How old were you when you first (responsibly) kept your first fish?

emilyekk

emilyekk

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Apr 28, 2009
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As I am sure many other here have done as well,
I had my FIRST fish probably when I was 6. But when did you first RESPONSIBLY keep your first fish? I.E. - research about the fish, join these forums, buy the appropriate tank size for the fish you wanted etc.

I was 24, lol. I am almost 25 now. haha. =D

So glad I found these boards.

My sister called me today to ask about keeping goldfish in a kritter keeper and argued with me when I said absolutely not. lol. She's still not to her responsible fish age yet... and she's 9 years older than me. ;)

Just curious when everyone else first became informed.
 
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My grandmother was shockingly insightful when it came to keeping fish. We had a very large tank, she did weekly water changes and she took excellent care of them. I had my own 20 gallon guppy tank, and since I learned from her, I did pretty well from a very young age.

Kristina
 
kyryah said:
My grandmother was shockingly insightful when it came to keeping fish. We had a very large tank, she did weekly water changes and she took excellent care of them. I had my own 20 gallon guppy tank, and since I learned from her, I did pretty well from a very young age.

Kristina
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and that is why you are now the fish nazi! ;)

You should open up a school and educate people on fish keeping... someone should!
 
When I was a kid there was this thing called a library.LOL. I would go read books about all kinds of animals. I had MY very first aquarium when I was about 9 yrs old I'm now closer to 40 than I want to be.
 
I kept fish from about 6y/o thru to my mid-teen years. I wasn't responsible and did everything just about wrong.

The pond fish lived a long time and were still alive when we had to leave them to move to the US... the aquarium fish... besides the CAE which stressed to death all the other fish had fairly short lifespans! :(

Started again this year at the stately old age of 31. LOL... I've done a lifetime of research over the last 6 months... but fortunately I do absorb information like a sponge.

Still stacks to learn and I still consider myself somewhat of a newbie- despite 10 years of experience doing everything wrong when I was a kid and many-many countless hours researching online as an adult in recent years.
 
I had an all-too-typical experience with fish as a younger lad (probably 6 or 8 years old). As I recall, it was a small hexagonal tank with a in-tank filter. There were several different goldfish that met their end in that tank -- and when there was a fish I was especially attached to, my folks went out and found this medication that stained the water deep blue. That didn't save any of them.

I only tried again less than two years ago, and I'm now 26 year old. My whole impression of the hobby has changed. In retrospect, I know now those fish from my childhood were doomed because "water changes" and "the nitrogen cycle" were fancy things that lab technicians might know more about than me or my parents did. It really is a shame, since there would likely be fewer children scarred by repeated flushing of their little friends (and more enthusiasts today) if only there was a little bit of support by fish retailers. Even a quick-start pamphlet would be helpful.
 
I remember my brother and I having bettas when we were about 6...we used to take them out of the water and pet them. :headshake2: I had a 5 gallon hex when I was 13ish and had 2 angelfish in it...took a break when they kept dying (no heater!). Then when I was 21 I had 2 rosy barbs and a platy in it. Thankfully I started learning proper fish care last year, when I was 23. It sounds like people shouldn't keep fish until their 20s. :)
 
I got my 1st aquarium for my 13th birthday, I believe....and have been addicted ever since. I'm 38 now, so you do the math. I guess I can thank my mother for introducing me to the hobby. When I was a kid, I always had a fascination with fish and fish tanks. Whenever we went out to a restaurant (or wherever) that had a fish tank, I would always want to go see the fish. I thought they were just the coolest thing...lol. My mom new this and eventually surprised me with my very own tank. ;)
 
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