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Fish Matter
Do we choose our fish or do they choose us?
One might say the Subtitle “Do we Choose our fish or do they choose us?†is absolutely ridicules.  We choose the fish, right?  Don’t we?  I sat contemplating that question one evening in front of one of my aquariums.  I found myself thinking of when my wife and I were new to the hobby just trying not to kill off the fish in our 10g tank. Â
Essentially when entering the Fish Hobby the typical individual will have almost no knowledge of fish and what it takes for fish to survive.  How many of us have cleaned their tank by changing out all the water and cleaning the filter till it sparkled and wondered why their fish died soon after?  I’ve seen fish leave a LFS with their new owners, who by the way should just wear a bright shirt or hat with “Newbie†written on it in big bold letters, knowing there would be no happy ending.  One person may start out with goldfish or Tetras.  Another may want to buy a fish that they have to have, only to have it die or find that it has killed anything else in the tank. Â
What I’m getting at is that it takes time to know the basics of the fish hobby and to get familiar with all the types of fish, at least in general before you know what you like and if you are able to meet the needs of that fish.  So you pick a fish or fishes that you like that are also within your means to care for.  What are the “means�  “Means†is money, time, and space.  Another way to look at it is that your fish has chosen you because of your interest and the level of care you can provide for them.
How long did it take you for your fish to choose you? Â Or are you still on the journey to find out? Â Just something to think about and by all means please share your thoughts.
Do we choose our fish or do they choose us?
One might say the Subtitle “Do we Choose our fish or do they choose us?†is absolutely ridicules.  We choose the fish, right?  Don’t we?  I sat contemplating that question one evening in front of one of my aquariums.  I found myself thinking of when my wife and I were new to the hobby just trying not to kill off the fish in our 10g tank. Â
Essentially when entering the Fish Hobby the typical individual will have almost no knowledge of fish and what it takes for fish to survive.  How many of us have cleaned their tank by changing out all the water and cleaning the filter till it sparkled and wondered why their fish died soon after?  I’ve seen fish leave a LFS with their new owners, who by the way should just wear a bright shirt or hat with “Newbie†written on it in big bold letters, knowing there would be no happy ending.  One person may start out with goldfish or Tetras.  Another may want to buy a fish that they have to have, only to have it die or find that it has killed anything else in the tank. Â
What I’m getting at is that it takes time to know the basics of the fish hobby and to get familiar with all the types of fish, at least in general before you know what you like and if you are able to meet the needs of that fish.  So you pick a fish or fishes that you like that are also within your means to care for.  What are the “means�  “Means†is money, time, and space.  Another way to look at it is that your fish has chosen you because of your interest and the level of care you can provide for them.
How long did it take you for your fish to choose you? Â Or are you still on the journey to find out? Â Just something to think about and by all means please share your thoughts.
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