Reading through some of the messages on this board today sort of put me in a melancholy mood. I remember all of the cichlids that I had kept for many months, enjoyed, and then taken back to the dealer for various reasons. Sometimes, it was due to having to relocate for a job, other times simply because I wanted to make room for something else (attention deficit will make you do things like this). Anyway, almost-always those cichlids that I took back ended up in a very bad way. To my knowledge, none of them ended up with knowledgeable and properly equipped owners. Here are some examples:
1) Tilapia Buttikoferri - I bought this fish as a 3.5" juvenile. I kept it until it was about 6" total lenght and then took it back to open the tank for a hemichromis elongatus. The next time I went to the shop, I saw the fish was severely beat up, tore up fins, mouth, and was in the worst shape. They put it in a tank with a very aggressive Oscar.
2) Crenicichla Xingu - I kept this pike for quite a while. "training" it to eat jumbomin, dorored, and krill instead of guppies. I had to give it up to move to a smaller home. I came back to the dealer a few weeks later and saw it in a big display tank. It had gotten bigger, but it was in bad shape. The inside of its mouth was tore up, the flesh looked like minced white fish. I don't know what could do that. I wanted to take her back but I had already given away the big tank.
3) Green Terror - Another fish that I bought as a very small specimen. A gold saum. I took it back the same time I did the pike. I don't know what happened since it sold quickly.
Is there a fish, or fishes, that you really regretted to get rid of?
1) Tilapia Buttikoferri - I bought this fish as a 3.5" juvenile. I kept it until it was about 6" total lenght and then took it back to open the tank for a hemichromis elongatus. The next time I went to the shop, I saw the fish was severely beat up, tore up fins, mouth, and was in the worst shape. They put it in a tank with a very aggressive Oscar.
2) Crenicichla Xingu - I kept this pike for quite a while. "training" it to eat jumbomin, dorored, and krill instead of guppies. I had to give it up to move to a smaller home. I came back to the dealer a few weeks later and saw it in a big display tank. It had gotten bigger, but it was in bad shape. The inside of its mouth was tore up, the flesh looked like minced white fish. I don't know what could do that. I wanted to take her back but I had already given away the big tank.
3) Green Terror - Another fish that I bought as a very small specimen. A gold saum. I took it back the same time I did the pike. I don't know what happened since it sold quickly.
Is there a fish, or fishes, that you really regretted to get rid of?
