What I Hate About Fishkeeping...

[Always Learning]

Is that there's never enough space to have everything you want!

I've had various communities, then moved onto Tangs.. now currently with Mbuna in my main tank. There's also several other smaller tanks with Shellies, Nano Tank, Fry tanks, Betta tank etc. I love them all, but it's never enough. I'm now talking myself into and researching all I can about a SA/CA tank, mostly focussed around a single Oscar but with some tankmates to suit. It would mean getting rid of the Mbuna setup but that's taken a lot of time and money to get how I want it, so it would be a shame to break it down... but the urge is so strong!

How people manage to keep a single tank and stock for so many years is beyond me At the rate I am going, I'll be leaving the Mrs, setting myself up in a freezing cold warehouse with just a sleeping bag and around 30 6ft tanks and a grand a month electricity bill.

I'm not alone here, am I?

Am I?

 

[moochy13]

i have just the one tank, and it pains me to see all the fish i cant put in it. its recently set up so im not bored yet, and as its a mixture of new fish, fish i would have never considered and refugee fish from another tank, its keeping me interested. the angel for example would never have gone in if i was now settign it up, but i moved it from another more unsuitable tank, and now hes loving it and he looks great in there, pootling around ignoring everything else.

i have to say ive no interest in cichlid tanks or single species tank, as the fun for me is getting a many great looking different fish as i can, so communities for me are perfect. i like the contrast between my cories, catfish and plecs that generally dont do much until feeding when they bustle around the floor, and my 3 tetra groups that always seem to be on the go. while in amongst all that the angel and a piar of rams keep themselves occupied.

if/when i get another tank, it will almost certainly just be a bigger version of what i have. plecs and cories are probably my favourite types of fish, i dream of a tank with as many of those in as possible.

 

[myrtle]

You're certainly not alone! My husband is a fish and dog widower! If I'm not researching, trying to breed my fish or trying to talk him into another tank, then I'm training the dogs or competing with them (most weekends in summer). At least for your wife it's just the fish!
I have two display tanks, 1 breeding tank and 1 fry tank and I'd love more! Unfortunately our leccy bill couldn't take it

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

What I hate is so much conflicting information about absolutely everything lol.

 

[lljdma06]

You go through phases in the hobby. When I first started, I had the blue gravel, "no fishing" tank. I've gone through my breeding phase, my betta phase, my multiple tank syndrome phase, etc. Right now, I'd rather have one lovely tank than a bunch of ill-maintained ones, so I'm down-sizing again. If you stay with the hobby long enough, you'll get to keep most of what you like. Been at if for 22 years now. I'm also a lot less into communities than I used to be and am actually favoring less species per tank.

Haven't moved to Marine yet, but I probably will in the future.

What I don't like about the hobby are people that don't research before they do something. That's about it.

 

[GrayScale]

For me it's how many times I want to pull all my plants out and rescape the tank. I've had the urge to so bad lately but I've decided not to so the plants can do there thing.

But I agree, I would love more tanks, not big ones but definately a few more 10/20g and 1 big 120g for a marine setup would be awesome.

I'm with llj and agree. Even though I haven't been keeping fish for quite as long. Community tanks are great and was what I was after when I first started maybe 8 months ago. I never actually got to that stage before I wanted to breed kribs and I've already moved past the kribs and going with a biotope. So far I love the idea of biotopes and the more I learn the more ill be able to mimic the natural environment for my celestials.

I hate the HUGE learning curve with trying something you've never done.

 

[Always Learning]

I hate the HUGE learning curve with trying something you've never done.

See, that's one of my favourite parts of the hobby. Learning as much as I can, through other peoples experiences and my own, but trying to understand just about everything that goes on within an aquarium. I can never tire of that

I've been through a lot of phases already, but there's still many more to see! I have managed so far, to add to what I have currently, but I have now reached the point where there's just no way I can add to what I have now, without rehoming first and I am finding it hard to part with any of them. It's hard work keeping on top of them all, but I just devote a single evening every week to do what needs doing. So far, it's working and it keeps me interested.

It could just be that I have not found the setup for me yet. You know, one which really stands out from the others and grabs me... but then how can I find that, without trying it out first? Gah, I don't think it helps that I work with them, so the temptation is always there. I have set up some tanks at work, with species I am interested in.. but it's just not the same.

 

[Harlequins]

I would willing have tanks all around the house if i could,with different species of fish

I love going to the lfs but hate seeing all the fish i so wish i had...

 

[star4]

I would willing have tanks all around the house if i could,with different species of fish

I love going to the lfs but hate seeing all the fish i so wish i had...

Like my front room (I was trying the panoramic on my camera. It didnt work out too well I cut Chops's tank in half )

 

[karin]

.

i have to say ive no interest in cichlid tanks or single species tank,

THAT IS WHAT ALL THE CICHILD AND SINGLE SPECIES FOLKS SAID AT THE START!
(Including me)

Seriously I love the learning curve, I love tending to my inner chemist. I love star's front room. And I hate sucking on a syphon hose.

 

[ZoddyZod]

For me it's how many times I want to pull all my plants out and rescape the tank. I've had the urge to so bad lately but I've decided not to so the plants can do there thing.

agree with this a lot. Every single time I look at my tank I think "I could just move that over there and add something to that space...." drives me a bit mad sometimes when I constantly turn the options over in my head!

 

[This Old Spouse]

I hate not knowing what I don't know!! This all started a few short months ago when we received a 55 gallon tank and setup from a neighbor ... FREE. Ah, that magic, deceptive word.

I also hate NOT having a LFS, but having to travel 2-1/2 hours round trip (or longer for a better LFS), only to discover the staff person didn't have a clue about what he/she was selling to me, and that fiddler crabs really DO need much time out of the water amongst other things. That, of course, led to me getting a 10 gallon tank just for the pair of crabs. And then another friend decided to give up her tiny tank that housed 4 guppies and a Chinese algae eater. And then the guppies decided to have fry which led to getting yet another 10 gallon tank. Now yesterday, my husband came home with a 26 gallon tank ... and yes, it was FREE!!

 

[Uriel]

Electricity bills and Clown loaches.

Not the fish clown loach i just think there the most miss sold fish in the hobby today and they have become my pet peeve for this reason.

 

[GrayScale]

I suppose I shouldve clarified on the learning curve haha. I enjoy the learning process but there are so many things I'd like to learn so it's hard to prioritize them.

I'm converting my 10g into a nano reef soon now that I've got a grasp on the planted thing and I'm satisfied with my 20g biotope. It's just crazy to try and learn lighting, flow, filtration, position, stocking and all that stuff and learn about it all without having an overload and forgetting the first bit of information you've read after you read the last.

Mind you, I am a very hands on type of person but with successful fishkeeping, it's hard to just do something without reading and planning and remembering so you don't subject your fish to unnecisary stress and have things go terribly wrong in the tank. That is of course if you aren't able to rehome them during major changes.

 

[Paradise3]

.

i have to say ive no interest in cichlid tanks or single species tank,

THAT IS WHAT ALL THE CICHILD AND SINGLE SPECIES FOLKS SAID AT THE START!
(Including me)

I once said I had no interest in cichlids. Now I have a male and female krib that just need to grow up a little bit till they can breed. Plus I'm getting a 4ft tank soon which will hopefully be based around cichlids. I also once said I had no interest in RTBS but once that 4ft tank is set up and cycled, a RTBS is going in. Obviously he'll prob be last or something so he's not too aggressive to the other fish.

Cheers,
Alessa!

P.S. If I had the space I could actually have as many tanks as I wanted(an size, shape, volume) because we don't get an electricity bill. We have an electricity key which we top up with £10 for electricity every week. £10 on the electricity key would last about 2-3 weeks alone but we top it up every week so it lasts longer.