20 years total. With the first 10 learning how to do it right. Didn't really understand what I was doing until after working as a microbiologist for a few years. It taught me tons about fishkeeping and has scarred me to deeply to ever eat at another potluck. By the way --- Organic = feces in your food. Seriously high in coliforms.
I quit tropicals when my power and heating went out when I was living in Minnesota (in January). My coldwaters did just fine thought since then it's all I do.