The Hobby

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AquaBarb

Aqua}^>holic
🏆 Tank of the Year 🏆
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Ever since i was a kid ive had a fascination with fish and wanted a fish tank for many years. Never really understood people only having fish for a few months or so and getting bored or disheartened then shutting down and selling their tanks on etc.

I finally got round to joining the hobby and getting our first fish tank back in march this year and i must say i loved all the research and setting up the tank to make the best environment possibly for our fish. Enjoyed it so much that i then went and got a second larger tank.

I have got to say tho the last couple of months havent been the best in the hobby for me (made a mistake and paid for it) and ive questioned myself whether i wanted to carry on. I now know why people can become disheartened and pack things up.

Im still very much invested in the hobby. I need to care for the fish i have the best way i can still.

Anyway ill stop babbling on and there is actually a point to this post.

I think there is alot of misleading info in this hobby and this can cause problems for newbies in fish keeping. I only hope more people find forums like this one because its been a huge help for me.

This forums fantastic and the members on it are a credit to this..

Byron, Colin-T, Deanasue,Essjay,Fishmanic,Seangee and MANY more have been so helpful it makes the hobby that much easier knowing there is knowledgeable fish keepers willing to help.

So a big :thanks:to you all

God bless ya :)
 
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I agree! Some information regarding this hobby can be misleading, but over all this is a great hobby to get into, and I think your post was very nice! ;)
 
Ever since i was a kid ive had a fascination with fish and wanted a fish tank for many years. Never really understood people only having fish for a few months or so and getting bored or disheartened then shutting down and selling their tanks on etc.

I finally got round to joining the hobby and getting our first fish tank back in march this year and i must say i loved all the research and setting up the tank to make the best environment possibly for our fish. Enjoyed it so much that i then went and got a second larger tank.

I have got to say tho the last couple of months havent been the best in the hobby for me (made a mistake and paid for it) and ive questioned myself whether i wanted to carry on. I now know why people can become disheartened and pack things up.

Im still very much invested in the hobby. I need to care for the fish i have the best way i can still.

Anyway ill stop babbling on and there is actually a point to this post.

I think there is alot of misleading info in this hobby and this can cause problems for newbies in fish keeping. I only hope more people find forums like this one because its been a huge help for me.

This forums fantastic and the members on it are a credit to this..

Bryon, Colin-T, Deanasue,Essjay,Fishmanic,Seangee and MANY more have been so helpful it makes the hobby that much easier knowing there is knowledgeable fish keepers willing to help.

So a big :thanks:to you all

God bless ya :)
What a wonderful post. Thank you. I have learned a wealth of information here too. Never give up!
 
On behalf of the 'many more' participating members that didn't make the team, I'm glad you have found the forum useful. <g>
As for the hobby and those that bail out, first there's a learning curve. You can't just fill a tank with water and fish and walk away! Many don't take the time to understand the nitrogen cycle and/or invest the time in routine periodic partial water changes. Often the poor fish become victims of a serial [fish] killer...and the tank gets emptied and sold with the only upside being used tanks cheap on Craig's list! (Aids the more serious hobbyists with MTS).
And there is a lot of well meaning misinformation in forums and on Youtube. Sometimes I think there are [too] many wannabe Guru's that repeat information they've heard without knowing it's incorrect...and the more misinformation is repeated, it becomes a perceived truth. Hard to explain when some of it defies common sense. The best that experienced fishkeepers can do is politely correct the misinformation when possible. But then some get really upset. I started a firestorm on a FB forum once when I pointed out that 3 large canister filters under a 55g tank was overkill !
Oh well!
 
You are a member of the most fascinating hobby involving living creatures that there is. You are a caretaker of creatures that live, breathe and reproduce under water. You could have a dog or a lizard or a bird, and they are great too, but fish live where we can't. You have to develop a whole new level of understanding. We are not just pet fish keepers. We are scientists and biologists in our own right. We know about water chemistry, bacteria, fish reproduction and the list goes on and on. I don't care if you have one guppy in a gallon jar or if you have a thousand gallon Rift Lake masterpiece, you are an ichthyologist. Success to you my friend !
 
Some newbies give up if their tanks get taken over by algae and/or if their fish start dying. Instead of doing research and addressing the cause, they give up and take down their tanks.

One of the most important things to do in setting up a tank is to do a fishless cycle properly. Our forums have a topic to show newbies exactly how to do a fishless cycle with step by step guidelines. It might take a month or more to complete it but in the end it is so worth it if you want a healthy fish tank.
 
Ever since i was a kid ive had a fascination with fish and wanted a fish tank for many years. Never really understood people only having fish for a few months or so and getting bored or disheartened then shutting down and selling their tanks on etc.

I finally got round to joining the hobby and getting our first fish tank back in march this year and i must say i loved all the research and setting up the tank to make the best environment possibly for our fish. Enjoyed it so much that i then went and got a second larger tank.

I have got to say tho the last couple of months havent been the best in the hobby for me (made a mistake and paid for it) and ive questioned myself whether i wanted to carry on. I now know why people can become disheartened and pack things up.

Im still very much invested in the hobby. I need to care for the fish i have the best way i can still.

Anyway ill stop babbling on and there is actually a point to this post.

I think there is alot of misleading info in this hobby and this can cause problems for newbies in fish keeping. I only hope more people find forums like this one because its been a huge help for me.

This forums fantastic and the members on it are a credit to this..

Byron, Colin-T, Deanasue,Essjay,Fishmanic,Seangee and MANY more have been so helpful it makes the hobby that much easier knowing there is knowledgeable fish keepers willing to help.

So a big :thanks:to you all

God bless ya :)
Couldn't have put it better myself
 
Some newbies give up if their tanks get taken over by algae
Why don't they just get an algea scraper? I mean, giving up on dying fish isn't suprising but I got my magnetic scraper from walart for $5.

I have been into the hobby for less than a year and a half and I have somehow accumulated three tanks. (four if you count the 2.5 that was basicaly used as a starter tank for my fish and snail before they were upgraded to bigger tanks. My brother is currently using that one for rolly pollies.) I just got an axolotl about a month ago and I'm starting to really hate feeding her. She is still well fed. I have to cut up live worms and feed the pieces individually. It is time consuming and gross. At least when she's older I'll be able to just feed her worms and won't need to dangle pieces in her face. I love her though.
 
Some newbies give up if their tanks get taken over by algae
Algae! What's that?

and the tank gets emptied and sold with the only upside being used tanks cheap on Craig's list! (Aids the more serious hobbyists with MTS).
In the UK there are often great bargains on eBay for exactly the same reason.

But then some get really upset. I started a firestorm on a FB forum once when I pointed out that 3 large canister filters under a 55g tank was overkill
I stopped going on the Flex forum for the same reason. Not only do most members believe there is no such thing as too much filtration, most seem to believe there is no such thing as enough. Mine has a sponge and a reduced output pump <vbg>
 
I've been in the hobby for over 30 years. Started with a 55 gallon tank that a special friend gave to me. I have been hooked ever since. My interest ebbed and flowed, but never went entirely away. I have had a tetra love, a cichlid love, an angel fish love (breeded over 300) and most recently a rainbow love in my 75 gallon planted wonder. As I "approach" my senior years, I can see how it will continue to give me pleasure watching my underwater world and providing me busy work as I care for them and the equipment. There are challenges, but well worth the effort in my opinion.
 

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