How i got into big tanks.

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
This seriously made me laugh at loud like a retard for a couple minutes lol.

I feel like A LOT of peoples "big tank adventures" start with pacus lol... I know the same happened to me and I am currently in the process of setting up a 300 gallon for my pacus. I just love the little guys i couldn't stand to let go of them!

Take a look again at how small my 300 gallon tank is for my pacu.
 
I started working at PetSmart in the animal care section when I was 17. At the time that section had 3 fish hobbyists in it. A week later I took home a 10g kit and was hooked from then on. My first big tank(125g) is currently sitting on my living room floor. 125g is an odd size. Seems like everything is either tiny compared to it, going to outgrow it, or a cichlid.
 
I have my 180 becuase of pacus. it only took 6 months from 2 inchs to outgrowing that.
If you dont have room for a pond or pacumoms massive tank pacus arent for you.
 
I've always wanted a big tank: I wanted a HUGE tank as a child, but my parents wouldn't let me get one -- we settled on a 15g instead.

Fast forward several years later, I was living in a suite with a bunch of Marine biologists. The dormitory had '20g maximum fishtank' rule... the rules never said anything about *how many* 20g fishtanks you could have. Fortunately, our RA was pretty much awed by the assortment of tanks we had, so looked the other way at the fact that pretty much every surface of the dorm was covered in fishtanks.

When I moved into my own my, naturally the first thing I did was update to a 'large' tank -- since I'm into planted tanks, I decided on a 40g breeder (shallower than the 55g). Naturally, this size of tank is only 'large' for people who aren't really into the hobby. I've been thinking of upgrading ... but since I'm still renting, I'm probably going to hold back until I have a house of my own.

So, I guess from a technical standpoint, I'm not 'in' big tanks yet ... but I've already convinced the boy that upgrading to a 125g is something that should be done when we're not moving every few years. Now I just need to start planting the seeds that having a private oceanarium in the basement will be fun :ROFL:
 
Long story short, stemmed from my dad having tanks when I was two or three years old. Then I set up my first when I was 14. At 18 I got a 55g, thought it was HUGE...at 23 upgraded that to a 125g...my god, the possibilities and the monsters...we still have on...an Oscar who's 11 1/2 years old!!!! She's from when me and my now hubby first started dating. But, one day, I was at the LFS and saw a Flowerhorn cichlid and an Achara catfish who was then around 6inches. Lady warned me about both. FH was mine, achara was husband's as he is always trying to catch one when we are out fishing, but never has. Hubby really never took to the catfish, but I did. How ironic. The cat's now 2 1/2 feet.

Years later....FH gets own tank, brand new one but later dies from hole in the head no matter the extensive treatment and I was devastated. The tank sits in storage. I've a different FH now with it in a different tank.....

How I got into MONSTER tanks??? found on CL when we needed to upgrade before achara outgrew the 125g, thank god. He's now in the 265g, awaiting our negotiation on the indoor tank/pond for him and the redtail forever home, which we are HYPED about!!!! So, I got into big tanks from my dad starting the hobby, but from me falling in love with one catfish. I guess I can say we're not negotiating on the indoor pond-blueprints already done. It's where it's going to go is the question.
 
i started two years ago tomorrow. i began by going over to rwellbaums house and he had four oscars at the time and he fed them gold fish. as soon as i saw that i had to have one. so we found a 55 that was 25 min away and went there while a blizzard was going on and got it. it came with two oscars, my albino male dumb dumb was one of them, breeding pair of lonf fin convicts and a pleco. and long story short i got a 120 then a 125 then i saw a dovii at the LFS and had to get a 240. this was all within two years you can say i like the hobby a little bit.
 
i started two years ago tomorrow. i began by going over to rwellbaums house and he had four oscars at the time and he fed them gold fish. as soon as i saw that i had to have one. so we found a 55 that was 25 min away and went there while a blizzard was going on and got it. it came with two oscars, my albino male dumb dumb was one of them, breeding pair of lonf fin convicts and a pleco. and long story short i got a 120 then a 125 then i saw a dovii at the LFS and had to get a 240. this was all within two years you can say i like the hobby a little bit.
I thought my 120 48x24x24 was uncommon for a 2 year hobyist... I have only been in the hobby for a little over 2 years... a few months after I got in I got a 65 gallon(36x18x24) that was my first real tank beacause before that i had a 10 gallon...my curent biggest tank in a 120...
 
One of my bestfriends in Florida got me into tanks. I think he has a 20 gallon and i had a 10 gallon. That was 3rd grade... Since than my biggest being a 125. I now have a 180 gallon stand in the garage waiting for a tank but it may be a bit longer as i live on the 2nd floor of a 2 family house and i'm a bit scared about it holding up so far now 125 is tops. Though my dream tank is a 300 gallon. Hopefully 1 day.
 
a little over 2 years ago... Noticed this game on the ps3 in the free section, aquarium thing of some sort.. so I download it, you get different kinds of fish over time, I had 4-5 different tanks with big fish little fish marine fish etc, you could decorate them, change background etc, but weird.. you could combine saltwater with freshwater.. but anyways! I digress.. As a kid we had a tank, for a few years anyways, I think we went through three because they all eventually split, with the largest being probably a 55g.
After playing this game.. tuning into the aquarium channel... I decide its time to check out the LFS.. (didn't know what that stood for back then) couple days later I had them deliver a fluval bowfront corner setup that I paid way too much for but it is good kit! 6 months later.. added a good deal of a 55g with stand filter heater lids lights 150$.. then the qt tanks... then added a 40gLong marine tank.. a yr later decided that marine tank is a pain in the rear, and realized I could sell it and use the funds to finance a big fw.. so.. ordered my 180g a few hours ago
:naughty:
 
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