In the summer of 2011, after I finished my master's program, I decided that I would get a fish as a graduation present to myself of sorts. I'll be honest with you and tell you the real reason I did this is that my boyfriend flippantly made a comment suggesting that I wouldn't be able to keep a fish alive for 6 months. I, of course, took this as a challenge of sorts and went out and bought myself a 10 gallon tank, some gravel, a fake plant and two goldfish. I named them orange peel and black.
Now I had kept fish as a kid, mostly guppies, a couple goldfish as a teenager. My dad was very much into fish keeping. He had a large (maybe 200 gallon?) discus tank and many smaller breeding tanks when I was growing up. I honestly don't remember learning how to properly care for my tanks though. I did water changes once in awhile, fed them, and scooped the dead fish out. So, getting these two little teles, I didn't really know the first thing about fish care or cycling a tank.
In a couple days they started looking really unwell. They were bottom sitting and had developed some white spots on their fins. I went to petsmart with a water sample, they told me my water was 'fine' (I doubt it actually was) and said it must just be the heat bothering the fish. Within the first week they both died.
Having now essentially lost the bet with my boyfriend, and feeling awful about these little guys passing, I began researching goldfish care. At this point I found Koko's Goldfish Forum, learned about the nitrogen cycle, figured out that my fish had ich, and realized that my tank was too small. I became determined to do this over and do it right this time. I bought a 29 gallon tank, a good filter, and started a fishless cycle, which took about 3 months to complete. During this time when I could not buy any goldfish, I researched and learned all I could about proper care..... it became a bit of an obsession honestly.
Edie was one of the first fish I bought when I started seriously keeping goldfish. I believe I got her in the summer of 2011, along with another fish named Puff, who unfortunately passed about a year or so later due to swim bladder issues. Both fish came from Steve at Rain Garden Goldfish.
Here is Miss Edie and Puff in my first tank. This is a 29 gallon tank just for reference.
When I was able to, I upgraded to a 40 gallon. This tank was much roomier for them.......for a little while.
After Puff died, I got Hashi in October(?) 2012 from Rain Garden. He was sold as a 'tricolor' oranda, but was obviously just going through a color change. Within the next 6-8 mos, he lost all of his black coloration.
Hashi and Edie became fast friends :)
So, even though it barely fit in my tiny one bedroom apartment, I upgraded to a 75 gallon tank in October 2013.
These guys continue to grow, and the 75 gallon looks smaller and smaller every day. I recently moved to a larger place, where I have room for a bigger tank, so I am currently in the process of saving up for a 150-180 gallon acrylic (and of course scouring craigslist for deals daily).
It's pretty amazing to look back and think about how much things have changed and how much I have learned. My favorite thing about this hobby is that there is always more to learn. Many of my views have changed since I first started seriously keeping fish, and I am sure they will continue to evolve. My interests have also branched out to different topics beyond just basic goldfish care, including learning about aquatic plants, aquascaping, lighting, co2 etc. etc. I am still a very active member at Koko's Goldfish Forum, and have to thank all the wonderful members there, including the owner Koko, who have supported me through this journey so far :)
And a couple fishy pics from today to end this post:
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