A Hobby

[chrisbassist]

Just wondering how many people here considered keeping fish a hobby when they first decided to get fish...?

Once you've kept fish or a while, you realise how much maintenance you need to do, and what it takes to get the best out of your fish and keep them healthy, but when you first decide to get fish? I think most people consider fish pets, not a hobby.

so who started thinking they were buying pets? and who started thinking they were starting their hobby?

P.s. I think this could also be the reason a lot of people start without doing lots of research or see no reason not to trust LFS's, or don't do fishless cycles (myself included, I thought of fish as pets, not a hobby)

 

[plecostomus-mad]

great idea for a thread

if im honest i started because i love plecos. its a well known fact by now


my dad had a 6ft tank 12 years ago with a common pleco and i used to sit there for hours, in the dark with my torch and red lens, waiting to see him.it grew from there really.

in november last year,2009, it was my birthday,i was 27 and new what i wanted. a pleco! but i thought i would just start off with some neons and see how i got on.my dad said to setup my tank, leave it running for a week and add what i wanted....which was wrong! ..no ammonia = no cycle.but i didnt know this until i came to tff for help.anyway, i eneded up with 6 neons, 3 corys,2 clown plecos all in my 2ft 60l which was borderline for me so i needed a bigger tank! hello tank number 2. a nice 4 ft 50g oh and hello tank number 3, a 150l 4ft im ordering tank number 4 very soon, 5-6ft, i havent decided.lol

so in summary, i started with no experience, i didnt know anything about cycling tanks,
maintenance etc.i think i started off wanting pet fish.now its a fulltime hobby and they are part of the family. my golden nugget pleco died recently and it shook me up to be honest, a 27 year old man nearly in tears because his favorite fish had died thats dedication!!

 

[nork]

I see any living creature that you're responsible for as a pet, whether it's dogs, horses, tarantulas, etc, but in the case of fish and trying to duplicate their natural environment as close as possible almost moreso than you would any other animal, the interest and knowledge there is definitely stepping into hobby territory. All across the board though, it is a responsibility that some people don't consider when they stumble across a pretty tank setup at a pet store and think they immediately must have that in their home.

 

[woodstock]

Surprise, surprise, I was one of the people who
1) Received a betta as a birthday present
2) Lovingly misinformed by the LFS.
3) Didn't learn about cycling until MONTHS in.

But it's been a bit over a year since that, and I don't ever want to give up fish keeping. It's definitely been all joys for me, and I intend to keep it going

 

[demasonisrule]

I started when I saw a nice tank, and said wouldn't it be nice to have pet fish. So I first saw it as a pet, now its definitely a hobby.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

so who started thinking they were buying pets? and who started thinking they were starting their hobby?

I started off buying a pet; and I still condider them to be pets 16 years later. I don't consider it a hobby to clean out my pets; because all pets need cleaning; you don't call it a hobby when you walk your dog etc and to be it's the same principle.

I started out with 2 goldfish; 16 years ago (I was about 9 at the time); now I have 11 goldfish, 2 chinese algae eaters (of whom I hate), a baby common pleco (I am aware I'll need a huge tank); 3 chinese fire bellied newts, 10 red cherry shrimp, 3 male jamacian blue guppies and a betta fish.

 

[Wills]

Yeah good question!

I first wanted a goldfish in a bowl when I was 16(?) as a pet for my room, I wasnt aloud furry or feathered pets as they could get out and around the house and dad didnt like the idea. But the idea was to have the goldfish to sit with while I did college work.... yeah rough start to it all.

But rather than the bowl I got a 10g with 5 fancy goldfish .... then that went to a 4 foot tank and then I went tropical.

As for now I think its a bit of both, I would say that this half of fishkeeping, the reading, learning, helping etc is the hobby part but as for your own tank I reckon it is 60% pets 40% hobby for me once you get fish that have serious personalities (sevs, oscars, gourami, bettas, puffers etc) then the pet side of things come back.

I think the best way to say how I think of it is tank = hobby, fish = pets

Wills

 

[Deleted member 55926]

I find it sad that a lot of people see fish as stupid or mindless creatures (as opposed to dogs or cats, for example), that don't require the same care as more intelligent pets. I have always been an animal lover, and I don't see fish as any different - they are still pets to me, and therefore it's my responsibility to look after them in the best way possible.

I have always wanted to keep tropical fish, as they have always fascinated me. I always love going to the London Aquarium or other such places. It was 6 months ago that I finally bought my own flat and decided I was free to start fishkeeping. I saw it as a new hobby and did months of research, and also saw them as my new pets, especially as I can't have a cat!

I agree with Wills - fish are definitely pets you can become attached to when they exhibit their little personalities. I also enjoy the planted tank aspect. It feels sort of like gardening... which is something I thought I'd never be interested in!

 

[chrisbassist]

Tank = hobby
fish = pets.

That's a nice way of putting it.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

I was talking to my boyfriend about this the other day as I'd originally said fish = pets; I personally still don't think doing their tank is a hobby as I don't consider walking a dog a hobby (to me it's the same principle) it's all part of owning the pet.

My boyfriend said that his fish are pets but he would call it a hobby, another friend breeds fish and we'd both say his are a hobby but my boyfriend said to me that my fish are definately pets. We came to the conclusion it depends what you do with your fish and how you view your fish and it ultimately depends on the person in question.

 

[fishyfeet]

I always think pets are something you care about (or you should)

dogs, horses, cats, fish, hamsters, they are all the same to me.

A hobby is something you spend your spend time and enjoy doing, its time consuming, i go to my tank to feed the fish, notice the filter isnt working properly, or some plants need attention, i can be there hours and not notice the time. Now gardening, 10 minutes is enough to be honest, yet my friend can spend all day in the garden and not notice the time.
A hobby is something you cant find enough time in the day to do, di