So What's Your Reason Poll?.... (For Keeping Fish)

[Ludwig Venter]

Which one of the above choices best describes your reason for being involved in keeping fish…… Place your vote and elaborate below to explain your reasoning….

I keep multiple tanks for my own enjoyment otherwise I’d probably be a couch potato watching television to pass my leisure hours…

Here are the options again….. if it is any other reason…… please post.
1. I just maintain a display tank for decorative purposes
2. I keep multiple tanks for my own enjoyment
3. I’m a serious variety fish hobbyist
4. I am a single species fanatic….
5. I breed commercially to add to my income
6. I keep fish to please the kids
7. I keep fish just for something to do
8. Breeding fish is my exclusive income
9. I was donated a tank
10. I am an aquatic gardener

 

[Box]

11, I've always wanted to live under water and it's the closes I can get( since watching man from Atlantis as a child)

 

[Akasha72]

12: I stupidly thought keeping fish would be good to reduce my stress levels

 

[mike455555]

13. i keep fish because i like the idea of a hole ecosystem in a small place + there pretty

 

[pablothebetta]

14. I keep fish because my little betta has a really cute personality and provides a bit of company & fishkeeping is something I enjoy doing. Oh, and...
15. To plan my next tank

 

[Ludwig Venter]

12: I stupidly thought keeping fish would be good to reduce my stress levels

This is a very valid and negotiable reason for keeping a tank...... It appears that it's not working for you Akasha??....

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

As a youngster in the late 70s, I can remember rescueing a goldfish that some other kids were tormenting in a barrel, was gutted when it died following a chip pan disaster in the kitchen (although in hindsight it had no filter and may even have been living in untreated tap water). I've wanted to have a proper go at keeping fish for years and it was when my allocated postal round included a fish store, my pipe dream finally turned into reality.

It has been a mixture of ups and downs, sucessfully raising some fry to adulthood (Pearl Danios, Golden Wonder Killifish, a batch of 13 Lionhead Cichlids last year and a monster batch of ~25 showed their faces yesterday for the first time!), while on the other hand some other fish have unexpectedly died in what was non-toxic water and even had one young Leopard Bushfish "vanish into thin air" (never have found a skeleton) which left me absolutely baffled and disheartened at times. I think keeping fish is probably a little easier than in bygone years (internet for research, forums to get opinions from other fish keepers, many commercially bred species than are a lot more tolerant of water chemistry different to that in their wild populations etc.), but it really pays to spend time monitoring each fish regularly for any concerning changes in behavior, something that is not so easy to do with several tanks on the go and the time it takes simply doing the weekly water change maintenance.

 

[Akasha72]

12: I stupidly thought keeping fish would be good to reduce my stress levels

This is a very valid and negotiable reason for keeping a tank...... It appears that it's not working for you Akasha??....

Not to begin with no!! Fish-in cycling was a NIGHTMARE!!

 

[Dieses Madchen]

16. I thought it would be an easy starter pet for my kids......5 tanks later....

 

[pyrofishtoo]

I like the challenge of spawning fish and my fish room gives me a refuge from all the human oestrogen in the house!

 

[onidrase]

Well, going back, I used to have a lot of cats. I'm crazy for the cats. But some interesting goings on happened at our apartment, we had a major sewage backup caused from the entire apartment complex, and we got forced out. Our renters insurance got expired when our primary lease owner snuck out on us, so we were basically homeless for about a month. The cats had to go. So we found new homes for them.

I'm a very quiet reclusive person, preferring the company of animals of any sorts over other people. But once we found a new place to live, we weren't able to keep cats or dogs. But they didn't say anything about fish. So my aunt gave me a 20 gallon hexagon to get started with the fish keeping. I was hooked within a few weeks, often just sitting in front of the tank staring at them for hours, later I bumped up to 29 when I learned pretty much all my stock was going to outgrow the small foot print of the tank. then traded that for a 55, then recently got a 37, and I still want more.

I'm not sure if I fit any of your poll categories. I keep them for the company, even if it is silent, unphysical company, they're my pets, just as any cat or dog would be.

 

[creeker]

Is there an "all of the above" option?

 

[fluttermoth]

I find fish fascinating; the variety of shape, colour and behaviour. I like far too many different fish to be able to manage with just one tank

 

[Man of fish]

I just love how they look. Right now I'm looking into my 3rd and 4th tank. a 55 gallon and a 25 gallon and I already have a 30 gallon and a 10 gallon. Fish keeping has just turned into a fun hobby. my favorite part is the buying new fish and learning thir behaviors.

 

[alihar]

I became interested in fish when my parents started keeping them when I was young.
I remember just sitting in front of the tank for hours in awe of their beauty.
I started keeping them myself as a hobby and stress reliever.
I sit there for hours just gazing into the tank.
Much more interesting than anything on tv!