Ranting about some of the abuses of the fishkeeping hobby...?

A

allison

New member
The majority of us are responsible fishkeepers. I made some mistakes with my first tank, but I learned from that and help out people who make similar mistakes. It happens. But while there is much fun in the hobby, there are so many BAD things going on. Remember people, living, breathing, feeling organisms are involved here!

I post this rant after going to school and seeing two goldfish put in one of THESE - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TURTLE-BOWL-AQUARIUM-LAGOON-BASKING-POOL-TURTLES-FISH_W0QQitemZ290349865546QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Pet_Supplies_Fish?hash=item439a335a4a&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

These fish were half way out of the water. You may say 'they are just a fish' but what if YOU were that fish? Suffocating in your own waste, barely able to move or breathe. Let me continue.

Bowls - You CAN keep something living in a bowl..., that is bacteria and algae. Nothing else is suitable. Just because a fish is hardy doesn't mean it can live its full life in an unstimulated, unfiltered death trap. Goldfish are high- waste producing fish. Fancies require 20gal+ with extra filtration, Commons, 55gal+ with extra filtration. They can grow very large and live 20+ years in proper conditions. A bowl will not allow for that. The myth that a fish will 'grow to the size of its tank/bowl' is sick. That means, its growth will be STUNTED. Next are Bettas. They need 3, preferably 5gal+ to thrive. They NEED A HEATER. They are TROPICAL FISH from a TROPICAL CLIMATE.

Next is fish store advice. When I first started fishkeeping, I went to the fish store for advice. Big mistake. They sent me home with a bunch of fish, telling me to pour the water from the bag into the tank. They said nothing about cycling. Lets just say I ended up with a lot of dead fish, fast. Maybe the guy honestly didn't know what he was talking about. Or maybe he just wanted to make a pretty penny, and have me come back to replace the dead fish and make more moolah. I have learned since.

I'll stop there. I love my fish and I hate to see the abuse that some people do to these wonderful pets. Give me your opinions.
 
Huzzah for your rant. I agree with you. I made my mistakes and have learned from them as well, and I try to help others avoid those same mistakes. I just don't understand why people adamantly stand by believes that they never bothered to research. People become genuinely angry when you challenge their preconceived notion that a bowl is all a fish needs.

Working for Petsmart has taught me many things, but perhaps foremost that I dislike ignorant people. Customers who want to learn are few and far between, but the rushed parent who just wants a tank full of pretty fish (but who's only willing to make a minimal investment) is plentiful.

Elaina- I work for Petsmart. I have watched those videos numerous times. Rainbow World Exotics is not the sole supplier of Petsmart, nor is Petsmart the only store in the US to have used them. Don't be so hasty when it comes PETA, they are an awful organization.
 
well then look at what these people do to these animals......go to youtube.com and type in the search.......petsmart's dirty little secret
 
I completely agree with you, although my fish hobby was not originally by choice I rather enjoy our fish friends. My Aunts neighbor was carrying a fish tank to her curb while we happened to be at her house, my 8 yr old had always wanted fish and if you know anything about 8 yr old's I am sure you know which direction the conversation went in from there. My daughter asked since she was throwing the tank away if she could have it, the woman's reply was if you want it you are welcome to it by the way I have 3 fish too if you want them. I have them in a bucket in the house and was going to flush them when I got back in. My jaw about hit the ground I was so shocked, at first I thought she was offering my daughter dead fish (because who in their right mind would flush fish that were alive,right?) well she came out of the house with a little bathroom trash can that had 3 fish swimming around in the dirtiest water you would ever see. I brought them home and set the tank up half full of clean water and put them and their dirty water in the tank. What else could really be done at that point. After working for months we finally got the tank clear and had 2 beautiful Coy's and one gorgeous angel coy. being that they were in a 10 gal tank we have since sent them to live in a friends pond and recently added 3 platys to our family. :)
 
Too bad the people who need to read this most could care less about learning these things and won't be reading it. And if any do, they will tend to deny everything you say anyway rather than change their own lousy fish keeping habits.
 
I agree completely.

everyone makes mistakes when they first start out, the important part is fiing those mistakes when you realize you messed up. what makes me mad is when people refuse to fix their mistakes, I hate the phrase "it's just a fish" or "the pet store people said it was okay"

always going to have those horrible people I guess. I always say, ignorance is forgivable, we're all guilty of that sometimes. but it easily becomes cruelty when you learn the truth and just don't care.

breaks my heart... probably why I have 5 fish tanks in my room. haha, oh multiple tank syndrome ;)

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I also worked for petsmart... rainbow whatever was not our supplier. all of the employees at my petsmart truly cared about animals. and while some of them weren't very knowledgeable on fish (i worked there a few weeks before everyone started coming to me when customers wanted fish) they definitely take good care of the animals. once a customer brought a rat back because they didn't want it anymore, the rat was crawling with lice, they were literally falling off it. it was disgusting, but we put on some gloves and bathed it ( a few times over a few days until they were all gone). the poor thing was barely alive and everyone chipped in and nursed it back to health. two of the employees got lice from trying to help the rat... you tell me that these are horrible people who don't like pets?

meanwhile the only locally owned pet store near me has sick birds, dead fish, and mice that fight and eat each other regularly.

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glofish are NOT injected with dye! oy...
 
Alright a rant party!

Have you seen what Brookstone is carrying these days? It's called the FrogOSpere- http://www.brookstone.com/Frog-O-Sphere-frogs.html
-"Easy to care for.
Simply feed the frogs 2 pellets each 2 times per week, and change the water 2 times per year. That’s it!"

I hate that these products, like bowls, are even available. Who designed them? Why do stores even carry them?
 
Oh my fricken gosh! Someone put goldfish in that thing? I wouldn't even put a turtle in there! Even if I was a beginner I'm not that stupid to put a goldfish in anything smaller then a 50L tank! And anyone who says, they are just a fish, well we are just humans but people think it's wrong to torture us and kill us. Fish are living creatures as well.
I think people think they can keep them in a bowl because they are either misinformed and generally naive about fish, or they are just plain stupid because they think it is cheaper. People often ask, what is the cheapest tank I can get.. blah blah blah. I tell them that the general rule among the fish community is to buy as big of a tank as you can, even if it is expensive. I mean, we buy ourselves plasma tvs, yet you go cheap on your pets?
Fish do only grow as big as their confines allow them, but as you said, it stunts their growth. This causes stress, lowers their immune systems and makes them sick a hell of a lot easier.
My biggest annoyment is people who think they can put Betta's in a bowl, without a heater or a filter, or with only one of the two.
You never pour the fish store water into your tank, god knows what they have put in it, and this stuff can drastically change your water parameters. I was very lucky to get all my first fish from a place who has a fish vet. The only thing I do is let the bag sit in the tank with the lights off for about 20 minutes, then I add in one cup of my tank water to acclimatise the fish to my water, then leave it for another 10-15 minutes and add in another cup. Then I leave it for another 10-15 minutes before scooping the fish out with 'MY FISH NET!'.
And I really hate it when people ask you why their fish is dying or dead, and then they take offensive to what you have written because you write critiques and advice!
The most common mistake is over stocking because people think the fish look fine, but they aren't.
And all fish MUST have filters.
And seriously, pet shops never tell you all the info you need cause they just don't care, as long as they are selling their stock.
Everything you just said though is basically what I tell people when I answer questions!
To cyrus.. they said Betta's are tropical and need heaters, not goldfish, lol.
 
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