all I could on fishkeeping for about 2 years, and got my first tank when I was 13 or 14.  It was a 33g that became a community tank.  By the end of the year I had 7 tanks, ranging from local sticklebacks to SA cichlids and livebearers.

I remember having to go to the BA in whitby or peterborough (which is now gone) to get fish, since we really didn't have any decent stores where I lived.

[pegasus]

I'm 5 years old and want a DOG!    not guppies!

[Rocktopus]

My grandfather used to keep a simple, dark tank on an iron wrought stand in his kitchen (I'd guess 30 gal, it was 18 yrs ago).  He kept so many fancy koi that you couldn't see across the top of the tank at feeding time.  Somehow they survived for years.  My father kept a couple sparsely decorated amatuer tanks to satisfy my interests in fish (including a large goldfish/pleco tank and one ~25 gal housing a 7" Red Devil, oh the shame). 

Now, about 10 tankless years later, I've started up a 55 gal after a roommate brought a betta in a fish bowl to my house.  I'm hooked again already; and I seem to effect all that see my tank.

[Seanc]

  I read up all I could on fishkeeping for about 2 years, and got my first tank when I was 13 or 14.  It was a 33g that became a community tank.  By the end of the year I had 7 tanks,

wow almost the same as me.

I was 13 when i first go into fish, to tell the truth i have no idea what made me want fish othere then i love animals, and watching them, and having them in small containers. I also love plants, i dunno why, but i just like them alot, then i put the two together, and now have a planted SA tank.

I started with a 36gal wich i shared with my little sister, untill she lost intrest, and became all mine . I had 6 tanks, 1 year later, with all sorts of fish, but have since down sized to 2 tanks and a pond.

thats the story so far, but this is only the bigining

[busdriver]

I had my first tank thirty years ago, I started with a couple of tiger barbs, a couple of cories, a small oscar and a couple of angels.
I ended up with the oscar before I decided having a tank wasn't for me.
I hate to say what I did with the oscar, I was so mad.
My wife told me no more fish.
Last September, my daughter gave me 1 fish, you guessed it, an oscar, in a very small tank, so I got on this site and saw somebody asking what size tank they should buy and the response was 'the biggest you could afford' so I saw a 150 at Petsmart that I like and bought it.
The oscar looked pretty lonely in the small tank so I bought it a friend or two, another oscar and a commom pleco.
They grew pretty quick in the 150, but I had decided that oscars still weren't for me, but I didn't get rid of them right away, I decided to get another tank at Petsmart, a 75 gallon.
I put nine tiger barbs, about five swords and a b/n pleco in it.
The five swords died within a couple of weeks.
Then I decided to find some place that would take the oscars and common pleco,
B/A's said they would take them and give me a credit.
Now I have 10 peppered cories and 4 platinum angels in the 75
I transferred the nine tiger barbs and b/n pleco to the one fifty. (they look lost)
I do weekly water changes and testing but some of the fish are still dying.
I'm down to 7 tiger barbs and the b/n in the 150 and 9 peppered cories anf the four angels in the 75.
I think I'm going to take someones advice and just put rocks and cichlids in the 150
but I'm trying to decide which ones.

Busdriver

[darkdep]

I've had very sparse experience with fishkeeping with my first tank around age 12 (goldfish).  Knew nothing, fish died.  Then when I moved to Ottawa I decided I wanted another shot at it, so I picked up a 10gal kit, got some tiger barbs and some albino cories, knew nothing, fish died (didn't help I put the tank in direct sunlight and it had about 10 degree temp swings each day).

Then, a few years ago someone on our street was selling a 33 with stand and accessories at a garage sale for $65, my wife saw it and surprised me with it.  It's been addiction ever since I discovered Africans. 

[charlie]

I started keeping fish when i was about 10 yrs. old in a far away land called Guyana( formerly British Guiana), went through several livebearers & angels, when i moved to Canada, i picked up a 20 gln kit from Petsmart & later a 33 gln used , then i got out of the hobby for 3 yrs.  The 20 gln which i had given to my nephews was returned to me ( after they lost interest), it was then i discovered OVAS & the rest is history ( true MTS addiction see my signature )& now I`m starting to pass the bug to others, such as the originator of this thread.
Regards

[bitterman]

I have wanted a tank since I went to marine world as a kid, but did not get a tank until about 8 years ago. Been addicted ever since. The only problem is I want a like 600-1000 Gallon tank now since my 172 seams so small.

Bruce

[Iceman]

You know, I can't really remember. I recall buying two used tanks maybe seventeen years ago. I have no idea what inspired me to do so. Started with Gouramis then built a ninety gallon for Africans.

When we moved to Kanata, I stopped for several years. The itch came back so I started again.  Wish I had kept the ninety.

[squeeker]

My parents had a 10 gallon tank for "Blue", a VT betta, before I was born.  When my mom was pregnant with me, they moved Blue over to a friend's house for a few weeks... but Blue died in their care.

Then when I was about 7 we set the tank up again and kept guppies, mollies, swordtails, etc.  I was fascinated with the tank!

I won a goldfish at a local fair a few years later.  I kept him in a bowl, and he lived to be 7 years old. 

When he died, I bought a feeder from Wal-Mart to replace him.  Chief is still alive, but had to go live with my cousin when I moved to Ottawa for University. He's about 10 years old.

When I moved to Ottawa, my parents surprised me with a bowl and 2 small fantails.  I killed 6 fish before I found out that I had to treat Ottawa water for Chloramines!  One day I decided I wanted to get new gravel for the bowl and found SuperPet.  I decided to apply for a job there, and went from a goldfish bowl to a 77G, 2 10's, and now a pond.    No more goldfish in bowls, that's for sure!

[SuperT]

My brother started fishkeeping about 18 years ago.  He had a nice planted 10g that housed only neons.  Shortly after he shut the tank down and gave it to me (I still have the old ornaments and water wheel bubbler).  I went through some angels at the time and almost gave up, a buddy of mine was keeping a salt tank and he gave me a bunch of mags to read.  After that success (i even changed the water).  Later he shut down his salt water tank and I traded a new mmx motherboard for it.  I'm still running that 33g today and I've had my blacksharkminnow for about 12 years now and a few red finned sharks for about 11 although they grew out of that tank years ago.  When I first met my wife she fell in love with the tanks and in the last year or so has become an quite the enthusiast..... 5 running tanks later with 4 empty in the basement its become quite the (relaxing???) hobby.

Terry

[dannypd]

I'm 5 years old and want a DOG!    not guppies!

OK ELVIS!  (but with a guitar and no a gun)

I started with a 10 gallon with guppies.

Then, I saw a few used tanks; a 20, a 25 and a 15.  Got a green spotted puffer for the large tanks and began breeding fish for the puffer...since then, I've fallon in love with puffers.  I was up at 7 tanks once, but now down to 2/3 depending on the time of year...

[new2H2O]

when i was really young my dad was away alot on business and mom thought a goldfish in a bowl would be a good idea  the fish liked to jump out of it...mom says it as suicidal 

Needless to say it died and over the years we (my sisters and i) realised that mom just could not keep fish...at one point she had little guppies in a tank with marbles on the botom and one of them got stuck under one and died...

Years later i started attending summer camp with the military as staff (cadets) and i have always had pets and missed the dog alot so the second year i was there i brought a betta with me (fish are the only animal allowed on a base unless you live on base in a house).

I loved my betta and every summer he came with but he died a horrible death when some coworkers made a greivous error...the bowl fell and the water spilled and the only water available was from a water cooler (too cold!!!)

so i gave it a rest but always loved fish and tanks and swore that one day when i had the space and was settled (i went to camp every summer and up to the cottage, dogs travel better than fish) i would have a tank...so here i am!!! finally settled for the next couple of years and loving the way the 55g looks in my living room...so relaxing.