Just a little weird.

[Cooldadddyfunk286]

Oh man, do I get beat up at work! The guys at work give the hardest time about it. This one guy always shakes his head and says "man Eddie....I never took you for a fish guy". He says "Fish....of all things, FISH". LOL

Now my wife, she does not understand it AT ALL. She pretty much says that I am cheating on her with my fish. Constantly comments on how crazy I am and she does not know how I could be so passionate about fish.

The important thing for me, is that I am passionate about something and it's positive. Thats all that matters.

Eddie

Eddie, thats how my girl treats me about it! i had to edit my first reply, dont want to offend any of the great ladies we have here but my girl just really doesnt get it. she tries to pretend shes happy for me, but shes really not. we got into a 2 hour dispute about it when I told her I cant sleep over, have to go home and feed my fish, do WCs and turn off the tank lights. she bugged out on me I think it upsets her that not much makes me happier than these fish. but I tried to tell her not to compare our relationship with my fish haha. atleast my mother is happy for me, and she loves the fish my butthole friends would say something like "ohh, you gotta go home and wipe the c*m stains off your fishtanks?" haha---a$$holes huh?? lol I think its just something we all have to deal with.

al, you seem to have it pretty nice over there. Im sure Ill end up like you one day. I really get too involved in my hobbies to be with someone who doesnt understand it, or atleast tolerates it well enough. you just gotta let ur significant other be happy, the happier he/she is, the happier they will be with you. (usually)

this thread is great, its a way for us to vent lol...like therapy.

[calihawker]

this thread is great, its a way for us to vent lol...like therapy.

Dr. Steve-O's in da house

[Disgirl]

Good topic Steve-O! I have been keeping tropical fish for 38 yrs. in June. Been married 38 yrs. too. Thank goodness my husband has always enjoyed and supported me in my hobby. He doesn't even bat an eyelash when I do my 50% wc's every evening now. I can get him to feed my fish when I am gone. B
UT I have had many friends/visitors/relatives over the years who have raised eyebrows or worse when they have seen our home with fish tanks everywhere. Used to have 20 tanks in our dining room! Now I am down to 3 tanks plus a Koi pond and plant pond in the backyard. I have always loved my fish and work in a public aquarium one day a week. All the folks who ridicule us just don't know the joy and beauty they are missing out on in life without fish, discus in particular! BTW, I keep discus, angelfish and a few african cichlids now, beside 10 large butterfly Koi. Glad I am getting to know you all.
Barbara

[target]

I haven't had the room to go completely crazy, but know I will given half the chance. I have been into fish for at least 15 years now and have even gotten my brother, mom, and sister-in-law to get tanks set up.

For me it is a extremely fun and challenging hobby, always something to learn and try out. My wife started out thinking I was nuts but now is almost as into the fish as I am. She is all for me setting up a huge tank when we have room, so my next step is to get a house that will provide enough space for a monster tank.

Its all about what you are into. A lot of people spend tons of money on golf or hockey for example. For me, having an aquarium and watching the fish grow and thrive more than outweighs the occasional comment from others on how weird it is to be that passionate about it.

My son is now 3 months old and I am excited for the time when he asks for a tank of his own. A while before that happens, but then I will have a second person to help pressure the wife for bigger and better. And then, one day, the ultimate goal for me right now, a fish room.

[fishkeeper59]

WOW.....after reading all these post i thought for sure i was the only one that had felt so much for a fish. My wife and kids are actually supportive of me and seem to enjoy all these discus's i have. for awhile they thought i had gone loony, cause of my dedication and time spent mesmerized looking at the condition of my discus.Started with a 20 gal. now have 4 tanks up and running and its only been 5 mos. so who would'nt think im a little obsessed . So glad to see that the members of this forum are as compassionate as i am when keeping these majestic creatures. Now i don't feel so wierd

[Cooldadddyfunk286]

I totally hear you on that! Iv only been in the hobby for about 6 months now, and I will soon have 12 discus in painted tanks, with nice equipment and the whole 9. when i first got on this site I kept reading of the "discus bug" and how ppl keep getting "bit" by it well it has totally bit me! shark bite too, severed from the waist down Atleast with this hobby I never feel like Im spending too much money...its just so rewarding for me!

[Armandi_Fishcarer]

Good luck in the com Steve-O

I think I'm alittle weird sometimes, espeically when I run so many tanks(15 at the moment) that I don't see much due too work although always have time for w/c's inbetween.

Regards
Ahmed

[acroken]

This is a great thread Steve. In one way or another I am sure most discus people are looked at as being a little "weird". We are so into these fish and invest so much time that others can not understand our passion and drive for perfection. I can totally relate. My friends and family know I am a bit off, since everything I do is to the extreme. The only person who I think understands my obsession with discus is my g/f...? But there was one instance in particular that stands out. I usually get home early on Fridays, well some of my friends will stop by for a happy hour kick off the the weekend During one of these happy hour Fridays I had three friends just sitting around talking and having a few beers, well there a knock on the door... Postal inspector? I guess since I have been ordering chemicals online and some of which are associated to drug manufacturing it alerted the USPS. I invited him in and gladly showed him around. He probably thought I was crazy with my all my discus tanks and my closet which is filled with chemicals(lye which was the problem) beakers,graduated cylinders,triple beam and digital scales and a microscope, but when he left he was laughing. Needless to say my friends never stop busting on me about it. I told my sister what happened and she said "if i did not know you i would think you are up to something illegal.LoL.

Kenny

[Diamond Discus]

I had a knock at my door one day. I just ran across the FBI affidavit last week dated September 21st 2006. LOL It would seem I was being investigated under the noxious weed regulations for Limnophila sessiliflora (Vahl) Blume (ambulia) more commonly known as Asian Ambulia sold to me a couple of years prior. I had to give an oral statement and sign papers after letting them inspect my 9 aquariums. I had purchased the plant before it was a noxious weed, but the place I bought it from still had it in their facility so the were going to everyone's home who had "ever" bought the plant from them. Luckily mine was long gone...but I have to say, it was one of my very favorite plants.

When they come to your door, flash their FBI badge, and want to talk to YOU...it kind of scares the begeebers out of you.

[Eddie]

Eddie, thats how my girl treats me about it! i had to edit my first reply, dont want to offend any of the great ladies we have here but my girl just really doesnt get it. she tries to pretend shes happy for me, but shes really not. we got into a 2 hour dispute about it when I told her I cant sleep over, have to go home and feed my fish, do WCs and turn off the tank lights. she bugged out on me I think it upsets her that not much makes me happier than these fish. but I tried to tell her not to compare our relationship with my fish haha. atleast my mother is happy for me, and she loves the fish my butthole friends would say something like "ohh, you gotta go home and wipe the c*m stains off your fishtanks?" haha---a$$holes huh?? lol I think its just something we all have to deal with.

al, you seem to have it pretty nice over there. Im sure Ill end up like you one day. I really get too involved in my hobbies to be with someone who doesnt understand it, or atleast tolerates it well enough. you just gotta let ur significant other be happy, the happier he/she is, the happier they will be with you. (usually)

this thread is great, its a way for us to vent lol...like therapy.

Dude Jason, this post had me laughing to death. Had to read it to my wife. She said to me...."What are you talking about I am not understanding of your passion, IM COPING WITH ALL THESE FISHTANKS". I said....told you don't understand. LOL

Eddie

[calihawker]

I had a knock at my door one day. I just ran across the FBI affidavit last week dated September 21st 2006. LOL It would seem I was being investigated under the noxious weed regulations for Limnophila sessiliflora (Vahl) Blume (ambulia) more commonly known as Asian Ambulia sold to me a couple of years prior. I had to give an oral statement and sign papers after letting them inspect my 9 aquariums. I had purchased the plant before it was a noxious weed, but the place I bought it from still had it in their facility so the were going to everyone's home who had "ever" bought the plant from them. Luckily mine was long gone...but I have to say, it was one of my very favorite plants.

When they come to your door, flash their FBI badge, and want to talk to YOU...it kind of scares the begeebers out of you.

When I had my reef tank and my power bill was up towards a thousand bucks, I was always expecting someone to show up and accuse me of growing weed (the smoking kind)

[Diamond Discus]

When I had my reef tank and my power bill was up towards a thousand bucks, I was always expecting someone to show up and accuse me of growing weed (the smoking kind)

Wow, my husband would probably have divorced me for that bill!!

[Roxanne]

Personally, I walk on the fine line between honesty and what I like to call 'creative accounting'. And, if, by chance, a comment is made regarding the accumulation of fish keeping paraphernalia, and fish, a simple "I could be out drinking and partying instead"...usually puts an end to that.

What I do know, is that people who have no passion for anything in their life, are never going to understand how we feel unless they too can find something they REALLY enjoy doing...I will never understand, for example, people who climb really tall, freezing cold mountains just to get to the top?? They have a passion I'll never understand, that I even think is weird, but, at least they have one.

Really Jason, your girlfriend should be pleased your going home to do water changes instead of going out with your buddies chatting up other women....you have my permission to use that 1 if it helps...

Roxanne

[discusluvr818]

Hey Steve-O,

Also congrats on being selected. Nice to see how our California water fares. I live in Sherman Oaks (near universal studios) though I know where Cool is and I went to college in the San Francisco area.

Anyway, I wanted to wish you tons of luck and I am excited to hear about the set-up. The automatic water changes and the idea of the false bottom to kind of sweep the detritus has me intrigued to say the least.

Good luck to all the challengers. This is going to be a blast!!! I am so excited to get to watch all of this.

[Cooldadddyfunk286]

Dude Jason, this post had me laughing to death. Had to read it to my wife. She said to me...."What are you talking about I am not understanding of your passion, IM COPING WITH ALL THESE FISHTANKS". I said....told you don't understand. LOL

Eddie

EXACTLY eddie, see thats what i mean...that one magical word she used..."COPING" with your tanks. they just dont get it if they were genuinely happy for us about our fish, think about how much happier we would be in our relationships lol. they always try to compare it. my hobby and my girlfriend are 2 DIFFERENT things! lol