# How Did You Become A Fishkeeper?



## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

as the title says, what/who got you interested in fish?

what were the first fish you kept and what do you keep now?

my Dad had always kept fish, he had a 6x2x2' tank filled with a mix of cichlids, catfish and pacus that would cause the majority of forum members to have some kind of fit...

he gave me his 18x12x12" and i filled it with guppies blush

then i won a Juwel Rio 125 at our lfs and currently keep oddballs


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## ReefKeeper (Jan 16, 2009)

Seeing trout in my local rivers as a kid and also catching stickleback at the same age been keeping fish now for around 32 years

First started off with Goldfish then moved onto tropical had around 7 tanks on the go when i was a teenager sinse then ive had 7 marine set-ups
and currently have an SPS dominated tank.


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## owlbassboy (Jun 26, 2008)

i remember when i was about 3 or 4 my dad had a tank in his workshop lol and then when i was 10 i got a tropical tank for christmas cant really remember what i kept but i do remember being told by the shop i was in when i asked for a pair of black mollies that they couldnt be sexed lol. i currently keep a native rockpool tank, 2' planted freshwater and a 24g nanoreef


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## Graylord (Jul 17, 2007)

My first "tropical" fish was a baby platy that lived in a sweet jar on top of the gas fire .When i thought it was getting too warm i would move it on top of the sideboard and so on.

It was the first occupant of my first proper tank too .

From little acorns did an out of hand hobby grow.


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

I got a 2*1*1 for my 10th birthday. Had some platies at first, and then went from there 

At the moment, however, I dont have any tanks


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

Was given a goldfish and tank at the age of five. Then upgraded to a tropical tank, had to upgrade becuase of the 'plec that wont grow past 4"s'. Then set-up the old tank for guppies. Then got another tank for a small community. Then various smaller fry tanks, and now I dont have any. and not aloud any more. But I do have a 6*2*2 at my dads.


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## 92cw12 (Mar 21, 2009)

my cousins all had huge amounts of tanks they had around 200+ filled with all sorts of fish and i bought a practical fishkeeping magazine when i was 11 because i was bored and fancied a read and since it was 1 month b efore my bday i pestered my dad to buy me a fish tank i got a 3ft x 1ft x 1ft tank and so did my twin, then i bought a small 5gallon tank since i wanted to try breeding bettas , my brother got bored and i bought his 20g and 10g tank of him for only £30 which i thought was a bargain and since then i have bought a load more broken about 4 tanks and starting to do some aquascaping.


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

_jake_ said:


> But I do have a 6*2*2 at my dads.


Please say its not full of guppies :whistling2:


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

If I said no i'd be lieing lol


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

_jake_ said:


> If I said no i'd be lieing lol


Hang your head in shame


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

uh.no. It's not full of gupies, just a few. it's as shame becuase me and my dad wanted Cichlids and oddballs. The step-mum pretty tetra's n shmexi guppies. she got her way. biggest fish in there is the shark unfortunatley loool


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## claretidley (Jun 3, 2009)

I be came into fish cos my dad had a 6x2x2 and a 2x18x18 tank when i was small he had all sorts in them from angels to plecos to sucking loaches and some small things, i can remember sitting on the floor in frount of the tank watching the fish saying to my dad when i grow up i'm gonna have a tank like this one so i did lol i got a small 2x18x18 first then moved on too a 3x2x2 believe me the tank is bigger in real life to wot u imagine my poor little car (a Megane) found that out lol. I now love my hobby that much i work in an aquatic shop in my local town lol


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## Harry-22 (Jun 14, 2009)

I worked for a couple of weeks at a equatics shop for work experience when I was 17. I got hooked lol. I soon had two tanks one with my feather fin catfish & a few neo tetras etc. Strangely it's always been the more weird/different type fish that I wanted, rather than the colourful pretty ones lol


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## captaincarot (Mar 20, 2008)

there was a tropical tank with discus in the living room when my mother brought me home from hospital after giving birth to me.

my aunts and uncles also all had a tank about so i've been around em on and off all my life


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## Toby Ells (May 26, 2009)

At school a friend had a small community tank which I always went round to see.
I didn't get into fishkeeping myself for a good few years later.
Then the bug struck !!
I had 6 trops and 1 marine tank for a few years.
Then they all got gradually broken down to nothing.
3 years ago, the bug struck again, and I ended up with 8 trops and 2 marine tanks, which then turned into 10 marine tanks.
have successfully bred...
guppies (who hasn't!!)
bettas 
dwarf gouramis
malawi cichlids
Seahorses

The Ex now has all the tanks...and expense !!

One day, the bug will stike again !!


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## connor 1213 (Apr 6, 2009)

i became a fishkeeper by getting a 100lt for by birthday


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## Shiraz (Oct 26, 2008)

My parents got a tank which I helped look after then when I moved in with my gf she bought me a tank for my birthday. 4 weeks later I'd bought a second bigger tank and a year later we converted her coldwater tank into a tropical tank.


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## earthling (Jun 17, 2009)

This is a long-winded one so get ready .....

When I first met the other 'arf, he used to go on about how different fish bred in different ways and after a while it sounded good. (Bear in mind the only fish I'd encountered before this were coated in batter )

My sisters boyf works in a pet shop and I bought my first tank off him...it's 30 ins x 15 ins x 12 ins. I gave the OH a list of fish I'd like and off he went, armed with a wad of money. An hour later I was watching swordtails, congo tetra's (very small ones) and cardinal tetra's. Three days later we were having a few cans (it WAS a saturday !) and noticed one of the cardinals was showing signs of saddleback so we dosed the tank with a salt solution and within an hour all 15 fish were dead (think the OH miscalculated the salt myself, but obviously it wasn't his fault) This tank was then and still is affectionately named The Death Chamber. It now houses 2 GSP's and a Mono. ( The mono will have to go to a bigger tank eventually but he's fine at the mo.)

A few days later, he took me to a shop and I bought a 35l Elite tank to cheer me up. Best tank I've ever bought !! I've never lost a fish in there and the plants grow brilliantly ! It now houses a male angelfish (after he beat up his missus) and 3 catfish.

My next purchase was a marine nano tank. Nothing special to report other than it contains 2 clownfish who killed their wrasse friend and green chromis and also goes for the OH's hand during cleaning like rottweilers !!

My next tank is 4ft x 18ins x 12 ins and is now home to about 15 barbs-a mixture of green tigers, black rubies, and 2 other 'makes' which are smaller but I can't think of their names.

My pride and joy HAS to be my 100 gallon tank :no1:
It's 4 ft x 2ft x 2ft and has the female angelfish (from the pair) 2 black angels which I'm looking to take out soon as they're chasing my harlequins, 2 pearl gourami's and 2 blue opaline gourami's, 2 clown loaches, 2 hypostemus (one male, one female so I'm hoping they may breed at some point) 2 catfish, 3 whiptails, a few 'littl'uns' like harlequins and neons....and a partridge in a pear tree and the tank STILL looks flipping empty !!!!!

I wanted to get a shark or 3 or 4 piranha's but the not-so-very-nice-man in a certain shop told me how big sharks grow and piranha's eat each other (I tried it before....and failed it but thought that was cos they were in a little tank....RIP Bryn...I got the net as fast as I could xx )

Told you it was a bit long !!!! :bash::bash::bash:<<<<feel like this now ??


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## LaurenD (Apr 14, 2009)

all i had was goldfish!
Right you ready!?....

.....
Right,2 years ago we visited a plant shop (boring) there was a few fish there but i never took any notice after the last time (my uncle bought me and my twin 2 fish for easter when we where 6 then they died:bash: my pareents kept buying new goldfisht to replace the dead ones! we eventually noticed!:no1so anyway my parents considered goldfish so we said yes.We got 3 (one for me, my sister,& my brother!)they where fancy goldfish but we didn't know!.My fish nemo(R.I.P) died first i was very close to him he could sing let it snow! then my sisters! Ariel then we got 3 more and now there dead ...sadly

Now we are going back to the plant shop tommorow!(Ness Nursery's!)Hopefully i will be allowed to buy an aquarium! I have more knowledge!

Wish me luck 

Bye. Lauren


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## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

bumping this seeing as we have an influx of fishy people

straight forward enough topic so we shouldn't have any scuffles


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## kell_boy (May 30, 2010)

I think my 1st ever fish was a coldwater hexagonal tank, my dad who kept marines never actually did much research into fish he just spent money he got on whatever he wanted, so coldwater golfdfish certainly wasnt suitable.

I think I had that goldie for about 5 years, not bad for how severely stunted the poor thing must have been, from there it went to trops, 1st ever was glass catfish, which I rarely see these days which is a real shame!

Started keeping puffers about 4 years ago and can't find anything else that holds my passion for the hobby other then these anymore.

Just kitted out my 100g gal with some argos sand which looks ace and my little fahaka is absolutely loving it!


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Dad has always kept tropicals.

I had built enough planted terrariums and wanted to have a go at a planted aquarium for a new challenge. My first one I hated so I tore it down and turned it into yet another dart frog terrarium. Ooops.

Now I've almost finished my tank and just about to pop some mountain minnows in! I also seem to have caught the marine bug.


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## Barnacle (Sep 16, 2010)

Well I always had a tiny goldfish tank and the fish always died then finally we had a pair of goldfish that grew humongus and lived for 3 years (i was a toddler so thats really long time), Then i got facinated. STarted with a tiny coldwater tank with 5 minnows then got a 60g tropical and now have 120g trop with breeding guppies corys shadow tetras danios and my FIRST EVR SUCESSFUL BREEDED FISH a brown mollie which sadly died a month ago


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## stranger23 (May 10, 2010)

Well i took my kids to an aquarium as i always loved going and my youngest (a baby then) loved looking at the fish and was fascinated with them so i said to my partner we should get a small tank for him to watch, we got a 64litre and put some tetras and corys in it then we were offered a 4ft tank full set up for £100 we got it and got some silver sharks and catfish, then we were in a garden centre and they were selling there tanks so we got another 4ft for £15!!! we were in a fish shop and there was a blue lobster in there we saw it drove off got a few miles away and i turned to my partner and said i want that so we went back and got it, since that we have got tank after tank, i now have 10 tanks with all sorts of things in newts, crabs, lobster, axolotls, sharks, tornado barbs, catfish, a lone rummy nosed tetra (we had 14 but this is the only one the survives) since then we have moved onto all sorts of animals i did have a stingray for a while but sadly she died we will try again one day.


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## Fiw666 (Dec 13, 2008)

got a job in a reptile and aquarium shop about 8 years ago, had already got a horde of reptiles. started with a rescue oscar that had been shredded by sumthin and brought back by a customer. 
Have kept and worked with both fish and reptiles since


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## Cleopatra the Royal (Nov 29, 2008)

my brother was doing a mammal project in primary school about 5 years or so back, and while he was looking for a book on skunks in the library, i found a book about tropical fish. i got thoroughly in to it, and so a few months later for christmas my parents bought me a fish tank.


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## hippyhaplos (Jan 12, 2010)

Goldfish bowl when I was 4 *shudders* 

Goes without saying that Bob and Isobel didn't last long. 

My Gran & Papa had a 4' in their living room- when you're young it seems huge, and I used to spend hours watching the fish. They got me a hexafun tank when I was 6 I think- That was the last time I ate fish as a result 

I've now got 10 tanks, and amongst half a dozen empty tanks in the garage lies that hexafun tank...


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## BornSlippy (Jan 11, 2010)

My parents got me a fully stocked 6 foot tank (second hand) for my 6th birthday so not a bad start to my fishkeeping career:2thumb:


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## boisterous_billy (Oct 12, 2010)

Right the first tank i remember was when i was a kid my mum and dad had a community tank full of bright and wonderful things (guppy's, mollies, sword tails) that sort of thing. And i remember that exploding in the night for no reason making a right mess.

Anyway when i got my own house i thought i wouldn't mind a fish tank of my own. so went out and picked up an 8x2.5x2.5 :mf_dribble: just a starter :2thumb:.

And i filled it with oddballs with rather large tinfoil barbs, silver sharks, silver dollars, plecos and other bits and bobs, i had that set up for years until i broke up with the ex.

Then i got with another old bird :whistling2: and started of with a 3ft Malawi tank for a bit then got into the brackish, scats, buffers and bits.

Then i got a 4ft for some oddballs until they got to big then i upgraded to a 6x2x2 had that for about 2 years then i moved and give all my fish away to my mates.

And where im at now is one 3ft convict/clown loach tank. one 3ft thank with 2 small puffers and 3 clown loach, and 1 small tank with a few rams in.

Oh and all tanks have bris nose plecs.

And now ive got Gizmo the bearded dragon ive had a week now and loving him lots.

Think thats my life story...:lol2:

Paul


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## Postcard (Aug 29, 2010)

A 4' coldwater tank for my fourth or perhaps fifth birthday - had various fish over the years kept with very little knowledge, we ended up having 4 tanks at one point. Fish I miss most was a fantail called Dasher who lived probably 7 or 8 years - doesn't sound that great, but I'm surprised given the way the poor soul was kept! Always loved shubunkins, we had some albino chinese algae eaters for a while which were the most characterful wee things.


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

Bought a book at school about tropical fish when I was 10 years old. Became fascinated with fish and got an aquarium for 11th birthday. This was set up for tropical fish.
I am now 47 and have always had at least one aquarium since, at one time we had a fish room.

For the last few years have been keeping a reef aquarium.

Best Wishes

Neil


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## Maz1968 (Sep 21, 2010)

Well My brother always have fish when I was younger and still living at home and always thought that I would get my own tank some day....

I started off with a little 2' tank with a cpl of mollys and a shark then I got a bigger 3' tank with gold fish, then me and the hubby where hooked at 1 point we had 7 tanks in the house... 
The hubby even had a pond that took up half the garden :gasp: a cpl of years ago...
over the years we have had.

Gold fish,
fan tails and fancy goldfish,
discus,
marine,
seahorses,
brazilian cichlids,
Flower horn and fire head cichlids,
then finaly Malawi cichlids that are in my 6x2x2 tank which is the only tank we have now....

well I think thats them all... :lol2:


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## Blurboy (Feb 9, 2007)

I got into fish keeping by having a space in my living room that needed filling so I thought it would be a good idea have some fish. I've always liked animals of all kinds, watched endless programmes on tv etc and always been an outdoor person so went fishing too. The colours are so stunning with some fish I thought I'd have a go and having some good local aquarium shops helped too - also a friend of mine bred Discus for his sins.
I started with two lovely little Red Oscars which quickly grew to a good size and then moved onto Malawi Cichlids which I honestly thought and still do think as my favourites. I set up a Marine fish only tank, then a reef tank and left it at that for some years. I always tried to set my tanks up as natural as possible so I then had some Discus in a beautiful tea-coloured water tank but I got moaned at lol. By now lifes priorites had changed and my time was becoming harder to put into my hobby and so I packed it all in with a sad heart. The amount of water changes and up-keep just became too much at that time and so I had to make a choice. If I ever had a bigger house I'd definitely set another Malawi tank up as they are stunning fish, so easy to keep and an enormous choice too. Also where I live the water is that hard it's ideal and doing water changes made the tank come alive to all manner of breeding displays etc and the amount of fry I had in my tank was incredible. Lets hope one day my wish can come true again :mf_dribble:


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## furryjen (Sep 22, 2010)

Ooh I'll join in! We had a small goldfish tank when I was about 9/10 and had 3 in there (one for me and each of my sisters) and then it was about a year ago I suggested to my boyfriend that we get a small tank for our living room so we went out to look and 'accidentally' with a 110lt :2thumb:
AFTER cycling the tank we added our first platies and the collection has grown over the year along with the upgrade of the tank to a 240lt : victory: now we have just had our 3rd batch of bristlenose babies, the platies have spawned more often than I care to remember and we're hoping that our rainbows might have some babies soon they're starting to show interest!
I LOVE our aquarium wouldn't be without it for anything now its so relaxing and addictive to watch the fish for hours and is a main focal point in our living room!


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