What "sparked" you into keeping fish yourself?

My father was a breeder.Always had fish tanks.Following his footsteps
 
Wow, its cool how some of you have roots in the fish keeping hobby. I got intrigued at the age of 12, I think, when my parents bought a new home and installed a big fish tank, leaving me to do the work.
 
As a kid, I always enjoyed visting my grandmother's house. It had a 120 gal with some angel fish and I really liked staring at it for hours. When I was 12, my teacher decided to have a class tank (w/c ended horribly) and that's when I thought I should get my own. Well.. I started w/ a bowl (poor choice) and started working my way up. By the time I was 17, I had a 75 gal.

In 2005, my neighbor decided to get rid of all of his tanks. He ended up giving it to me for free. It never went downhill from there :)
 
My mother loves bettas and had one in a nice brandy glass shaped bowl when I was a kid. A few times we had goldfish we won at the fair by tossing ping pong balls at the little bowls they were in. When I was about twelve I got a ten gallon tank. It was one of the new frameless tanks (the kind we have today) not one of the metal framed slate bottom kind that were old fashioned. That eventually led to my 20 gallon long with the mirrored back (I wish I still had that tank). Then 30 years or so later I came back into fishkeeping when Walmart had 46 gallon bow front tanks with stands and hoods selling for under $200 the set. I had to have one. I dumped an enormous amount of money into that first set up and looking back at it just months later I did everything I could from then on to cut costs to equip my need for more tanks. First I found a 29 gallon with stand, hood, gravel and decorations at the curb... then weeks later a 10 gallon critter tank... then a 55 with stand and hood on craigslist for $75... then a free 75gallon critter tank. I was going hog wild and had to slow down. 10 months into my renaissance and I had 225 gallons of fish tanks going. My wife was getting concerned. I've scaled back a bit to a more manageable level and harmony has been nearly restored.

This site has been instrumental in my renewed passion for this hobby and I owe much to all the members whose help I have received and continue to receive along my journey into this realm.

Thanks all

Q
 
In 1968 I won a goldfish at the fair. I was eight years old. It took me two weeks to kill it. I promptly bought another with my allowance. It lived two months. Forty years later I'm still keeping water critters. My oldest fish today are a couple yoyo loaches I bought back in '89. I've had as many as twenty tanks going at once, but am down to a much more sedate seven right now. I've never lost the passion for aquaria and hope I never do.

Mark
 
I had swordtails and molleys when I was a kid. I don't remember what happened with that tank. I think my Mom didn't enjoy cleaning it.

When my son was born his first movie was Finding Nemo. I got him a 29 gallon and had no idea what I was doing. That was five years ago.

Now, thanks to AC, I actually feel like I'm up to half speed on all of this. The 29 is in the basement waiting for him to get a bit older. Now he wants a lizard. :eek:
 
I have always loved fish, I remember watching Cousteau on tv cause my dad wouldn't let me have any tanks. When I moved out I got a 10 gal of course I overstocked it, lost a few early but kept it good for a while until someone decided to give us a fish that had survived a house fire. Little did I know what a Jack Dempsey could do to a community tank. LOL Killed everything in the tank at a little over 3" himself. Then i didn't have any fish for a while but after a messy divorce I thought back on how relaxing it was to watch fish swim around I brought back out the 10. It wasn't long before I bought a 20g so I could have bigger fish. From there I was offered a 55 W stand, hood and lights for 50. I couldnt resist and my BF at the time new someone raising angels so he brought me several of those over. From there I was given another 55 that I promptly put Africans in, Then I tried my hand at a brackish tank in the 20, that was a disaster. Then when my neighbors moved out across the street they left a 60 hex on the curb because of a small crack in the back of it. We mirrored that side in and built a stand for it and in went the american cichlids. This was in 2006, in 2007 I had to upgrade to a 125 for the americans or separate them. I wanted the bigger tank so thats where I am today and how I got my start on fish keeping.
 
My mother who is starting to become senil wanted a small fish tank... one day I thought i would surprise her so I went to my lfs and bought her a 30g tank very nice it was fresh water I told the lady at the lfs that I didnt care what she sold me as long as she sold me a beautiful Betta that I saw... I named him Avelardus... After a few months of looking at the freshwater fish i got curios on the saltwater and i had to try it out, i currently have a 55gl and soon moving them to a 220gl.
I guess its just relaxing to watch them, care for them and know that you are seeing natrure as is... everything in my tanks is natural never had anything plastic all live rock all natural. I have also come to learn that patience is neede here so it has also helped me as a person.
 
We had a tank when I was young, but I honestly don't remember it very well. I think we had guppies and mollies.

I got into the hobby when I won 2 goldfish at a carnival. Bought a 2g tank for them, but they soon died. Bought 2 dwarf gouramis for the tank, but they soon died.

Started researching online, and the rest is history. Soon bought a 10g and really got into the hobby hardcore. Just bought a 20g long to upgrade from the 10g after a year and a half, which I'm sure will be the first upgrade in a long line of tank upgrades throughout my lifetime.
 
I have been inspired by fish since I was 2 years old. When I was 2 that was my first time going and catching fish. This was in Russia were I was born. I moved to USA when I was 5 and when I was I forgot either 7 or 8 I got a 10 gallon tank with everything in it. I did not know anything about keeping fish and how many and what type of fish should I put in. All I knew what to do was keep the temp at 75 F and feed the fish each day. Years after years (now im 15) I have grown into fish keeping forever. Its my thing I LOVE FISH and I LOVE TO GO FISHING. It just gets passed on by the genes.
HAPPY FISH KEEPING:headbang2:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom