I've read a couple of threads lately that go something like this:
" I added water to my tank a few days ago and my LFS said it ws OK to add this type of fish right away. I put the fish in and it looks sick. How big does this fish get? Is my tank big enough for it? What do I need to feed it? What kind of water(PH, etc.) does it like?"
-or-
" I've had my tank running for several months now but my fish keep dying. I'm tired of loosing my expensive, pretty fish. What is cycling anyway?"
I'll probably end up sounding like a jerk but I'm just having a small problem understanding why people aren't doing just a little research BEFORE plunking fish into their tanks. If you are posting a message here then it is obvious that you have access to a tremendous amount of information and should not be relying on any one person's opinion(including mine). This holds especially true for someone like your local fish guy who may be trying to sell you something. If you need to know the basic info about a particular fish, just go to your search engine(Yahoo, Google, etc.) and search away. There are more sources here than you could ever hope to read in one sitting. You'll be about to find profles that contain maximun adult size, water parameters, eating habits, social behavior and many more facts. Also, the basics of cycling and creating a healthy environment for your fish are covered in the first chapter of most aquarium books. It's a substantial investment to buy all of the equipment to set up a tank - make the extra effort and pay an extra 10-20$ for a starters guide to fishkeeping.
From time to time I see some people want to blame the person at their pet store who sold them an inappropriate species or convinced them to take home a single, expensive fish that really belonged in a school of 6 or more. I do believe that it is unethical for someone to knowingly sell you something that is inappropriate but I place the majority of the burden on the individual purchasing the fish to find out the correct information for themselves. Before the days of the internet, researching meant actually getting off the couch and trecking down to the library but if you're sitting here reading this, any information you need is at your fingertips. As an example, I recently saw a small Green Chromide(type of cichlid) in one of my dealer's tanks the other day and told him I was looking for a fish that would remain under 5 or 6 inches. He assured me that this was the fish for me and talked about how nice the fish looked once mature. I could have bought the fish on the spot but I decided to go home and research first. I find out that this species gets to be almost 16" when full grown. Would I have had a right to be mad at the dealer? Maybe. Who's fault would it have ultimately been had I purchased the fish? Mine.
I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm having a rant here and I don't want anyone to feel like there are any "wrong" questions to be asked. I've learned more from this board and others like it than I could have hoped to on my own. I do feel, however, that there are some fish that are suffering needlessly because they are in an unhealthy environment due to lack of knowledge on the owner's part. I'm pretty new to this board and there are people here who's opinions hold much more sway than mine. I'm just trying to advocate a little personal responsibility. Take your time, do the research and enjoy watching it all come together knowing that you've done your homework.
" I added water to my tank a few days ago and my LFS said it ws OK to add this type of fish right away. I put the fish in and it looks sick. How big does this fish get? Is my tank big enough for it? What do I need to feed it? What kind of water(PH, etc.) does it like?"
-or-
" I've had my tank running for several months now but my fish keep dying. I'm tired of loosing my expensive, pretty fish. What is cycling anyway?"
I'll probably end up sounding like a jerk but I'm just having a small problem understanding why people aren't doing just a little research BEFORE plunking fish into their tanks. If you are posting a message here then it is obvious that you have access to a tremendous amount of information and should not be relying on any one person's opinion(including mine). This holds especially true for someone like your local fish guy who may be trying to sell you something. If you need to know the basic info about a particular fish, just go to your search engine(Yahoo, Google, etc.) and search away. There are more sources here than you could ever hope to read in one sitting. You'll be about to find profles that contain maximun adult size, water parameters, eating habits, social behavior and many more facts. Also, the basics of cycling and creating a healthy environment for your fish are covered in the first chapter of most aquarium books. It's a substantial investment to buy all of the equipment to set up a tank - make the extra effort and pay an extra 10-20$ for a starters guide to fishkeeping.
From time to time I see some people want to blame the person at their pet store who sold them an inappropriate species or convinced them to take home a single, expensive fish that really belonged in a school of 6 or more. I do believe that it is unethical for someone to knowingly sell you something that is inappropriate but I place the majority of the burden on the individual purchasing the fish to find out the correct information for themselves. Before the days of the internet, researching meant actually getting off the couch and trecking down to the library but if you're sitting here reading this, any information you need is at your fingertips. As an example, I recently saw a small Green Chromide(type of cichlid) in one of my dealer's tanks the other day and told him I was looking for a fish that would remain under 5 or 6 inches. He assured me that this was the fish for me and talked about how nice the fish looked once mature. I could have bought the fish on the spot but I decided to go home and research first. I find out that this species gets to be almost 16" when full grown. Would I have had a right to be mad at the dealer? Maybe. Who's fault would it have ultimately been had I purchased the fish? Mine.
I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm having a rant here and I don't want anyone to feel like there are any "wrong" questions to be asked. I've learned more from this board and others like it than I could have hoped to on my own. I do feel, however, that there are some fish that are suffering needlessly because they are in an unhealthy environment due to lack of knowledge on the owner's part. I'm pretty new to this board and there are people here who's opinions hold much more sway than mine. I'm just trying to advocate a little personal responsibility. Take your time, do the research and enjoy watching it all come together knowing that you've done your homework.
!! I totally agree with you guys! Most LFS workers are horrible!! But not mine. He lets me get my own things, like fish and rock and salt, everything, its probably cuz I go they're like everyother day to get more stuff!!! LOL! And he's also very smart about fish. Trust me I had to ask him like 100 'quetions' before I could trust him, just to see if he would answer right. LOL, anyways, other then that store, the others are terrible!
), he was ranting about how irresponsible his dealer was. I was dumbfounded when some of the members of the other forum who originally advised him against getting the fish, jumped on the bandwagon and started critisizing the person at the pet store. These are the people I am having issues with and not those who are caught unawares. I don't know about you guys in th U.K. but I'm getting frustrated with American society always looking away from the mirror to find someone to blame for their mistakes.
