How many here actually keep aquariums?

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO)
#1

Okay, for some reason I’m constantly amused at the number of fish-related posts that pop up…and by the knowledge of the people who respond.

So, how many people here keep aquariums? A little dinky tank with a feeder goldfish doesn’t count…I’m talking real plants, metal halide lighting…you know the score :wink: :wink:

I’m in residence right now, so no tanks for me. But at home, I had 2 35gallons and a 10g with everything from cichilds to community fish (at different types, naturally). And of course, real plants.

#2

I have a friend in LA who has always had an aquarium, although after two years fighting with all the problems a salt water aquarium brings with it (price of fish, keeping the right mixture of salt and other chemicals, temperature, etc.) he finally went to freshwater.
He has a huge circular tank and I have to admit, it is fascinating to watch while you are in his apartment. Very Zen, peaceful and calming. Sometimes that is the only light in his apartment and it is very beautiful.

Here in Las Vegas, you should see the check in counter at Mirage…a HUGE aquarium on the wall behind the counter.
There is also a new “real” aquarium at Mandalay Bay, with sharks and squid and all sorts of fish I have never even heard of, let alone see. There is also another one in Ceasar’s Palace at the west end of the shopping court. There is also the Secret Garen of Siegfried and Roy that has dolphins you can get near enough to pet.

#3

I keep a 35g tank with Angels, plecos and a few other random fish. It is so stable now that when my filter unit konked out a few months ago, nothing happened. I changed the water every month, but I was too broke to buy a new filter…Amazingly, nothing died and everything looked fine. I’ve replaced it since and things are just going along. Nice little tank to look at, nothing special though.

I want to move up to saltwater sometime when I have the money, but it will be harder here in Prague…I think there is exactly 1 store and I’d have to figure out how to make my own distilled/RO water.

My friends in Denver have all gone saltwater in the past 2 years and say they will never go back. After the initial 3 months set-up time, their tanks are easier to care for than the freshwaters they had. To quote “Not many bad things grow in saltwater.” They all use 2 good books- one on ethical tanks and another on making your own systems. Yes, it cost more to set-up, but now they by RO water once every other week on the way home from work, do a water change, and feed the fish every other day or so. And WOW! do their tanks look cool! Reef set-ups with bright colorful fishies and clams and shrimps and whatnot.

I was thinking of trying to make a mini-reef setup- an all-in-one unit about the size of a 17" monitor.Here is a pic of a 20gal. nano tank. And here is a site dedicated to nano-reefs. Someday, someday…
-Tcat

#4

I have a mess of them -

2 - 50 gal saltwater
2- 35gal saltwater

1 - 150 gal tropical
3- 35 gal tropical

They’re not really a hideous amount of work, and they’re really beautiful. I have a huge casual livingroom in the downstairs of my house and the fish live down there.

#5

I have goldfish fish in outdoor pools and killifish in aquariums.

#6

Large aquariums just look so “classy”, I think. The odd thing about fishkeeping is that its actually easier to keep a large tank than a smaller tank. (Of course, this makes sense if you think about it).

#7

I have a 30 gal fresh in my family room. Live plants with low light and no CO2 - couple of different crypts, couple of anubias, and java fern. A pleco and schools of 3 types of tetras. I’m thinking about adding some cories. This is an incredibly stable, low maintenance setup. I’ll keep tinkering with it until I screw
something up!

In the early planning stages, a larger tank - probably a 90g tall, in the living room. Planted, higher light, with primarily angels and maybe clown loaches. Right now trying to figure what to do about CO2 and what kind of stand to look good in such a high profile location.

Any sites/forums where you hang out? Me, mainly at The Planted Tank and fishforums. Gets too frustrating looking at all those beautiful photos - my tank looks pretty good - until I compare it to those.

Some folk go entirely NUTS about lighting, CO2, fertilizer, etc.

#8

I have a 100 gallon wall tank with one piranha in it. His name is Dilk Near and I’ve had him for 5 years. He’s a regal ol’chap and a vertiable part of the family.

Some people when they find out I keep a piranha in the house get offended as if it is some sort of bad thing.

I’m 33 years old and have had a large tank for many years. I also keep a family tank with live plants. Mostly coon tails and lilies, but we have a couple cray fish in it, a perch, and some pumpkin seeds. Mrs. Phlosphr and I like real to life tanks, so our retty pond experiment is just perfect.

#9

uh thats pretty pond expeiment…:slight_smile:

#10

Hubby has a 45 gallon freshwater aquarium in our living room. The tank has a bowfront instead of the traditional rectangular shape. He keeps African ciclids ( I think he’s got eight in it right now) along with a HUGE plecostomos and a little silver catfish. No plants in his aquarium, as the pH kept killing them, but lots of beautiful rock structures and a large piece of deadwood. He gets compliments on the tank from almost everyone who sees it.

#11

I have a 125 gal. ,BUT I 'm getting bored with it after 10 years and trying to sell it right now. freshwater , oscars,convicts,peacock bass, jaguars,and plecos over the years.
never tried live plants and salt water is WAY to expensive in these parts.

#12

I’ve got four tanks (55 gallon african cichlid tank, 20 gallon community with live plants, 20 gallon shell-dwelling cichlid tank, and a 5 gallon with whoever is breeding or sick) in my smallish apartment. I’d have something bigger if I had room, and the moment I get a house, it will have a pond with turtles in the yard.

With less than an hour of maintenance a week (I’m religious about water changes), everything hums along smoothely, everyone except the glass catfish breed without special treatment, and The only problem I have is the battle against the algae in the big tank (unfortunately positioned where it gets some sunlight). It’s a food source for the other tanks when I take it out.

#13

I used to have a bunch of tanks when I lived in Queens and had a lot more space. Now I have only two - both freshwater.

I have a 150-gallon tall tank in my bedroom, with live plants and some exotics.

I have a 55-gallon tank in my living room, which houses three severums, a shovelnose cat and two Bolivian rams. No live plants, but plenty of river rocks I plucked myself from the Maury River in VA when I was in college.

I love my fish. Once you get into a routine, it’s pretty easy to deal with from a maintenance perspective. The only thing that is a pain is if you want to take an extended vacation. When I go on business trips, I have my sister and her SO come over and feed the fish. This is no “drop a pinch of flakes in the tank” kind of task. Usually, three or four types of food are going in the tank at one time, so I have to be specific about how much of each kind and how often.

All in all, though, it’s a lot of fun. I can sit and watch my fish for hours on end.

#14

I have a 90 g with an Oscar & a pl*co in it. I had another catfish in it, that was supposed to poisonous & it was covered with little spikes, but the stinking Oscar ate it anyway.
I bought a 30 g after I moved, and it’s sitting the front hall, but it only has two fish in it, cories. And a big amazon sword plant.

Anyone else watch Survivor, and shout at the screen “Don’t kill that neat pleco!”