How did you start fishkeeping and what keeps you going

[Vass_sCo]

For me it was going through a really rough time

Father got sepsis and early on set of dementia then mother died suddenly I live in a different country and then covid hit depression and anxiety hit hard and someone said try a small fish tank to take your mind off things...

Yes it has worked those lonely moments when you think of everything are still there but now I can relax and it really helps.

I am now a lot more relaxed and think I have got the bug 3 tanks later and possibly a 4th I cannot believe how much something has changed me and changed my outlook on things.

Little edit: i have also met many others going through tough times and they have said the same thing they find a sense of solitude and calm.

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

Good for you! Congratulations! Thats similar to why I started this too, I lost all my aunts and uncles, my parents, a few cousins and my darling Basset Hound and my husband. All I have left is my daughter, her husband and one baby grandson and they have their own thing going on,

For about 20 yrs I've been given 5 yrs to live = so I figure as long as I have something that needs me to take care of it I don't dare get to die and don't dare give up. I love the solitude but I also love the laughter. Fish do some funny things. Try owning a tank of foot-long DoJo Loaches and besides destroying their tank daily they'll do some amazingly stupid acrobatics. They try to act like dolphins but look like long fat yellow hoses with the face of a walrus. They also try to jump ship a lot. I've had them live on the ground longer than an hour and survive so I haven't lost one yet! Next tank will have a metal screen on it LOL.

Thanks for joining.

 

[UnknownFishies]

I always loved the ocean and fish. Then my birthday came up and after 2 years of begging my mom I got my fish tank. It helps me remind me of all the fun times me and my grandmother had. She also loves fish.

 

[Circus]

My first tank was an impulse buy, but I have kept going because the tanks give me something to focus on, and are very relaxing to watch. I have a tank in every room of my apartment.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Fish tanks have always been in my life one way or another, the first I remember was my uncles Oscar tank that he used to send me out at dusk to catch crickets for. My dad also had a tropical community tank with angels and neons etc... And a monstrosity of a pleco that frightened the life out of me!

Going to the aquariums was always something really special for me and I'm happiest watching fish, I find them absolutely mesmerising, beautiful and serene

 

[Uberhoust]

I was introduced to fish keeping by my father. He did not have lots of money so he built his own tanks. As a kid in the 60s we always had at least one large tank 100+ gallons in the living room, with a few other tanks with fish and other creatures, mostly snakes, lizards, and tarantulas I brought home. Later he started a sideline of building large custom steel frame tanks, and I would tag along when he would install them. I got to see a number of truly interesting fish rooms on those trips and after that I couldn't understand why my father focused on clown loaches and sword tails. Later when I got my own tank and he let me design the layout and chose the fish he taught me that each fish has its needs and you have to be aware of those needs, and no I cannot have an arowana. I have never lost my interest though I haven't always had an aquarium since that time.

 

[Dephea]

My boyfriend had 2 goldfish when I met him but they were slightly neglected and since I was often looking after his dogs when he was at work I offered that he can bring the fish too. Now we have a 150L with tropical fish (I say 'we', I am the one caring for them. He is just carrying heavy buckets with water and driving me to the LFS), soon there will be a custom made tank for our living room that will take up to 750L (we do have clown loaches so we had to go big) and I am already thinking how to incorporate a nice fish tank into our bathroom.
There is nothing better than coming home after a stressful day and just sitting in front of the fish tank staring at the fish. It's so relaxing

 

[Cato]

I kept fish in the 80s but not properly, I gave up the hobbby, my 2 sons won 2 goldfish at a fair, I bought a Juwel 60ltr for them, as time went buy they lost interest but I learned to enjoy the hobby again

 

[Utar]

For me it was going through a really rough time

Father got sepsis and early on set of dementia then mother died suddenly I live in a different country and then covid hit depression and anxiety hit hard and someone said try a small fish tank to take your mind off things...

Yes it has worked those lonely moments when you think of everything are still there but now I can relax and it really helps.

I am now a lot more relaxed and think I have got the bug 3 tanks later and possibly a 4th I cannot believe how much something has changed me and changed my outlook on things.

Little edit: i have also met many others going through tough times and they have said the same thing they find a sense of solitude and calm.

Sorry to hear about losing your parents, my parents are gone. Mom died from dementia and it is a horrible way to die. Dad died because he just didn't want to live any longer. Dad's mind was still clear and sharp, but he had kidney failure and hated dialysis, so after Mom died he just gave up. They had been married for almost sixty years.

But I started in aquariums for less noble reasons. As a child growing up I was always fascinated by watching minnows and other small fish swimming in creeks and streams. I also enjoyed going fishing with Dad and my brothers. So after retirement I started up fish keeping.

 

[Jadzir]

I grew up with my father keeping tropical fish and also a fish pond.
Loved to help him look after them. Very low tech back in those days.
Back in the 90s I decided to get my own tank. Looking back now with my complete lack of knowledge I wonder how they all survived !
Earlier this year decided it was the right time to take up the hobby again.
My tank is currently cycling and I can't wait to get it planted and stocked.
Better than any t.v.

 

[Herpin Man]

I’ve had aquariums since I was a kid, but not always, and seldom more than one or two tanks.
What keeps me going with fish is that it’s not my main hobby. My main hobby is amphibians and reptiles, so most of my focus is on them.
With the fish, I keep things simple. I keep a few easy species, I don’t try to breed, I’m not always adding fish, or changing things around, or doing things that create more work for myself. I feed them, change the water on occasion, and add plants once in a while. I’ve set it up so that it’s a very stress free hobby for me, at least when compared to the herps.

 

[OliveFish05]

I got interested in fishkeeping when a friend of mine got A betta, then my 3 cousins got bettas, then I was like “I want a betta” So my sister and I each brought home a betta, put them together in a 2 gallon bowl with some fake plants, and thought it would be all great. After things obviously went horribly wrong, we started researching, we got them their own SEPERATE 2 gallon bowls, thinking it would be better. Well they still seemed stressed, so we got some live plants. Then they kept getting sick, so more research. We finally got them heaters. One of them died though. Then I finally thought I knew what I was doing, so I bought a 10 gallon tank and put the surviving one in there, and decided to get her some neon tetra, mystery snail, Pygmy Cory, and guppy tank mates. AH how awful it was. I did some REAL research then, fixed what I had done wrong, and now have 2 balanced tanks with healthy fish, which are all compatible with eachother

What’s keeping me going? I would say the Thing keeping me going is The fact that I’ve committed to the fish and to their care, and if I were to stop fish keeping i would feel like I “quit” or “failed”. But I enjoy my tanks immensely, and have no reason to want to stop

 

[Truth_FishGuy]

When I was growing up my dad always told me stories about him and his friends keeping fish, and I got inspired to look up some fish of my own. I ended up finding videos of Green Spotted Puffers and I fell in love with them ever since.
Now for the tank, I asked for one from my dad and he got me a 55 gallon fish tank for my 10th birthday, and I've had it ever since. I'd go over the history of this tank, but that's another topic for another thread.
There are a couple things that keep me going. The first is my dad. He loves looking at the aquariums I have. Particularly the 55 gallon. It got to the point where I mostly got whatever he recommended in terms of stocking, but I still love the tank. Then the other thing that keeps me going is the fact that I just love fish. They're cool, interesting pets to keep, and I like putting in the effort to take care of them. They don't usually require me to go outside too often, and I like that since I'm not the most expressive person in the world and it's hot where I live (especially with the heat wave).

 

[itiwhetu]

Mum and Dad were going away for 3 months when I was 13. thought they would get me a fish tank to keep me off the Streets. They got the Zoology Professor to set me up the tank had swordtails, When they got home I had 3 tanks. By the time I left home I had a fish room with 45 tanks. Dad made sure that the hobby paid for its self so I bred most things and then sold them. This was my first lesson in business and I have had businesses now my whole life.

 

[Sunnyspots]

I'm just starting although I remember clearly winning a goldfish at a fair and buying it a bowl. It died when my Mum warmed it up with water straight from the kettle!
Prior to that I had caught sticklebacks from the stream, had pet snails and a pet newt, and hatched out tadpoles one year.
I have wanted a tank for a few years but had nowhere to put even a small one (I do like clutter!) Now I have moved house and rather than get a wood fired stove for my fireplace, since they are so very damaging ecologically, I have bought an 80l tank which I am currently cycling. This I see as my 'testing the water' tank (pardon the pun) as it'll let me know if I'd like to go larger. I have already earmarked a few places for a larger tank. I think I might have caught the bug already, and I don't even have any fish yet!
I had chickens a few years ago but had to rehome them as my new puppy decided it was fun to scare them (the other dog had always existed very peacefully with them). I reckon fish won't excite him, plus now he is fully grown. He looks at the tank, but I think it is the noise which interests him.