Dumbest thing anyone’s said to you regarding fish…Go!

[Rocky998]

I think the dumbest thing ive heard about fish keeping came from an argument (yes an argument) about keeping betta fish with my friend...
Btw he always has kept his betta fish in a bowl never an aquarium... He's owned 5... Most died cause it wasnt being cared for properly and 1 or 2 jumped out.

Me: How's your betta fish doing?
Friend: Oh it died but it doesnt matter they only live for a month anyways.
Me: Actually they live for about 5 years... You should really look into getting a 5 gallon aquarium thats their minimum tank size.
Friend: What? No... They only live in puddles. Plus they dont live for 5 years where did you get your information?
Me: Google and sites that I trust. And no they dont live in puddles... If they lived in puddles they wouldnt live long at all...
Friend: Smh... Google? Google cant be trusted. Its made up of a bunch of lies and websites that have fake information. And thats why they only live a month cause they live in puddles...
Me: Ok Some parts of google cant be trusted but most sites can be.
........................
This conversation lead to me talking about the nitrogen cycle and him thinking all aquarium supplies are a money grab and that the nitrogen cycle isnt a need cause he's never had to do it... Suddenly I just realized this was leading no where and gave up... After this I was pretty upset on the inside and my brain just died after that conversation... There were other things said this was just a summarised version.

 

[ThatFishGirl6231]

i had a conversation with my little sisters friend after she mentioned she wanted a betta fish.

me: oh that’s cool how big of a tank are you getting?
her: i have a little princess tank at my house i’ll use.
me (already freaked out): oh do you have a filter and a heater too then?
her: no what’s that.
me: well they need their water to be filtered and the water temp needs to be about 78 degrees so you should get a heater too.
her: all that stuff is just extra information for people who think their fish can live more than a year even though they can’t.
me: my betta has been living 3 years so clearly they can.
her: actually i don’t want a betta bc fish are dumb anyway.

i was about to argue back and say they aren’t dumb, but i decided to let her think they are, so she wouldn’t go buy one and neglect it.

 

[Rocky998]

i had a conversation with my little sisters friend after she mentioned she wanted a betta fish.

me: oh that’s cool how big of a tank are you getting?
her: i have a little princess tank at my house i’ll use.
me (already freaked out): oh do you have a filter and a heater too then?
her: no what’s that.
me: well they need their water to be filtered and the water temp needs to be about 78 degrees so you should get a heater too.
her: all that stuff is just extra information for people who think their fish can live more than a year even though they can’t.
me: my betta has been living 3 years so clearly they can.
her: actually i don’t want a betta bc fish are dumb anyway.

i was about to argue back and say they aren’t dumb, but i decided to let her think they are, so she wouldn’t go buy one and neglect it.

Ahhhhhhh *freakout mode*

 

[Tacocat]

- When you add new fish into your tank, add the water they came in

I actually didn't know that, I did this all the time, but just acclimated the water and added tank water to mix in. Should I not?

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

I think the dumbest thing ive heard about fish keeping came from an argument (yes an argument) about keeping betta fish with my friend...
Btw he always has kept his betta fish in a bowl never an aquarium... He's owned 5... Most died cause it wasnt being cared for properly and 1 or 2 jumped out.

Me: How's your betta fish doing?
Friend: Oh it died but it doesnt matter they only live for a month anyways.
Me: Actually they live for about 5 years... You should really look into getting a 5 gallon aquarium thats their minimum tank size.
Friend: What? No... They only live in puddles. Plus they dont live for 5 years where did you get your information?
Me: Google and sites that I trust. And no they dont live in puddles... If they lived in puddles they wouldnt live long at all...
Friend: Smh... Google? Google cant be trusted. Its made up of a bunch of lies and websites that have fake information. And thats why they only live a month cause they live in puddles...
Me: Ok Some parts of google cant be trusted but most sites can be.
........................
This conversation lead to me talking about the nitrogen cycle and him thinking all aquarium supplies are a money grab and that the nitrogen cycle isnt a need cause he's never had to do it... Suddenly I just realized this was leading no where and gave up... After this I was pretty upset on the inside and my brain just died after that conversation... There were other things said this was just a summarised version.

You should have told him "i know because i had a betta fish that lived 5 years" even if it is a lie, just to shut him up

 

[Rocky998]

Well he already knows my fish lived a month lol. But I can tell him I know someone that does.

You should have told him "i know because i had a betta fish that lived 5 years" even if it is a lie, just to shut him up

 

[JemZ]

I actually didn't know that, I did this all the time, but just acclimated the water and added tank water to mix in. Should I not?

If at any point a decent portion of pet store tank water gets into your tank, then no.

At the pet store, they told me to float the fish, while still in the bag, in the tank to acclimate it to the temperature for a couple of minutes (maybe they said ten I don't remember). Then, after that period, cut the bag so the fish can be poured out with the water it came in.

This is a disease and parasite party waiting to happen. While not all fish will come in infested water, some will, and I will never know the amount of fish I lost to diseases that likely came from the pet store. Many of these could have been stopped by quarantining fish but I never did.

Those who buy fish on a regular basis could give you a better procedure than I can when it comes to introducing fish into your tank, but quarantining your fish is key and I wish I had known this when I was still buying fish. I would do anything possible to avoid water from the pet store from getting into your main tank. You're right to acclimate the fish though.

Deanasue, who I believe has retired as a moderator started a good thread on why quarantining fish is so important.

Gang, Please Quarantine New Fish!

I understand. We’re so excited to get our new fish home and in the community tank. So we put them in. Stop! Big mistake!!! I can’t tell you how many posts we get from members who are trying to save their beloved fish because a new fish brought a disease into the tank. I’ve been there...

www.fishforums.net

 

[The_Labyrinth]

When you first start up, you generally buy from one store at one time. Do not let that water into your tank and do not buy from any other place for several weeks. These are your dither fish and do not spend any 'good' amount of money on them. When introduciing your 1st fish, let them come up (or down) to temperature, then pour the bag through a net, water down the drain and introduce the fish to the aquarium. Let the tank cycle through for at least another month, no matter the promises of these 'instant' cycling products, before introducing anything new into the tank. When you get any new fish after that, use creativity to bring the water temperature to your current aquarium temperature. They do not need to float in the exact tank. Get a gallon jar (a spare 5g aquarium / quarantine tank is better) that is the same temperature and chemistry of your aquarium and introduce the fish into the jar / aquarium (pour the aquarium water from the store through a net into a drain and collect the fish prior to putting them in the jar/aquarium). Do not blindly pour the water from the bag into your aquarium, ever. Even when pouring the fish into a net you at least want to briefly rinse the fish into your water conditions in a separate container. Pull a 1/2 gallon into a separate large bowl and just swish the net with the fish in it. Best bet is to have a separate quarantine tank set up, but we all know that people setting up new tanks do not have this luxury, after all, they are just getting into the hobby with 1 tank.

 

[carligraceee]

I’ll go first:

One time at school someone told me fish can’t be pets because pets are living breathing animals. He said fish don’t breathe so they aren’t animals. I gave him a whole biology lesson until he finally accepted that fish breathe and are animals. I’m pretty sure he hates me now though for making him look dumb in front of a lot of people.

"It's just a fish... not like it's a dog or anything" -my wonderful mom after I explained to her how each fish make connections with their owners and will get attached to you like any other pet

 

[coriesinhawaii]

I actually didn't know that, I did this all the time, but just acclimated the water and added tank water to mix in. Should I not?

well it's just that you're risking introducing any funky stuff from the fish store's tank into your own if you add the water they come in

 

[coriesinhawaii]

"It's just a fish... not like it's a dog or anything" -my wonderful mom after I explained to her how each fish make connections with their owners and will get attached to you like any other pet

Many people seem to lack the ability to form a meaningful connection with animals other than cats and dogs (especially fish). They always assume it's the animal's "fault" but I think it's the person's. You have to allow for that connection to happen and sadly a lot of people just don't for animals like fish.

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

Many people seem to lack the ability to form a meaningful connection with animals other than cats and dogs (especially fish). They always assume it's the animal's "fault" but I think it's the person's. You have to allow for that connection to happen and sadly a lot of people just don't for animals like fish.

true, most of my fish get really happy to see me and whenever i get close to their aquariums they look at me and stay close to me, you have to allow the fish to relate you to good things, otherwise no conection will form, and thinking that fish are dumb will make it harder for you from the start to acknowledge the bond, and, if the fish feels that the love and interest is mostly one sided, it will stop tryinng to bond with you.

 

[ThatFishGirl6231]

true, most of my fish get really happy to see me and whenever i get close to their aquariums they look at me and stay close to me, you have to allow the fish to relate you to good things, otherwise no conection will form, and thinking that fish are dumb will make it harder for you from the start to acknowledge the bond, and, if the fish feels that the love and interest is mostly one sided, it will stop tryinng to bond with you.

same. i think they know that i mean food.

 

[mark4785]

Someone I know wanted to place a goldfish in a old whiskey barrel I have full of water and floating lilies. He believed the fish would survive in stagnant, non-filtered water.

 

[itiwhetu]

Someone I know wanted to place a goldfish in a old whiskey barrel I have full of water and floating lilies. He believed the fish would survive in stagnant, non-filtered water.

That is a thing, and Goldfish do well in non filtered water. My pond has a hundred fish in it no filters