Sorry for the pun...anyway my question is very simple-how did you get interisted in fishkeeping. For me it was my second birthday when my parents got me a 2 gallon hex and I was so excited and I didn't know anything about fish then (I was 2 give me a break) but I loved the tank and the hobby just kept growing from there.

When my kids were young they both got a 10 gallon tank for Christmas one year. Until then I had never had any experience with fish. Well, my son's tank had skulls, blue rock, and oddball fish. My daughters was horrible! It had pink rocks, pink castles, mermaids, ick! It hurt the eyes to look at! It had a gold fish, neon's, etc. The "pretty" fish. It was up to me to care for them of course. I cringe now at the way I cleaned! I would empty the whole thing and run the filter stuff under hot tap water. That tank must have spiked after every water change! No internet back then tho like today. This was around 1990, when my son was 8 and my daughter 3 (man time has flown by! My son will be 27 next week!)

What was neat was my son decided he no longer wanted his tank. We took the fish to the LFS and left it sit. I was going to empty it while he was camping with my folks but totally spaced it out. It was in his room. There was about 1/4 of water at the bottom. When we did go to empty it we found about 100 fry! I cannot remember what kind of fish it was but think it was either a tetra or barb species. Now that was cool LOL. I figure they spawned right before we caught them. I can't remember what we did with them.

2 years ago I told my son I wished I had a tank. I wanted a REAL tank with plants etc. He brought me home his old 20 gallon setup one day. I started that with fake plants and rainbow rock. About a week later I thought, what was I thinking?? Yuck! So got blue/black rocks. Still didn't like it so got natural color rock. Lost a batch of Ram fry in the rock so bought tiny rocks. And then finally changed to sand because I loved the way the Malawi tank looked. So now it has sand and all real plants.

Anyways, here I had the 20 gallon. About 4 months later my Bolivian Rams spawned and I needed a tank for the babies so bought myself a 10 gallon to raise them in. Then I wanted an African setup so talked my sister into giving me her empty 30 gallon setup last summer. Next I am waiting to buy a 55 from a lady who is moving into a retirement place. She is on the waiting list and will sell me the whole getup for $50. I will move the Africans to that, move the Rams and tank mates to the 30, use the 20 to grow out the bigger fry and use the 10 for tiny fry.

I cannot wait much longer for the 55 tho. I figure I could buy the tank and hood for $95 and use everything I already have in it. My Mbuna's are getting too big and need to be moved very, very soon. I can just stick it on the floor until that lady sells me hers. Then I would have 2 55's! I could set one up in my room with who knows what LOL.

Make me stop!!

ok update i bought a purple pseudochromis, i forgot the name but they look like lyretail anthias, i got two females and a male. I also got me a cleaner shrimp.... tank has now accumulated approx 1800$

i have wanted a salt tank for many years but never in one place long enough to have one................finally my wonderful wife bought me my first set up a little over a year ago and ive been expanding and planning ever since ---------------- soon to be a 200 gallon room divider in the house we are building right now



lol Blue ..........i have 1200-1400 in a 20 long so don't feel to bad about yours.............

My girlfriend had this old 10 gal in the closet she kept anoles in for a few years. They died and it sat in the closet for about 6 months before I had the bright idea of adding some fish. So I did the general nubbi thing and went out to petsmart and picked out some guppies mollys, some hideous gravel (why do they sell that crap?!)

I lost a good bit from that tank and was pretty irresponsible with water changes so went to petsmart again with a bit of extra cash in my wallet and saw a 16 gallon bowfront on sale with stand for $184. I wanted to do something a little more crazy and had been reading a lot online so I went out and got some play sand. After getting the sand in there I added -all- fake decor.

The tank hosted 3 kuhli loaches and one got a little too curious and stuck his head in a hole in the base of a decor piece (where the sales tag was attatched). He got inside the decor but wasn't able to get back out...and I'm guessing I found him a few days later. That was all the inspiration I needed to go planted/natural.

Since then Jess gave me a 30gal for my last birthday in May which is coming along well but not quite as far along as my 16. =D oh and the 10 is still going its on my gfs profile..
http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/friendemail.php/17994

I also had a 5gal with a few dwarf/pygmy puffers in it but decided to get rid of it and hang on to the puffers.

Dude you did it, we just answered questions. This is an expensive hobby....I stopped counting.....but ive been spending around 90 bucks a week......for the last four weeks....corals make me happy. :)