Wow, this is a great thread. I can't remember how long ago it was that I started. We had a couple small tanks back in the 80's when I was like 10. Then we got into a larger tank (after months of bugging our parents. I would guess about a 20g. Lots of mollies and goldfish in that tank. We were like others, every 2 weeks we would take everything out of the tank, clean the tank with papertowel, rinse the rock with hot water, rinse the filter with hot water, and then put in regular old tap water (the tap water was much nicer where I grew up than where we're at now). After a while, as the fish died off from spikes and shock, my brother and I decided to do turtles. So we turned the large tank into a terrarium. We had 3 in there, and for fun, we would take them out on the deck every few days. The largest one took a dive off the deck one day, and we couldn't find him. A sad day. Then, after that winter, about 6 months later, we found him crawling around in the garden in the back yard. He had tripled in size (and he was large when he took the dive). Too big to fit in the tank now, so we took him to a local "frog pond". He looked pretty happy, and we visited every week. Lost track of him the next summer though. And we live in Saskatchewan, -40 C in the winter is common, so we're not sure if he moved on, finally froze in a winter (he survived 2 already), or jumped into the river close by and got eaten by a norther pike.

So after that, we were done with the tank, and it sat in my parents shed for years, until one day, someone threw their bike in there and broke it. After getting married, my wife had a small 5 gallon with some mollies in it. They died off, we made a big move back closer to where I grew up, and we set it up again, this time with 2 angels and 2 tiger barbs. The barbs died soon after, but the angels thrived, despite not cycling the tank at all. When the first angel died about 7 months later, we went to get some new fish at Petsmart, and saw a great deal on a 29g tank. Decided to get that and some more angels among others. Well, still didn't cycle the tank, and a few days later, lost all but the old angel and a couple of neon tetra's. That's when I came here, and really started reading. Man, who would have known that there is soooooo much more to keeping fish (if you want to do it right).

Now my wife and I want to get a bigger tank. We have both wanted a sw tank, but for now, we don't have the funds or the time to put into a sw, so we keep the fw with 3 angels, 6 neons, 2 gouramis, and an algae eater. I would love to set up an Africal Cichlid tank as well. I'm heading back to school in the fall, so we'll be selling the house and moving, and as we'll be probably moving a couple times in the next 3 years while I'm in school, we're just gonna keep the one big tank for now. We are thinking about settin up the 5 gallon in our son's room (2 years old) and trying to breed some guppies in it. We'll see how that goes.

Boy, what a mouthfull...

Wow those are great stories....When I was a kid I had a 10 gallon tank with a couple gold fish filter with cotton and carbon in it...I ended up giving them to our neighbor. Then we used to go ut to the country every summer at this land we owned and I used to play in the creek. I would catch little fish and crey fish and bring them home for the summer. We had a 2 car attached garage that we set up every summer like a family room patio type thing. Anyways........I would set up the 10 gallon tank and put what I caught in it ...then come fall to get ready for winter I threw them in the pond out at the land......
Years later.......1989 or so .....I got a 55 gallon and did pretty good with it...never cleaned it much though....I had community type fish...shark ect..... THEN they all died somehow few years later.....SO I ended up having a few large mouth bass in there....LOL..... I fed them feeder gold fish...it was the conversation piece to say the least..can't even tell you where I got them???? BUT in any event I released them into a pond as well.....
I ended up giving away the 55 and that was that.......Then I bought a house got married ect... had a small garden pond with gold fish..... And a friend borrowed me a 37 Gal Hex...to put those fish into for the winter....HA HA...they died before they got there in the 5 gallon bucket...how sad is that ?
SO.......I put three fish in that HEX a black one a gold one and a white and gold one....gold fishy type fish....well THEY DIED !!! darnit all !!! SO I set up the tank again in the living room this time...and went to town with community fish.....( this is just after my daughter turned two.....so) They lived and lived and I cleaned it occasionally and they did well....So for xmas last year 2007 hubby said what do you want for xmas? I said nothing. but if anything a bigger tank..My family usually gives me money so it all went towards it also. We debated on a 70 or a 55 and we ended up with a 110 with the hood ect....so now to date ...we have a son 4 and our daughter 6 and the hubby went out and bought a pair of big eyed gold fish..he thought he was going to put them in tank NOT !! so I bought my son a 3 gallon with hood tank for his room( works as great night light) 1 gold fish and a snail now live in there. SO our daughter wanted a tank now too. SO we got her a 10 gal kit and she has guppies with babies ect.......
PHEW !! thats my story now I have to SHUT UP wow.that was probly 35 years of life there in my fish world.
The 110 gal is like therapy the whole family enjoys it and I have to agree with Boss it is soothing to the mind when in the arguing mode...LOL thanks for the opportunity to share...

I am the newest here.
I AM SO ADDICTED! Step #1 is admitting your an addict!
My parent had fish tanks while I was growing up. I always enjoyed them. When my children were growing up we had various tanks with gold fish (feeder fish shhh don't tell the kids) in them. Once a month I too like others took out the water lugged the tank outside hosed it out etc. Refilled it with the hose and popped the fish back in. Oh and then feed them LOL. The last one was a 20 high. I couldn't reach the bottom.
I haven't had a aquarium for several years. My oldest daughter (27 yrs next week {:O Dizz our kids are the same age ) started several small tanks the last few months. She has Bettas Shrimps, snails. She was having so much fun and loved to share it with me I decided to get a tank. We went out and bought a 10 gallon with all the accessories. I got 6 Neons, 6 rummy Nose, and she put some of her shrimp in there and a snail. I also got 4 guppies. That was then. I have already grown out of that small tank. My husband got inspired and remodeled a un-used wet bar area in the living room. We got a 55 gallon kit and we are off. That was 3 weeks ago. We have 2 male Dalmatian mollies, and 3 of the guppies from the 10. (1 didn't make it) I have lots of live plants . We are trying to be patient and wait to get Gouramies. I don't want to add too many fish at a time. We just did a water change and everything should be ready this weekend! We sit for hours starring at the fish darting around. The first thing we do when we get up is look at the fish. See I am addicted!!! and I always have 1 wet arm!
Thanks for letting me share!

Beckihrh
55 gal freshwater

Well I got hooked, or am getting hooked because of a 20high my wife got me. It ends up being for my daughter mostly, but I am going to get a larger tank as soon as I can get enough "wife points". It's amazing how nice it is to just sit in the chair and watch them swim about. I am a computer person by nature and have always loved dogs, but the fish have really got my curiousity and enthusiasm peeked.

I would also like to thank everyone for giving me advice thus far. I am sure I will need much more, so I am going to try and clear my "thank you" tab early and often :)

JB