OT - anyone into aquariums?

CPARKTX

Anyone have aquariums?  I've totally gotten sucked into this hobby, which turns out to be even more costly than my Egging addiction. 

HoustonEgger

Not personally - but someone in my neighborhood is selling one that looks pretty good. They just posted it on Nextdoor yesterday. I can send you the contact information if you are interested.

Here's what they wrote about it:
This is a beautiful, custom aquarium. It features a bullet nose on one end, 88 gallon capacity, stands 58" tall, 50" long and 20" wide. We paid over a grand just for the tank and for the price you get the tank, stand, pump, filter (I have an extra Eheim filter that goes with it) all the food, chemicals and the fish. Only thing you have to come catch the fish, drain the tank and take it away. I also have the python faucet connection cleaning system. All this for 300.00. The original fluorescent lighting was upgraded to LED. Included fish are three very large Tinfoil Barbs and two big Pleco's. You won't find a tank like this anywhere. Let me know if you have any questions.

Eggdicted_Dawgfan

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/1973629#Comment_1973629

Take me a look at that thread. There are a few here that know a lot about the hobby. Looking forward to seeing your setup. 

CPARKTX

Thanks for the offer @HoustonEgger, nice tank, but please don't send me the information....I don't need any more temptation!

HoustonEgger

CPARKTX said:

Thanks for the offer @HoustonEgger, nice tank, but please don't send me the information....I don't need any more temptation!

Ha! Even I was tempted at that price - but then I realized I don't know jack about tanks like that and I'm still unpacking from the move, so priorities. 

SciAggie

I had aquariums years ago - both fresh and salt water. They are both interesting. The salt water tanks are the money pit. I had great fun with my freshwater tanks. Once they are established and you get a maintenance routine they are not too bad. When I was in college I had a 50 gallon show tank with brackish water fish. I had a freshwater eel, knife fish and archer fish in that tank. I really enjoyed them. 
For years I also had a huge Oscar in another 50 gallon breeder tank. He learned to jump out of the water and take food from my hand. 

Foghorn

A freshwater tank won't lead to salt buildup that causes a short and sets your house on fire. Just sayin'. 

We had salt until the fire. It's fresh now. 

But it's my wife's hobby, so I don't know much more than that. 

Jeremiah

@CPARKTX we have a salt reef tank. Yeah it can be a pain to maintain, but we still enjoy it too much to get rid of. 

CPARKTX

Sorry to hear that @Foghorn, our house burned down when I was a child....short circuit in a TV

Foghorn

Thanks @CPARKTX, because of our smoke alarm we only had a few thousand dollars worth of damage. 

HeavyG

SciAggie said:

I had aquariums years ago - both fresh and salt water. They are both interesting. The salt water tanks are the money pit. I had great fun with my freshwater tanks. Once they are established and you get a maintenance routine they are not too bad. When I was in college I had a 50 gallon show tank with brackish water fish. I had a freshwater eel, knife fish and archer fish in that tank. I really enjoyed them. 
For years I also had a huge Oscar in another 50 gallon breeder tank. He learned to jump out of the water and take food from my hand. 

Oscars are like puppies. They'll recognize you and get all excited when they know you are about to feed them.

We had a few in a big tank in our office many years ago that were real gluttons and would eat so many worms that they would sink to the bottom of the tank and just rest there for awhile, often with half a worm poking out of a gill slit.

Had one leap out of the tank to grab a handheld worm but missed the mark and landed on the floor. Picked it up, brushed it off and put it back into the tank. No harm no foul.

Feeder goldfish were another food source for them - the goldfish never had a chance.

Killit_and_Grillit

I had two...a fresh and a salt. I loved it. Started in college. Great hobby for someone with an obsessive personality. (Ex someone who frequents a green grill forum)

But man I spent some stupid $$$. That was back when my wife and I were DINKs. (Dual income no kids). 

Now my daughter is getting old enough to take care of her own I may get her a little one. 

The_Stache

The first tanks I remember were in my dentists office.  To this day, they make my teeth hurt!!!

SciAggie

@HeavyG You nailed them exactly. Yeah, mine missed the tank on the return once as well. Same story - dusted him off and put him back. He was fine. 

Teefus

I had several tanks. I raised African cichlids for a while, then South American cichlids. It was a money suck. I gave the hobby up 15 years ago. I just gave away the last of my surplus filtration gear last year. 

sctdg

Had a Pacu in a 55 gal . tank . Fed him dry dog food  and other things ,he grew so big he could hardly turn around in the tank . Had Oscars in another 55 but back when I had them there was a real problem with a disease called Hole in the head lost both to that as they got older,it also was showing up in Discus too(another South American). It was believed that it was passed on from feeding Tubifex worms when fish were young ,something about the dirt that came with the worms . In the early 70's feeder gold fish were cheap couldn't imagine dealing with that now. Coolest fish I ever had were Blue Acaras ,another south American got them to breed . Loved Cichlids ,African or south American ,just a lot of work . Got to crowd a Cichlid tank(no one fish gets excessively picked on)  and that leads to a lot more maintenance. I always bought my fish when they were very young,much cheaper .