How did you get started in the hobby?

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About 20 years ago my father had a 55g with the biggest Jack Dempsey i have ever seen. Still to this day i have not seen one that large. i Started out with turtles. i had 1 snapper and 2 painted turtles with the JD. He would pound on them. since then i have been amazed by fish. i think i started my first tank about 15 years ago with 2 oscars and 2 JDs.
 
When I was young my parents had a 55gal tank with a gold fish, named Luke Skywalker, that was won from the local carnival. The fish lived forever and my parents would always make me do the water changes. When the goldfish finally died I kind of got out of the hobby, until about 3 years ago when I moved into my apartment and needed something relaxing to look at. Now that my roomate moved out, ive inhereted the responsibilities of the tank again and im into it full swing again, it feels good to be back. Talking to a member of monsterfishkeepers.com really helped me get back into the hobby with the feeling that any questions I might have can be answered by people that actually know what they are talking about. Thanks everyone.
 
Great grandmother had the biggest pleco and angels I had ever seen at the time, I was probably 4. My dad also had a ten on our bar in the basement so I got one to match with my own fish. Then the obsession started. In sixth grade I bought a 90 and got africans, 15 years ago, and it went nuts. At the high point up and running and full of breeding cichlids there were 2-10's/29flatback/2-55's/90/110. Also maintained 3-110's at a nursing home. Then there was the pre-formed pond I put in my parents backyard in high school one day when they were gone. College came and I was reduced down to a 33 long with some tetras-stupid tuition. Graduated and with job so it's back in the game.
 
Amazing stories everyone! How about you Jed? Li?, how'd you guys get started. I am 100% sure that everyone is ready to hear it. :naughty: :grinyes:
 
:thumbsup: I 'inherited' a neglected 10g tank from my then girlfriend, (now my wife)! It had 4 frail gouramies & not much else. I lost 2 gouramies :cry: & nursed 2 back to health.(still swimming strong 5 yrs. later). The 10g cracked so I got a 29g. then a 55g, a 75g, & most recently 110g. She put the 'brakes' on there since our place is kinda small, but when we move the skies the limit!! I started late I guess by most standards, but I'm enjoying every minute & making 'B_I_G' plans 4 the future!! :clap
 
My parents kept a 10 gallon tank goin off and on when I was growing up and I enjoyed watching the fish. A lil while back I suggested to my boyfriend that we get a small tank for my 2 year old daughter and so we did. Now we're lookin to get a 75 gallon tank and something even bigger down the line when we're into a house and not in 2 separate apartments.
 
My husband left for Equatorial Guinea for three weeks and I needed something to take care of. I had kept fish before, so I decided this would be something cool and fun to do. I went out and bought a 55 gallon and still enjoy watching my little finned family.
 
I love reading all these posts over and over, because it is like going back to your "fist love" . Reminiscing if there is something else you forgot. I remember back in the Phillipines, right after the rains, and flooding the ricefields, I usually go out to look for fish. In this case, the channa striatas wake up from their slumber deep below the ground, and they come out to the surface. Reason I know this is because during the dry season, this particular ricefield is dry as the death valley. I mean the ground is cracked, completely dried up. Then when the rain comes, everything comes alive, even see those green snakes frolicking on top of the thin grass, looking for those tasty frog legs. Then big apple snails appear, also outof nowhere, and next thing you know, there are channas in there. No doubt they compete against the snake for the frogs at the moment, until they start breeding, and you see all these little orangish frys swimming about with their mom. That is in the wild. So very amazing to watch. Unfortunately, habitat destruction, and humans needing more space destroyed this habitat. This is happening around the world. How long would it take for the rest of the habitats to become this way. This is another topic. My plan is to take my kids to a nature trip to get them interested in wildlife, like I did when i was very young. The experience is unforgetable. :)

Keep in touch~
 
Growing up I always wanted a fish tank however I was never allowed to have one for some reason or another. Now that I think about tit I was bummed for a while but never got one on my own even after I went to college.

Funny enough... my daughter asked for a beta about a year and a half ago so in an atempt not to be my father I promptly took her down to the LFS and got her the red beta she wanted. After a few weeks, and some help from dad, the fish bowl turned into a 2 gal. hex with teras, danios, and shrimp.

My daughter loves her beta tank because it looks nothing like her friends little glass bowl but I quickly realized that I had run out of room so I talked the boss into a 55 gal. tnak for the livingroom last winter. What a great year it has been.
 
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