(READ THE FIRST POST) In your opinion, what makes a person successful at fishkeeping?

[Mr. U]

Greetings all,
I just rescued some fry out of a 55 gallon tank this last weekend, and transferred them to a 29 gallon platy tank. I'm not sure what they are just yet, but they maybe Cory fry. As I watching them explore the plants, greet platy fry, and pick at gravel, a question formed in my mind: does having fry unexpectedly make me successful fish keeper, or am I just lucky?

Just like anyone else in this forum, I have had my ups and downs with keeping fish, and regardless of the losses, I have always enjoyed the experience. 6 years of keeping freshwater fish all started with the construction of a small raised pond and a tank for tadpoles. Now I have a larger raised pond, and a multitude of tanks, and it seems my only problem now is where to put the empty 55 and 90 gallon tanks that are sitting empty in my garage :)

As I pondered about seeking help for MTS (Multiple Tank Syndrome, as I understand it), I wondered if having a number of established fish tanks made me a successful fish keeper, or , again, was I just lucky?

So, if you have ever asked yourself that very question, and have an answer, I would like to know:

In your opinion, what makes a person successful at fish keeping?

I hope to see lots of answers from a wide range of opinions and insights, but please know that this is just for opinions and not meant for a debate. :)
Mr. U

[BIGgourami]

was he activly trying to get params correct for breeding purposes?

[Woofy]

you got lucky fool :D lmao but i think that in theory were all horrible fish keepers at first really, imgaine how many fish weve kiled while learning how to do it properly and we still mess up here and there. poor fish. I think we arent good fishkeepers, i think fish are good and forgiving people keepers.

[Mr. U]

was he activly trying to get params correct for breeding purposes?

LOL, I wasn't :) But that's what got me asking questions. I guess I want to know what your thoughts are if you had ever asked yourself that question.

[bkw1982]

ummm.......prob overall fish health. For example, lack of disease, ample room for that particular fish, low stress, any thing else used to determine a healthy fish. happy fish=healthy fish=successful at fish keeping......but i really don't have alot of experiance with different fish.




you got lucky fool :D lmao but i think that in theory were all horrible fish keepers at first really, imgaine how many fish weve kiled while learning how to do it properly and we still mess up here and there. poor fish. I think we arent good fishkeepers, i think fish are good and forgiving people keepers.

Good point. I haven't lost any fish but I've lost a couple newts because i didn't know about cycling and water changes. Eventually fish keeping sounded a good place to start and gain experiance with controling params. I hope to try my hands at newts and different frogs again.

[Que]

Even though I've had my ups and downs with this fishkeeping biz I like to think that I am now a more successful fishkeeper than I have ever been and I owe a lot of it to everyone here who has freely given me advice.
I had tanks as a kid. I had some in my 20s and now I've started all over again but this time is so very different. I just wish I had come here before I started this time. I would likely have had fewer losses. You guys have opened my eyes to a lot of things I never really put much thought into before. I thank you and my fish thank you. I now try whenever I can to help out others so the chain continues.

Q

[Que]

I also feel success breeds MTS.

Q

[J double R]

i think that to be successful, you must be able to raise fish to be happy, lead full lives uninhibited by tank size, excessive disease, or bad water conditions.. disease is to be expected, yes, and so are losses.. to look at your tank and say "wow i love this tank".. not necessarily personal satisfaction (since a perfectionist would never achieve such a standard), but some satisfaction at least.

in the end, it's all in the eye of the beholder.

[feemia]

Patience.

[Rbishop]

Patience, observation, dedication and willingness to improve.

[Mgamer20o0]

well spawning most of the time is a good sign. willingness to wait on getting a fish you really want until you have the right set up(been a hard one for me). i see a lot of people that dont give their selfs the credit they deserved. a lot of people look at the down parts they have and dont see all the success they have had.

[jonnyfry]

am i a good fish keeper ? i dont know . i try and always will , to do the best for my fish . i think i know about 1% of what i should know to be able to create and maintain the environment and give the fish the nutrition they need . correctly diagnosing disease , finding the cure , making the fish comfortable . its an incredible task . i am certainly not a bad fish keeper , as i have not and will not give up on them or slack off on maintenance , even though changing 25 % of the water in a 55 gallon with a one gallon jug every 2 days for a month after working outside in the georgia sun while treating ich and this is just 1 of 4 tanks , was certainly hard on me at times . i know i have a lot to learn and thats why i joined AC to get more and more knowledge to help me and my fishees .

i guess you just need to love fish .