# MTS...Just how bad do you have it ?



## Tim Harrison (6 Mar 2019)

MTS...Just how bad do you have it ?


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## zozo (6 Mar 2019)

4 tanks, 1 bathtub and half a winebarrel in the summer garden and 3 tubs in the winter.. 5th tank is comming up, but have the feeling it's a tad to much. Thus before tank 5 is up and running i'll take down 2 others. Not that i want to, i need to, the room they are in needs a lot of work. My bathroom needs some work too, i was thinking about decorating that with a tank too in the future.   That's pretty bad isn't it?..


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## Zeus. (6 Mar 2019)

4 tanks and garden pond(full of frogs ATM) thinking of getting a place in France with a lake when the time is right


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## Natasha (6 Mar 2019)

Two tanks on the go, two in waiting. I'm just getting started.


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## Kezzab (6 Mar 2019)

3


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## Fiske (6 Mar 2019)

4.
And half a winebarrel I need to get cleaned for spring.


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## Ady34 (6 Mar 2019)

I keep thinking of another tank.......my youngest son needs one too doesn’t he? Its a very educational hobby you know.......

I would like another fish only hardscape tank, more biotope themed. Oh another few tanks anyway, I love fish and there are so many I’d like to keep......


Tbh I’m a bit lazy, when I had the planted tank, the marine tank and the shrimp nano.....



 



 

.....I found it too much with 2 young children so that’s when I opted for the easy life of fish only systems for a while...... I’ve found my way back to planted tanks though and the kids are older now, mmm.....


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## MirandaB (6 Mar 2019)

12 on the go....8 waiting in the wings,1 small pond and 6 large tubs


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## Ady34 (6 Mar 2019)

MirandaB said:


> 12 on the go....8 waiting in the wings,1 small pond and 6 large tubs



You have it really bad. That’s more like a retailer


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## MirandaB (6 Mar 2019)

Ady34 said:


> You have it really bad. That’s more like a retailer


It's only lack of time that stops me setting up more.....roll on retirement I say 
So many fish I want to keep and I've still to dip my toes on the salty side!


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## Dadofthree (7 Mar 2019)

4 planted +1000ltr marine + pond mmmmm


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## Geoffrey Rea (7 Mar 2019)

Did have five, currently four, soon to consolidate down to three at home.

But technically there’s ten scaped tanks at work that I share the care for as well.

Fourteen (soon thirteen) in total depending on how you think about it.


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## Hendre (7 Mar 2019)

Five full, one DSM, one emersed plants and 3 empty,
3x 30l general tanks, 60l killifish, 60l DSM, 250l planted, 30l emersed then a few <20l spare tanks in case 

(All in my bedroom now)


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## Kalum (7 Mar 2019)

1 tank, 2 tank, 3 tank, 4.....3 tank, 2 tank, 3 tank.............

And now torn between down to 2 or up to 4 again


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## Edvet (7 Mar 2019)

Two, but i am treated for MTS with a dose of marriage.
I do have 4 smal tanks at work though, but these are my experimenting tanks.


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## Jayefc1 (7 Mar 2019)

2+1 im nearly ready to scape one is my son's in his bedroom still planted though


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## AlanRR (7 Mar 2019)

Just 1 waiting to be planted ... my wife is already looking askance at the number of orders arriving at the door though ...


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## Hendre (7 Mar 2019)

My desk and shelf currently:


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## mort (7 Mar 2019)

It's not so much the number but the volume for me. It's easy to add tiny tanks but when you total more than a thousand litres or so in the house it's an addiction.


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## rebel (7 Mar 2019)

The ultimate is when you build tanks into the house thus devaluing it on re-sale (after marriage ends). [ not based on true story ]

I've had up to 4 but now only have one at home and a low maintenance one at work. It's way more relaxing to have less!


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## Majsa (7 Mar 2019)

Now 4. I was supposed to have 2, but both kids need to have one (otherwise unfair) and need one for projects too...

Is MTS related to GAS? Just started guitar lessons...


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## Steve Buce (9 Mar 2019)

2 x 35l, 2 x 20l, 1 x 30l and because of MTS im living in my outhouse


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## PARAGUAY (9 Mar 2019)

4 and a 55g empty and plans to set up again


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## HiNtZ (9 Mar 2019)

I thought this was about Malaysian trumpet snails lol

I've slimmed down to 5 tanks now (plus a little cull tank for shrimp). I can't believe I've got away with the one downstairs for nearly 3 years now! I think the old dear quite likes the eels.


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## tacy k (9 Mar 2019)

One nano for fry and a 1000l planted (thanks to UKAPS) fish tank.


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## sparkyweasel (9 Mar 2019)

I cut right down to ease a house move, only five tanks in use now and eleven in storage.


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## Mark Stoakes (10 Mar 2019)

Just getting back into fish keeping so waiting for my new tank to be delivered but I have been known to house upto 10 tanks from large 6ft down to a foot


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## obsessed (11 Mar 2019)

same as above.. just dipping my toe again.
 started 2 planted tanks at the same time.. allot different from my past tropical tanks..  allot of dedication and matinance.. but it's all worth it.. got the bug


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## Tim Harrison (3 May 2019)

Screen shots off Instagram, this guy has it pretty bad  
Do you think he's married...?


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## Jayefc1 (3 May 2019)

Omg that is MTS to the max


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## Jayefc1 (3 May 2019)

Is that the one on the patio


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## zozo (3 May 2019)

Tim Harrison said:


> Screen shots off Instagram, this guy has it pretty bad



We have a winner!.. 

Kinda reminds of of this shop in my neighbouring town.
https://discusshop.nl/

It's a pretty profesional website, but wait till you get into the shop. It hardly can be called a shop.  It's the funniest thing i've ever seen. it's in a normal small 3 bedroom old miners house 35m² living space. With part of the livingroom and kitchen filled with racks. One wall with aqaurium rack, other wall a huge 1000 + litre tank and smack in the middle of the living room a product rack. Barely space to walk, some more breeding and holding tanks in the shed behind the house.. If you drop in to buy or look at some stuff, you walk into a regular householding and don't be surpriced when Mama is coocking and all the kids and family at the dinner table eating spaghetti, cramped up and surounded by aqauriums friendly saying "Hello!?". As if it is the normalest thing ever. Daddy helping customers, knows all about fish and Mommy is the plant expert. 

The only shop selling Tropica products in over a 100 mile radius. They do not show pictures on the net and with first visiting the website, you expect it to be a regular LFS.  Realy a bizar experience.. But very good quality products and service.. He once told me it started with hobby suffering Mts and breeding discus and it slowly turned the house into a discus breeding facility and  shop. He wants to expand but yet can't.


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## cdelly (3 May 2019)

OI who's been taking pictures in my house??????? 

think that may be a bit of hoarding there

at most had 5 incl 8x2x2 now got 300l marine (hopefully sold) and a 50l planted and just got a small shrimp tank.

when marine goes i'll be getting a 245l


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## dw1305 (3 May 2019)

Hi all,





Tim Harrison said:


> Do you think he's married...?


Not any more, but it does mean he could get another tank on 1/2 of the dining room table.

cheers Darrel


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## Edvet (3 May 2019)

Strangely it seems relatively uncluttered and quite clean. Apart from the multitude of tanks there is little extra mess ( hoses , feeding pots, all kind of buckets, nets etc etc) and there is carpet ( looks clean) and no visible mold.
I am quite sure he IS married and the missus likes tanks too. There even are 2 watering cans for the potted plants, and a box of tissues on the table. yup, defenitly married.


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## zozo (3 May 2019)

Edvet said:


> Strangely it seems relatively uncluttered and quite clean. Apart from the multitude of tanks there is little extra mess ( hoses , feeding pots, all kind of buckets, nets etc etc) and there is carpet ( looks clean) and no visible mold.
> I am quite sure he IS married and the missus likes tanks too. There even are 2 watering cans for the potted plants, and a box of tissues on the table. yup, defenitly married.



Definitively not a stranded reclusive lonesome nerd suffereing collecteritis..


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## John S (3 May 2019)

Not sure if he is married but quite sure he doesn't have a day job. He wouldn't have time.


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## sciencefiction (3 May 2019)

I maintain the number of tanks for a while....but the volume seems to be increasing.....They must be naturally expanding from the global warming


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## J@mes (4 May 2019)

What is in the wine glasses? It’s certainly not wine!


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## X3NiTH (4 May 2019)

Bettas!


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## Chuck Turtleman (7 May 2019)

I have 7 planted tanks (2 are 125 gallon, 2 are 50, a 29, one 10 and a 5.5) and a 65 gallon reef that I am totally over but still keep up.  And a pond of approximately 1,100 gallons that I breed fish in during the summer sometimes. Too many bears come in my yard to raise goldfish, but they seem to ignore small fish.  Interestingly, lots of tropical fish have grown HUGE in that pond over a single summer. I've had swordtails that were 6" not including the tail and similar sized mollies. The fish I leave indoors never come close to their size.


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## alto (8 May 2019)

Try some angelfish this year - you should get some amazing colours (blue green purple iridescence)


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## Oldguy (8 May 2019)

rebel said:


> The ultimate is when you build tanks into the house thus devaluing it on re-sale



Estate agents say that fish tanks do not sell houses. Have one tank which I built into house, planning to stay till wooden box time. Wife is of the same mind set.

One 20gal quarantine tank in the garage, need to move it to some where else. I run a dehumidifier in the garage/workshop to help keep cars and tools shiny.

One garden pond, no fish. Several planted patio tubs. Stuff outside is the wife's, stuff indoors is mine.

Pipe dream of 8 footer in the conservatory, but we run a TARDIS as our other hobby is playing in the 1930's & 40's. Cannot get back to the day before we set out, dials faulty. Hence always playing catch up on tank and garden maintenance. Still the pipe is nice.

One life, have fun, be kind to others.


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## tam (8 May 2019)

It's all fun until you have to redecorate. I'm currently helping my parents plan around moving/replacing two 220L tanks (one tropical/one marine) in the living room that have been in position 25+ years... the silicone is in scary condition so it's the logistics of move/redecorate/replace tank whilst housing the occupants for an extended period.


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## Filip Krupa (8 May 2019)

Not as bad as some, but perhaps similar total water volume as the chap from Instagram 

2000L
200L
400L


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## Filip Krupa (8 May 2019)

Oldguy said:


> Estate agents say that fish tanks do not sell houses. Have one tank which I built into house, planning to stay till wooden box time. Wife is of the same mind set.
> 
> One 20gal quarantine tank in the garage, need to move it to some where else. I run a dehumidifier in the garage/workshop to help keep cars and tools shiny.
> 
> ...



Love this post.
If I move again, I’m buying a house with an indoor pool and converting it to a high tech planted. Viewing panel and all.
House value? Who cares, that’s why you shouldn’t hold all your wealth in 1 basket (I.e. house)

Gotta carpe them diems!!!!
(And diversify your assets! Haha!)

Fil


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## Oldguy (8 May 2019)

Filip Krupa said:


> Gotta carpe them diems!



Spot on and sometimes by the throat. Love your island tank.


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## Chuck Turtleman (8 May 2019)

alto said:


> Try some angelfish this year - you should get some amazing colours (blue green purple iridescence)


I wish I had the market to move babies or I would. The aquarium hobby is truly dying in this country. I opened a LFS in 2007 and if I didn't also sell dog food it would have long ago closed. Draining all of the tanks and getting out of aquatics saved my shop. All that remain selling fish in my area are big box stores. I'm hoping our hobby makes a comeback but I fear the worst. At least with rasboras, white clouds and such, I can put a couple hundred of them in my big tanks if they take a year or so to sell off. I'd have my hands full with even a single spawn of angels once it cools off and they have to go indoors.


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## obsessed (9 May 2019)

He's definitely not married, there's wine glasses with  plants and things in


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## alto (9 May 2019)

obsessed said:


> He's definitely not married, there's wine glasses with  plants and things in



It’s a (very tidy) fish room

Don’t see the Betta glasses as a preclusion to partnership


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## obsessed (9 May 2019)

But yet you think its clean so he has a wife,
I was being sarcastic 
Ladys drink wine in wine glasses hence if he had a wife she would like to drink wine out of her wine glass.


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## obsessed (9 May 2019)

obsessed said:


> same as above.. just dipping my toe again.
> started 2 planted tanks at the same time.. allot different from my past tropical tanks..  allot of dedication and matinance.. but it's all worth it.. got the bug


Another tank( 45p )and a new project on the way.
The tree of life.


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## alto (9 May 2019)

obsessed said:


> But yet you think its clean so he has a wife


I don’t think that fishroom says anything about Jeff’s personal life ..... supposition and conjecture are just that


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## DeepMetropolis (9 May 2019)

I got 3 tanks in different rooms. Woul like to have an bigger one rather then more just to   get more small fish and see more natural behavior.. And i started collecting more houseplants recently easyer to keep up with maintainence


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## Filip Krupa (9 May 2019)

DeepMetropolis said:


> Woul like to have an bigger one rather then more



Couldnt agree more 

Fil


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## sciencefiction (9 May 2019)

Chuck Turtleman said:


> At least with rasboras, white clouds and such, I can put a couple hundred of them in my big tanks if they take a year or so to sell off. I'd have my hands full with even a single spawn of angels once it cools off and they have to go indoors.



I am going to speak for myself here but I am personally very disappointed of all the fish shops I've had to encounter for one or another reason in my entire lifetime so far....

To start, the fish you listed above have never ever been on my personal want list...Even though I never follow the "fish fashion", those are fish mostly newbies purchase or species enthusiasts perhaps...We, long time fish keepers, that have the time and finances to support this hobby, evolve and want something else...We don't kill fish every 2 months anymore so to be a regular customer, some thinking on the part of the offering is needed...


Other examples:

Advertises next day delivery in big letters, orders never processed in the first 2-3 days. If you order fish, you've got to be home to get the order so it's not like one can wait for them to deliver on random days. People work during working hours but they act like they're selling ancient stones..I've cancelled full orders numerous times because of delays.

Others refuse to provide a delivery date even if the city where the shop is, is 2.5 hours away by car.

Lists items that one can purchase, only to find out after payment they don't have them in stock, asking customer to buy something else, wait a few weeks or cancel the item....additionally causing delivery delays with the rest of the items in the shopping bag, inclusive of fish you planned on for to receive by a certain day...

Stocks the exact same items and fish for years.....no change, no progress whatsoever. One has to shop around foreign to get newer and different stuff..., also often charges double than elsewhere that arrives within the same time frame..

Does not offer orders for non-common fish, too much trouble to win a customer...

Stocks only poor quality stuff, including fish food with ingredients not suitable to give to a pig.

If a local shop, dead and sick fish seen around. If online shop, sends poor quality fish even if one purchases rare and expensive fish...A group of corys I once ordered arrive with their bottom halfway out of the water due to the way they had placed the bags in the box. The tails on 3 of them never recovered.

Vindictive to customers. I once did not receive a fish food order. I sent numerous emails, no reply. I opened a paypal case. They agreed to re-send the order after blaming me for lying.  When I received it, they had opened the New Life spectrum tubs and spilled them all inside the pack. 2 weeks later I get an email that the original order was returned back to the seller and then they apologized...Too late, isn't it? I buy expensive fish food, their choice...

Sells gone off stuff...I've bought stinky bloodworms on numerous occasions that seem to have been defrosted and re-frozen....I even stopped buying my dog food from there....

There's a lot more...I just can't think that far back but I have never seen a shop local or online that satisfies my customer needs....So I've started buying the bare minimum these days, not that much of a loyal customer...and I shop around as they're all bad...

.


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## Steve Buce (29 May 2019)

Meanwhile in the outhouse...


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## Melll (22 Jul 2020)

Hi, my name is Mell and I have an addiction.  I believe I have a full blown case of MTS.  I know it is untreatable, there is no known cure so I have come here for support and understanding.  I have running

1400 litre community tank.
700 litre Discus tank.
700 litre fancy Goldfish tank.
450 litre Endler species only.
240 litre marine.
190 litre neolamphrogus multiphasiatus, species only.
240 litre Species only, female Flowerhorn.

Preparing for planting hopefully getting some nice scapes going.

90 litre Fluval Roma
57 litre Fluval Flex
50 litre Dannerle Scapers tank.
17 litre Flex mini
110 litre Dwarf Puffer.

I also suffer with SAPS, SSS, CWP and serious tank envy to other large tank owners or even owners of large tanks.


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## lilirose (13 Aug 2020)

Hiya.

I'm Lili and I'm addicted to aquariums, to be very specific I am addicted to nano tanks, the advantage being that you can stick one anywhere...but so far, all of mine are in the sitting room.

In any case, I love that I can list all my stuff and nobody will think I am crazy...or at least, not crazier than any of the rest of you, nor will I be accused of bragging (I hope)...I just love to talk tanks...

First, I run RO water on all tanks, with Salty shrimp remineralisers. I've a 120 liter barrel in a corner of the kitchen with a float valve and a water mixing station next to it. This all started because my local tap water often contains nitrates.

I have, in order of date of setup:

20 liter Dennerle Nano Cube, heavily planted low tech Painted Fire Red shrimp tank that probably contains 300 shrimp of varying grades at this stage
20 liter Dennerle Nano Cube, low tech blackwater, planted with Java Fern, anubias, bucephalandra, and Amazon frogbit. Betta habitat
90 liter, (90x30x30), custom copy of UNS 90L except with black silicone, heavily planted, low tech, HMF, ember tetras and pygmy cory cats and a plethora of shrimp. Looking for a centrepiece fish/pair.
20 liter Dennerle Nano Cube, low tech, this is the one where I dumped whatever plants I'd bought until I had time to plant them. At the beginning of lockdown I decided to sort it out, planted it with crypts and put a few Blue Dream neos in there, it's still developing.
30 liter Dennerle Nano cube, low tech blackwater, planted with anubias, Java Fern, and Bacopa Caroliniana...there's also some water wisteria in there but I'm going to take it out once I grow enough Bacopa stems to plant the entire back section of the tank. Also a Betta habitat.
54 liter (60x30x30cm) Bonsai tank, flooded about a month ago, ADA Amazonia, pressurised CO2 set on the way, trying to grow a Monte Carlo/Marsilea hirsuta carpet with Anubias 'Pangolino' on the bonsai, battling BBA already, no livestock yet but I am thinking Crystal Red or Crystal Black shrimp?
72 liter (60x30x40) which is literally full of water and a solitary poor Hygrophila 'Red-Green' in a pot that I stuck in there until I have time to put in things like a filter and some substrate. Somehow it's still alive despite zero flow and zero ferts. Maybe in a couple of weeks I'll have time to sort it. I have no idea where I am going with this tank! 
30 liter Dennerle Nano cube, I have the plants, I'm waiting for some bits and bobs including a manifold for my CO2 regulator, am cycling its filter in a bucket. It's only last on the list because it's completely empty, but it'll be done before the one above.
And I'm planning to get a matching 54 liter to No. 6, because reasons...

Cheers to anyone who read all that!


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## rebel (14 Aug 2020)

I once had 3 tanks (including office tank) for a while and they all suffered. So I reduced it to 1. It's all good now. I am a recovering addict.



lilirose said:


> Somehow it's still alive despite zero flow and zero ferts.


You should pee on it once a fortnight. That's take care of ferts.


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## Melll (14 Aug 2020)

rebel said:


> I am a recovering addict.



I don`t know whether to say Congratulations or Commiserations 🤔



lilirose said:


> nobody will think I am crazy...or at least, not crazier than any of the rest of you,



I am pretty sure we are not crazy, it`s just everybody else who is


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## Andy Taylor (14 Aug 2020)

I would like a second tank but the wife said she would leave me........Hmmm time to look for another tank


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## mort (14 Aug 2020)

Melll said:


> I have running
> 
> 1400 litre community tank.
> 700 litre Discus tank.
> ...



I'd love to see pictures of these tanks, especially the endler and tanganyika setups.


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## Melll (14 Aug 2020)

mort said:


> I'd love to see pictures of these tanks, especially the endler and tanganyika setups.




I will take some tomorrow, lights are not on due to the heat now.


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## Wolf6 (14 Aug 2020)

Andy Taylor said:


> I would like a second tank but the wife said she would leave me........Hmmm time to look for another tank


I dare you to let her read this On topic: With my ex I experienced my worst case of MTS. At the worst moment (or best) we had:
- 1 tanganyika tank, 150x90/60x50 with Callochromis melanostigma,  large group of cyprichromis (forgot which one, just remember them being red with blue), neolamprologus brichardii, and a group of neolamprologus brevis, No plants, just rock and sand.
- 1 community tank, 120x50x40 with 2 angels and I forgot all the other fish in there  Dutch style tank
- 1 Malawi tank - dont remember which fish, those were given to us and my ex wanted them, I had already kept those as a teen and wasnt interested in them anymore. This was mostly her project 
Then we had a set up of large plastic tanks with (leaking) overflows containing: 
- Couple of cichlomasoma meeki
- Couple of nannacara anomala
- couple of  Hemichromis bimaculatus  in a seperate plastic container

So all in all, we had 6 tanks at the worst moment. And one room that was constantly damp/wet floor. We decided that our hobby had gone to far & we split up, so we sold it all and I didnt have tanks for 5 years, then started off with a nano, then got a 70x50x45 and added a slightly larger tank instead of the nano. I've managed to keep it down to 2 tanks max at a given time ever since, mostly because I dont enjoy maintenance much  Not counting spring when we set up the nano tank to house frogspawn for the kids. But I have to admit, in my dreams I sometimes wander onto the attick in my house (which does not have an attick in reality, at least not one where you can stand) to discover huge racks full of tanks that clearly I forgot about, so maybe I'm still infected on some level.


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## Baarks (13 Aug 2021)

sciencefiction said:


> I am going to speak for myself here but I am personally very disappointed of all the fish shops I've had to encounter for one or another reason in my entire lifetime so far....
> 
> To start, the fish you listed above have never ever been on my personal want list...Even though I never follow the "fish fashion", those are fish mostly newbies purchase or species enthusiasts perhaps...We, long time fish keepers, that have the time and finances to support this hobby, evolve and want something else...We don't kill fish every 2 months anymore so to be a regular customer, some thinking on the part of the offering is needed...
> 
> ...


Yes, I have often thought there is a gap in the market where I live, but I think the sheer logistics and low volume of running the kind of fish shop you describe means it won’t happen. I think the people who buy fish have created the shops you describe. Very few are serious about it.. depressingly large numbers are just in to get a fish for their grandchild / as a temporary hobby. i Get the impression they would complain in they had to pay for decent food or were asked to pay higher prices for decent stock. We live in a consumer culture, where fishkeeping is another commodity.
.


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