Never saw this thread until the other day. I wouldn't have figured there were many fish enthusiasts on here. I have had tanks going back to when I was in middle school probably (I am 29 now). I have had a wide variety of freshwater fish over the years.
I have always wanted to have a saltwater tank, but I don't know how to take care of it and I would imagine it is way more difficult and expensive. I have read through the thread and agree with the people that have said having a fish tank is a huge pain in the ass. I don't think a small tank would be bad at all, but I have always had larger tanks. I never really knew how much went into properly caring for fish if you are doing it the right way until this most recent tank. When I was at my parents, I would do water changes and clean the tanks, but my Mom was always the one buying fish, caring for sick ones, getting the filtration, etc.
My tank now is 125 gallons. I have had it around 2 years or so. I started with discus. The most difficult fish I ever had by far. The local fish store owner told me they are harder to keep than saltwater fish. I should have listened. They are by far my favorite freshwater fish, but not worth the hassle. They need super clean water at all times to thrive. People that are insane fish enthusiasts change like 80-90% of the water on a daily basis with discus and they keep nothing in the tank at all except discus... no gravel, decor, or other fish. I was changing like 80% of the water 1-2 times a week and the fish were not doing well (not growing, getting sick). It lasted around 6 months and I gave up.
I moved on to some predator fish from there (Silver arowana and a Clown Knife). I think the arowana ate part of a decoration and it got lodged inside of it. It just completely stopped eating. I was stunned how long it lived without eating... probably 3 months.
I debated just giving it up at that point out of frustration. Spent so much money on fish and so much time trying to help sick fish on top of the normal maintenance which is already a bitch for a tank that size. The only reason I kept going with it is because my tank is "in the wall," so it would be a whole process to get rid of it. I'd have to take it out, drywall the wall, and be left with a big blank spot on the wall.
I moved on to African Peacock Cichlids along with some other fish. They are not my favorite freshwater fish by looks, but they do have some upsides. Some do have great vibrant color. They are very active and hardy and have been much easier to take of. I know they can get aggressive and territorial at times, but I haven't had too much of an issue so far. I am hoping it stays that way as they continue to grow.
125 gallons. 17 peacock cichlids, 3 parrot cichlids, 3 clown loaches, 3 "sharks" (albino and black red tips), and then my favorite fish I have the Vampire Pleco (last photo - He loves watermelon). Here it is...
