Replies to post #29316 on PETZ $ STOCKZ

[Gmenfan]

Always loved them but am too lazy to keep up with them.

Read this a few days ago ... Big Blue was too tough for the A-Holes!

http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/02/23/tropical-fish-survives-night-out-water-after-pet-store-robbery-and-vandalism-fall-river/8vtyL9xXeatQnMi9zz6zuO/story.html

[backtrax]

Very ambitious. Yes fish are definately pets, my wife has two tanks. (freshwater)...I have little to do with them, other than to admire them. ...I no longer name them.
I didn't see you mention bacteria. May need to add something to "jump-start" the tank enviroment before adding fish.

Good Luck with your new tank!

[Wildbilly]

I always had fresh water
aquariums as a kid, but can't help you with the salt water as they were out of my price range and a bit intimidating.
On a hunch, I'll say once you get it tuned up it won't be too bad.

Yes, I considered fish pets, almost all of them develope personalities. The aggressive ones, timid ones, friendly ones,
defensive ones, fearful ones, protective ones and so on.

Watching an aquarium in a semi darkened room was often better than watching t.v.

[Wildbilly]

You'll find joy when you see them thrive
and even change roles occasionaly and
you'll grieve when when you lose one,
just like any other pet.

Salt water tanks are so vivid, why don't
you suggest a big ole one for work? It's
a cheap spectacular addition.

[iheartweimers]

Will be interesting to see how this goes. I tried to keep one
for a year or so in Hawaii in the mid 70's. I frequently was
scuba diving or snorkeling on weekends and thought I could
save costs by getting free material for the project. Of course
everything was different then with out the Internet to source
supplies or knowledge, I would have loved to have had that.
I found that it was a maintenance nightmare, way too much
time involved with the other things I had to do since I owned
my house and landscape management and home maintenance
could already be considered a full time job. University of
Hawaii had courses that would have helped but mostly one
bought a book and relied on asking the local pet shop for
advice, and who trained them?
It was fun for awhile but it was expensive, I got a 55 gal
tank mostly because I had a passthrough between the kitchen
and what was a living/dining room. I wanted the tank to be
a living wall to fill the space between the two rooms. That
was a great concept but a visible embarrassment when it
turned green and started to smell swampy. I learned a lot,
besides that it wasn't for me and not to try that again. Some
of the things I remember is that little fish grow to a size
proportionate to the size of the tank. 55 gal is a LOT of H2O
and you can grow sharks. That wasn't going to happen to
me because I kept introducing diseases with the wild rock,
coral or fish I introduced from time to time. Also, fish poop
a lot. And they eat each other. And you can't go to Maui for
a week and expect things to be ok when you get home..
The video posted was really great, wish they had given the
vet lab fees. Here's one I found I liked:

Hope you keep us informed, will be fun to watch. It should
be less expensive than the stock market hobby has been
for most of us too. Good luck!

[Wildbilly]

I hate that people have made pigs pets
and great pets they make. I had a friend in H.S. whose eccentric family had a pet pig, a black shepherd and a regular German shepherd
that were allowed to run free with the pig being the alpha.

I would never have a pig as a pet and if I were a pig farmer I sure wouldn't name any of them.

I loooove bacon too much.