Fatal Mistake, Oh God!

[ADW1988]

Oh Man.. I just asked a friend if i could nick a filter off him when he changes his to squeeze over my new tank's filter.. He said yes but said I "just need to add hardy fish like Neon Tetras, which aren't particularly hardy! (I Gulped in shock) and add fish food for a week! then it'll be done" (I gulped and sighed!!!) I know you can add flakes but the first bit!!
 
I'll be educating my friend, even tho he's had a tank for a while and im almost finishing my fishless cycle (week 5)! I wonder who passes on this rooky information in the first place? Surely not pet stores??

 

[Ch4rlie]

Oh Man.. I just asked a friend if i could nick a filter off him when he changes his to squeeze over my new tank's filter.. He said yes but said I "just need to add hardy fish like Neon Tetras, which aren't particularly hardy! (I Gulped in shock) and add fish food for a week! then it'll be done" (I gulped and sighed!!!) I know you can add flakes but the first bit!!
 
I'll be educating my friend, even tho he's had a tank for a while and im almost finishing my fishless cycle (week 5)! I wonder who passes on this rooky information in the first place? Surely not pet stores??

 
This is actually quite common advice given out I'll think you'll find

  
 
Especially from people who have been fishkeepers for a long time (10+ years), it used to be the way to cycle your tank before fishless cycles came to play.
 
Some keepers simply stick with what they know which is to do a fish in cycle, fish food, and even dead prawns have been known to be used for cycling a tank.
 
And YES, some pet stores or LFS do advise you to do things this way! 

 

[rpgmomma8404]

One of the groups I'm in the guy asked what kind of fish he had. The fish looked kind of sick. I said he should do a water change because his tank was so freaking cloudy you could barely make out the fish in the back ground. He claimed he did just do a water change. I realize it can get cloudy but I didn't think it could get so cloudy you could barely see anything in the tank.  

 

[ADW1988]

 

Oh Man.. I just asked a friend if i could nick a filter off him when he changes his to squeeze over my new tank's filter.. He said yes but said I "just need to add hardy fish like Neon Tetras, which aren't particularly hardy! (I Gulped in shock) and add fish food for a week! then it'll be done" (I gulped and sighed!!!) I know you can add flakes but the first bit!!
 
I'll be educating my friend, even tho he's had a tank for a while and im almost finishing my fishless cycle (week 5)! I wonder who passes on this rooky information in the first place? Surely not pet stores??

 
This is actually quite common advice given out I'll think you'll find

  
 
Especially from people who have been fishkeepers for a long time (10+ years), it used to be the way to cycle your tank before fishless cycles came to play.
 
Some keepers simply stick with what they know which is to do a fish in cycle, fish food, and even dead prawns have been known to be used for cycling a tank.
 
And YES, some pet stores or LFS do advise you to do things this way! 

 

Ahh i see... Difficult then should people be stuck in ancient ways. I suppose you could say the same about many things really.
 
I must say that my LFS were keen to shove a bottle of Nutrafin Cycle in my hand with a bag of Zebra Danios!! for a 60L tank.. I politely refused; thanks to the great knowledge of people on this site.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

The funny (sad, ironic) thing about this is that wouldn't be caught dead using technology from 25 years ago, so why are they so quick to continue the same methods of fishkeeping.  After all, if they've been typing for 25 years, why get a computer, the typewriter still works and they've always done it that way?  Why do they want a new cell phone, when the landline is still quite viable?  Why get a color LCD HDTV, when the old black and white with the rabbit ears should be fine?
 
Its sad that people get so stuck in their ways that they can't see the advances that have been made... or that they wantonly ignore them, because 'its too much effort'.

I was thinking of buying a dog... maybe I should get a 'hardy' species first to start with and then just flush it when its 'cycled' my home.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

This thread is just one more reason why I do not have any interest in facebook or twitter and never will.

 

[Sophie]

This thread is just one more reason why I do not have any interest in facebook or twitter and never will.

 
Unfortunately I gave into peer pressure this once and joined FB. I admit it does have its uses as much as it has its flaws.
I find it quite beneficial for other things - pages I follow etc to have the latest news straight away. Plenty of reputable fishy ones!

 

[Sophie]

The funny (sad, ironic) thing about this is that wouldn't be caught dead using technology from 25 years ago, so why are they so quick to continue the same methods of fishkeeping.  After all, if they've been typing for 25 years, why get a computer, the typewriter still works and they've always done it that way?  Why do they want a new cell phone, when the landline is still quite viable?  Why get a color LCD HDTV, when the old black and white with the rabbit ears should be fine?
 
Its sad that people get so stuck in their ways that they can't see the advances that have been made... or that they wantonly ignore them, because 'its too much effort'.

 
Sometimes people mentally cannot adjust. I don't know if it would be the same for fish keeping but I know many older folk who cannot for the life of them even manage to switch on a computer. Even if they really want to do it they cannot get into it.
I guess if you can't move with the times you'll get left behind.
It's been bugging me recently, just how much further is technology going to go? Is there going to be a limit?..
 

I was thinking of buying a dog... maybe I should get a 'hardy' species first to start with and then just flush it when its 'cycled' my home.

 
This is something I find very infuriating - people cannot grasp the concept that, you wouldn't let your dog poop in it's bed then let it sit in it, sleep in it and play in it for a month before you clean it, why do you let it happen to the fish?
You wouldn't buy a puppy a bed, then force the adult dog to sleep in it's former bed because you 'brought it on impulse and now aren't prepared to deal with it as it grows'. Same with medications and such.. People who aren't prepared to buy it. You wouldn't buy a dog and then say "oh I can't take it to the vets because I can't afford it, it's leg will just have to stay broken and he'll just have to suffer".
These Goldfish will be fine at tropical temperatures! - Yes because you'd have a polar bear as a pet in Africa obviously.
Oh the analogies are endless!
 
/end moan
 
How do I keep a baby awake?
Why does one rule apply for one and not the other..
A fish is for life, not just for christmas!
I'm having a window sticker made of this..
The Brits will understand the saying.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Why does one rule apply for one and not the other..
A fish is for life, not just for christmas!

I'm having a window sticker made of this..
The Brits will understand the saying.
 

 
Yup! Agree 100% 

 

[eaglesaquarium]

The Italians would say, Seven Fishes for Christmas is life...  just sayin'. 

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Some keepers simply stick with what they know which is to do a fish in cycle, fish food, and even dead prawns have been known to be used for cycling a tank.

 
TBH, I think that is a bit of an unfair statement.
 
Not all people have access to ammonia - I don't, some countries (particularly Australia and New Zealand) have strict laws concerning the use of ammonia, the reason is that ammonia has been known to be used by terrorist for making bombs. 
Therefore, things like fish food, dead prawns (what I have to use) and fish do need to be used. 
 
When I asked on a NZ fish forum where to find pure ammonia to do a fishless cycle, I was literally laughed at. 
They think you "foreigners" are crazy for wanting to do a fishless cycle, and they don't see anything wrong with "chucking a few Danios in and waiting two months". 
I was mortified when I heard that is the most common method used, which is why I used dead shrimp.
 
I really hope all of the above didn't sound rude, LoL. What I'm trying to say is that it is not always as simple as adding 3ppm of ammonia, sometimes other methods have to be used.

 

[Ch4rlie]

 

Some keepers simply stick with what they know which is to do a fish in cycle, fish food, and even dead prawns have been known to be used for cycling a tank.

 
TBH, I think that is a bit of an unfair statement.

 
 
Not meant to be an unfair statement, I said SOME keepers stay with what they know, and its just an observation for information, not meant to shock or anything, just saying how it is sometimes.

 

[Blondielovesfish]

 

 


Some keepers simply stick with what they know which is to do a fish in cycle, fish food, and even dead prawns have been known to be used for cycling a tank.

 
TBH, I think that is a bit of an unfair statement.

 
 
Not meant to be an unfair statement, I said SOME keepers stay with what they know, and its just an observation for information, not meant to shock or anything, just saying how it is sometimes.
 


 
Okay, sorry. Was just saying that there are sometimes reasons
 
Forget I said anything

 

[Serbrider]

It is frustrating. I'm a fish newbie. I have owned fish for about 3 years now, and went into it knowing I needed to research. Bc a lot of the information on the internet is either wrong or poorly explained, I know I've made mistakes. Buying dyed tetras. Having my betts in an unfiltered, unheated, gallon and a half sized bowl at first, plants dying, fish not dying but becoming ill, and so I sought out more and more information to find something correct. I got into fish because I couldn't have any other pets . I stayed in fish because they were worth it, and I like seeing others enjoy the aquatic exhibit I made. But I'm always learning, and even with what I do know , I can always be proven wrong. And while something may work, there is always a better option.

But yes, ignorance with living creatures is frustrating. I own a dog, two cats, and a horse in addition to my three fishes. And they are all living in luxury, eating species appropriate diets. (Dog and cats balanced raw, my mare lives 24/7 on 40 acres of pasture, with minerals and supplements only as needed). My animals are at the peak of health because of it. VERY shines coats, strong hooves, etc. and man, it drives me up the wall when people are recommending sweet feed, purina or beneful, that their easy keeper needs more alfalfa and oats... Ack! And then calling me abusive and negligent because I don't feed grain to my fat horse, don't put shoes on her, feed my dog and cats raw instead of dog or cat food, that I leave my horse in a pasture and avoid stalls except in the case of quarantine or lameness or for the ease of the farrier or chiropractor or dentist or vet. I'm a bad dog owner because I give her shots myself, and a bad cat owner for feeding then twice a day instead of leaving food out all day long.

Fat cats and dogs are not healthy. Horses founder with sweet feed. And it drives me bananas to see people spewing such inaccurate information.
Oh , and out of all my animals, while they've been the cheapest, my fish have been the hardest.

 

[DreamertK]

There is no proper ammonia in (my region of) CA.

  The only ammonia we have is that lemon scented cleaning garbage that foams when you shake it a bit. I tried looking on ebay, but it's extremely expensive even without shipping.