What Do You Get Out Of Fishkeeping ?

[shelaghfishface]

personally, i had a truck load of problems just about the time i was taking up fishkeeping,id turned to drink.. big time
so one day i literally woke up and realised i had to get a life.. so i took my children and literally walked away from everything.. and i swore i would never drink again from that day.....everything was going fine, we started over got a beautiful home together,, then a few months down the line i bought a goldfish and a huge glass bowl, and i loved him to bits, he got sick and while i was out one day my step dad flushed him! so got a 4ft tank, and filled it with fish that started to get sick ( this is how i came to find the forum), then i cant remember what happend but the need for a drink was creeping back ( tho i didnt) i then got a pair of oscars ( jambo and buddie) and again another day i wanted a drink BUT i couldnt do it, only cos there were things i wanted for the fish, if i spent the money on booze i wouldnt be able to do it...they literally kept me going ..at my height i had 14 tanks,5 oscars and they kept me going, i loved the fact that they were eating my money rather than me drinking it...

recently i felt the need to move again ( after just over 2 yrs) to be near my family but as it was the other end of the country i really felt uneasy about moving the oscars.. especially jambo..he was NOT just a fish, if he had been a man i would have married him i regrett leaving them and i always will
so anyway i rehomed them all, i made absolutley sure they went to a good home.. but after being here in my new home for only 5 weeks now i have 3 tanks again, and today i collected a new oscar-- has been a bit badley treated-- but hes a fab fish............

sooooo... what im getting at is, is a fish in a tank just that to you, or do they keep you focused/sane or am i just a bloody nutter??

would love to hear what they mean to you,

shelagh xxxx

 

[star4]

I love my fish to bits, all of them. I hate to leave the house its so stressful when I do I end up with panic attacks, about the only place I can go is the large aquatics shop. We bought our son a fish tank last year to help him relax, we had endured nearly 2 years of a horrific neighbour. My little boy saw the neighbour try to stab his dad (my hubby), which resulted in him having panic attacks when ever his dad left the house. He ended up with horrific nightmares too, so when we moved we got him a tank for his bedroom. He really settled down, so I got one (then another and another etc). When I start getting edgy I just go and watch my fish. I find it so relaxing caring for them too. My favorites are the two plecos I rescued and nursed back to health, they are so affectionate (sucking my fingers when I clean the tank).

A fish is not just a fish.

(ok I am nuts too lol)

 

[azzaknight]

when ever i feel stressed, depresed or when ever im in a bad mood i go and sit and watch my fish. i love my corries, there soo cool!! also i like being able to relax and forget about everything and just watch the fish swiming around really hapily!!( o god three wierdos already here, how many more )

 

[P&J]

I would say I'm nearly the opposite of you 3, at least at this point! I'm still really new at this, so I think my fish cause more stress than they relieve. I'm always worried about them!

-P

 

[momo33]

What do I get out of it ?, hmm, well I get too spend MY spare money how I want and keep the wife on her toes. So far my tanks and kit are the only things she hasn't dropped, broken, or plain messed up...... I joke not, my friends and neighbours call me Mr fix it, I am just waiting for the flying squad to hear and come looking fo dodgy goods, this year we have had 2 new dysons alone.... so when she starts her demolition job I sit in front of my tanks to calm down.

 

[Hawkins]

shelagh come in and lay on the couch..

 

[BenPursglove]

Larger electricity bills for one but to answer the question them fish in the tank do keep me focused......on them

 

[shelaghfishface]

shelagh come in and lay on the couch..

maybe this thread is not such a good idea .. i worried about getting a rep of a nutter before this thread

and while were on the subjest of nutters,,, i talk to my fish and i tickle the glass

 

[simonas]

I've been passionate bout tropical fish for the 18 yrs I have kept them

Now I'm a married family man I love keeping them, the reponsibility of looking after them and I like to escape to my garage where 5 of my tanks are and chilling with a cuppa, watching, feeding them or getting stuck into a bit of maintenance. I have a stressful job which burns my head out and having wife and kids is stressful... I guess its a release of some kind

My wife laughs when I'm on pc on this forum cos she calls it my fish porn!!!

 

[shelaghfishface]

hmm, nothing more satisfying than being soaked up to the shoulder with tank water then stepping back and looking at your acievment

 

[Truck]

having an empty wallet ?

lol, i love keeping and breeding animals, and since ive gone marine, its opened new doors and ive only just appreciated how good marine fish keeping actually is.

 

[saltynay]

personally, i had a truck load of problems just about the time i was taking up fishkeeping,id turned to drink.. big time
so one day i literally woke up and realised i had to get a life.. so i took my children and literally walked away from everything.. and i swore i would never drink again from that day.....everything was going fine, we started over got a beautiful home together,, then a few months down the line i bought a goldfish and a huge glass bowl, and i loved him to bits, he got sick and while i was out one day my step dad flushed him! so got a 4ft tank, and filled it with fish that started to get sick ( this is how i came to find the forum), then i cant remember what happend but the need for a drink was creeping back ( tho i didnt) i then got a pair of oscars ( jambo and buddie) and again another day i wanted a drink BUT i couldnt do it, only cos there were things i wanted for the fish, if i spent the money on booze i wouldnt be able to do it...they literally kept me going ..at my height i had 14 tanks,5 oscars and they kept me going, i loved the fact that they were eating my money rather than me drinking it...

Thats what PC's and fishkeeping are to me aswell I want to treat my pets and myself more then I want to fall to my cravings. I just haven't reached the stage where I don't drink at all I have a set amount of money which I spend on alcohol and the rest I spend on whatever takes my fancy which is normally hobby related. I stick around on forums because I like to think of myself as an altruistic person whom shares my knowledge to help others with their difficulties whether they appreciate it is upto them I just like to provide.

 

[doresy]

hmm, nothing more satisfying than being soaked up to the shoulder with tank water then stepping back and looking at your acievment

It's at that point I normally find I have a wet carpet too

 

[keenonfish]

personally, i had a truck load of problems just about the time i was taking up fishkeeping,id turned to drink.. big time
so one day i literally woke up and realised i had to get a life.. so i took my children and literally walked away from everything.. and i swore i would never drink again from that day.....everything was going fine, we started over got a beautiful home together,, then a few months down the line i bought a goldfish and a huge glass bowl, and i loved him to bits, he got sick and while i was out one day my step dad flushed him! so got a 4ft tank, and filled it with fish that started to get sick ( this is how i came to find the forum), then i cant remember what happend but the need for a drink was creeping back ( tho i didnt) i then got a pair of oscars ( jambo and buddie) and again another day i wanted a drink BUT i couldnt do it, only cos there were things i wanted for the fish, if i spent the money on booze i wouldnt be able to do it...they literally kept me going ..at my height i had 14 tanks,5 oscars and they kept me going, i loved the fact that they were eating my money rather than me drinking it...

recently i felt the need to move again ( after just over 2 yrs) to be near my family but as it was the other end of the country i really felt uneasy about moving the oscars.. especially jambo..he was NOT just a fish, if he had been a man i would have married him i regrett leaving them and i always will
so anyway i rehomed them all, i made absolutley sure they went to a good home.. but after being here in my new home for only 5 weeks now i have 3 tanks again, and today i collected a new oscar-- has been a bit badley treated-- but hes a fab fish............

sooooo... what im getting at is, is a fish in a tank just that to you, or do they keep you focused/sane or am i just a bloody nutter??

would love to hear what they mean to you,

shelagh xxxx

Wow I am glad you have been able to redirect all that negativity into something that will reward you and your family in a positive way - and it will do that on more levels than you can possibly imagine .

I myself had some bad luck with my career let's just say it involved working for a farther in law who shafted me and the family. My o/h has been stuck in the middle which has caused heat (she obviously loves her father and can't see what he did, which, in turn is hard for me) and I haven't worked for nearly a year and a half now, and not sure how or when I am going to get back to work.
So I am left as house husband which isn't easy and something I never expected to be doing, and fish keeping is my recent escape I guess. Saying that I have always wanted a large tank and now I want more

As for talking to the fish, I do talk to our Betta, gillup (my 5 year old is definitely creative when it comes to naming ) but only do this to try to get the family more involved... Honest

 

[Tolak]

I’ve always been a DIY sort of guy, often being able to create better for cheaper. Started with a stand, then more tanks, then racks. During this I’ve built filters, water change gear, a centralized air system, and probably several other things I’m forgetting.

While building this stuff I also got into breeding, for the same reasons; better for cheaper. I like knowing (at least working towards and hoping) that I can breed better and offer to people better than what is found in most shops, as well as being able to get in things that are not often found elsewhere. It gives me a feeling of helping to encourage better aquarists & better animal husbandry.

I quit drinking many years ago, about the same time I quit playing in metal bands. Both got to be too wearing. Try keeping up with the odd hours of a band, along with a house, kids, & career. With all the goings on with aquatics my wife jokingly refers to it as my midlife crisis. I tell her it beats fast cars & wild women. She doesn’t argue, and lets me hide downstairs doing all the things that my fishroom requires.

I often find that I lose track of time while doing this, similar to doing guitar work by myself. I’ll think it’s going on 9pm, and it’s past 11. This in both cases is a sort of brain dump for me, real stress reliever, as I almost always have some sort of ability to keep track of time mentally.