How To Do You Convince The Other Half

[Baccus]

My sister told me about a 6ft tank where she is (1 1/2 hrs away from me) for sale with stand, lights, filters, automatic feeder and fish angels and some cory's I recall being mentioned and I think some other fish as well for the grand total of $300. I would love it but the other half has catagorically without out doubt and no chance of changing his mind said "NO". He says to have the 6fter I would have to get rid of all my other tanks (NOPE that's not happening), and I can't even ask for it as a B'Day present as he made what he calls a mistake of getting me a pair of Rosa Bourkes as a B'day present once before and that led to me having a lovely big 3 bay aviary (I finaced the aviary and helped with construction as needed, while he did all of the welding). I already had a small flock of cockatiels that were always destined to go into a larger aviary, the addition of the Bourke Parrots just meant I got the aviary a bit sooner as well as a heap of finches that are in their own bay of the aviary.
So now I know where there is a great tank fully set up and

I am not allowed to get it. Argh the frustration.

 

[StandbySetting]

Welcome to the world of fish keeping.

 

[Tolak]

Home improvements. I have a fishroom. My wife loves her remodeled bathroom. I need fishroom upgrades. My wife loves her new windows across the front of the house, along with the new paint & carpeting in the living room. My drilled tanks with overflows, and the water run to the fishroom all work great.

I'm gearing up to redo the fence at my son's place this weekend. He's 6'3", but will always be her little boy. I'm looking forward to a bit of a fishroom expansion.

It's sort of like let's make a deal. My wife made the mistake long ago of saying no more tanks. I came home with seven 150 gallon tubs, not tanks. I only kept 3, friends need tubs too.

Make two plans, one for the new tank, one that your other half would really appreciate.

 

[ian]

I had to stop smoking to get my lounge tank (glad i did though!). In this game the WAG's are the hardest part! I fully agree with Tolak though, there are ways and means of getting around the ladies in our lives. Buy her a new car and i bet she'll let you have your dream tank.


Big Edit!! You ARE A LADY!!

Buy him a car.

 

[Baccus]

Yeah negoaition is great, but sadly my Husband is only really interested in tools mostly of the power type variety (of which I have got him quite a few), currently he has his heart set on getting a welder which if I could afford it I would probably get for him. The only car that would possibly work as a bribe for more pets in general would be a Porsche and I definantly can't afford one of them, nor do I see the point in having one on our REALLY dodgy roads in CQ, as well as the fact that a Porshe like a race horse is built for speed and I see no point in having either if they have to be kept hobbled. Yep I am a real lead foot, so a really fast car I would have a ball with.

I could always hold his Meatloaf Cd's for ransom

, but then he's hide all my Alice Cooper or worse get rid of my library of books

. No ransom is out.

 

[micko]

Bribe bribe bribe.

Power tools? New drills, expensive ones. Table saws, grinders, give any man a welder and he will believe he can make himself into the bionic man (I know this because I thought I could) give any man a chainsaw and he'll pretend he's the fella from the texas chainsaw massacre. Again, I know this because I've done it when you think no ones looking and have been caught.

You'll get the tank.

 

[onebto]

Ah the endless battle negotiations offer and counter offer, no one can deny that getting the other half on side is an absolute must, I think most of us have had to pay the piper to some extent for another or bigger tank.

I have a challenge my wife is a top flight litigating solicitor which makes things a challenge But I do have an ace in the whole in that she brought my fish tank in fact she suggested I get into the hobby, I try not to remind her as I am holding it in reserve for the REALLY BIG tank one day

Good luck with your negotiations

Regards onebto.

 

[england]

Do what i did, just go out and get it, my missus went up the wall, tried smashing it, calmed down after a few weeks, then started bringing home friends to show of the tank...lol..... Let them have a paddy then alls good, have you got anything on him, maybe he went out once and brought something big or exspensive without asking you...

 

[fluttermoth]

D*** it's good being single

 

[Krill]

Hi Baccus,

Just did a bit of nagging with "He Who Must Be Obeyed" AKA little brother (He is still only 7 in my eyes, but don't tell him that ) An he has moved from "NO TANK EVER" to... it is taking up room in my shed.... we need more power and a shelf to put in on... it is too much work

I managed finally a "Yes" to the tank if you can put in power to the shed and electric garage doors and a shelf to put the tank on... Of course he doesn't think this could ever happen, but I am confident that you can negociate down ($4g for a $300 tank sounds a good deal to me).

Good luck and let me know if the tank would look good in my place, perhaps you will need to babysit it until I have enough knowledge to look after a tank that size (should only be 5-10 years).

 

[coldcazzie]

I was reading this thread last night on my hubby's phone and we were both laughing because it's so true! But I agree on turn and turn-about. It's give and take with things like that. Our agreement is 1 tank = 1 motorbike, although I'm not sure how true that will hold. Mostly it's a case of reasonable requests. Upgrading a tank = getting rid of current tank. Or another tank = something that the other half wants for their hobby. Or some kind of part = something else. (Eg, a new filter for me might = a new lid or something equivalent in significance)

 

[Baccus]

I am really excited,although I was unable to convince my other half (also known as he who must be obeyed

LOL) about the 6ft tank I did finally get to order some fish and plants from an Australian mail order site that I have been drooling

over. Unfortunately I didn't order the Corydoras Aeneus Neon Green strip which I really wanted and were reduced from $40 down to $19.99 or the Burmese Rummynose Sawbwa Resplendens which I think where only $2.99ea but I did order some Corydoras Julii and hopefully they will turn up as the proper ones and not the false, also hopefully they will arrive in better condition than how they are in the local pet shops. I also ordered some sparkling gouramis which I have never seen in the flesh, but am hoping they turn out to be as pretty, peaceful and small as all availbale info on them leads me to believe. The place I am getting the fish from is only approx 4hr's (one way by car) away from my home and in QLD that is considered a stones throw, but the fish I think (thanks to our weird flights system) will have to go from Childers to Bundaberg Airport, down to Brisbane and then sent back north to Rockhampton at least this should only take 1 day. If they aren't sent that way then it will be by truck again going from Childers (not far out of Bundaberg 1/2hr tops) into the Bundaberg mail centre and then put on truck straight to Rochkampton to get redispatched within Rocky, again this should only take around a day. I am also getting a heap of plants, all the sorts that I have not been able to get locally and now that I have hit on a great way of getting rid of my snail plague the plants should get a chance to survive and multiply.
The fish place is not sending the fish until the 4th of May because of Easter public holidays, Anzac Day (another public hol) and Labor Day (another Public hol), but that gives me extra time to keep disposing of the snails and finalise where all the new arrivals will actually be going....ummm decisions decisions.
Counting down the days

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

With me and my guy, he's hooked on cars & bikes and i'm hooked on fishkeeping, so we tolerate each others hobbies so we can get on with our own . When we got our new house last year our house specifications were more or less "(Him)I want a big garage with space for the bikes!" "(Me) I want a big sitting room with space for a big fish tank!" .

 

[Baccus]

Surprise Surprise turns out I didn't have to wait so long for my fish and plants after all. Just for the hell of it I checked the tracking number and the parcel had already been dispatched the day before and the parcel when I checked was already in Rocky waiting to be delivered. Within around half an hour of me finding that out the parcel arrived.
Glad to say all the plants looked healthy and the fish all seemed ok, just one of the julii seemed a bit down in the dumps but it perked right up after I opened their bag and put an airstone in with them while I mucked around planting the plants and the two fish bags floated in the tank the fish where getting let go in. I also put a bit of floating weed in with the sparkling gouramis so they didn't feel so freaked out about being in the open.
After leaving the fish to acclimatise while I had a doc's appointment I came home and let them all out. The julii went straight into feeding mode and I don't think they have really stopped even today. They are busy busy busy, bustling all over the tank and a couple of young sterbi that are growing out in the tank have buddied up with them as the julii are only a bit bigger than them. The sparkling gouramis have disappeared into the plant life and if I watch for a really long time I get to see them breifly. The sparkling gouramis are all of 2cm and in a 4ft tank with heaps of plants, timber and some rocks and no other mid to surface fish are able to totally disappear. They are actually so tiny some of my cherry shrimp are almost bigger than them . So now I just have to wait and see if the sparkling g's get any braver and also grow a tad more up to their 4cm expected growth. Here's hoping that the sparkling g's where a good choice to go with my various corys. If not I still have another empty tank I can easily set up just for the sparkling g's and then I'll be back to the drawing board for another suitable tank companion that wont eat all the catfish eggs and fry like the guppies used to .
I think I will defiantly be using the same fish order site again if I get the chance.

 

[Little_Nemo]

I dont live with my other half i'm still with parents, but he comes down every weekend. And .... unfortunatly he's adament I'm not allowed another tank Yet he keeps going on about buying another car so he'll have 2 He's also into modifying it, so maybe I should tell him, he cant modify if i cant have another tank. But yet I dont understand him, its my room, my money. I'm actually wondering if he thinks that i'll pay him less attention if i get another tank. Now how do I go about convincing him?