What defines a Fish keeper?

[Yohanon]

As the title states. In your opinion what defines us as Fish keepers? Is it someone who buys and collects rare species? Someone who goes out and collects fish to share with the hobby? Someone who breeds fish?

My opinion it’s someone who raises a fish in all aspects. Cleaning the filters, maintaining water quality, feeds/train/raise the fish, and finally breeding the fish. Otherwise ur just throwing money at your fish and looking at something swimming around. Can you truly understand your fish if you don’t haven’t maintained their waters? Can you tell their personality if you never fed or trained them? And are they truly happy if they refuse to reproduce in your care? What are your thoughts?

It is impossible . Every fishkeeper is different.

 

[Niki_up]

See below;


And a little more below;

 

[Troy1015]

Overstocking my tank as much as possible with fisj I can' keep just to piss people off

 

[slipshodman]

I think there are endless definitions of what people consider a fish keeper

 

[Fat Homer]

Like most i agree with the OP except for the breeding part...

Since people like me who are into oddballs etc know its often hard to impossible to sex the fish we keep...

Then there are things such as aggression issues and what to fo with offspring...

Like how on earth would one propose to breed fahakas in home aquaria which are notoriously vicious...

Then there are fish that need to travel to different water parametersto breed and if they are large it just isnt feasable especially with other tankmates...

 

[Coryloach]

Some fish breed when the conditions are extreme, rather than healthy for them long term...So having fish breed isn't necessarily a sign of happy fish. In fact, if fish are "forced" to breed very often due to the "extreme" conditions, they will not be healthy for long as that takes a chunk out of their immune system.

I have an example from the past when my corydoras bred in extremely elevated ammonia levels. The ammonia was through the roof, The corys fins had melted over night because of the ammonia but what they did is lay eggs during that ordeal....as a last resort of survival.....

Apart from that, corydoras will also breed more often when temperatures are higher than the levels they need to stay healthy long term. In nature breeding is seasonal. In fish tanks we want them doing it non-stop. Think of dog and cat farming....how good is that for them....

Other fish will breed when replicating dry and rainy season. To replicate a dry season one must stop doing water changes, get the water a bit manky.....not good if done too often...In nature a lot of fish die during dry season....

 

[Tony A.]

Now I know why I stay in the cichla forums.

 

[pacu mom]

Don’t get me wrong guys. Not saying everyone has to breed fish but it’s a full circle when we do. Raising a fish is one vital part of being a keeper but breeding is another big step. I haven’t bred all my fish I keep and have had no success in breeding since coming back into the hobby 6 years ago. But before i took break I was breeding all sorts of fh, cichlids, angels, convicts, and plecos but never anything huge like pacu, arowana, etc. It was a different challenge then just raising them. Something everyone should try at least once in their Fish keeping career. Some of the best parents don’t become grandparents. And some of the best fish keepers don’t become breeders.

Why in the world would I want to breed a fish that most people cannot take care of? A fish that gets so big most people cannot house them properly. A fish doomed to early death after living a shortened life in miserable conditions. There are not enough rescuers with big tanks to take in all the doomed pacu. I will consider myself a successful water changer if my pacu live to their potential life span of about 30 years. I have 16 years to go. We have invested considerable time and expense for adequate housing for our fish. I may not be a fish keeper, but I am a RESPONSIBLE water changer.

I am sorry, but I think you are wrong. Breeding guppies and what I am trying to do are not even in the same league. I think your definition is MBFM.

 

[troublesum]

I have a 125 gallon with 1 10in Midas 2 fx6 and 4 WC per week i think i look out for the welfare of my fish.

Is it my fault he kills everything i put in there all females he is a solo for life so i guess that makes me a bad fish keeper that i have a fish who is jack the ripper

 

[Davidiator]

Why in the world would I want to breed a fish that most people cannot take care of? A fish that gets so big most people cannot house them properly. A fish doomed to early death after living a shortened life in miserable conditions. There are not enough rescuers with big tanks to take in all the doomed pacu. I will consider myself a successful water changer if my pacu live to their potential life span of about 30 years. I have 16 years to go. We have invested considerable time and expense for adequate housing for our fish. I may not be a fish keeper, but I am a RESPONSIBLE water changer.

I am sorry, but I think you are wrong. Breeding guppies and what I am trying to do are not even in the same league. I think your definition is MBFM.

Can we see some pics of your tanks and fish?
Also I personally think that a fish keeper is as mentioned above... a lover of fish that keeps them and takes care of them, and loves them, and does research about them, and one that will not just turn his back of fish keeping because he had a goldfish die or even his entire stock, but instead rebuilds bigger and better, learns from his mistakes and in the end breeding fish is a plus. I mean did I attempt to breed guppies? No I made a "jar aquarium" and I had 3 guppies in there (horrible situation) and they bred. My clown Loachs are in a 150 gallon tank have they bred? No nobody has been able to breed them, some people have tanks full of clown Loaches and no other fish and they still can't get them to breed. Does that mean they are not a fish keeper? No it just means the fish don't want to breed. And as pacu mom mentioned some people had their fish start spawning but put an end to it because they did not want to produce fish that were going to die because people can't afford a large enough tank.