Read This Post Before Getting Fish

[Heimao]

I agree wholeheartedly! I am new to fishkeeping, but I love all of my fish! Unfortunately they keep dying, which breaks my heart.

 

[sophiagreen]

I have to say I always fail to keep the fish alive. The tank in my house has been left empty for a long time. Thus, I hope I can accumulate more skills to be capabe of housing fish. You're right. At this time, it is not very proper for me to raise fish.

 

[sophiagreen]

View attachment 221748 I agree wholeheartedly! I am new to fishkeeping, but I love all of my fish! Unfortunately they keep dying, which breaks my heart.

The same to me. My fish keeping dying also upsets me. I totally have no idea how to keep them alive. Upset.

 

[xmitters]

I'm not new to keeping fish but AM new to seriously keeping fish. I totally agree with this, and also the fact that fish are treated as less than other animals, even in some states they aren't considered an animal. I have the plan to become an Animal Control Officer and will admit I'm a dog person first and was doing it for that, but having gotten into fish again after "rescuing" (or perhaps sympathy purchasing) a betta from Walmart, and having a friend who's gotten DEEP in the fish life to inform me of fish care, I've realized the "fish industry" is in dire need of change. I'm hoping when I'm an ACO I'll gain more power to fight/change things like this and to regulate better fish care. I don't plan to stand around and wait for change, I wanna make it happen. Until then, I'm enjoying every step further into this hobby.

 

[Presouz]

I definitely agree I got back into the hobby totally by accident when I bought a $.15 feeder goldfish to put in a 1 gallon bowl to keep my new kitten occupied with cat TV. I did put duct tape X across the top so she could get to the it. Anyway two years later this fish is bigger than my hand and now at least 6 - 7 inches. He went from a 1 gallon bowl to a 5 gallon tank to a 20 gallon tank to 50 gallon tank! And he still did not look happy! Thankfully I found a woman with a pond that had goldfish and koi and she was more than happy to be his new owner! I read month ago some Goldfish can live 18 years and get 18 inches long no more for me ! I'm sticking to guppies and glofish!

 

[Etwithe]

Okay, thanks for posting this. Very interesting and useful.

 

[Jagwir]

Copy that.

 

[MommaMeggers]

OK, I must preface this post so everyone will know where I am coming from.
I just read a post from a member inquiring about stocking his 58g tank. He is thinking about getting a Ghostfish, but the species of fish really doesn't matter. He is being told that his Ghostfish can get up to 20 inches in length, but he has fell in love with them and he THINKS the LFS will take them back when they get too big.

My hope is to get this Thread posted as a sticky so that it remains at the top of the Newbie Forum as to educate prospective fish buyers BEFORE they purchase fish.

I will try to keep this short because the longer I type and the more I get worked up about it, the angrier and more indignant I get, so please bare with me.

Whether or not you are new to the fishkeeping hobby (and I use this term loosely) what I am about to post is of the utmost importance if you care about what you are doing.

TOO ALL FISHKEEPERS: (Prospective or Current owners)

Please do not consider your fish merely a disposable item. Fish are animals. They are not simply an impulse buy that you can or should be able to return if they do not suit you.

No rational person would buy a Great Dane puppy to house inside their apt, nor would any rational person buy a DiamondBack RattleSnake and house it in their car. But all too often, fish keepers do exactly this. They buy fish that they are simply not suited to properly house. They buy fish because they look pretty or cool and do not take even one second of their day to research this entirely unknown (to them) animal and make an informed decision as to whether or not they have the ability to house such an animal.

Fish are far too often thought of as disposable in the respect that fishkeepers think they can rely on someone else to house their poor purchase.
They buy a 1 inch Oscar and house it in a 10g tank and KNOW darn good and well that they will have to take it back to the fish store in a couple months because it will outgrow their tank. They buy a fish based on its appeal to them and do not take into account its needs, temperment, living requirements, etc.

Perhaps it is because they are uninformed. Perhaps it is because fish are realtively inexpensive. The same person who would buy an Oscar for a 20g tank would never even think of buying a Cydesdale horse and putting it in their garage. Maybe its because the horse would smell, make noise or be such a physical nuisance. Or maybe its just because the average person KNOWS better than to put such a large animal in such poor housing conditions.

We have animal control. A legal type organization that investigates animal abuses and enforces animal regulations and laws. But rarely does this authority extend to the fishkeeping community.

When someone goes to the animal adoption agency, they typically sign a form giving the agency or their subsidary (local animal control) authority to investigate the housing conditions of the animal being adopted.
A sane and rational personal would not buy 25 cats and keep them indoors. But yet fishkeepers frequently overstock and overcrowd aquariums to the same degree and put their animals in the same danger as the person who bought the 25 cats.
A sane and rational person would not buy a puppy and house it in a 5 foot by 5 foot room with a rattlesnake. But yet this happens all to often in the fishkeeping world when people buy fish that are unable to be kept with other breeds of incompatable fish.

I guess what I am trying to say is please research each and every fish you plan to purchase. You are on a forum like AC because you are looking for information. It is the goal of the creators and moderators of this forum to provide people with information on how to properly care for and maintain a wide range of aquatic life. YOU came here for a reason. That reason was to get information. YOU have taken a step in the right direction.
Make an informed decision BEFORE you buy that next fish or BEFORE you plan your new aquarium. Treat the fish buying process just as you would any other animal purchase. Inform yourself as to what they fish needs...what the fish wants...what the fish MUST have in order to live a healthy and happy existance. Make sure you have the ability to house this animal in such a way that it will be happy now and in the future.

Very well spoken. Also as a parent I wish that stores would not sell fish to children with out a parent present. and not intermix species that should not be in a tank together when grown. very disturbing and I had to take fish back and have a talk with the store but it doesnt help when the store does not properly train the people handling fish, and have people who should not be helping get the fish when your teenager can tell then or get the fish better and safer than the employees handling the fish!!! I was so upset!!!

 

[MommaMeggers]

While some fish stores do operate very poorly, I agree that much responsibility rests with the buyer. I work at a LFS, and I mean an LFS not a "big box" pet "supermarket." And before I ever sell a fish I ask a few questions
what size is the tank?
What other fish are in there?
How long has the tank been set-up?
9 out of 10 times I get through these questions and find out the person can NOT keep the fish and I have refused sale to those who don't care. I would not sell a black ghost knife fish that gets 20" to a guy with a 10g. He was pretty ticked at me too. It was already 10" long and it wasnt as if he had othertanks to put him in. It was a 10g community with mollies.
Many times customers will also lie to get the fish. I have had the fish bagged and sale goin through the register when people tell me of all the other fish they have. Too many for the large quantity they are buying. I try to warn all of buying too many at one time. And they always say "well just one more." and I end up baggin up 3 more fish. You can only tell people so much. My mantra on fish keepiing, especially with new saltwater people is patience. that is the most important word in aquaria.

And Thank Heavens for People like you..people who care! hugs and kudos to you!!!

 

[aquagirl1999]

I’m glad someone made a post about this. I’ve been fishkeeping for about 6 months and each and every time I pick out new fish I spend hours and hours researching and deciding what would be the best fish in my tank. I always look into aggression levels, mature adult size, feeding habits, water care,temperature, swim level, and general temperament. I personally joined AC tonight because of some mixed messages I’m getting about a few fish I’m looking into adding to my aquarium, but am glad I came across this post.


Side note: I work at Petsmart and I am personally a cashier, but have witnessed petcare specialists refuse to sell certain fish together, but there’s only so much we can do. People will do what they want, and typically will come back a different day for the other fish they wanted, or go to a different store entirely. And we can’t remember every person and every fish.