Fish Are For Their Life

[trampas]

Hi all , especially newbies , I have noticed through reading a lot of post`s that whilst the majority of keeper`s laudably consider the tank size and water condition`s required by their selected fish very few consider the relevant expected life spans of the fish , there are a lot of species that live in excess of 10 year`s , especially cat`s + oddies .
In my time in the trade I found a lot of keeper`s wanted to exchange their specimen`s after their initial juvenile growth spurt was complete , or when after a couple of year`s the conversational point was exhausted or another variety was desired , this then led to the task of moving the fish on , sometime`s this resulted in fish going to person`s who wanted cheap or free fish but did`nt quite have the right size facilitie`s to cope properly with their new charge`s ( but the desperate owner turning a blind eye sadly , in order to achieve their goal ) , thus leading to sad condition`s and eventually premature death .
Trader`s + Aquarium`s can only economically house so many old , large specimen fish , thus leading to , out of desperation , the wrongfull disposure of the specimin`s ( canal`s , river`s , pond`s + sewer`s , I have rod caught a fair few clarius from my local canal ) in the false hope that they may happily live out their live`s in secrecy , or in extreme case`s the fish are despatched , even after being loved pet`s . One should also bear in mind that on occassion`s just the catching and moving of an established fish can stress , damage and exhaust it to the extent that it can cause death in the short term .
The resolve to this would be that trader`s point out the expected life span of the fish they sell and all keeper`s take the time and effort to read up on ALL aspect`s of their chosen pet`s and take into account the impact of having a fish that could easily live as long as their dog or cat
I know this topic is a bit lengthy but I do feel it is a very important aspect of being a good responsible fish keeper .
Please leave your comment`s , view`s and experience`s

 

[markandhisfish]

such is the nature of the beast with fish keeping . the vast majority of people like to change every now and then . its more the way the fish are moved on that should be the consideration . responsible re-homing is fine , but the methods you describe are not good i agree. to introduce a foreign species is just plain irresponsible,and to kill them just plain cruel . its all well and good saying that people should have the fish for it entire lifespan etc , and in an ideal world this is all well and good , but as much as some people may not like it the basic truth is that whilst people may get a certain level of attatchment to a certain fish , it will never be such a high level of bond as with say a dog . my personal opinion is that as long as the needs/well being of the fish being moved on are considered and responsibly handled then i dont see the problem if somebody wants a change of direction .

in fact in some cases this can even be a good thing for the "unwanted" fish. by human nature in interest wains then so does the level of attention given to the fish . a change of direction can reignite the passion and also the fish being moved on would get better care with somebody that is really into them than they would juat sitting in a tank that gets the bare minimum of maintainence etc .

i know lots of people will disagree , in fact i have actually been publicly lambasted for moving fish on to try something different , but in every case its been done the right wasy , responsibly with consideration to the well being of the fish in question , which imo is what really matters

 

[trampas]

Thank`s Mark for your insight and sensibly valid comment`s , however I am not condemning change and variety just advocating consideration of a normally over looked subject and it`s consequence`s in the consideration of species adoption .
Perhaps in hindsight I should have titled it " Fish and their life span "

 

[trampas]

A few simple question`s to ask your self ,
Can I house this fish , if so how long ?
If it gets too old , big or aggressive can I put it in another more appropiate tank ?
If not , do I know another keeper who CAN and WILL ? Or do I know a Trader , Zoo or Aquarium that CAN and WILL ?
Most Trader`s , Zoo`s and Aquarium`s can do the above , but remember that they may not alway`s be able to due to demand and variety as you will not be the only person with a rehome request .I`ve seen Pacu`s housed with Croc`s and Aligator`s . ( feeder fish ?? )
If you can confidently and possitivly answer yes to the above then there should be no issue , however if you can`t you should either wait till you can or consider something else .
These question`s should also ALWAY`S be asked of you by the responsible seller or trader , those that don`t are the problem causer`s , be wary of them !!

 

[markandhisfish]

i agree with all the points you raise , if you want to have a change , then thats fair enough , but if you are unable to rehome the fish you have properly and responsibly then you should just wait until you can .

i do think tho that even if you are 1 of these people that like to keep changing ( i do myself altho i seem to have settled on that front now i have malawis) that the question you highlight of can i comfortably house the fish for life should be given due consideration , because as you rightly say there is no guarentee that you can find unwanted fish a good home .

 

[This Old Spouse]

If you look around you'll see cats and dogs being "rehomed" all the time. Kittens and puppies are adorable, but then reality sets in, what with housebreaking and grooming and feeding and vet bills.

I'm sure many people see fishkeeping as a less arduous task somehow. And while it may seem to some folks cruel to turn out an unwanted pet in the woods (although it happens frequently) they don't see a problem with flushing a fish or "rehoming" it to the nearby lake or pond.

Another problem I see is that the average person buys a fish at the LFS because it's cool. Nobody at the LFS is going to tell you that your common pleco is going to get to two feet long!!

Which brings me to another point ... why on earth does every LFS on the planet sell common plecos?? I bought one for my 55g, which may or may not work in the long run. I doubt it! But the LFSs treat them like a common aquarium housekeeper to eat up all your algae and look good doing it. They fail to mention how big it will get and how long it will live.

Every person who is thinking about getting a cat, dog, bird, fish or guinea pig should do the research and find out everything there is to know about the animal. But it won't happen. That's why we're here. To ask questions and hopefully get the help we need from people who have the experience and knowledge to answer intelligently.

 

[Stevens]

All are the best techniques and steps for properly manage your pet fish.The only one thing which i want to mention that different breed needs different special food of fish.Do focus on this factor that always keep in mind about the special food of your fish.Some times this food is also given special names.
electric dog fence

 

[CrazyAirborne]

Which brings me to another point ... why on earth does every LFS on the planet sell common plecos??

i myself have wondered the same thing, would seem the majority of people walking into LFS's cant responsibly house a common plec.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Exactly.

 

[trampas]

Thank`s for all your view`s and comment`s so far , it does appear that LFS`s staff need to be more up front with their long term description`s and advice , I know they have to make a living but as usual the best and most successful are the one`s who are the most honest as they become the most trusted and reccomended.
You quite rightly quote the example of the commom plec , another one that suprised me when I first started in the trade was a black shark returned to the shop at well over 10 inch`s and fat as well , but how can you plan for the life of the fish if you are not as you say given the full and honest information .
We should now be urging our LFS`s to adopt the attitude of complete disclosure where possible to all trade newcomer`s , and by this I am not apportioning all the blame on the LFS`s but if as experienced person`s we all ensure this aspect is highlighted wherever possible then we can all play our part in the well being of long lived pet`s .

 

[This Old Spouse]

+1!

If all the LFSs could just understand that if they dispatched the correct advice in the first place, we would be coming back forever! As it is, once we discover what jerks they are for only making money as their priority, we don't go back and they end up losing MORE money than if they were up-front and knowledgeable in the first place. I think a lot of folks just get out of fish keeping altogether if they get too frustrated with tanks not being cycled and fish dying, and plecos reaching gargantuan sizes. Guess we should all do our part to try to educate them, right??

 

[colleen0309]

I joined this forum with the hope that I may be able to help someone before they get fed up and quit. I've been keeping fish for almost 40 years. Alot has changed, but alot has stayed the same. I also joined because no matter how long I have been in this hobby, I am no expert. When I go to a LFS, I go in pretending I don't know the answers to my questions to see how they answer. I will ask simple questions (will that little oscar fit in my 20 gallon? Can I keep a jack dempsey in my community 10 gallon tank? Do I really need to do water changes?). If they give me good answers, I might go back. I had one shop owner(after 4 times in the store, asking dumb questions), look at me and ask me why I was asking questions I already knew the answers to. I told him the truth. I wanted to see if his advice was dependable. He asked me if he was doing a good job. That shop is now my favorite shop and I am one of his favorite customers.

 

[Montydog]

hi,

you guys are totally right! at my LFS i was just checking out tanks, i was looking at a 75L setup, then the guy there reccommended
that i put 4 clown loaches, some angels and guppies plus some plecos!! my parents were like.....oo ok that sounds good!...
i was thinking is this guy crazy!! those fish grow way to big for a 75L!

XD

 

[MBOU]

+1 kind of...

Some fish shops are just determined to give us all a bad name

I for one am SICK to death of customers converting to marine... yes thats fantastic for us...we get to give good information and livestock and dry goods too... brilliant...

But the number of times people turn around and say "i've only got a few fish left, some 6 year old neons and barbs... you dont mind having them do you? they dont take up much space..."

I mean....seriously... people are heartless.... fancy not only moving a 6 year old neon but just ditching it when it got old!!

I have sumps FULL to bursting point of common plecs, gibbys, synodontis, large cichlids, cigar sharks, silver sharks (thankfully got a customer with a nice 8ft tank just for silver sharks so he will go to a good home!) and a pangasius whom i cant sell and is eventually going to have to be euthanised unless someone with at least an 8-10 x 4 x 3 tank comes along which is...lets say.... unlikely!

Not only that but people have the cheek to ask for credit/money for these fish! Or discount on new fish! People think Im mean when i say hell no! We have to pay to look after, feed and house these fish that will probably be sitting in the shop for years!

You wouldnt believe what we spend on algae wafers in a year! We go through SACKS of them every month or two! We have so many plecs we have to feed algae wafers by the handfull because they eat the algae so quickly.

I can understand the want for changing the tank, i was terrible for that! But i made space and got another tank, sometimes i rehomed fish i knew would sell easily but generally i ended up with a LOT of tanks lol.

I dont understand how people who claim to be 'fish lovers' can ditch their pets so easily. Even cats and dogs wouldnt get treated like that, hamsters, reptiles.... no pets get as mistreated as fish do!

Doesnt help that the RSPCAs view is "if it doesnt have fur, feathers or scales then we dont really care"...

Or id have called the RSPCA on half the fishkeepers i know if not more!

 

[Blubble37]

i would never get rid of a fish unless it was dead, the good thing is that i have a pond i can put my coldwaters in when it gets too big! oh the joys of ponds (leaky liners:0)