Pet Lovers

[Nataliesgramma]

Granddaughter LOVES the movie Nemo.......so grandpa got the idea to get her a 'fish tank'. I said OK as long as he put it in her "play room".

He came home with a 50 gallon!

Well, it looks nice in there and the little buggers swim to the front when they see me come into the room (probably because they know I feed them)

Anyone have an aquarium? I love the one at the Drs. office, but it is a saltwater tank and takes up most of the wall.

[NickNack]

I used to have a 30 gallon reef tank.  It was beautiful.  I gave it up years ago, though, as it took a lot of time to maintain it.

[Sooner]

Used to have a 55 gallon, 35 gallon and 5 gallon!  LOVED them and had them for many years.  Back then I was told by professionals to learn to clean the tank and not have to take it completely apart.  You'd drain I think a third of the water, rake through the bottom (stir up the mess under the gravel), leave the filter in, and add back the de-clorinated new water after you fixed the bottom gravel and rocks and plants back to your liking again.  

After the "mess" settled, the water was sparkling clean and clear and the fish seemed thrilled!  

[BornToShop]

My husband & I did what grandpa did; we saw this cute 2" baby Oscar at the pet store.  We left with our new "wet-pet" named Albert & a 10 gallon tank for our young son at the time.  At the time for about a month, it was fun.  But our lack of knowledge on cichlids & how fast & big they grow prompted us to get a 125 gallon tank for Albert where he resided for about 18 years!  He was the only one in the tank; he measured 21".  I had to clean his tank faithfully once a week as oscars are messy eaters, etc.  When Albert went to his "rainbow bridge", it was extremely sad for us.  He had a ton of personality.  We decided not to revisit the aquarium life again as I physically cannot maintain a big tank like that at my age now.  If I could hire a weekly service to come & maintain my tank, I wouldn't even hesitate to look into the saltwater aquariums.  I'll be retiring in about 4 years & that is one of the first hobbies I plan on looking into!  

[jaxs mom]

I've had a few of them over the years but I don't have one currently. I do love keeping fish. I had a 60 gallon saltwater tank at one point. 

[Julie928]

I don't own an aquarium but year before last we had a pond put in our backyard.  We have one goldfish (that guy was free from the pond guy) and is actually the biggest fish in there ~ almost a foot long!  We also have four koi that are so beautiful.  Right now they are hiding out in their cave waiting for Spring (wish I could do the same, lol)!  Enjoy your fish!  It might sound crazy, but I think fish have personalities just like any other pet.  :-)

[KingstonsMom]

Yes! I have a 60, 55, 30 and 20 gallon tanks.

I love all creatures, big & small!

I find it very relaxing and calming to watch them swimming around.

[Reba055]

I used to have tanks. If you get into it, make life easier and go for saltwater. The fish cost more, but after it's set up and stable, much, much less maintenance. 

[NickNack]

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@Reba055 wrote:

I used to have tanks. If you get into it, make life easier and go for saltwater. The fish cost more, but after it's set up and stable, much, much less maintenance. 

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I agree with @Reba055.  I've had both, and the saltwater reef tank I had was much easier.  Yes, the fish are more expensive, and you can't have as many in the tank.  You can't crowd them.  The saltwater fish are much prettier, too.  

[gardenman]

I've currently got 50, 30, 20 and 10 gallon tanks up and running. At various times I've kept pretty much every type of fish possible to keep from neon tetras up to a 22" long arowana. If money was no object, I'd have more tanks. I've also got a 300+ gallon above ground pond in the backyard with a greenhouse cover on it to keep it from freezing. It's kind of neat going out there with snow on the ground and opening a window to see the fish swimming around happily.

I've kept both freshwater and marine fish but I haven't kept marine fish in recent years. Back when I kept them Nektonics was the leading brand in marine aquarium supplies and Nektonics is long gone now.

I'm leaning more and more towards fancy goldfish these days. There's something appealing about them and the way they recognize you. 

As to a reef/marine tank being easier to maintain, that's seriously up for debate. There are so many water parameters you have to monitor in a reef tank that maintaining one is often a very big job. Most freshwater tanks are easier to maintain.