Need advice to help a friends aquarium

[sivic]

So i have this friend who completely neglects his tank. Since the time he has had his tank up theres been little to no water changes until i came along and finally did them for him. The filter is a small p.o.s. that bearly gets new media. And he had an undergravel filter with an airstone that you could just see all the waste building up on the bottom of his tank. Needless to say he would constantly loose fish one after another probally from the ammonia levels being so high. And to top it all off he mixes about 7-8 goldfish with tropical fish.

I've been trying to slowly help his tank by doing water changes, plus i completely removed his undergravel filter so all that waste could be gravel vac'd. Well ive been trying to convince him now to get rid of the goldfish and stick with tropical fishes or just goldfish. But he argues with me that they can live together and doesnt listen to what i say. I make the points that ones a freshwater fish and the other is a coldwater. I make the point that they require different needs and do not coexist well. But he makes the point they all are living fine now and obviously they are fine.

Anyone have any advice on what else i can say to convience him that he is doing things wrong? and in the well being of the fish he needs to change.

 

[Kasakato]

Give him a link to this site?

 

[sivic]

lol, he wouldnt check it out. He likes to believe everything on the internet is fake and to trust people in the petstore.

I guess more specifically im looking for is there any thing that plagues goldfish and tropical fish being together? other than the water temperatures.

 

[Dangerdoll]

you could mention that the typical life of a goldfish is well over 20 years and to lose any younger than that is not displaying the optimum requirements of that fish. What kind of tropicals are being kept with the goldies?

 

[Watcher74]

Lock him in a medium sized closet with about 6 Great Danes for a month. Make sure the closet is air tight with a small vent for air. Use a thick plexi-glass insert in the door, and every day throw in about 10 pounds of dry dog food for all of them to eat. Be sure and turn the lights on and off every day, and spend at least 30 minutes every day tapping on the plexi-glass while you smile and laugh at their antics.

Then release him at the end of the month and ask him how he liked it.

 

[sivic]

you could mention that the typical life of a goldfish is well over 20 years and to lose any younger than that is not displaying the optimum requirements of that fish. What kind of tropicals are being kept with the goldies?

2 goruami's. 6 mollies, and a couple of smaller tropical fish, not sure what kind. He has lost numerous plecos and and 4-5 other mollies.

 

[Dangerdoll]

what size tank is it?

 

[sivic]

55 gallon

 

[cyberbeer65]

Lock him in a medium sized closet with about 6 Great Danes for a month. Make sure the closet is air tight with a small vent for air. Use a thick plexi-glass insert in the door, and every day throw in about 10 pounds of dry dog food for all of them to eat. Be sure and turn the lights on and off every day, and spend at least 30 minutes every day tapping on the plexi-glass while you smile and laugh at their antics.

Then release him at the end of the month and ask him how he liked it.

Laughing out loud here!!!! :laugh:

 

[Dangerdoll]

7-8 goldfish in a 55 gallon PLUS other fish.... wow, that's quite a bio-load there. I can just imagine the gravel! Has he ever done water tests for ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, etc? You could get him a test, I'm assuming he doesn't have one nor will buy one himself, and bet him on the skyrocketing levels going on in the tank. How long have the golfish survived?