How Many Young People Are There Who Have Interest Of Tropical Fish

[madmom]

My daughter is 8 and very protective of her fish does everything but change the water (she can't lift the bucket) She has a 20 gal now and is trying to convince dad to get a big one. It has been 8 months and her addiction is growing not phazing out. My son 16 has just caught the bug He snatched the hospital/quarantine tank and is rigging it out. And me the moldy oldie all of 51 years(that I'll admit to).

 

[call2arms]

I guess you could say I started at 6, with a goldfish my teacher gave me after my 1rst year of elementary school... The poor dude lived in a small bowl and committed suicide (jumped out) 3 years later...

Then for christmas 2 years ago my mother in law offered me a 2.5 gal tank with a goldfish and a black moor, which did not survive very long, so I ended up getting a betta. I got onto some boards, got influenced and got a 5 gal. tank for my spoiled Mr.Bling-Bling.

I have way too many pets, so I'm trying not to get a bigger/ bigger number of tanks as I have enough critters to clean up after already....

 

[sparky_555]

I'm 16, i started off a few months ago with a small 6 gallon, but i didnt know anything then so obviously it didnt end very well. Since then i got a 20 gallon community tank and also a small 2.5 gallon with one Betta. Still hoping to get more tanks but no money atm

 

[Lord Zogat]

Gr!m, Norbie is right, if your going to do a fishless cycle, your looking at at least 10 - 14+ days from what most people experience. Just take this into account as we would hate to see your new fish suffer. Check out the fishless cycle post in the beginners section, it has been pinned.

I had fish when I was little 10 maybe, but Daddy did most of the care. Now I am 28 and just getting a tank started. I began my fishless cycle on the 3rd of August. I have two tanks, a 10 gallon and a 20 gallon bridged (joined so fish can swim from one to the next). So in effect I am doing a fishless cycle on 30 gallons. I started the process on the 3rd of august, bringing the ammonia count up to approx 6 ppm. I happened to have a syringe from an unused ink kit, so it came in very handy for adding the ammonia. I had to add 18cc of the amminoa solution I have to the 20 gallon and 9cc to the 10 gallon.

My latest test (which I check daily) shows that there as been almost no change in ammonia so far. The bacteria will grow exponentially, so the process takes several days to make any progress.

I can only stress to take your time and have patience with the fishless cycle if you do it and you need test equipment.

 

[flamingonhot]

Well, i'm 14, going on 15 on the 19th!

I've been seriously keeping fish for about 5 years. I've had animals all my life (mainly reptiles), but after my many transistions to various types of animals I kind of stuck with fish. I still do keep a few reptiles here and there though.

What I don't like about this hobby is when your younger people don't like listening to you, they'll take a 40 year olds word over yours even if it's highly strange and messed up.

Being almost fifteen, does is inhibit your ability to care for an animal that most people can keep alive for 2 days? No, the only problem I have with caring for my animals is that i'm not able to go and buy a new canister filter out of the blue if my old one breaks or something. I have to save and save and save before I can get anything. I'm about to get a job at an lfs, so it might change a little.

I think fish keeping when your younger seriously helps you out in school, helps with stress, etc. Heck, I was the only kid in my class that knew about nitrites, nitrates, salinity, the Ph scale, and the like. When all others were basically just starting the test on the Ph scale, I was already done. It's helped me out with school a lot since i've been keeping fish. You don't really know it but you learn some of the hardest subjects in school by just keeping a tank filled with water and a few handful of fish species.

-flamingonhot

 

[Callum]

No, the only problem I have with caring for my animals is that i'm not able to go and buy a new canister filter out of the blue if my old one breaks or something. I have to save and save and save before I can get anything. I'm about to get a job at an lfs, so it might change a little.
-flamingonhot

i understand you completely lol i have to pay for everything fish. i have to pay to get a bigger tank, i have to pay whenever i change the filter media, i have to pay fot the food, i have to pay for the chemicals, test kits, co2 refills anything fish i have to pay for. except an auto feeder becasue we go on holiday a lot.

 

[madmom]

Woah; everyone's so old, I'm only 13 turning 14 =)~ I got into tropical fish keeping when I was 8 when my dad and I went fishing and didn't catch anything so he bought me fish XD Seriously, I don't know many young people in reality who keep fish as a hobby ;( ..

We both read the same thread and you see a group of old people while I from my half century mark see a group of youngsters with 3 possible exceptions and 2 of them are still about 20 years younger. I think wow these kids are sooo young in years to have so much know how with TF. I guess age is relative to how old the person reading this is. I guess when you're 13 even 20 sounds old.

 

[Leadfoot]

I turned 20 on saturday, have had fish all my life however I've never owned my own tank but I finally got a tank a couple days ago after my mum finally agreed to let me have one (it was either that or a moped ) no fish in it yet as I've not been able to find fish that i would really like in there (Pets at Home near me have a really poorly coloured selection of neon tetras) but today I should be stocking it up as the water's finally clearing down!

fish for me though are so relaxing...I get really sleepy watching them swim around (and I can watch them for hours!)

 

[raptorrex]

46 and only bin doin this a few months, but ive never bin happier doing anythink. wish i had started younger. might know a bit more now lol

 

[highfire]

My son is 11, and he was 10 when he first wanted to start fish keeping. From then on, I have become addicted too. However, my son can still teach me a thing or two about the hobby.

 

[tetras4me]

well i have a huge intrest in fish i have been takeing care of them for almost 6 years now.

 

[DanMan092]

I'm 15 and have been doin it since I was 3. Yes, 3. My dad gave me a 10 gallon tank, which i kept guppies and platties and generic starter fish. Eventually that turned into a 20 gallon, then a 30 gallon, and now I still have the 30 gallon plus a 50 gallon reef tank! Haha, I still have that first 10 gallon in my attic.

 

[africantigerfish7]

I'm 18 and got my first tank when I was 5. It was a 30 gallon and I chose to keep a saltwater tank. Of course I did this with the help of my uncle, and have been hooked since!

 

[rob newland]

I'm 15 and had my first tank 3 years ago which i kept goldfish in. I got my first tropical a year and a half ago for xmas then i recently bought a quarantine. I am now getting a puffer tank and my old goldfish bowl is empty. DanMan092 I envy you having a reef tank!

 

[liserini]

I was 8 when I was started on keeping tropical fish. I wanted a goldfish like my friends, but my Dad brought me a 1.5ft tank (which I still have, sadly is cracked!) to keep tropical fish in instead! They lasted a few years, Then I got another tank, a 3ft one when I was about 15, again the interest grew out. Now I'm 24, I have set up 3 tanks since about March this year, and tommorow I'll be setting up the fourth. I hope to get my 6ft tank from my Mums at the end of this month