how do you view your fish?

ssuchem13

ssuchem13

Tower Tank Master
Oct 4, 2011
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chicagoland
Real Name
Eric
Ive been wanting to make this thread for a while now as ive slowly gotten glimpses of viewpoints from other people through threads. i wzant to know how you all see your fish, as in pets, hobby, just plain fish and how much you care about them (love them?) and what your fish do for you?

Ill start, i definitely see my fish as my pets, most of them have personality, and ive named the big ones like my betta elsie, and my gourami elton. elsie is definitely like a baby to me, she was my first and i love her alot, and elton is very much another one of my friends lol. i know it sounds weird but these fish have done so much for me, they are honestly like living therapy. i live a stressful life and i have anxiety issues i suffer from panic attacks aswell and the fish are a form of an escape, watching them swim peacefully. there is something comforting about taking care of them, so much so i dont even mind water changes, i enjoy them. i know this probably sounds retarded and your thinking "geez hes some kind of nut, they are just fish" but i know for me they help keep me grounded in my life and i think i could be a little lost without them. i think the reason they help so much is that i am in control over them as an aspect of my life and watching them flourish brings me not only happiness but pride aswell. they are a hobby aswell, i enjoy the time i get to fiddle with my tanks and make them better . but really they are more than a hobby to me. so how do you feel about your fish?
 
I view some of my fish as pets and I view some of them as just being apart of my hobby. I have one comet goldfish in a tank with fancys and he's my baby. I'm able to have one large tank in my house and as much as I wanted an oscar or piranha, I gave up the opportunity to have them in order to keep my comet Dennis. I also consider my 6 bettas and counting:o to be my pets, all of my other tropical tanks filled with tropical fish are just fish to me.
 
I view any live creatures in my home other than my kids as pets. Not "just dogs", or "just cats", or "just fish". :)

I have neighbors that keep killing their fish due to neglect and they just shrug, laugh and say, "oh well, they are just fish". :(
 
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I view my fish from the rocking chair I have located in front of the 75 gallon and 20 long tanks. :)

As for how I think of them, depends on the fish. Goldfish have a soft spot in my heart, especially black moors and larger commons. I used to have both for an extended period of time, but have gotten rid of them due to space. :(

My tropical fish are, well, pets mostly. I don't cry over them if one dies, I try to find out why. Of course, when I lost my school of black skirts (along with my smaller GBR) it was rather crushing, as I had owned those fish for quite some time, and never got to see them in the 40gal I have now. :( Fish like my bolivian ram and other GBR mean much more to me then fish like my neon or serpae tetras, or my cories, because I only have 1 of them.

Now here is where it gets a little weird. I had this large black mystery snail, and it was by far my favorite aquatic pet until it died for no reason when I put it in a tank with a smaller ivory mystery snail :/

As for my mollies... well, I have 3 large ones that are.... 4th generation fish, and I do think of them more then the other fish when something goes wrong. Luckily, they are indestructible and don't understand concepts like "die".

All in all, the fish that live longest and are most unique I remember more, and usually name. Those that you can't differentiate between are nameless pets to make the tank more exciting for the ones I like :)
 
i see my fish as my little friends :) i have two children whom i have taught to treat all pets as friends not toys.. i have two black labs who have had three litters too so i know a thing or two about pets.. they should all be treated with kindness (unless they r dinner for your "friend" fish) lol
 
Don't feel weird about the fish having a therapeutic effect. For one it's a hobby and any good hobby helps lower stress. But more importantly fish have fluid slow movements that have been linked to lower stress, especially slow schooling fish like tetras.

As for me I get a emotional connection to the fish with attitudes, for instance I had a german blue ram and a Betta, both fish I had connections with. I have a school of Rainbows now and while I enjoy them I don't have that connection as close with them. I feel they are pets but also understand most fish have a life span of a few years so I don't get as crushed as say when a dog dies.
 
I look at them as equal with other pets I have had. I get this horrible feeling when I loose one, even one as small as a tetra! My Gf however sees them as not as important as a cat or dog, she still actively enjoys them
However. Nothing better than when you glance over to the tank and get lost in a short story you see infront of your eyes and realise 15 mins have passed haha
Tony
 
I love my fish, I have two Oscars and they are full of personality. Darth and Obi-Wan are party of my family! I love coming home and seeing them going crazy wanting to be fed, and I finally got them to start eating out of my hand! And maybe it's just me, but I swear Darth loves watching me play xbox. He's always staring at the TV when I'm playing. :woot:
 
My fish are my friiiiiiiiiieeeeeeends. Lol, mostly kidding. I like to sit here and watch my angel pair stalk me until I feed them. It's rather hilarious.

:cheers:
 
good responses sofar guys, keep it comming
 
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