freshwater

[treesprite]

I'm just curious about how many folks actually have freshwater tanks, had freshwater first and grew out of it, dove right in to salt and skipped the easy stuff, etc

 

I myself started out with fresh water. Had fresh water fish off and on since a little kid. Around 1991 got a tank for the first time in several years and about 2 years later decided to try brakish wish was disappointing, so I went to salt. I had maybe 4 tanks going for a while - one salt, 3 fresh. Now just have the 1 salt at home - it's way more than enough.

 

Best fw tank I had was a neon tetra tank. Black gravel, black background, and a brilliant school of red/blue neon tetras.

 

Presently I have a fw in my office because saltwater is too demaning to manage it at work. 16g square face tank, 1 black angel, 1 plecco, African root wood, plants, slate. Comes close to being self-maintaining.

Edited July 27, 2007 by treesprite

[jason the filter freak]

I have a thread in the fuge on my 5 gallon fresh water nano

[fab]

Treesprite,

I started with freshwater about a hundred years ago. At one time I had 55 tanks running. Several were display tanks, most were breeding and experimention tanks. That was during the early 70's. I had a couple of adjacent rooms and most of a nice basement directly below those rooms dedicated to the hobby. Bred a lot of fish: Guppies, Gouramis, Betta Splendens, Angelfish and others. I was the first person anywhere near our area to breed Black Lace Long Veiltail Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare), late 60's and early 70's. In fact, in those days those were extremely rare fish to find at all. Eventually, I grew pairs that overcrowded a 55g tall with just the two of them in the tank. Their dorsal fins lay on the surface while pelvic and anal fins reached to the bottom. Had to build custom tanks to get the height right for them. They ended up breeding like clockwork. I never had to separate the fry from the parents. I and a friend experimented with breeding multi-generations to develop traits systematically.

 

I don't think acrylic tanks existed back then. Of course, we used stone tools then. Our tanks were built with metal frames, glass sides and slate bottoms. I made some with glass bottoms and was considered an outlander for it. I actually got snubbed by folks who saw them. They believed fish could not live over glass bottoms; rather they had to have slate. According to them (opinions, not knowledge) glass bottoms were unnatural and the fish would freak out, stress and die. We glued these monster tanks together with a black tar like paste that oozed when it got warm, was hard to get off your hands, impossible to get off your clothes. It was particularly bad when it oozed after a tank was built and had water and gravel in it. Of course it would ooze out of the bottom seam onto the table or stand.

 

Dem's were de good ole days... I will probably put up a Neon Tetra tank like treesprite's, black back and substrate, mirrored sides, bright green plants and a school of dozens of neons, but no slate and tar construction.

 

fab

Edited July 27, 2007 by fab

[treesprite]

Jason, is it a newer thread? I don't remember seeing it.

 

Fab,

are you sure you weren't my next door neighbor? Wheaton, MD?

This was through the 70s. This is where my very first fish that were all my own came from, and this is probably what got me to loving fish so much. The neighbor guy built 2 rows of fish tanks into the basement walls - I thought how cool it was to have all those tanks in the wall, and all those neat fish - back then I don't know that there was even such a thing as an aquarium store (the department stores had tropical fish for sale), let alone a person having his basement walls lined with tanks in his house. He gave me some guppies and was talking about guppies having babies; my guppies didn't live very long (I'm guessing now that it was chlorine), and I was really disappointed about not getting to have guppy babies. I feel like a little kid remembering this stuff - haven't thought about it for many years.

Edited July 27, 2007 by treesprite

[jnguyen4007]

I still have my fresh water tanks, though I downsize it a bit. I now have a 35 gal acrylic hex tank that holds my african cichlids, a 46 gal bow front tank that holds my precious discus, and a 55 gal tank that holds my angelfish and couple clown loaches. Whenever I decide to upgrade my salt water tank to a much larger size, I will then consider shutting down the angelfish tank at that point.

 

James

[fab]

Wally's Aquarium was around back then. His was the high-end place to go. There were several tropical fish stores on the Virginia side, even then. And yes, the department stores had a tropical fish department. Things have really changed. I used to supply Wally's Aquarium with a lot of fish back then. Wally's was near Wilson Blvd and Glebe road in Arlington, Va. in a small stand alone building. I guess I-66 might go through the old site now, not sure.

 

fab

[treesprite]

Awww.... Fab, I was hoping you were my old neighbor. If you want to live in a crummy apartment complex in a crummy area, you are welcome to be a new one (sounds inviting, doesn't it?)

 

Lots of freshwater tanks, James.

[Guest han012]

i still have a 20 gal w/ my black moor goldfish that's been running for about a year. she's had ick a couple weeks ago which subsequently killed her friend so i'm a little weary to get a tankmate for her yet. i do feel bad for it sometimes though. i give so much attention to my sw tank now. i guess there are some bad sides for being a very hardy fish

Edited August 1, 2007 by han012

[gsedlack]

Wow - that takes me back. I used to go into Wally's with my friends just to look around. I guess you also reference the pet store at Parkington?

 

I like Oscars back then and used to frequent Home TV Aquarium (name?) that used to be at Glebe and Rt 50 - just to get feeders. As best I can recall - there was no marine critters.

 

Wally's Aquarium was around back then. His was the high-end place to go. There were several tropical fish stores on the Virginia side, even then. And yes, the department stores had a tropical fish department. Things have really changed. I used to supply Wally's Aquarium with a lot of fish back then. Wally's was near Wilson Blvd and Glebe road in Arlington, Va. in a small stand alone building. I guess I-66 might go through the old site now, not sure.

 

fab

[dzekunoi]

I still have a 30 gal planted with 3 Angels and 2 corys.

[eddi]

I too, started with FW about 25 years ago. I just recently returned to my roots and set up a 29 G Discus tank in my office.

[Gman91]

still have 3 cichlid tanks . love those things to death

[Rascal]

A 20G long in my stepdaughter's room and a 29G high in my office. Both are planted mixed tetra tanks. Sooooo easy to maintain compared to a reef. My son has been asking for his own fish tank, but for now (he's 2) he has to settle for some hermit crabs in a 6g acrylic tank.

[Charlie97L]

i'm setting up an 8g biocube as a planted tetra tank when i move.

 

i'm excited!

 

if you guys have pictures of the tetra tanks, please share!

 

charlie

[rrubberbandman]

I too started with FW....in elementary....just the usual community tank.....even had a incadescent light over it....WOW...then moved into more larger items as i got more exp and older.....have bred many cichlids...texas,convicts,firemouths,jewel's,and even had a couple cross....had angels breed, layed eggs on the undergravel filter pipe.

during early high school found a shop in NOVA that was selling pirahnas(named silver fish) put 4 of them bad boys in my 30 gallon tank....granted they were only the size of quarters...these guys were awesome....had them for many years...they even layed eggs ,but never attended to them....sad...

i use to bring home baby bluegills and drop them in the tank....fun......

then one day got some bad goldfish from creatures and critters(local shop) and they all died......i then turned 30 gallon into my first reef/SW tank.

Bryan