Simple Question

[Barry P]

In my brief spell as a Fish Keeper (3 months) i have come across more diseases than i can pronounce, cases of bullying, Depressed fish, happy fish, suicidal fish (mine leapt from the tank into a cup of water on the bench), ive seen fish die, ive witnessed births, Cannibalism, murder and every now and again i see playful fish.
I know alot of these circumstances depend on the keeper, the surroundings, the water temp, the plants and that each tank is probably completely different from the next.
Every day i log onto this site i see a post which catches my eye and i think "feck, its only a matter of time before that happens me", or "yep that happened me", or worst of all "omg what the hell is that all about".

Anyhoo, im sure we all do it for the love of doing it, but do you every seriously ask yourself "why". Wouldnt a cat be easier to look after. It eats , it poos, and it goes to bed.

I would be interested in the views of the good people on this site , from beginners to long time fish keepers as to what got them started, and why they are still doing it.

Of course if ive completely bored you to death and you dont feel like replying, dont worry, im thick skinned!!!!!

 

[@ombomb]

Errr....

I have thought about this, but the best answer I can come up with is... "becasue they look nice". I find it very rewarding when the tank is looking good, the plants are healthy and the fish are OK, but ultimately it's just nice to look at.

(and of course they don't %&£* on the carpet)

 

[dwarfgourami]

I know what you mean- but not all disasters happen to all the people all the time; on an average day there will be hundreds, not to say a thousand members on the forum whose fish are perfectly ok.
A lot of it is avoidable as you say- that's what the forum's for.
Some of it isn't - but that's the price we pay for caring for any living creature, it makes us vulnerable. My mother-in-law's cat just died in pain. I have a handicapped child. My mother-in-law doesn't wish she hadn't had the cat, I don't wish my daughter hadn't been born. There is still a lot of pleasure in caring for somebody. And in the long run the good days count for more.
Certainly with fish keeping, as experience grows the good days will become more frequent because avoidable disasters will be avoided.
I did give up fishkeeping as a teenager, because the whole family got disenchanted with the diseases and rounds of medication. When I took it up again earlier this year, I was determined to learn as much as I possibly could to make sure I avoided as many disasters as I could. This learning bit has been the greatest pleasure this time round, feeling I really can get to care for them in a way that makes their lives enjoyable.

 

[annka5]

I reckon the first few months are the worst, as lots of people start off with a battle with an uncycled, overstocked tank or incompatible tank mates, or bad mainenance programmes, or....
Once you figure it out and things are on an even keel, then you no longer have the roller coaster impending-disaster feeling.
I reckon a fair number of people get fish in the first place becuase they underestimate the effort involved at the outset.

 

[rdd1952]

I will have to say that I have been very lucky so far. Got the first tank at Christmas last year and although I have lost some fish, I have yet to be plagued with any diseases (knock on wood). I am also fortunate that all the fish stores I buy from I have confidence in their fish and don't have to worry about introducing disease into my tank from them. As mentioned, a lot depends on the stocking scheme and water parameters. If those are good, there shouldn't be any problems although they can crop up.

I have always loved fish and visiting aquariums like Sea World and Marineland. Also, I have always liked seeing aquariums in homes and businesses. I think a nice planted aquarium is a piece of art. But don't get me wrong, I don't keep fish just to have a pretty tank full of plants. I want the fish to be happy and healthy too. Just like anything worth having, there will always be problems but that's just life.

 

[qwikimpss]

I'll take fish over cats any day! Fish don't shed, they won't run out on you and get lost (altho this is arguable), I don't know anyone who is alergic to fish but plenty of people alergic to cats. And with fish you get to observe complex social orders, mating displays, males fighting over females etc. And they look a hell of a lot prettier than cats (again arguable and opinionated).

We all have our bouts with diseases at first, like right now a few of my tetras are valiantly fighting off a fungal infection, we all lose fish and we all make mistakes, it's all part of the learning process. I, again, have always been facinated with fish so maybe that's where I get it from and this hobby really is not for everyone, I'm just saying that, not trying to make you give up, mind you. There is a sincere sense of satisfaction knowing that I control my fish's environment and ecosystem and when they are happy and healthy then so am I, when they are sick then i get frustrated or panic! Either way, this hobby really isn't for everyone, I'm not telling you that you should quit by ANY means because I would suggest fishkeeping to anyone, but not everyone has the patience, time and common sense to do it!

 

[prankster705]

It's just that I cant keep anything fury cos I am alergic to dust, cats and have astma. Plus fish take up less space, are more enyoing to watch, easier to care for...

 

[Barry P]

I had no plans to quit, i have no problem with the work that goes into it, i was just curious if anyone out there had finally created a eutopia, a Nirvana for fish, a tank that has been stable and disease less, deathless for some time, a tank that with a few water changes and regular observation has lasted a long time with the same community of fish. A fish heaven for "live" fish.

 

[Luanda Pym]

I'm a newbie fish keeper (1month with fish actually in the tank) and i have no idea how this hobby is so addictive. i only know it is!!
My male Swordtail has some kind of small growth (see posting on fish emergencies) and i lost a day of work through surfing the net and grew several grey hairs researching what the hell it could be. I'm now happy that he is fine and its just some kind of mouth damage which seems to be healing nicely but it did occur to me that 5 weeks ago i wouldn't have gone through all that stress, worry or hassle.
I also own 2 dogs and they are just as much hassle i.e. not that much generally but they have their moments!!
But i am addicted to watching my fish! i spend hours just checking them for health and behaviour, testing the water to make sure everything is going ok, i hardly watch the TV anymore-which might be a good thing considering.
I'm not sure why we do it, but it is an addiction and i'm hooked!!

 

[annka5]

I've had my tank running for about 15 months, and have been death, disease, algae and disaster free for the last, erm, ten or 11 months (around that).

 

[Squid]

I've had my tank running for about 15 months, and have been death, disease, algae and disaster free for the last, erm, ten or 11 months (around that).

is that because the fish have died, the plants have gone, and the waters all dried up?

 

[annka5]

.. erm, no, it's becuase its running fine... You shouldn't have high levels of fish deaths, most kinds should live for far longer than 15 months

 

[soritan]

I started fishkeeping because I wanted to reduce stress.

*quietly dies laughing*

 

[Barry P]

Reduce Stress?? i like that, ive now dragged my lovely wife into the daily stresses of keeping fish. its only a matter of time before i hear those dreaded words "You spend more time with those fish than you do with me", ahhhh bless her little fins, i mean heart!!!!!

 

[bunjiweb]

Just to point out some things with your tank stocking:

60L Tank with
- 1 x Betta (Crown Tail)
- 4 x Fancy Guppies
- 1 x Platy fry
- 4 x Otocinclus Affinis
- 3 x Zebra Loach

It is generally not reccomended to mix a betta with guppies, the bettas can confuse the male guppies for small male fighters and consequently attack them. Also are you sure your loaches are Zebra loaches? Tiger loaches are sometimes sold as Zebras and can be very aggressive. If they are true Zebras then I have found them to be a fairly peacful loach that grows very slowly.

Ben