Fish regret

[Gypsum]

My least favourite fish has been otocinclus. They're the most sensitive things I've got, and while I've probably done more work for them than for any other fish in an effort to sort them out, I can't quite make them happy. It was a mistake getting them in the first place, mind you, but I didn't quite appreciate how flighty they were, and that they would be terrorized by the raphael catfish, who wasn't going to eat them but she prowls around like she might. I bought a 60L tank and moved the otos. But I didn't appreciate how difficult it was to keep the PH and other parameters stable in a tiny tank. The cherry barbs who shared the tank with the otos seemed fine, but the otos went on hunger strike, sitting at the bottom of the tank, and I lost three. So I bought a 125L tank -- obviously much easier to maintain and more space for everyone -- shifted them into that. Definite improvement, as they eat algae and aren't sitting on the substrate, but they're not as active as other people's otos are reported to be. They spend 95% of their time hanging out on the plants in the back of the tank.

The other regrettable fish I bought was a second Boliviam ram, bought to be a potential mate for my first Bolivian ram. I think it was another male and either way, the first ram wasn't having it and kept it pinned to the back of the tank, and it stopped eating. I rehomed it.

 

[Back in the fold]

I have a randy little sod of a swordtail who harasses the girls. All the girls are knocked up not sure if all are from him but he likes to think all the girls want him the way he shacks his little tail feather at them! If only he really knew they can’t stand having him around them!

All us guys think we're the object of every woman's desire. I'm glad to be of the age when the hormones died off. Life is so much simpler.

 

[Herpin Man]

Creek chubs in my native tank. They are aggressive, active feeders, with appetites that cannot be satiated. They make it difficult to feed the other fish in the tank, who cower and hide when those chub monsters are feeding.
I know I should remove them- feed them to my turtles- but just haven't been able to bring myself to it.

 

[Essjay]

I'm another voter for serpae tetras. They swam round the tank in tight formation like the Red Arrows, and within hours every other fish in the tank had bits missing. They went back to the shop.

 

[Back in the fold]

One last thought from me on this subject. Look at the common factor in these regrets. The hated and regretted fish were trouble makers. I keep species only tanks and I have not had any trouble. The myth of the community tank causes these regrets.

 

[Essjay]

I got my serpaes in the early days of my fishkeeping when all I had to guide me were some books in the library. They didn't even mention the concept of species only tanks. Nor the behaviour of serpaes. I've learned a lot since then, and am still learning.

 

[Naughts]

I had a pair of angels that ate everything in the tank as soon as they were big enough. Never again.
But my tigers in a (now) species tank - beauties! My favourites.

 

[JLawson90]

Tiger barbs.Such a beautiful fish but just too mean. A long time ago I purchased 6 of them and one day one of them killed the other five. A few years later I decided to try again and purchased 6 and raised them. separated 2 pairs for 2 weeks and put them together in the evening to spawn. The next morning the males had killed the females. Still determined to breed them a few years later i purchased six more and raised them .Separated 2 pairs and put a divider in a tank and put one male and one female together on each side. The next morning both pairs spawned. I raised the fry till they were half grown and sold them all to the LFS. Havent kept them since then.

they do better in bigger groups

 

[AbbeysDad]

With 50+ years in the hobby, there are many regrets. I'll just mention that I regret every fish I've ever lost. Unlike even those close to me, they're more than "just fish" to me.

 

[Retired Viking]

Having goldfish in my 55 gallon tank, they grew to over 6inch and took over the tank for a couple of years until I gave them to a friend with a pond. I had mixed feelings about them. I liked them but I wanted to fill the tank with small tropical fish.