How many tanks do you have

[duanes]

I had about 3000 gallons in tanks, and indoor ponds throughout the house, and 2 more ponds outside. Because all the tanks were split between 3 sumps, it only took a few moments to send 30% old water from a sump to the garden every couple days, so water changes were no big deal.
Now that I've moved to an island, I don't (as yet) have any tanks, but do have a 10,000 gal swimming pool. The maintenance on the pool is gargantuan compared to fish.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

I had about 3000 gallons in tanks, and indoor ponds throughout the house, and 2 more ponds outside. Because all the tanks were split between 3 sumps, it only took a few moments to send 30% old water from a sump to the garden every couple days, so water changes were no big deal.
Now that I've moved to an island, I don't (as yet) have any tanks, but do have a 10,000 gal swimming pool. The maintenance on the pool is gargantuan compared to fish.

That's awesome! I figured if most of the tanks are on a single sump, water changes aren't going to be a big deal. How do you like living on an island? Is it in the US or no?

 

[Skalper666]

I had about 3000 gallons in tanks, and indoor ponds throughout the house, and 2 more ponds outside. Because all the tanks were split between 3 sumps, it only took a few moments to send 30% old water from a sump to the garden every couple days, so water changes were no big deal.
Now that I've moved to an island, I don't (as yet) have any tanks, but do have a 10,000 gal swimming pool. The maintenance on the pool is gargantuan compared to fish.

Agreed, I've got a pool, they can require more work than they are worth at times.

 

[duanes]

The island has its challenges, and its in Panama, not the US. Trying to acquire normal things like food and beer take some logistical planning, much less trying to get an aquarium to the island. I believe I will eventually need to build one. And water is at times very scarce, we went for almost a month without running water not long ago and had to carry containers from a well a few blocks away.
The entire town can be walked end to end in less than a hour. There are only a few cars here. The edge of the pool is girded in a soup of bat feces every morning which must be removed before filtration starts and creates algae blooms. But since I am trying to grow food, to lessen importation logistics, the guano helps, as the soil is simply rock.

 

[Owens]

Just one for now, my 180 Bichir/Jardini tank.

I would really like to eventually get a 450 or so for a group of Silvers.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

The island has its challenges, and its in Panama, not the US. Trying to acquire normal things like food and beer take some logistical planning, much less trying to get an aquarium to the island. I believe I will eventually need to build one. And water is at times very scarce, we went for almost a month without running water not long ago and had to carry containers from a well a few blocks away.
The entire town can be walked end to end in less than a hour. There are only a few cars here. The edge of the pool is girded in a soup of bat feces every morning which must be removed before filtration starts and creates algae blooms. But since I am trying to grow food, to lessen importation logistics, the guano helps, as the soil is simply rock.

That seems like more work than it's worth to me. Goes to show that living in paradise has downsides I guess

 

[markstrimaran]

2, 75 gallon
1, 30 gallon
1, 40 gallon
3, 2.5 gallon
1 cat
2 dogs.
Bats in the attic.
mice in the walls.
4 apple trees
Strawberry patch
Black berry patch
Raspberry patch
Mal berry tree
Cherry tree.
A colony of sparrows, and 2 Robins in the back yard

 

[Vicegrip]

110 tall corner flow with an Oscar named Darwin, five SDs and a female Convict . 56 bow front with a south american biotope mix of 25 or so smaller fish a 20 gal with a male convict and 20 1/2 inch fry and a big Koi pond with 16 Koi and 20 or so goldfish of various kinds in the yard. 1 wife, 2 kids, a Boxer dog, 2 birds and a hamster.

 

[Lepisosteus]

That seems like more work than it's worth to me. Goes to show that living in paradise has downsides I guess

some people may call it downsides while others may call it part of the fun

 

[joe jaskot]

Joe, do you think it would be more fun if the system was automated? What about if the tanks were also larger, so that you could've done it all one day versus having to do it over a full week? I was never into breeding really, doubt I would ever get into it. But if you made the maintenance a bit easier, do you think it would be fun/enjoyable?

It was fun and enjoyable breeding fish for the first 10- 15 years, but like almost everything, it become too routine and time consuming, and eventually the thrill wanes. I am sure an automated system would have helped a lot, but there are still many things that can't be automated. Hatching brine shrimp, restarting microworm cultures, washing blackworms, gravel vacuuming, cleaning mulm from the bottom of bare tanks, cleaning filters, feeding fish multiple times each day, etc. still has to be done manually. As to larger tanks, with most fry, at first you want them in small tanks so they don't waste too much energy finding the food. (Starvation is probably the leading cause of losing fry.) Fry are moved to larger tanks as they grow to improve water quality. (Poor water quality is the second most common reason for losing fry.)

To tell the truth, the fish hobby was more enjoyable when I had 10 or fewer tanks. Very easy to manage that number. But still, I have no regrets. Made lots of friends through keeping and breeding fish. Fish are secondary to friendships.