Disturbing Conversation

[minxfishy]

My dear spoilt sister (43 years old I add), has just informed me last week she got a 160L tank. So far, she has already put in, 4 mollies, 10 neons, 6 long silver pikes things (!!!) and 4 Angels, oh and 4 clown loach!!! Heavens above.

This tank is uncycled and she lost 6 neons overnight - blamed the fish shop for those.

I have tried with no success to inform her that she needs to get a test kit and test the water immediately and that she probably lost the neons to either ammonia/nitrite poisoning or the angels ate them!

No apparently I know nothing, she's had fish before and never lost any and always kept angels with neons etc etc and that she is planning on putting another 30 - 40 fish in it because thats what she was told the tank would hold!!!! I dread to think and frankly feel damn sorry for the poor fish

Now this is not a stupid woman (well according to her own self proclaimed intelligence) but refuses point blank to listen to me as Im the stupid one in the family and just her little sister, whom she never has much to do with anyway!! This tank has only come about because she lowered herself to visit us a couple of weeks ago and saw all mine!!

Sometimes I wonder why I bother, but as I obviously know nothing about keeping fish I shall refrain from trying to advise her any further, I await the delivery of a new tank very soon, the fish will die she wont be bothered anymore and chuck it my way.

Do you ever feel like your bashing your head against a brick wall ?

 

[CentricOregon]

Hahahaha I'm not the only one sick of family issues involving fish, my parents never ever listen to me when it comes to fish and I am sooooooooo fed up with it, my mum was about to put her 2 grown botias in a 2foot tank to try and breed them, luckily after getting on at her she stopped lol.I will go off my head if she does it when I'm not here!

 

[shelaghfishface]

goodness me are we related?? cos i have one just the same, oh minx, dont waste your breath on her. its her money and heart ache, let her learn the hard way.... and anyway i can always have the extra helpings of advice that you have spare
and dont feel guilty either, we cant make everone listen-unfortunatley(sp)

and look forward to the new tank/s- an incentiive not to interfere ( u may wanna suggest she gets a little something in purple )

shelagh xxxxxxx

 

[Thirdfloor]

Maybe if she heard it from someone other than you, give her a link to the cycling threads here, or email them to her, or even print some articles and give to her? Hate to think of all the fishies that she's likely to kill

 

[Sunny_Bee]

I think many serious fish keepers have had an experience like this and there's nothing more frustrating

My brother in law drives me crazy sometimes. It's a bit of a weird situation because he is interested in the hobby, he tests his water consistently and knows a bit about general fish keeping...BUT he consistently ignores my advice.

I tell him he has single fish that should be in schools, he shrugs it off.
He feeds cheap food with an automatic feeder, I give him some good foods, he rarely uses them.
He set up a new tank and was attempting fishless cycling, but had no idea why or how (he actually took a little advice from me on that one).
And now he's just added 8 new fish to the tank without quarenteeing, even though he had a fully cycled, unoccupied 15 gallon.....and he's suprised that his old fish are dying.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.

So yes...I totally understand...thanks for the opportunity for a good rant

 

[ALW]

And now he's just added 8 new fish to the tank without quarenteeing

Not everyone quarantines there new stock!

 

[tangokitty]

All those poor poor fish! I'm glad I'm not any of her pets!! Research Research Research!!!

 

[minxfishy]

Oh thank god Im not the only one, to be honest I thought Id avoided the problem, as when she was here she started going on about a Marine set up, which she had been told by the shop, she could just take some of their water and immediatley add the fish and only need to top up with tap water once in a while - the mind boggles, but apparently she decided to just go tropical.

I feel for the fish, but a part of me hopes she fails miserably, if she rings me for any advice I shall try my best, but my god some people are so ignorant it hurts to talk to them

Im pleased Im not the only one who has these daft people to contend with.

Rant on

 

[Axleuk]

I'm glad someone had posted this, as i dont feel alone now.

My brother has a small 10 gallon tank. He filled it up with fresh tap water and thew in some goldfish. They seem to do well,but are getting rather big, he then threw in some Plecs(1 large 1 small). They seem to be doing well in the cramped space too then he threw in some guppies a couple of baby goldfish from the pond some danios oh and did i mention the lobster? and if that was not enough, 2 weeks ago he bouhgt 2 Malawi Chiclids...OMG! the guy is nuts.

I tried to advise him but you now the story.

Oh he doesnt have a heater either, but the ambient temp of the room has made the tank a stable enough 27 degree C.

Amazingly when i testd his water when he was at work it showed up as being fine. All the fish seem to get on well even if they are cramped but just wait until the Malawi's get bigger (if they even survive) then eat all his stock...Hmmmm.. poor buggers.

 

[afireinside]

Maybe you should smack her across the back of the head. That usually solves problems.

Anyhow, my dad wanted to get a betta for his office, and he wanted it in a half gallon bowl. So, I had to convince him that a 1 gallon or bigger tank would look better and would stay clean easier, and be better for the betta.

 

[5teady_2012]

Id just let her get on with it or at least go to the lfs where she goes and tell them to inform her of this.

 

[aaronnorth]

always kept angels with neons

you can keep angels and neons together as long as there is room for them to get away.

 

[Efren]

maybe it will help if you'll kindly share her some of your matured media-
for the Fishes sake - - she's your sister after all -

do you think it might work?
cause that's a lot of fish -
not to mention they're on "deathrow"

 

[tangokitty]

My whole family is a bunch of idiots, I don't even talk to the majority of them, only 1 aunt and my mom. It's sad really, but the only way to stay out of their drama and stupidity. My dad is the worst he just plain hates animals! And I work for a vet! He finds it ridiculous that people would even go to a vet and not just put the animals down or set them lose somewhere if somethings wrong with them. and when we were growing up we had tons of unspayed or neutered out door cats to "keep away Mice" That had kittens all the time and were always being eaten by hawks or Coyotes And he just didn't care! If the mom dies, he'd have left the kittens to die too! (But I'd always hide them in my room and bottle feed them then try to find them real homes since ours sucked) We even had a cat that a hawk had grabbed by the face took out and eye and broke half it's upper jaw out and my dad got mad because I used my own money to take it to a vet.

Sorry for Ranting in your thread

 

[minxfishy]

Trust me I would love to smack her over the head plus other things, as for media sharing and going to her LFS, she lives in Suffolk, Im up near wolves, 4-5 hours drive away - hence why we dont see much of each other - thank heavens for small mercys.