Desperatley Want A Tropical Tank

[ceilidhgirl]

hey everybody

sorry in advance for the ramble but here we go lol

i'm so close to getting a fish tank to start my new hobby with, but my boyfriend is not too sure. he's not a big pet person so i decided on fish because its not like having to look after a furry pet, or clean up poop off the floor lol. plus i'm allergic to furry animals anyway

i realise that fish keeping still involves work and i'm totally prepared to do all of it, even the lugging buckets of water back and forth for water changes.

i've been floating around the forum for a couple of weeks doing as much reading up as i can so that i can answer any objections he might throw at me.

he was worried about the weight of the whole thing when filled with water, then i explained to him that it would be about the same weight as me and i dont crash through the floor )

then he moaned cos he thinks fish tanks smell, so i explained that they only smell slightly earthy, as long as the water quality is ok, and mine definately will be cos it'll be like my baby )

then he said well what if the water spills out (we're on the top floor of three floors in our building), so i said there would be no reason for the tank to crack because our room temp is constant and i would make sure with a spirit level that the tank was level on its surface so that there would be no strain on the glass.

anyhoo, the point of my post is: did any ofyou guys have sceptical partners / roommates when you were planning to get a tank, and what do they think now?

just so i can prepare myself even more incase he thinks of something else to have a maon about lol

 

[WILDER]

Go for it, once you get it set up and cycled and the fish are in, he will wondered why he made such a fuss.

 

[lljdma06]

Go for it, once you get it set up and cycled and the fish are in, he will wondered why he made such a fuss.

I would never date anyone that didn't at least like pets. I hope you can convert him. Good luck to you. I am no longer considering someone because he didn't like it when my dog kissed my face. She's a Pomeranian and has cleaner teeth than most humans!

I hope you enjoy your new hobby. What size are you planning to get? A well maintained tank never smells. Fish food, however, does, so I wouldn't leave it open. Planted tanks can actually smell quite nice, very green.

 

[wuvmybetta]

I'm gonna chime in with the "go for it" group. But, don't be surprised when he leaves you as you set up your fifth tank- you've been forewarned

I'm with lljdma concerning mates who don't like pets. I could never. I had pets when I met my husband, after our daughter was born he tried to steer me away from them, that's when I got heavily in to fish. Heh heh, that'll learn him But overall, going by my experiences, don't set yourself up for disappointment and expect him to stand beside you gazing lovingly into your new tank- if he really is not in to them it just won't happen.
I've kept fish for years now and I'm just now deciding to go saltwater, which I thought he would show an interest in. No, he doesn't even want to hear about it.

Overall, if the tanks smell I haven't noticed Maybe a 'little' Earthy when you shove your face right in to them, but not bad.
Spills and water happen no matter how careful you try to be. Just do your water changes and whatnot while he's away.

 

[shrimply]

What about a snake. They are much easier than fish, no smell, no fur, very little poo on the floor and basically no maintanience.

I bet everyone is going to shout at me know. Fish are great and everybody likes a fish tanks once it is set-up .

 

[ceilidhgirl]

lol i wish i could have a snake shrimply

but my other half hates them most of all lol

he freaks if they come on the tellie

sheesh he'd go berzerk if i got one in the house tee hee

i do see ur point tho

love ales xx

 

[DoyouWantsum]

When my wife wanted a puppy and i didn't. She said to me "eather i give her a puppy or a baby" so she got her puppy the next day.

 

[canarsie11]

Get tank after tank. Lose boyfriend

 

[lljdma06]

When my wife wanted a puppy and i didn't. She said to me "eather i give her a puppy or a baby" so she got her puppy the next day.

That's great! Super funny. So what happens when she wants a baby, are you going to get another puppy?

 

[Opcn]

snakes smell.

 

[fishfishfish]

my parents did basically the same thing.but a well lit and brightly decorated tank,u can make any1 happy u got it.i would start w/ like a 20 gallon.

each gallon of water weighs about 10 - 12 lbs.so find a stand u think will work and have someone about the weight of the tank w/ water sit or put there weight on it

 

[wendywc]

How big of a tank do you want to start with? I used to live in an apartment, so for about 8 years I had my 30 gallon tank in a 3rd floor apartment.

 

[smmetz]

I agree, get a tank, 20 gallon minimum. After having a 10 gallon, I realized how limiting it is for different species of fish, becuase of it's size. The 20 gallon tall is only 4 inches longer, but it gives you a lot more flexibility with what you can get.

 

[lljdma06]

Get as large a tank as you can afford. I have small tanks because they are easier to dose CO2, I don't have to go pressurized and can still use convenient liquid fertilizers. If the apartment building is a good size and well constructed, I don't see any reason why you can't have something as large as a 55g in a third floor. If 10 people can stand in one corner of the room for a good while, ex a party, then it should be good to go. A rectangular tank is more stable and may be easier to maintain than a funky shape which may look cool until you have run out of arm to reach the bottom. I had a 45g hex that literally drove me insane to clean, it was so deep. I am not a tall person, so the more shallow, the better.

 

[Dan04COBRA]

my parents did basically the same thing.but a well lit and brightly decorated tank,u can make any1 happy u got it.i would start w/ like a 20 gallon.

each gallon of water weighs about 10 - 12 lbs.so find a stand u think will work and have someone about the weight of the tank w/ water sit or put there weight on it

A gallon weighs about 8lbs. Not 10 or 12.