(This took an odd turn and is kind of a time line confession wall of text thing. I’m going to post it with out edit on MCA for a bit then Ill go back and change some stuff)
Well I’m pretty sure I’ve done this before but I am super bored at work so I’m going to do a short write up about my fish keeping from start to current. Bare with me as language arts was never a strong suit.
Some of you know me, some of you don’t like me, but most have never met me. I have a 2 year old son and a wife who hates fish and animals in general. We also have twins on the way. I work an odd schedule and miss most fish things with the exception of the auctions, never been to a meeting. Will probably never make it to one I’m not very social unless drinking then I’m an ass hole. I am incredibly obsessed with fish and I don’t know why, I have not a single friend who keeps any kind of odd pet. (Members excluded of course.) Really not a single person I talk to on a day to day basis understands why I do this. I guess I do it because it’s fun.
My wife was the one that got the first fish it was june 25th 2012 she won 6 gold fish for my sons room at the Livonia spree. She regrets that every single day. We got home and put the 6 fish in a small bowl I fed them bread crumbs. In the morning 1 fish was missing and the water was gray, I fed them more bread crumbs. We got a 2.5 g plastic tank from her dads work with no filter. 3 gold fish lived. I did a tiny amount of research and found out I needed a filter so we went to petsmart to buy a filter. We left with a 15g column tank with all the goodies it cost a lot I believe we spent $250 that day. I set the 15g tank up read up cycling but also didn’t care about it, put fish in day 3. I went into fantastic fins and asked a very educated question. “I’d like some red fish that swim together and some black fish that swim together” I left with 12 tiger barbs. They all lived. The gold fish tank began to smell so I put the gold fish in the lake across the street. I started doing more research online found monsterfish keepers and posted a ton of dumb stuff like real dumb got ripped hard. Found a 55g full set up for $30 called my dad picked it up set it up 4th of july I find this funny as all this happened in 2 ½ weeks.
Now I was an experienced keeper this time I was going to cycle the new 55g tank. I put fish in when I got back from 4th of July vacation. 2 electric yellows, 2 red empress from fantastic fins of course. My wife didn’t like them, I took them back. Picked up 4 angels, 6 hatchet fish, clown loaches, yoyo loach, basically any thing that caught my eye. They died I complained to Chris and asked for a refund he helped me out told me what I was doing wrong I bought a testing kit. Cycled a tank for real, fish in of course. Some Dalmatian mollys, 1 hatchet, 2 clown loaches and a yoyo loach make it threw the cycle.
I believe it is now late July early August. I’m hanging out at fins a lot, like way to much 3 some times 4 days a week. I don’t really talk to anyone just lurk. Listen when people ask questions. Start buying severums and earth eaters, start learning more about specific species not just fish in general. I am still a moron. I decided I am going to breed and need a fry tank I want to breed guppies or live bearers. I get a lead on 10g full set up a guy is using to breed guppies $30. While I am there I tell him he has some nice guppies. They were feeder guppies. I buy his 55g set up as well for $90. 4 tanks up and running now. 1 in the kitchen, 2 in the living room, 1 in the bedroom. Wife is mad like real mad, family thinks I’m nuts. No more I say, no more I’m done for sure. I buy a 90g, it goes in the spare bedroom.
This is September- October 2012 now. 5 tanks running mbuna tank full stocked, 55g of souths and just whatever stocked, 10g has no gone planted a group of german blue rams call that home my wife fished them out of the disposal when there bag broke because my hands were to fat. The plants look pitiful. The 90g has a pretty cool collection large fish I purchased full size. Just a grab bag of anything big I could get my hands on for a good price all cichlids CA, SA, Oldworld who cares.
Novemberish, I’ve been a member of MCA for a few months posting dumb stuff acting a fool. I start PMing people and meeting and seeing peoples fish rooms. Jkeeler first buy, bought electric yellows to add to me group we met in a meijers parking lot. Wife though I was nuts. Went in to Stans and Blairs fish rooms to pick up stuff. I was concerned for my life as I walked into stans dark basement, then absolutely blown away by how awesome it was defiantly a major influence. Blairs I just couldn’t believe you could fit so many tanks into a house. And Frenchie came and checked out my fish bed room gave me a couple compliments and pointers we made some trades. Funny the things you remember.
I believe I went to my first auction around this time bought mbuna threw them in the tank. My fish begin breeding neon jewels. I MUST save the fry I need to sell fish at the auction and make money as I’m super broke right now, it’s all a matter of time until this hobby pays for itself. I convince my dad to help build a rack. 40B, 20 H and 3 10gs. All in the bedroom, bed room with carpet. I give the jewels away for free along with the breeding pair. The spare bedroom is still accesable at this point every thing is off to the side. Actually looks really cool one wall of fish tanks and then a 90g with some big cool fish. Rest of the room is open space to hang out in doesn’t smell isn’t loud pretty neat. Were having my sons birthday party so I go out and buy a bunch of big fish for the 90g all the guys hang out in the room and party. 90g is so over packed and aggressive im losing fish left and right plus the drunks put a bunch of the mbuna in the tank disaster.
Januaryish 2013 a double 29g goes in the spare bedroom rusty and electric yellows are producing like crazy, I have severums out my ears and eartheaters ever where, not spawing these buying them all, anything I can get my hands on, totally lost all control every extra dime is being spent on fish, electric bill is out of control water bill isn’t getting paid, credit is piling up. Group orders are done, no auctions till May sell some fish calm down a hair.
March-May friend brings over a tank, I buy another 29g the spare bedroom is unusable stinks so bad carpet is destroyed it’s so loud I cant stand going in there. Converted to air pumps extension cords and power strips every where. Some tanks arnt heated 10gs under stands So many small fish and growing fast. No where to put them. I’m hardly selling except the Electric yellows and rustys I’m getting attached. Make some trades empty some tanks sell some stuff. May auction Tropheus my new love, fish room tour more tropheus. I sell the randoms start species tanks spare bedroom is now destroyed start planning fish room. Finish fish room add fish.
Rushed the fish room, tons of stuff I would have done different, but anything is better than the bedroom. Carpet gets ripped out bedroom redone. Summer 2013 spending is better but not great I’m learning a ton lots of research on stuff Im interested. Lots of online orders, educated orders very much into mbuna and tropheus breeding. Tanks are cleaner bills are down fish seem happier. Still hate the set up. Lots of breeding happy with the hobby but now into the rare and expensive the caddys of fish, maybe an ego thing not sure what it was but I needed stuff other people didn’t have. Then it would breed and I wouldn’t want to sell it so no one else would have it lol very strange I think I’m over that now.
I guess will call this present as this kind of turned into a time lineish thing. I’m very happy with where I’m at with the hobby, it’s even more fun when you can afford things. I try to be less cynical or elitist. I buy fish I like I breed them and sell them or give them away. I’m attempting to make friends less sarcasm , it rarely comes off funny on the internet. I like learning and reading, I now know I don’t know jack and will never know everything but I read, search and learn because it’s fun not so I can tell someone what I know, or what they don’t know. I got some fish friends now. Not worrying about looking silly or asking a dumb questions. At times it’s felt like a job, at times it was not fun, at times it was scary how obsessed I’d gotten so quickly. But overall I’m glad it all happened, I’m very pleased with where I’m at with the hobby currently. Im enjoying every aspect, with the exception of bagging fish I hate bagging fish.
If I had to give advice Dan in June of 2012 it would be this.
Slow down don’t get in over your head, this hobby is expensive very very expensive. Don’t ever expect to get your money out of it. Do it because you enjoy it. Don’t be afraid to ask questions but at least google it first. And just be nice.
