What type of aquarist stays in the hobby the longest?

[ClownLurch]

Rich ones.

 

[Stan510]

Besides wealth...I think room- as in to make something homemade as large as you want for fish. I wish I had a basement where I could set up pond like 12' and 3' deep...for tropical fish. Or a greenhouse even better..but large.
I see Koi are ahead in the poll. A surprise to me a bit. But then again when you see what Asian Arowana sell for where they are legal what rivals that or- passes it? Koi. Koi can be kept in any climate.
I don't have Koi myself but after 50 years I do have a community tank. That's 2nd place in the poll.

 

[SomethingsFishy24]

I don't know who would last longest. I mean the hobby is fluid and evolving, in of itself. I think those with a passion for it last the longest. It has been 23 years for me and I have kept a many, many different kinds of fish over the years. I truly enjoy SA cichlids and oddballs out of all those I have kept. However, I love my community tanks as well. I have always wanted to have a reef tank but cost bars that from happening. I love fish, and will always keep them as long as I am able to care for them. I have several tanks currently, I would have more but my Mr. SomethingsFishy doesn't seem to believe I need any more.

 

[Lajos_Detari]

I agree with @OliveFish05 .
There are many factors that determine how long a person is keeping fish.

For me, there are a few main factors:
1)Availability of time
Some people due to their busy schedule are unable to keep fish especially when they have just started a family.
The fish that require the least maintenance is probably a single Betta in a big tank but it won't be so interesting to only have one fish in a tank.
Some people have ponds in their house where they will keep their Koi or Goldfish for a long time.
Koi can live up to 20-30 years.

2)Is the person making a living from keeping fish?
This is totally different from someone who is keeping fish as a hobby.

3)How strong is the person interest in keeping fish?
Some people keep fish for their young children. When their children grown up, they will stop keeping fish.
But for those who are passionate about keeping fish, they often have a few tanks in their house and not just one tank.

4)Cost
In my country, fish are cheap but the medications are quite expensive.
Marine fish with reef will be more expensive and require more maintenance.
But those who keep marine fish or fish with reef may not give up this hobby easily since the marine fish and reef are so beautiful.
For those who can afford, they will keep Marine fish with reef, Arowana and Stingray for a long time.


Lastly, I think your question should be "which is the most common tank?".
To this question, I think a community tank is still the most common but how long they keep the tank will depend on the above factors.

 

[gilpi]

For me, I like anything and everything aquarium. I remember starting as a kid using big jars to keep Guppies and snails. Growing up in a tropical island, I remember having a friend that used to grow beautiful tropical fish in a farm like setting, this left a big impression on me. Later on in life when we came to the U.S. I got back in the hobby and went from big freshwater fish to saltwater to African Cichlids to now a mix of smaller fish. I get enjoyment from keeping just about any type of fish.