Pet Lovers

[RinaRina]

Is it a nuisance to keep clean?

[katte]

Yes.  At first it was fun, but then became a pain.  A lot of work. 

[KingstonsMom]

I've had lots of aquariums of different sizes for most of my life.

At 67, I'm kinda tired of the upkeep and have whittled/gifted them down to one 60 gallon at this time.

When the fish that are in this one die, I'll give up this hobby.

Saltwater fish/tanks are much more work and finicky than fresh water fish/tanks, but they both are still work.

There's also the expense of changing filter media once a month, meds, etc.

[SilleeMee]

I had one long ago. Definitely more maintenance than any other pet I ever owned.

[Sooner]

IF you know how to maintain them it isn't that bad.  But yes it is work.

You don't have to really break it down to clean it often IF YOU ARE FAITHFUL about doing sort of mini cleans of draining a lot of the water out and raking through the gravel at the bottom, then letting the water settle before adding new water that has no chlorine in it and has been sitting a little while.

At least back in the day when I had them it was the case.

I had a big tank of African lake fish one time and they were so smart.  They can see you you know, and they would hide with a stranger came in, then gradually emerge.

They knew me and would follow me when I walked by the tank.  I could hold up their food can from across the room and they would get excited and wiggle and come to the side of the tank.

Lots of fun, but you really can't do it casually.  If you aren't all in and really understand their environment and needs you will NOT be happy.  Nor will the fish. 

[Mimi 1883]

@RinaRina  Yes!

[RinaRina]

Okay.  THANKS for your replies.

I'll pass.

[Still Raining]

BF and her husband got a huge, full wall, saltwater one.

Could not really ever be moved and required professional weekly visits.

Way too much just for some fish.

[Mellyg]

My only experience is with a saltwater aquarium and it was very high maintenance (IMO). It was beautiful and very serene to look at; and it was interesting learning experience. Not only was it time consuming to maintain (we had to use reverse osmosis water), but there was a lot of time (and cost) balancing the ecosystem (which fish and corals should or should not cohabitat, etc). 

I don't miss the hassle of it, although I miss how stunning it was (it made for a beautiful sitting areas). 

[Wahoogaz]

I currently have two freshwater aquariums ... a 45 gallon and a 125 gallon. My husband absolutely loves them ... but I do all the work on them. After several years, I think the scales (no pun intended) are tipped towards 'more work than fun' for me. I've already told my husband that I'm not buying any more fish and that I'll likely get rid of them when the current fish have died. Of course, that will probably be several years down the road and I may change my mind again by then.

We also have 5 dogs and 5 birds ... and, to me, it seems the the two aquariums take more time/effort to maintain than the dogs/birds.