Hey guys, here's my entry for oddballs contest
5 years ago, in 4th grade, I got a pet hampster, named him Gunter, and assumed he would be my pet for a while or until I got bored of him and gave him to a friend(I know it doesnt seem like a fish story but trust me, the fish part is comming soon). At first he was alright but he started getting meaner and meaner. 1 week and multiple bite wounds later, I realized this hampster had to go. I returned the little dude to petsmart and went on my way. My friend recommended getting a hampster from this little store near her house. I call up the store and they say the hampsters are coming in 3 days. I couldnt wait. 3 days later, I called, excited to get my new hampster. They pick up and say the hampsters are coming in a week. I was pretty pissed but either way, I'm getting that hamster -is what I thought. Anyway, a week passes and I call, no hampsters. This goes on an on with me getting more discouraged and more pissed every time I heard the lady say "another week sweety". After a month or 2, I gave up. I convinced my self that a hampster just isnt for me, I'll keep fish. I did as much reaserch as I could until I felt I had a basic understanding of how to keep fish alive. I go to my lfs and chat with one of the workers and my mom agreed to buy me a 10 gallon. They were out so we waited a week to pick up the tank. A week later I was getting on my coat and my mom gets a phone call. Her expression suddenly changes and she lowers the phone. She said "Dan, the store just got 10 baby hamsters". I was suddenly hit with one of the most important (but seemingly unimportant) questions i'd ever get asked in 4th grade. I had no idea what to pick. On one hand I've reaserched fish for so long and they have the tanks, on the other hand I had origionally wanted a hampster and they just got in 6 babies to choose from. My mind was rushing, hampster or fish (i know this sounds like a small question but to an animal loving 9 year old, this was like life or death)? I finally made the descision to get some fish, and thank god I did. I cycled my tank for half the time they recomended because I was too excited. Of cource all my fish died, but that didnt stop me, no. I went right back to the store and got more fish. The fish kept dying until somehow, the tank got cycled. The first group of fish that survived were an angel fish, albino senegal bichir, kuhli loach, sun catfish, 3 mollies, and a single serpae tetra, I know, pretty great stock. I threw in my fake plants and bright purple gravel and I had a tank! I enjoyed the thing for a year or so until I wanted bigger. That christmas I got a 55. I kept oscars, pikes, RTCs, pacus, etc. Basically all the fish my store had that would outgrow my tank. Then came the 120, this is what really got me into the hobby. While I moved the big boys into that tank, my texas spawned with my jack dempsey. I suddenly thought of myself as a master fish breeder and bragged to all my friends. I had no idea you were suposed to feed the darn things so they all died. 3 spawns later I had it down and grew out 50 fry. Meanwhile in the 120 I had a huge aro named Sam (RIP) and a few cichlids. I started to really get into big fish. One day I thought "whats the ultimate monster fish?" and the first thing that came to my mind was rays so y'all know I had to go get a "teacup stingray". I got one and kept her in the 55 with the jd/texas fry, some cories, a small silver aro, and some juvenile cichla. On one faitful afternoon on one of my not so regular water changes, I forgot to add prime! Dun dun dun! Everything died including my much loved ray, Roxanne. Meanwhile sam died for unknown reasons. It was a low point in my fish keeping hobby, I had to start over. I decided to get another ray and get an rtc for the 120. Of cource I needed the rtc to be huge because I was an impatient 5th grader who didnt want to wait for him to grow. And of course, he outgrew that tank real quick. After a few more fish choises and a few more mistakes and about a years time, I ended up with a giant gourami, an oscar, a pair of lyonsi, the ray, and a few catfish (heres a vid of that tank: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKSrtmbPj5E ) Meanwhile I was really getting into breeding I had 30 tanks in my basement dedicated to breeding loricarids, goodeids, and central american, south american, and west african cichlids. Allot of the species bred well for me and I was able to ship them around the US. There were weeks were I'd ship out 3 orders per shipping day (teusday and wednesday). It ended up being too much work with all of my after school sports, homework, my other hobbies, and taking care of my fish. After almost a year with the fishroom, I decided to shut it down to be able to afford a huge tank so I can focus on my dreams of breeding rays. Selling the fishroom took months alone, the market for breeding groups of west african cichlids and goodeids wasnt huge at all in my area. The more popular loricarids -like my super red bristlenose breeding group- sold quickly but some fish like my marbled convicts and siquia took months to sell. I actually sold about 200 marble convict fry and 100 siquia fry to the one and only, Jeff Rapps. The fishroom is now gone and all I have is 2 20 longs and the 120 with the ray pair and the dream of a massive tank for the not so little guys. It took allot of convincing parents, fish breeding, babysitting, snow shoveling, chores, and overall saving money to get the ok to get the larger tank. Now all I have to do is wait a few weeks, send the money, wait a little longer, and watch them deliver my dream tank. Its taken allot of time, money, and work to get to were I am no and were I'm about to be. What I've taken away from all this, is thank god I didnt pick hampster.
5 years ago, in 4th grade, I got a pet hampster, named him Gunter, and assumed he would be my pet for a while or until I got bored of him and gave him to a friend(I know it doesnt seem like a fish story but trust me, the fish part is comming soon). At first he was alright but he started getting meaner and meaner. 1 week and multiple bite wounds later, I realized this hampster had to go. I returned the little dude to petsmart and went on my way. My friend recommended getting a hampster from this little store near her house. I call up the store and they say the hampsters are coming in 3 days. I couldnt wait. 3 days later, I called, excited to get my new hampster. They pick up and say the hampsters are coming in a week. I was pretty pissed but either way, I'm getting that hamster -is what I thought. Anyway, a week passes and I call, no hampsters. This goes on an on with me getting more discouraged and more pissed every time I heard the lady say "another week sweety". After a month or 2, I gave up. I convinced my self that a hampster just isnt for me, I'll keep fish. I did as much reaserch as I could until I felt I had a basic understanding of how to keep fish alive. I go to my lfs and chat with one of the workers and my mom agreed to buy me a 10 gallon. They were out so we waited a week to pick up the tank. A week later I was getting on my coat and my mom gets a phone call. Her expression suddenly changes and she lowers the phone. She said "Dan, the store just got 10 baby hamsters". I was suddenly hit with one of the most important (but seemingly unimportant) questions i'd ever get asked in 4th grade. I had no idea what to pick. On one hand I've reaserched fish for so long and they have the tanks, on the other hand I had origionally wanted a hampster and they just got in 6 babies to choose from. My mind was rushing, hampster or fish (i know this sounds like a small question but to an animal loving 9 year old, this was like life or death)? I finally made the descision to get some fish, and thank god I did. I cycled my tank for half the time they recomended because I was too excited. Of cource all my fish died, but that didnt stop me, no. I went right back to the store and got more fish. The fish kept dying until somehow, the tank got cycled. The first group of fish that survived were an angel fish, albino senegal bichir, kuhli loach, sun catfish, 3 mollies, and a single serpae tetra, I know, pretty great stock. I threw in my fake plants and bright purple gravel and I had a tank! I enjoyed the thing for a year or so until I wanted bigger. That christmas I got a 55. I kept oscars, pikes, RTCs, pacus, etc. Basically all the fish my store had that would outgrow my tank. Then came the 120, this is what really got me into the hobby. While I moved the big boys into that tank, my texas spawned with my jack dempsey. I suddenly thought of myself as a master fish breeder and bragged to all my friends. I had no idea you were suposed to feed the darn things so they all died. 3 spawns later I had it down and grew out 50 fry. Meanwhile in the 120 I had a huge aro named Sam (RIP) and a few cichlids. I started to really get into big fish. One day I thought "whats the ultimate monster fish?" and the first thing that came to my mind was rays so y'all know I had to go get a "teacup stingray". I got one and kept her in the 55 with the jd/texas fry, some cories, a small silver aro, and some juvenile cichla. On one faitful afternoon on one of my not so regular water changes, I forgot to add prime! Dun dun dun! Everything died including my much loved ray, Roxanne. Meanwhile sam died for unknown reasons. It was a low point in my fish keeping hobby, I had to start over. I decided to get another ray and get an rtc for the 120. Of cource I needed the rtc to be huge because I was an impatient 5th grader who didnt want to wait for him to grow. And of course, he outgrew that tank real quick. After a few more fish choises and a few more mistakes and about a years time, I ended up with a giant gourami, an oscar, a pair of lyonsi, the ray, and a few catfish (heres a vid of that tank: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKSrtmbPj5E ) Meanwhile I was really getting into breeding I had 30 tanks in my basement dedicated to breeding loricarids, goodeids, and central american, south american, and west african cichlids. Allot of the species bred well for me and I was able to ship them around the US. There were weeks were I'd ship out 3 orders per shipping day (teusday and wednesday). It ended up being too much work with all of my after school sports, homework, my other hobbies, and taking care of my fish. After almost a year with the fishroom, I decided to shut it down to be able to afford a huge tank so I can focus on my dreams of breeding rays. Selling the fishroom took months alone, the market for breeding groups of west african cichlids and goodeids wasnt huge at all in my area. The more popular loricarids -like my super red bristlenose breeding group- sold quickly but some fish like my marbled convicts and siquia took months to sell. I actually sold about 200 marble convict fry and 100 siquia fry to the one and only, Jeff Rapps. The fishroom is now gone and all I have is 2 20 longs and the 120 with the ray pair and the dream of a massive tank for the not so little guys. It took allot of convincing parents, fish breeding, babysitting, snow shoveling, chores, and overall saving money to get the ok to get the larger tank. Now all I have to do is wait a few weeks, send the money, wait a little longer, and watch them deliver my dream tank. Its taken allot of time, money, and work to get to were I am no and were I'm about to be. What I've taken away from all this, is thank god I didnt pick hampster.
