fish you always have a problem keeping

DarthPookie

AC Members
Jun 20, 2006
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I am curious...despite all the expertise and knowledge many have on this forum, I'm sure no one is a "perfect aquarist", meaning that there is one thing that each of us - for one reason or another - simply has the worst luck with...something that no matter how much you may know or how talented you are, you just can't seem to handle this one thing right.

For me, it is keeping male bettas. I have had major problems with male bettas, no matter what I do I never seem to be capable of keeping a happy, healthy male betta (but my first and only female betta couldn't possibly be happier...go figure).

Do you have something like this in your experience with this hobby? What is that one thing that you can never seem to get right, or maybe the one creature you just don't have the right touch with?
 
For some reason I cannot seem to keep cories alive in my 55. They were in there with Rams and a single Angel. Nice round gravel, great water conditions... I finally gave up because I didn't want to kill any more of them.
 
I can raise and spawn most fish I have tried to keep over the years, including lionhead goldfish I was holding onto as a gift to my mother, even very sensitive species. The one fish I can kill in 24 hours is otocinclus. Maybe it's just the stock the fish store carries is already louzy, but it is the only fish I have ever given up on. :cry:
 
Neon tetras. I can get a nice school of them, perfect water, no one to eat them, but still within 1 week they are all dead. I don't seem to have that problem with other fish, just neons.
 
Im ashamed to say....I have a problem keeping the two most common "beginner" fish alive... guppies and mollies
 
My mom can't keep mollies either, but I not only keep them well, they breed like crazy for me. So it can't be the source since we get our fish from the same place. I couldn't keep guppies either for a while, but I got a few "feeder" guppies that a friend didn't want, and they are thriving.
 
I don't know if it's fish species or the tank. I've got one 20 that just keeps giving me problems. Seems like no matter what kind of fish I put in there, all but one or two out of a school of 5 or 6 will make it. So far, all 3 of my keyhole cichlids are doing fine. But schools of neon tetras, dwarf neon rainbows, otos, and I can't remember the rest, have all died. And yes, my maintanance is weekly with perfect water params.
I've even completely started over with a complete cleaning and cycling and still the same. I think the tank is possessed.
I have a 55 with no problems. I'm seriously considering getting rid of the 20 and stepping up to a larger tank. All in the spirit of saving fish lives!
 
In the past I had a problem with Clown Loaches, I couldn't keep any alive for more than 2 days. It may have been bc I got younger ones, about 6 weeks ago I got a larger one for $20 and hes doing just fine (even though I only see him once every other day... where he disappears to is beyond me, I think he may have some secret hideout in my driftwood I am unaware of).
 
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