I've had a horse since I was 16... and then a blue and gold macaw at 18... at 21 realized I didn't know crap... never went to college( any idea how expensive horse board is? lets just say I've rented appartments for the same price) and in a nutshell.. my parents just tried to help me. when the reality of it is i should have waited until after college to have made such commitments. now my horse is almost 20 and retired... could I rid myself of the "burden" of owning him? sure.. but he'd get shipped to canada for meat processing. after 12+ yrs.. he's family... you don't do that to family pets. So my parents didn't mess up.. they just didn't realize how much care/time goes into some pets... like horses,dogs,cats,large birds... many fish species can live a long time. Fish are just more delicate... imo its not the tank itself.. but what your putting into it.. some species only live a few short years like hamsters and most rodents.. others live a human life span.
My thoughts on why a kid shouldn't build a monster tank (things to consider)
- Thread starter seedubs1
- Start date
Well this truly has been an interesting read. Although I'm still considered a child, I am just mere months away from being an adult, so I feel like I'm kind of stuck in the middle.
First off, on the topic of what mfk truly means, I think it has more to do with an individual's passion rather than the size of their tank. My biggest tank is only 55 gallons, but I still consider myself an mfk'er because I have monster passion. Sure many people on here have monster tanks, but many don't because they can't. This doesn't mean that they care about fish less, it's just they can't go bigger so they put out monster effort for what they have. Saying true mfk'ers have large tanks would mean that mfk has a much lower amount of members. We're a community filled with a passion and love for fish, no matter how big a persons tank is. Mfk is a state of mind, not a physical object.
I feel that if a child and his parents are working together and fully understand the responsibility a large tank requires, than they have the full green light to get the tank. Now if the kid is in it by them selves and the parents have no involvement other than purchasing it, that isn't right, and is a sign of bad parenting as much of a sign it is as a ignorant decision on the child's part. Unfortunately this happens, which gets people in over their heads, puts oversized fish in 55 gallon Lfs tanks, and puts tanks on Craigslist for cheap prices ( one plus for others to reap the benefits from the troubles of others).
I'm leaving for college in 2 years (I'm gonna be at the JC for now), and know that my family could not care for a 200+ gallon tank, even though my dad has a rough idea of how to take care of fish and likes them, so I'm staying reasonable with my upgrade.
I will admit that there are some very childish kids on this site, who make mistakes like this, but to call out all kids is a little over the top, I consider myself level headed and I see a few others that are the same, don't let a few rotten eggs ruin the whole perception of a whole group of people who make up a large majority of this site.
Just my 2 cents on everything that's gone on in this situation
Sent from my iPad using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
First off, on the topic of what mfk truly means, I think it has more to do with an individual's passion rather than the size of their tank. My biggest tank is only 55 gallons, but I still consider myself an mfk'er because I have monster passion. Sure many people on here have monster tanks, but many don't because they can't. This doesn't mean that they care about fish less, it's just they can't go bigger so they put out monster effort for what they have. Saying true mfk'ers have large tanks would mean that mfk has a much lower amount of members. We're a community filled with a passion and love for fish, no matter how big a persons tank is. Mfk is a state of mind, not a physical object.
I feel that if a child and his parents are working together and fully understand the responsibility a large tank requires, than they have the full green light to get the tank. Now if the kid is in it by them selves and the parents have no involvement other than purchasing it, that isn't right, and is a sign of bad parenting as much of a sign it is as a ignorant decision on the child's part. Unfortunately this happens, which gets people in over their heads, puts oversized fish in 55 gallon Lfs tanks, and puts tanks on Craigslist for cheap prices ( one plus for others to reap the benefits from the troubles of others).
I'm leaving for college in 2 years (I'm gonna be at the JC for now), and know that my family could not care for a 200+ gallon tank, even though my dad has a rough idea of how to take care of fish and likes them, so I'm staying reasonable with my upgrade.
I will admit that there are some very childish kids on this site, who make mistakes like this, but to call out all kids is a little over the top, I consider myself level headed and I see a few others that are the same, don't let a few rotten eggs ruin the whole perception of a whole group of people who make up a large majority of this site.
Just my 2 cents on everything that's gone on in this situation
Sent from my iPad using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Best name for this topic would be: FAMILY GUIDE TO DIY BUILDS. It's important for EVERYONE, not just parents and kids, to know how much a build is going to end up costing. I also don't feel that it was specifically aimed at any particular member, just people in general who bounce from hobby to hobby once they get bored. Adults do it too. I also don't feel that I belong here any less becuase I don't have a massive indoor pond for my 1 fish. Or because my fish isn't the biggest or baddest. I have a monster-sized passion for the hobby, and that why I'm a Monster Fish Keeper!
If I'm going to deal with a 500 gallon fish tank or a 80,000 gallon tank I'm going to have it professionally made to avoid recreating the final scene in the Movie Hard Rain with the Dam breaking and flooding the town.
