What was your first fish and do you still have it?

[Prestigereef]

I did this before with coral and the post was actually very interesting, seeing how things have changed over the years.
So lets try it with fish...

What was your first fish and do you still have it?
If not what happened to it?
When did you start in the hobby?

Mine was a foxface rabbitfish, which I had for 6 years before I moved it on due to its limiting me keeping certain corals.

 

[dantimdad]

Freshwater was guppies. Lord, no, I don't still have them. That was 46 years ago. LOL!

Saltwater was a figure 8 puffer that had been converted before I bought it from brackish to salt. It lived about 4 days.

 

[khushtram]

Very first inhabitant was my brittle star fish 4 years ago. He’s a total of 2 feet long from tip to tip .

 

[Prestigereef]

Freshwater was guppies. Lord, no, I don't still have them. That was 46 years ago. LOL!

Saltwater was a figure 8 puffer that had been converted before I bought it from brackish to salt. It lived about 4 days.

46 years! wow...the things you must have seen....

Converted fish dont count

 

[Kremis]

clown pair, died in a week.

 

[dantimdad]

46 years! wow...the things you must have seen....

Converted fish dont count

Alright then, my first real saltwater fish was a lawnmower blenny. He lived for 6 years until a big rock fell on him. Poor thing.

Yes, I have seen so much change! I could just about write a book on just the changes in algae alone.

 

[Evan28395950]

Got a clownfish for my first fish, still doing great, have had around 10 or 11 months

 

[lion king]

I started 30 years ago, my 1st 3 fish were a picasso, niger, and undulated triggers in a 40 breeder. I ended up with 180g and the picasso and niger lived with me for over 10 years. The undulated went to a bar hangout 500g tank about 3 years in, he lived there for years and was a bar favorite.

 

[PDR]

Purple firefish from Petco. I loved that fish and hated that I traded it in when I upgraded systems. Had it about a year.

 

[jr999]

First fish were and still are my Ocellaris Clownfish pair. Still going strong at 17 years.

 

[Tastee]

Got a clownfish for my first fish, still doing great, have had around 10 or 11 months

Me too. Tom and Nicole our Ocellaris Clownfish pair (I am an Aussie if that helps with the reference). Going strong 15 months in.

 

[Prestigereef]

I started 30 years ago, my 1st 3 fish were a picasso, niger, and undulated triggers in a 40 breeder. I ended up with 180g and the picasso and niger lived with me for over 10 years. The undulated went to a bar hangout 500g tank about 3 years in, he lived there for years and was a bar favorite.

Did you have trouble adding other fish after that... they aren't the friendliest fish?

 

[Paul B]

My first fish were blue devils because that was the only salt water fish they sold in NY in 1971. Here is a male over his nest of eggs in about 1973
He lived for 7 years.

 

[64Ivy]

Panther Grouper. +40 years ago.

 

[sfin52]

My clowns were scouped out of the tank by my kitty Nemo.

 

[pscheel2]

Maroon clown. He will be 21 this June. Getting meaner every day lol

 

[Pntbll687]

First fish were a pair of stubby clowns about six years ago.

I still have one, lost the other in a power outage when I was out of town for two days.

The remaining clown I have had survived I think 8 tank moves over the years so far. From one apartment to another, to a house, and then multiple does within the house.

 

[lion king]

Did you have trouble adding other fish after that... they aren't the friendliest fish?

Mind you, this was 30 years ago, no internet and saltwater was really fairly new. I had to rely on the info and advice of the lfs. I got a little 40 breeder and loved the way the triggers swam around and were very curious as to what was going on outside the tank. I was warned they were aggressive, they were all about an inch to an 1.5" each. They lived in that 40 for about almost 3 years at which time I upgraded to a 90 and added a puffer and volitan lion. That's when the undy went nuts and I decided I couldn't handle it anymore. I gave him to the bar I used to hang out in, they ahad a 500g.

Since then I've raised many itty bitty triggers, some manageable, some not. It's a delicate balance of tank size, tank mates, and not over crowding. Large triggers right from the ocean almost always spells disaster, and most people need to pack as many fish into a tank as possible. I currently have an aggressive trigger tank, a 180g with 3 triggers and an eel. Most people need 10 plus fish in a 180g, a clown trigger will usually not put up with that.

 

[sdcosta]

Mine is a red tail trigger, had him for 2.5 years so far. I also acquired a pair of black ocellaris clowns that the previous owner had for 12 years. They are actually very friendly and will swim right into your hand

 

[lion king]

Mine is a red tail trigger, had him for 2.5 years so far. I also acquired a pair of black ocellaris clowns that the previous owner had for 12 years. They are actually very friendly and will swim right into your hand

Yeah the redtail and the Xanthichthys triggers as a whole are a friendly bunch. They really are not like the classic triggers like the clown, niger, picasso; the Xanthichthys gensus triggers are fairly new to the hobby in comparison to when I started.