I had an outdoor pond, and was sold three Pearlscales. I had a fishtank when I was a kid and my parents had a large 55g I think, but remember very little about them, so I was excited to have fish again. Anyway. Soon all were gasping at the surface. I very quickly learned about as much as I could. (Why didn't I do this before you ask?) One died within the first couple weeks, after I bought them a tank and moved them inside. The other two did alright, for a few months. Then one got sick. We treated her for the longest time. We bought her a seperate tank to isolate her. She lasted a few months, not getting better or worse, until I decided to euthanize her. The third I am pleased to say, is still alive and getting fatter by the minute. The tank I originally got for treatment is soon to be full of white clouds. Also I got a couple of bettas along the way.
how did your fishkeeping get started?
- Thread starter fishdude
- Start date
when i was a kid i had a goldfish named herb in a bowl. one summer weekend my family and i went on vacation, came back and our 6 inch goldfish was boiled. then a few years later i had a 15 gallon tank, into which i put - amongst a few other cichlids - a jack dempsy who promptly killed everyone else in the tank, then died himself.
fast forward about ten years. a few months ago i decided i wanted to get back into the hobby, so i started reading forums such as this one to learn how to do things right. (i think it's best to get advice from other aquarists and not necessarily pet shops - a lot of times i feel like they'll tell you things just to make a buck, which i cant blame them for but still...) anyway, after reading the advice and wisdom of experienced aquarists such as all ya'll, i accepted the fact that i had committed crimes against nature as a kid and was determined to, as i said, do things right. though my tank isnt fully cycled yet (nitrites present, small amount of nitrates), i've found the experience to be much more fulfilling.
so the moral of the story is - don't give fish to kids! it's so much more complicated and requires far more responsibility than most kids can understand. that's my story thus far.
p.s. in answer to the poll, i guess my vote goes to goldfish in a bowl, cause thats where it all started.
fast forward about ten years. a few months ago i decided i wanted to get back into the hobby, so i started reading forums such as this one to learn how to do things right. (i think it's best to get advice from other aquarists and not necessarily pet shops - a lot of times i feel like they'll tell you things just to make a buck, which i cant blame them for but still...) anyway, after reading the advice and wisdom of experienced aquarists such as all ya'll, i accepted the fact that i had committed crimes against nature as a kid and was determined to, as i said, do things right. though my tank isnt fully cycled yet (nitrites present, small amount of nitrates), i've found the experience to be much more fulfilling.
so the moral of the story is - don't give fish to kids! it's so much more complicated and requires far more responsibility than most kids can understand. that's my story thus far.
p.s. in answer to the poll, i guess my vote goes to goldfish in a bowl, cause thats where it all started.
My first idea was a big bowl- with guppies in it. Then we picked up a book on freshwater aquariums. That changed me(Whoa). Then I started with a tank.. Then a 10 gallon tank... then a filter, air pump, and then I was charmed by the tiger barbs and Neons so a heater.
That's where it all started!
We all start with cruel bowls don't we...
~Paige
That's where it all started!
We all start with cruel bowls don't we...
~Paige
I guess i was fortunite as a child, my dad had a 40g. set up for the longest time. He tore it down when his Angel that had to fold her fins completely just to swim around died. Then like many others i went a long time w/out a tank. One day my fiance's boss offered to give us a couple of fish. We gladly accepted..... not knowing what we were getting into. The fish were a Dovi and a festea. the dovi had to go, he was beating up my precious festea. Now, I've upgraded to a 150g and many other cichlids. The festea died of a nasty bacterial infection. I've been hooked ever since.
Growing up someone in family aways a tanks going on at one time or another. When I was REAL little my mother had 2 10g on one of those iron stands going for awhile and when we moved out of my grandmother house (guess when I was about 3) my uncle took over the tanks for a few year, don't remember why he stopped messing with them. The my one aunt took the tank and set them up at her house... Then when I was about 8y/o my mother went and got me 2 goldfish for x-mas had them set up in a glass fish bowl and as you can guess they didn't live for long. Still to this day i can remeber what I named them. They where called Mork & Mindy..
When I was about 19 or 20, I had my own place and decided to try my hand at it. I went and got a 20g long and the whole works. I don't remember much about it beside saving swordtail kicking out fry LIKE CRAZY. And a BIG battle with ich and not being able to get rid of it. (this was way before a knew about the salt treatment.) I ended up selling the tank to my son baby sitter at the time. She was looking for a small tank to use for her fry's. She had a large tank (think it was like a 75) and her fish was kicking out fry's and need a tank to put them in..
Then when I was 22y/o old I some what got pushed into tanks again. at this time my son and I was staying with my grandmother and uncle. My unlce went out one day and came home with 2 20g high tanks and the whole works. He went and bought everything but I ended up being the one to take care of the 2 tanks.. I took came them for 1 1/2 years until he took 1 with him to Houston (where he not lives). The 1 he left behind I had it up and running good for about 7 yrs until in "99" I got hit with ich and it wiped everything out. So I just put it way until a couple of years later my brother came and took the tank..
So now I'm back in the game.. In feb of this year I went and got a small tank to set up in the baby's room then about a month later I went and got a 26g bow, then in May I went and got a 10g to set up a Dwarf Puffer tank...
Jeanna
When I was about 19 or 20, I had my own place and decided to try my hand at it. I went and got a 20g long and the whole works. I don't remember much about it beside saving swordtail kicking out fry LIKE CRAZY. And a BIG battle with ich and not being able to get rid of it. (this was way before a knew about the salt treatment.) I ended up selling the tank to my son baby sitter at the time. She was looking for a small tank to use for her fry's. She had a large tank (think it was like a 75) and her fish was kicking out fry's and need a tank to put them in..
Then when I was 22y/o old I some what got pushed into tanks again. at this time my son and I was staying with my grandmother and uncle. My unlce went out one day and came home with 2 20g high tanks and the whole works. He went and bought everything but I ended up being the one to take care of the 2 tanks.. I took came them for 1 1/2 years until he took 1 with him to Houston (where he not lives). The 1 he left behind I had it up and running good for about 7 yrs until in "99" I got hit with ich and it wiped everything out. So I just put it way until a couple of years later my brother came and took the tank..
So now I'm back in the game.. In feb of this year I went and got a small tank to set up in the baby's room then about a month later I went and got a 26g bow, then in May I went and got a 10g to set up a Dwarf Puffer tank...
Jeanna
My mom had a 29g with one very aggressive Dempsey living in it. At the time, I knew squat about keeping fish - I was 6 when the tank first entered our home. I just knew that "Oscar", the Dempsey's name, didn't like roomies...well, for dinner he did 
Oscar lived with us til I was 16. Mom drained the tank after he died and I was with out a fish til I tried my own hand at goldfish in a hex 10g tall. Living in San Mateo during the fall & winter with no heater was taxing! I did learn how to fight ich tho LOL I did go fishless for about 5 years, taking care of friends' fish tanks since they had gotten lazy after purchasing small sized tanks for their kids...you know the sad story, right? It happens with all kinds of pets.
anyway...I rec'd a 5g hex with a betta for xmas 4 years ago. **** if that didnt get me once again!
I now have 4 tanks 29 29 38 20 with various fish, mostly So American decent (I have a "thing" for So American fish) and they are much better than any high blood pressure med I've ever taken or dispensed
be well!
J
Oscar lived with us til I was 16. Mom drained the tank after he died and I was with out a fish til I tried my own hand at goldfish in a hex 10g tall. Living in San Mateo during the fall & winter with no heater was taxing! I did learn how to fight ich tho LOL I did go fishless for about 5 years, taking care of friends' fish tanks since they had gotten lazy after purchasing small sized tanks for their kids...you know the sad story, right? It happens with all kinds of pets.
anyway...I rec'd a 5g hex with a betta for xmas 4 years ago. **** if that didnt get me once again!
I now have 4 tanks 29 29 38 20 with various fish, mostly So American decent (I have a "thing" for So American fish) and they are much better than any high blood pressure med I've ever taken or dispensed
be well!
J
I used to be a cat person. Had a cat for several years and then got married.
Soon we realized that my husband is allergic to cats and I had to say goodbye to my kitty. She lives with my parents now and I see her from time to time.
When she disappeared from our apartment, I was inconsolable and my husband suggested aquarium fish. It came out that his grandparents had a fish tank when he was a boy.
I new nothing about this hobby, but the next day I went to the LFS and bough a 3g eclipse aquarium. We have a small apartment (like many people in NYC), so I thought this would suffice. It didn’t. Store clerk told me that it’s OK to keep two angelfish and two mollys in it. Together! When they all got sick, I began to do a research. Wish I did it earlier!!! It’s been several months since I got that first tank and I already upgraded to 12g. I have many live plants, few happy fish and enjoy the hobby very much.
Soon we realized that my husband is allergic to cats and I had to say goodbye to my kitty. She lives with my parents now and I see her from time to time.
When she disappeared from our apartment, I was inconsolable and my husband suggested aquarium fish. It came out that his grandparents had a fish tank when he was a boy.
I new nothing about this hobby, but the next day I went to the LFS and bough a 3g eclipse aquarium. We have a small apartment (like many people in NYC), so I thought this would suffice. It didn’t. Store clerk told me that it’s OK to keep two angelfish and two mollys in it. Together! When they all got sick, I began to do a research. Wish I did it earlier!!! It’s been several months since I got that first tank and I already upgraded to 12g. I have many live plants, few happy fish and enjoy the hobby very much.
When I was little I had goldfish in the normal goldfish bowls. Growing up I had a small shark in a bowl. As I got older drums and girls replaced the fish.
Flash to 2 months ago. For some reason I got the fish bug again and started reading on the net. Went out and bought a 10 gal kit and fishless cycled it. It now had 6 Harliquins Rasboras and 6 cories in it. Also got a 5 gal tank, cycled it and have a blue male betta in it now. I also have a 2 gal hex with a red male betta.
I LOVE cories!
I'm new here at this site/board.
Tom
Flash to 2 months ago. For some reason I got the fish bug again and started reading on the net. Went out and bought a 10 gal kit and fishless cycled it. It now had 6 Harliquins Rasboras and 6 cories in it. Also got a 5 gal tank, cycled it and have a blue male betta in it now. I also have a 2 gal hex with a red male betta.
I LOVE cories!
I'm new here at this site/board.
Tom
I caught my bullhead catfish in the delta and decided that he'd make a cool pet. That was like 6 months ago, and now just look at my sig!
I couldn't have animals with fur, mom is allergic, I couldn't have reptiles, mom hated them. so she agreed to fish.
