Fishkeeping Today

[BigC]

Fishkeeping is ment to be theraputic or is it!
We used to see fish tanks in hospitals, dentists etc. They provided a calming effect watching the antics of the fish. Nowdays (going by this and other forums) people are too caught up in what I can only describe as the scientific side of things.
What are the forums views about fishkeeping in this day and age.

 

[MAM]

Watching my fish, seeing the results of my hard work I put in to stock and maintain my tanks, is very relaxing and theraputic. The maintanence, the cost factors, the issues that come from not always having great places to buy fish from, etc is stressful and frustrating sometimes, and can make one question why they bother. But I try not to get too technical with my setups. I try to keep them simple and basic. I know my limitations and I stay within that area for now. So for me, it balances out. I freak out because I haven't had time to clean the 20 gal for almost 3 weeks now, or because I can't find my female B. burdigala (crazy gal lives under the sponge filter...), but then I take a deep breath, find a few minutes to take care of the problem and then sit back and just watch my fish do their thing and remind myself why I love this hobby so much. It all depends on how "into it" you want to get. It IS possible to keep fish keeping simple, or you can go all out and hook your tank up to a computer to monitor and track every tail slap.

 

[xxSarahxx]

Both!
I love my fish and I adore taking care of them and staring at them for countless hours. However, I am super paranoid and when staring at my fish I am always searching in case there is anything wrong with them or there is anything abnormal going on. I am fanatical about my water changes and then get scared that I might do too many water changes and will this in turn hurt my fish!?!?!
Having said all this......... there is no way I would not keep fish and having them share my life, my home and my money (!) is something I will never regret.

 

[BigC]

Both good answers MAM and xxxSarahxxx.

 

[trace1]

yeah i would say as well, get stressed out if theres anything wrong with my tanks but also can spend hours just sitting watching them.
my hubby reckons its a fetish but he likes them just as much as me

 

[Weaver]

I dont find it stressful at all.If I thought that a hobby was causing stress then IMO its no longer a hobby.To me the cost is relative.Having been overly fond of vodka for a period if I now spend £25.00 on some fishkeeping apparatus I just think"It wouldnt have lasted long down the pub".
I try and keep my fish in the best possible conditions and use forums like this to help me achieve that.I want to keep my hobby as simple as possible and the day it stops giving me pleasure is the day I stop keeping fish

 

[playfulalliecat]

At different times in my fishkeeping years, it has been both. Of course, anytime you have problems you will be stressed. Thankfully, I haven't had too many of those. My biggest stress came when we were not only trying to breed and sale African cichlids but also keeping up a website, doing tons of research for various people, working outside the home full-time, one kid at home all day, one in school, and 8 or more tanks running all the time needing maintenance.

Now that I am a stay at home mom, keep one tank, no longer try to run a business, visit websites, not run them, and don't try to actively breed, things are more therapeutic for me.

 

[mattbeau]

To me it is extremely thereputic, I know with anything, problems occure, but over all, i find the whole thing, from staring into the window glass at petsmart to feeding everyone, it is actually quite relaxing, i can easily lose track of time while pearing into the tank in the morning. I have problems from time to time, but it could never outwheigh the benifit.


and I mnust say I never had the appreciation for the hobby untill actually getting my hands wet.

 

[fish_keeper2]

i say both....its very relaxing to watch a calm peacfull clean and healthy tank. but its stress full when ur worrying about your sick little fishies and hoping they get through it.

 

[afireinside]

It's theropidac for me. It relaxes me when I can't fall asleep. When I'm away, I always used to worry about my tank, but now, I can take my mind off it. But I'll still think about my fish while I'm on vacation. It also relives stress for me. Watching my bettas eat the blood worms always makes me happy.

 

[Wiggler 1]

I dont find any stress at all....wrong lol... when I come home with another
$100 bill from LFS, I get stressed her name is wife...but when I catch her staring and smileing at the tank, I get to give her a kiss on the forehead and say see it was worth it lol

 

[sylvia]

Well I wasn't actualy attracted to the idea of keeping fish because it's 'theraputic' in the first place. I just love fish, enjoy watching them, getting to know them as individuals, observing their behaviour and so on. Having said that, I do sit and watch them - for hours on end sometimes - and maybe that's what you call theraputic - and pretty much forget everything else. They are one of the few pets that act pretty much like they would in the wild in the sense that most of their instincts are not over-ridden by being in captivity. This, coupled with how fullfilling I find watching new inhabitants settle in and grow and color up in my tanks, makes this hobby worth whatever stress the occasional illness or spawning accident causes. Regular maintainance doesn't stress me at all - I actualy find doing water changes quite enjoyable. I can't imagine not owning an aquarium and wouldn't give my fish up for anything.

 

[FishEnthusiast]

I used to find it quite stressful, and it still can be at times. But the early days are past, my tanks are established, and now I can sit back and enjoy my fish.

Maintenance isn't too bad, though I must say changing 9 1g bowls 100% once or twice a week can get a bit tiresome. But my babies thank me for it so I continue doing it. I took on the responsibility of making sure they were happy and healthy, and I will until the day they decide to leave me.

The most stressful time for me is if a fish is sick, or one dies. I rarely buy fish anymore, and I refuse to buy from a store that has poor stock. Because of this I haven't had any deaths or illnesses in a while. I am thankful for that.

All in all I find fishkeeping to be theraputic 95% of the time and stressful the other 5%.

 

[OohFeeshy]

I said both. Sure, its nice sitting back and watching your tank, but theres always that niggling thought of 'Gee, I could sure do with another tank/wouldn't that tank look nice with (insert fish) in it?'. I'm never satisfied with my tanks

 

[Ami]

I definitely have to go with both!

It's exciting setting up a new tank or getting new fish, but it's also frustrating waiting and upsetting when they get ill or die.

It's very relaxing to sit with a glass of wine and a book, roaring coal fire etc etc and watch your happy babies feeding and playing, but it would be so much more fun if you didn't have to do regular water changes and pay out for equipment, food, new filter media, plants when they've had it etc etc.

I only have 2 tanks running at the mo but am fighting an increasing desire to get just another, or maybe a bigger one and the only thing that's putting me off is the stress and hassle of set up and maintenance.

Ami