Are you a fishkeeping loner or not?

[SammyTargo]

Well, I think it is far more complex than your options.

I think this is practically the only online fishkeeping "group" (this is a forum, but to keep it more general) that I have ever been involved in, it's definitely fun to get an outlet where help people with their FK problems and just discuss the things I don't have the luxury to do on the daily.

I am not a part of any clubs, but I have a close friend who is greatly into fishkeeping and multiple more that have dipped their feet in the hobby (the close friend was actually the same guy with the bichir issue recently ).

Family-wise I am lucky enough to have all 4 of my grandparents still living and healthy, my grandfather on my dad's side has two tanks (a ~30 gallon bowfront and a 20 gallon long) and before my time he also had multiple more including a large cichlid tank; home to Red Jewels, JDs, Oscars, Firemouths, and probably more, an Oscar tank, a turtle tank, and I believe a community tank filled with barbs, tetras, danios, and the sort along with feeder guppies which naturally bred some unique colours. To note, he also kept multiple other household pets over the course of my dad's extended childhood, including 4+ cats, 2 former dogs (and one right now), 2 budgies, tortoises, and other aquatic animals like newts and fully aquatic frog/toads.

I used to sell fish (specifically bettas and fancy guppies) to both small LFS, selling on my own, and giving them to Big Al's for store credit which practically chipped in for over half of my old setup; which allowed me to be acquainted to some new aquarists' faces. The other half of the aquarium business was buying, specifically betta breeds, which also allowed me to meet new faces and exchange with multiple consistent hobbyists/sellers.

Continuing family-wise, I did try a lot to get other family members to start fishkeeping, specifically encouraging them explaining how I could limit costs by a lot, and supply them with fish (a lot of it was really just an excuse to offload the reject guppies and excess bettas, and small cichlid projects that I later realised were pointless and I didn't know what to do with the fry...), I was never really so successful at it but I don't blame my marketing skills.

So- after that rant and complete sidetrack which I hope some of you found interesting, to answer @GaryE's question, I don't fall into the requirements for any of the 3 options. I know multiple serious aquarists, but I don't know very many at this moment. I am not an active member of a fish club, but I have been involved with many groups, to say, that involve the hobby. I also don't really have a circle to fall back on about the aquarium hobby, just a few links that are all disconnected from each other.

All in all, I think my vote goes to 3. I have a circle, as that is the closest answer.

 

[CassCats]

Technically part of a club, but im a homebody so I dont go to meetings, swaps, etc lol

 

[gimme30]

I think it's an inherently solitary pursuit by nature. It's not like it's a team sport after all, appealing mostly to introverts who aren't likely to want to network anyway. People have changed too-We are not a friendly society anymore. Decades past you could approach anyone and strike up a conversation and nobody thought you were some kind of weirdo. It may have lead only to a one-off conversation, or to an exchange of numbers, but it was socially acceptable behavior.
Not anymore.

Just this last Saturday I was at my favorite LFS trying to cajole the owner into taking more of these damn platys and a handful of CPDs. They were very busy that day and a woman had come in with her son. We crossed paths more than once and after a while it was clear she needed help, but the owner was on his own that day and had a line of people to deal with. Against my better judgement, and without getting too close, I asked if she had any questions about anything. I figured I might be able to fill in any gaps while she waited her turn.
First thing out of her mouth: "Do you work here?"
No.
"Oh, ok, no thanks."
Fine by me, I get it. I've been told more than once I'm intimidating although I've no idea why, and I am a white male, the currently most hated species on the planet. It's just the modern mindset these days. Same thing happened the week before when a woman declined my help getting one of those water bottle multi packs into her car. She still hadn't even gotten it out of her cart by the time I'd loaded up and left.

As to how it fits into my social lifestyle? It doesn't. My friends couldn't care less. We're all slightly rowdy outdoorsy types who could discuss cross plane cranks all day but I get shut down pretty much right away if I bring up fishkeeping.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I have a really fun story about weekend events. It began when I purchased Ingo Seidel's Book, Back to Nature Guide to L-catfish. I was going to the Sunday auction for a weekend event. Ingo was one of the speakers. I offered to donate a couple of zebra plecos to the sposor if it could be arrange for me to have a one on one meeting with Ingo. It came together and I got to sit with him got about a ja;f hour and pick his brain.

I had wanted to bring my copy of the book for him to sign but in my has to get on the road I forgot it, I mentioned this to him.

Fast Forward to my first time at the Catfish Convention where Ingo was one of the speakers. And once again I forgot to bring his book, When we chatted I mentioned this to him.

Two years later, at the next Convention, Ingo was there and when I ran into him in the hotel lobby I said "would you believe I forgotto bring your book again. To which he replied , "And here I flew all the way over here just so that I could sign it for you." We had a good laugh. But to this day the book is still unsigned.