What Was Your GATEWAY Fish?

[Jill-O]

What was THE fish that got you into this hobby?

My husband and I kept fish about 15-20 years ago, but the rekindled interest happened when my husband got a BETTA fish to try and make me smile. I'm sure a betta has beckoned others into this hobby!

As a kid, the interest was sparked when we took in some goldfish a friend's mom was going to flush. They lived in a progressively larger fish bowls for many years despite my diligent scrubbing of their bowl and entire water changes (just didn't know about cycling and that the "film" I scrubbed was their beneficial bacteria... nor that a 1-2 gallon bowl was very far from ideal for the 2 goldies).

What about you? Was there a specific fish that got you involved in this hobby?

 

[FISHSHROD]

Mosquito Fish from the canal back around 1963 when I was a kid.

 

[ghostshrimpman]

The goldfish that I got lucky with at the carnival, I felt bad about having it in a bowl when I found out how bad that was after doing research online. Then I got a tank. The rest is history..

 

[Fishfriend1]

I don't remember for sure, but I think it's a toss up between a goldfish and some tadpoles

 

[homedog98]

Tried sharing a ten gallon with two friends... I did all the research, so I got the tank permanently. Afterwords, I felt bad for my rainbow shark. I upgraded (even though the shark died) and am about to start saltwater lol.

 

[leeann82]

It was 1987 and my 5th birthday. I woke up and my mom said I could have my birthday present right away and that it was in the living room. So I ran out and there it was. A ten gallon tank with a box filter and clown puke gravel. It had i think 5 fancy goldfish in it. I was IN LOVE! I had never been interested in fish before this, but as soon as I saw it, man....I loved it. I especially loved the Black Moore that I named Blackie. He outlived everyone and went through much abuse and tank changes. My mom and I knew absolutely nothing about fish, other than to feed and clean the tank. He got his tank completely stripped down every couple of months for years. The whole thing was scrubbed top to bottom, while he sat in a pot. Looking back, i'm amazed he lived as long as he did!

 

[fshfanatic]

My very first tank was a 10 gallon with neon, etc. when I was 14. Then at 15 I got a job at a LFS and bought a 100 with Oscars.

 

[Lillyan]

No fish. I was cleaning some small tanks I had in storage and water tested them to sell them. But then I noticed all the space in there and the WATER told me to fill it with fish, lol.

 

[Juice]

Goldfish

 

[silentcircuit]

I had some small aquatic frogs when I was very little (does anyone remember "Grow A Frog"?) then around 7 or 8 got a 20G freshwater community tank. I've never owned a goldfish or betta, though I do now have 3 other anabantoids.