How did you get into the hobby?

[Rocky998]

My story is short and simple... I love animals and one day I woke up and went, "what the heck, lets try fish keeping"

 

[foxgirl158]

When I was around 5, my parents bought a little one gallon tank, some food, a house, substrate, and a betta. This started a sad cycle of having one betta for 4 months to a year, it dying, and getting another one. Once I was a little older, the betta was my responsibility and I’m ashamed to say I did not take care of them very well. I forgot to feed them often, or fed them too much, didn’t clean their tank, no heater or bubbler, ect. When my final betta died in 2016 after we moved, I didn’t set up the tank again

Fast forward to 2020. We had just gotten stuck in quarantine, so my parents decided to work on our fruit and veggie garden. They bought a 100g horse trough to keep rainwater in so we could water the plants, but it got dirty with algae very quickly. My mom decided to buy 4 feeder goldfish to have them “eat the algae and keep the trough clean”. Of course, I know now that the fish would only make the trough more dirty, and we would need a pleco or another bottom feeder to even make a dent in the algae. The fish being not great quality comet goldfish, they all died immediately. We went back to Petsmart once the quarantine lifted and bought slightly more expensive fancy goldfish. We called them Carrot and Marbles. Carrot and Marbles lived for two weeks. My mom bought a solar powered floating fountain online, and that seemed to help with the oxygen in the water. Our favorite place to be was sitting on a piece of wood by the trough and watching the fish and the fountain. Then, Carrot died. We thought it might have been because of the algae buildup (really nasty red slimy stuff) so we took Marbles out and put her in the old one gallon. Unfortunately, we left her in a spot that quickly became sunny and we think she might have been baked .

My mom decided to try one more time. She bought 3 fancy goldfish from Petsmart again, this time a calico butterfly tail, a gold double tail, and a calico double veil tail. We named them, respectively, Pudge, Pez, and Sunkiss. They lived far longer then Marbles and Carrot had, lasting all the way till the first freeze. We went out the morning of the freeze and found the moving slowly and sluggishly around the trough. We panicked and quickly filled a large tote with their water and put them inside our garage, which was slightly warmer but not warm enough to keep them out there full time. My mom bought a used 30g tank off of Facebook marketplace that had all the necessities, and we filled it up and put them in the next day. I’m extremely surprised none of them died from ammonia poisoning.

1.5 years later and I have one of the original goldfish left, 4 adult platies, 41 platy fry, and three nerite snails, spread across the 30g, a 10g, and a 5g bucket with filter and heater

 

[Rocky998]

I have enjoyed reading these... It lets others and myself know, that we all started somewhere and we've all made mistakes.

 

[Sgooosh]

i always was interested in aquariums and fish from a small age
after 2 failed attempts i found this forum, and started to research about cycling, live plant care, and other stuff
it has been a wonderful 1+ year of fishkeeping for me

 

[DragonScales+Doubletails]

on my 4th birthday, my parents set up a fishbowl with a betta and one plant. after my betta died (1yr ltr) I didn't get another fish until 2018 I think. We picked out a 5gallon tank for a female betta and only a female betta. since then I've been a maniac! I now have 4 tanks in my bedroom all of which are funded by me.

 

[Lecturemode]

Originally from the UK & like others I started with a goldfish won at a fair when I was about 9, but had always been interested in fish & marine life. That goldfish went into a small tank then was joined by others, of course the tank got bigger . We had a couple of really good LFS nearby so of course moved onto tropicals. Ended up working Saturdays at the shops once I was 14 & got introduced to the local Aquarist Society (Brighton & Southern Aquarist Society) by some customers at the shop. I've been keeping fish on & off for 50 years, interrupted by moving around a lot & life in general

 

[emeraldking]

How did I get into the hobby? Well, by my parents. They started keeping fish in the 1960's. I started keeping fish in the 1970's. And it has never stopped! To me it's more of a passion than a hobby...

 

[Uberhoust]

My father started me on the habit in the 60's. He used to build large custom aquariums and we usually had a couple in the house at any one time. Got my first 20 gallon aquarium with Mountain Clouds when I was 8 and had to maintain it on my own.

My father didn't feel we should be fearful of any living creature so we have a number of different creatures from tarantulas, snakes, insects, lizards.... If I could catch it we could keep it. I got bit a lot when I was a kid.

 

[2tank]

I had fish as a small child but they always died and after much tears, I moved on and didnt have any fish until 2 and half years ago, I facetimed my uncle while we where in lockdown and I saw his fish tank he was keeping to stay busy. I then went out and bought about 1400$ of fish tank equipment which I had no idea how to use, I now have 6 tanks and 1 planted betta vase.

 

[kribensis12]

My father was a Pastor for most of my life and when I was 4, at the small rural church we attended, my dad brought all of the children up to the front and asked them "What animal has a long neck and eats from trees?". I jumped up and yelled "Giraffe!". I won - and the prize was a bag of 2 feeder gold fish.

Brought them home and they lived probably a month. I was hooked - we had a 30g for a VERY long time and I've kept fish on and odd ever since.

 

[bigroof]

When i was really young my grand dad used to have a fish tank. I remember clearly the cat fish that was in there. He also had an outdoor pond with little fish i cant quiet remember what they were as i was like 5. Once i got a little older and started secondary school, i went to my mates house and he had piranhas. I was amazed at them. Then i decided to get my own tank. Went to a small fish shop around where i live and asked the owner i want to start. I cant quiet remember the tank size but he sold me a tank no bigger that 10 gallons. He told me i can keep 4 gold fish in there. That was the start. Well that shop closed down and i know why now. He just wanted to sell fish to a naive kid and make money, not caring about the fishes health. The gold fish all died sadly. That was the end of my fish keeping for a while.

Then about 4 years ago my daughter wanted fish. This time i wanted to do it properly. Researched about the nitrogen cycle properly and bought a 20 gallon tank. Cycled it, tested the water and added tropical fish. I still have that tank. Obviously i look after the tank as my daughter lost interest. 4 years later now have 5 tanks. All cichlids from all around the world. If my wife allows this will increase further. Its an amazing hobby. Well more of a passion now.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I was recruited by the League of Extraordinary Fish Keepers on a dark and stormy night while on assignment is a Eastern European country.....

Actually I am almost 74. In the 1950s my dad had a small, metal frame, slate bottom tank in the entrance of our house. It had an air driven corner filter filled with fiberglass. In the 1970s I shared a house with several business partners in a sound company and we had a 20 gal. house tank.

By the the 1990s I really wanted a tank and promised myself I would get one. I finally did at the end of Jan. 2001. I got my 2nd in less than 1 tear and had 14 withing by the end of year 3 including a planted tank with pressurized CO2. I still have 20 running today from 5.5 to 150 gal.

My only regret is that I got into the hobby so late in life, I am about to begin the process of ramping down.

 

[Herpin Man]

I grew up in a rural area, surrounded mostly by river and swamp. I was interested in animals even as a toddler, and at various times we had aquariums set up with native fish we caught ourselves. They were the old fashioned ten gallons with metal frames and slate bottoms. I also kept reptiles and amphibians, and that interest has been constant throughout my life. I've had one or two fish tanks going most of the time, too.

 

[Slaphppy7]

My daughter, when she was 10 or so....she came home one day with a tank, supplies, AND FISH, because the people at Petco said it would be just fine to fill the tank, throw in the fish, and enjoy!

 

[Rocky998]

My daughter, when she was 10 or so....she came home one day with a tank, supplies, AND FISH, because the people at Petco said it would be just fine to fill the tank, throw in the fish, and enjoy!

And so the journey began...