Fishkeeping to Herpkeeping/Herpkeeping to Fishkeeping

For me, it was fishkeeping first. I'm just now starting to get more involved in the herpkeeping world (even if I don't have any myself just yet). I've tended to be more interested in the cultivated varieties of fish, mostly fancy goldfish and bettas. I've kept all sorts of peaceful community fish, from tetras to livebearers, rasboras, plecos, ect. At one point I had three fantails, a blue oranda, bronze lionhead, tricolor demekin, panda demekin, and a pearlscale, and several bettas. I've also tried dabbling at aquascaping some of my smaller tanks.

I've paired it down lately to just three goldies and two bettas. My oldest and largest fantail, pigeon (5 years old at about 12cm), my two year old bronze ranchu (already almost as big as pigeon, and still growing :gj: ) and my baby panda (already losing the black, he's going to be a white one when he grows up) are permanent fixtures at my parents shop (and getting a brand new 50G tank, since their old one is, well, old). My two bettas, a bronze halfmoon plakat and a black/red butterfly delta currently share a 10G divided tank, but I may have to rehome them before I ship off to school.

I've always wanted to expand into saltwater, cichlids, puffers, and many oddball fish, and I probably will, but if I had to choose I would always keep fancy goldies (especially once I can have a pond) and bettas. Even if some other fishkeepers consider them 'lesser' fish. :P

I've always joked with my parents that that betta when I was a child was a gateway drug to cichlids, saltwater, lizards and snakes.

180gal african cichlids
30 and 50gal salt water

We began with a 60G freshwater planted and then added a 40 breeder freshwater planted. Then we aquired a Columbian boa, a Nicaraguan boa, and a normal ball at a reptile show. Unfortunately our little ball did not make it and we got rid of all of our fish and took down our tanks when we had to move from Texas to Colorado. We also got rid of both of our boas (which totally broke my husband's heart). Once we got to Colorado my husband talked me into a 40G saltwater reef tank which shortly there after upgraded to a 150G reef tank. We now run that and are slowly aquiring the goods to get 2 ball morphs hopefully in the VERY near future (we are trying to get rid of our saltwater setup if you are in the vicinity of Colorado Springs!!!)

I technically started with fish. In 2005, I started with bettas. I had 4 of them. One in a 3g, one in a 2g, and 2 females in two 1/2 gallon tanks. I seriously considered breeding betta fish but I lacked the space and my grandmother said "no." I then graduated up to a 20g long freshwater tank with tropical community fish (danios, tetras). I also set up a 20g long tank with 2 comet goldfish but I learned quickly that goldfish need lots of space. I also set up a 10g for the babies of my mollies. I had plans for more, but between school and work, I had no time for them.

I then began keeping herps but I have always wanted to get back into fishkeeping. I tried a 20g long saltwater but it got too expensive before I really got anywhere with it. I am going to get into fish again. I just need the space and time.....and money of course.

First fish keeping. I kept some herps every once and a while but only recently have I really gotten into them. But I am still primarily a fishkeeper, I just got a new 130g tank I'm setting up now.

I had fish for a while. For one of my birthdays I got a 10 gal tank, which was MY first tank. I upgraded to a 16 gal later....but after that I just didn't care all that much. My dad's into it BIG time though and has a 100 gal tank running. I don't plan on getting back into it, really. Maybe a betta here or there, or if I have the drive I'll get a big pickerel tank. But that's really it.

I had reptiles a little before that, but again, not seriously. I just got really interested in keeping them about two years ago when I got my leo.

So I said fish first, then reptiles.

I started out with a 55 gallon saltwater aquarium, then to my snakes. I think I've kind of neglected my fish tank lately!

Thought I'd throw a picture in for fun, nothing special but I'm proud of it, I was only 16 and stupid when I started with this tank.

Any one else have pictures of their tanks :D

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/918/img0421v.jpg[/URL]

Been keeping fish (sort of) withvmy parents when i was little, then fishkeeping again this year and picked up on herp keeping a few months after

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Originally Posted by Carlene16

I started out with a 55 gallon saltwater aquarium, then to my snakes. I think I've kind of neglected my fish tank lately!

Thought I'd throw a picture in for fun, nothing special but I'm proud of it, I was only 16 and stupid when I started with this tank.

Any one else have pictures of their tanks :D

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/918/img0421v.jpg[/URL]

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I have never had fish before but I really would like to get a medium saltwater when I live on my own. I really like yours! Love the fish you choose.

I had one normal male ball python first, but got into reefkeeping and did a 24G Aquapod set-up. I then started to add more snakes to the collection when my reef started to go down hill.
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/a...1290/FTS-1.jpg
That was my tank in the prime of it's existence I now have it as a FOWLR tank and only have a Serpent Star, a Valentine Puffer, a Yellow Watchman Goby, and a Candycane Pistol Shrimp. P.S. there is fish in the tank in that picture they just all seem to be hiding and I can't find a better picture.