What Kind Of Person Enjoys Fishkeeping?

[pica_nuttalli]

1. What started you fishkeeping?
My brother had newts. Then I had newts. Then we got them aquariums. Then I wanted to feed live food, so I started visting fish stores. I bought an oto. Then I caved and bought these beautiful lyretail guppies. I got snails so I special ordered a South American Puffer. And that, as they say, was that.

Its actually rather odd that I didn't start out immediately with fish. We briefly had some tiny tanks when I was a small child, but due to utter ignorance on my father's part... everything died except for the apple snails, which cannibalized each other once they ate the last apongeton. I honestly think I was more traumitized by the snails dying than the fish--they just seemed so invincible!

I've always loved watching fish interact with their environment, whether in the wild or in aquariums. I've always thought that fish were beautiful. I've always wanted to keep underwater plants. Really, thinking about it, I can't believe this didn't happen sooner. Yay for internships and suddenly having more money than I knew what to do with.

2. Age when you got your first tank?
My first genuine, self-initiated attempt a fishkeeping was when I was 19.

3. Gender?
Female

4. Current occupation
Materials Engineering Student

 

[Nickoli]

1. Always had an interest in fish keeping. Started in my early years around ten. When in undergrad I ran a fish lab, breed thousands upon thousands of zebra fish. Appeals to my OC/D, lots of things to mess with.

2. First tank that was totally under my control was when I was around 13 or 14.

3. Male, late 20's

4. Gov't contractor. Often called the "technical weenie that doesn't look like a technical weenie"


To throw in: Current favorite fish: Pagetopsis macropterus Wicked cool fish, literally.

 

[prankster705]

I finaly found an answer:
Any normal person, that has the time and will power needed, and is willing to give it a try.

 

[Synirr]

Good idea for a thread, very interesting!
1. What started you fishkeeping?

We had always had a tank when I was growing up, but it was never really cared for properly or anything. One day I decided to get a betta and really take responsibility for it myself instead of it being a family pet, and this is when my interest in fish really bloomed. The betta population has since skyrocketed (obviously; check out the sig), and I've brached off to other fish as well.

2. Age when you got your first tank?

The first family fish tank was probably when I was about 7, but my first betta that was really mine I got at about 14.

3. Gender?

Female, but my friends think of me as "one of the guys". I don't have a very effeminate personality.

4. Current occupation

Student and file clerk, but wish I could land a job at a LFS.

 

[-cAtFiSh-]

1. What started you fishkeeping?

I have always loved animals and always loved looking at fish in pet shops and aquariums but i had never intended getting one because i thought it would be too expensive and i would never be able to afford it and it would be too difficult to look after. A few years ago a close friend got a small tropical tank for her birthday and she told me all about it and when i saw it i was so amazed that she had created this little environment all herself. So i thought if she could do it then i could. So i did


2. Age when you got your first tank?

I was 15. I'm 17 now.


3. Gender?

female


4. Current occupation

I'm still in school and work casual at a department store.
Hopefully when i finish school i will be able to get a job at my faithful LFS who have been with me from the beginning

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Agreed, good thread !

a. What started you off in fish keeping?

The first time i kept fish of my own, was when i was about 14yrs old and at bording school. We wern't allowed any pets at bording school, even fish, but one of my freinds in my particular bording house had a goldfish none the less. She was a year or so older than me and preparing for her last couple of months of course work leading up to her GCSE's and did not have the time or space in her area to look after the goldfish so she gave it to me.
The goldfish lived in a 2gal plastic tub and i had pretty much no knolege of how to look after it- i changed its water once a week but i didn't use dechlorinator. The tank didn't have a filter and all i fed the fish were flakes, it was a fair ground fish that she had won a couple of years earlier. I realy liked the fish and did my best to look after it and it grew quite alot during the time i had it but i could not get it a bigger tank as otherwise the school would have known about it.
I wanted to take it home but my mum didn't want me having any indoor pets, but in the end i had to take it home at the end of term. My mum started to realy like the fish after i had it at home during the summer holidays for a couple of weeks but my mum and brother kept on feeding it despite me telling them not to all the time. I managed to persuade my mum to take me to a local garden centre where they sold fish so i could get some more gear for it and a bigger tank but it died of dropsy from overfeeding before i could go there. The fish left me quite heart broken but it was many years later (I don't realy consider it much of a fish keeping experience as i knew so little back then) til after i had finished my GCSE's and left home and got my own place with my fiance before i had the opotunity again to get back into fish keeping.
This time without my mums restraints i did my all to resarch on fish keeping but i was not connected up to the internet at first and solely relied on lfs info, which was not to great.
I wanted to keep tropical fish this time round as i have always been into wildlife and for some years i had been dreaming of having my own little section of tropical river that i could look into.
But i kept at it and soon a 10gal tank turned into a 20gal, which then turned into a 30gal when i got connected to the internet, and then another 30gal and a 50gal, then they cracked and i now have a 5gal, 10gal, 30gal and 125gal tanks- MTS of what ?!

b. Age when you got your first fish tank?
14yrs old when i had my goldfish tub although 17 when i got my first proper tank.

c. Gender?
100% Female.

d. Current ocupation?
Artist and tattoo artist/illustrator.

 

[Tolak]

a. What started you off in fish keeping?

Daughter wanted a fish tank in '92, got a 10 gallon with a few livebearers. Went through the usual newbie mistakes, after that the fish did pretty good.

Around 5 years ago my dad got a 55 from a neighbor who was moving out. Since my dad wasn't too good about maintainance, I got to care for the tank. 2 1/2 years ago he had to go into a nursing home, so since I had been maintaining the tank, it went to my house. Did a few upgrades, got a few platys who bred like, well, platys. Soon after that I hooked up with a local aquatics club, as well as TFF. Got a few angels & some used tanks cheap through the club, started breeding angels. One tank leads to another, especially when I run into a deal. 14 running right now, I've got a couple more to start on, hopefully this weekend.


b. Age when you got your first fish tank?

32, unless you count the small plastic turtle setup I had when I was 6 years old.


c. Gender?

Male


4. Current occupation

Pressman, commercial printing, 27 years & still going.

Tolak

 

[rdd1952]

I don't usually do this but I'm bumping this back to the top because I think it is a great thread and I have truely enjoyed reading about everyones start in fishkeeping. I don't want this one to get buried. So BUMP!!

 

[IMCL85]

For me its really a family trediction. My grands use to keep goldfish but after he pasted away those goldfish die as well. Then when my dad move to canada he also keep fish as well. Ofcourse this trediction also past to me as well.

 

[kris-b-]

I don't usually do this but I'm bumping this back to the top because I think it is a great thread and I have truely enjoyed reading about everyones start in fishkeeping. I don't want this one to get buried. So BUMP!!

Tut Tut Tut

 

[Durbkat]

For me its really a family trediction. My grands use to keep goldfish but after he pasted away those goldfish die as well. Then when my dad move to canada he also keep fish as well. Ofcourse this trediction also past to me as well.

Tradition not trediction

 

[VeryFatbloke]

a. What started you off in fish keeping?

To be honest I don't really know, I've always been an animal lover. We had a cat for 17 years but when she died and we tried to replace her with two kittens we found that our youngest son was allergic to cats. We subsequently got a hamster, which my wife looks after, but I wanted something else. We were in Pets at Home one day when I saw some tropical starter kits so I bought one and have been hooked since. I've subsequently upgraded to a 190L set up from a 60L set up.

b. Age when you got your first fish tank?
43

c. Gender?
Male

4. Current occupation?
System administrator in the music industry

 

[Luke & Penny]

1. What started you fishkeeping?
Ive known people with fish for many years, one mainly being a good friend of mine was starting up whilst my mum and dad were going through a divorce, plus with the fact my mums friends husband got me into fishing, and aftre my dad died when i was 13 this gave me something to keep my mind occupied although i never had a tank myself

2. Age when you got your first tank?
Ive had a coldwater before i think when i was about 18 or 19 but never went into tropical as like a fool i listened to too many horror stories of how difficult fishkeeping is, and i remember my friend from years back that i havent seen for a long while now as weve lost contact, having a few problems with his fish, Thing is no one explanied to him about only doing partial water changes and most of the time he did nearly all the water. But Im 27 now and have had a tropical for quite a few months.

3. Gender?
Male

4. Current occupation
Airport Security Officer ( Have to make sure 9/11 doesnt happen again )