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Today's a new day.
- Thread starter elephantnose3334
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elephantnose3334
Fishaholic
Haven't thought about it yet. The ANGFA conference is in September, not July. I might be going to Cairns, but haven't thought about it yet. Graduation is in September.
In other news, apparently our country is at the top of the medal count chart at the Olympics, ahead of China and the US. We have won some gold medals since it first started. We may do it like we did in Tokyo 3 years earlier.
Graduation and the ANGFA conference in September, any idea whether they are on at the same time? If they are on at the same time, which one are you going to 
LOL Australia beating the US at the Olympics, that might upset some of the forum
Goooooooo Aussies
LOL Australia beating the US at the Olympics, that might upset some of the forum
Goooooooo Aussies
WhistlingBadger
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Well, if anybody has to whoop us, I'd rather it be a country I like, and I've always felt pretty good about Australia.Graduation and the ANGFA conference in September, any idea whether they are on at the same time? If they are on at the same time, which one are you going to
LOL Australia beating the US at the Olympics, that might upset some of the forum
Goooooooo Aussies
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elephantnose3334
Fishaholic
Hi everyone, it's Friday. The last cardinal tetra died today. He was lying on the floor and swimming erratically sideways. He had that for months and I didn't want him to suffer any longer, so I had to put him down in the freezer. A few weeks ago, a silvertip tetra died, but that was only when mum told me about it as I overslept on that day. I did do a water change immediately after the fish died and dad removed the body.
The death of the last cardinal tetra means the population was completely eradicated from the tank over time. I tried to look after them, but sometimes it's hard to see them die. Three silvertips remain now.
A few weeks ago, a silvertip tetra died, but that was only when mum told me about it as I overslept on that day. I did do a water change immediately after the fish died and dad removed the body. The death of the last cardinal tetra means the population was completely eradicated from the tank over time. I tried to look after them, but sometimes it's hard to see them die. Three silvertips remain now.
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elephantnose3334
Fishaholic
Sorry I'm very busy at the last couple of weeks, school is not good. Seems different.Sorry to hear about them dying but you have done better than most people that are new to keeping fish.
On a side note, how is work and are you going to the ANGFA conference?
The remaining silvertips are hiding in the tank for a while now. Water change done last Saturday, just trying to look after them. I think the fake plants look outdated in terms of tank design.
Can't go to the ANGFA conference, sorry. Wish I did, though. Life is busy at home. 14 school days until Year 12 farewells.
I kinda feel like watching G-Force (Disney guinea pig movie), I realised I don't have the DVD anymore. Starting to embrace guinea pigs after an initial dislike. They are not a children's pet as the pet stores say. Guinea pigs are somewhat forgotten in the pet community, same with rabbits. Guinea pigs need a lot of care, more than a dog, some say.
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OH MY GOSH that’s a blast from the past!
I saw that movie in theaters when I was about three.School is nearly finished for you, that's why it feels different. The end of a chapter that has taken 12 years of your life.
If the fish are hiding, check the water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. If that is good and you haven't done a water change in a week, do a water change. If you have just done a water change and they are hiding, that can be normal and they will settle down in a few hours.
Guinea pigs are cool but don't need much work, certainly not as much as a dog. You take them out of their cage each day and spend a few minutes holding them so they learn to relax around people. Keep their cage clean and feed them lots of food. Then listen to them make little noises and squeaks
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OP
elephantnose3334
Fishaholic
Hi everyone.
I'm doing fine at the moment. Things change as school will be officially over for me. It's springtime and it's starting to warm up again. Yesterday, I went to a local-run pet store and I noticed they sell bala shark-minnows (a known tank-buster) here. I had a look and read the Seriously Fish page before going there. The minimum tank size for a small school of 6 adults according to SF is 240 x 60 x 60cm (864L, 228 US gallons), but preferably 300 x 60 x 60 (1,080L, 285 US gallons). I was talking to an employee about them. The employee only knew basic stuff, I did try to give them advice in a nice way about how big they actually grow and the mentioned minimum tank size for a school. When I asked on the tank size in their point of view, they did say put them in a 54L aquarium in the first year, then a 76L aquarium when they get a bit bigger, and so on. I feel like it would be a complete waste of money constantly upgrading the aquarium for the shark-minnows, hypothetically.
Bala sharks are a bit feisty and not good for the average home aquarium because of their size. Why do beginners buy bala sharks, before they realise they're actually not suitable for the average home aquarium? Most people don't have space for a school of bala sharks, same with oscars, but why are they buying them eventually?
(Note to self: I never kept bala sharks or any kind of tank-busters (goldfish included), and never will because of their size and work output. I would not recommend them for beginners, along with common goldfish, oscars or any other massive fish. These fish are not suited for the average home aquarium.)
I'm doing fine at the moment. Things change as school will be officially over for me. It's springtime and it's starting to warm up again. Yesterday, I went to a local-run pet store and I noticed they sell bala shark-minnows (a known tank-buster) here. I had a look and read the Seriously Fish page before going there. The minimum tank size for a small school of 6 adults according to SF is 240 x 60 x 60cm (864L, 228 US gallons), but preferably 300 x 60 x 60 (1,080L, 285 US gallons). I was talking to an employee about them. The employee only knew basic stuff, I did try to give them advice in a nice way about how big they actually grow and the mentioned minimum tank size for a school. When I asked on the tank size in their point of view, they did say put them in a 54L aquarium in the first year, then a 76L aquarium when they get a bit bigger, and so on. I feel like it would be a complete waste of money constantly upgrading the aquarium for the shark-minnows, hypothetically.
Bala sharks are a bit feisty and not good for the average home aquarium because of their size. Why do beginners buy bala sharks, before they realise they're actually not suitable for the average home aquarium? Most people don't have space for a school of bala sharks, same with oscars, but why are they buying them eventually?
(Note to self: I never kept bala sharks or any kind of tank-busters (goldfish included), and never will because of their size and work output. I would not recommend them for beginners, along with common goldfish, oscars or any other massive fish. These fish are not suited for the average home aquarium.)
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Welcome back. How is life now school is over? Have you got end of year exams or is that it (no more school)?
People buy silver sharks (aka Bala sharks) because they are sold when small (2-3 inches long) and look cool. Unfortunately as you mentioned, they aren't really suitable for the average aquarium due to their adult size, the need to be in groups, and the speed they move at.
Oscars are a little different. Even though they get big, they aren't active swimmers and are ambush predators. They have their territory and wait for food to swim by, then eat it. However, they still need a big tank due to their adult size, which can be 12-18 inches.
People buy silver sharks (aka Bala sharks) because they are sold when small (2-3 inches long) and look cool. Unfortunately as you mentioned, they aren't really suitable for the average aquarium due to their adult size, the need to be in groups, and the speed they move at.
Oscars are a little different. Even though they get big, they aren't active swimmers and are ambush predators. They have their territory and wait for food to swim by, then eat it. However, they still need a big tank due to their adult size, which can be 12-18 inches.
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elephantnose3334
Fishaholic
Not over yet until next week, no exams, that's it. Farewells are on next Thursday, then the actual graduation next month. I'd like to talk about a certain issue in the pet industry.
There are some things I don't understand in the pet industry as a whole. I see that the light at the end of the tunnel is only dimming when pets other than cats and dogs are involved. This means these pets are more likely to be mistreated than our cute carnivores. Why is there so much misinformation in the pet industry? Why do some ignorant people say 'it's just a (blank)' or 'they only live for a week or two' when mentioning their pets? And why do people treat cats and dogs like family, but mistreat other pets (small mammals, birds, reptiles, inverts, fish)?
Most people (not all of them) would endorse bad husbandry for fish, reptiles and small mammals, and pet stores would sell these products as 'starter kits' for example. That's the main issue.
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elephantnose3334
Fishaholic
I just wanted to know about it, that's all. I haven't seen a lot of change lately. We are improving as we go, and some things need to change in the pet industry. I know that people have different opinions, and that's okay. We're all different.Not over yet until next week, no exams, that's it. Farewells are on next Thursday, then the actual graduation next month. I'd like to talk about a certain issue in the pet industry.
There are some things I don't understand in the pet industry as a whole. I see that the light at the end of the tunnel is only dimming when pets other than cats and dogs are involved. This means these pets are more likely to be mistreated than our cute carnivores. Why is there so much misinformation in the pet industry? Why do some ignorant people say 'it's just a (blank)' or 'they only live for a week or two' when mentioning their pets? And why do people treat cats and dogs like family, but mistreat other pets (small mammals, birds, reptiles, inverts, fish)?
It comes down to people thinking they are better and more advanced than animals, and animals having no rights in court. In the legal world animals are just objects that can be disposed of at will, like a piece of furniture or a vehicle. They don't have any say in it and you can pretty much do whatever you like to an animal and get away with it. The exception is cruelty to animals and if you can prove the animal was abused or inhumanely euthanised, then the courts might try the person. But outside of that you can virtually do anything to animals and get away with it because in the eyes of the law (and most people), animals are nothing but creatures to exploit. It's a crappy world and a crap law that I have never liked but that's the law.
Years ago when I was in the pet shop we used to encourage people to look after their pets as best as they could. We would spend as much time as necessary talking to a customer to make sure they knew how to look after whatever pet they got. This improved even more when Erica started at the shop. She was an animal rights activist and was well mannered unless she saw you mistreat an animal. Then she would give you a lecture on the correct way to do things. She was very good at her job and we wrote up a bunch of care pamphlets for the different animals, birds, fish and other creatures we sold in the shop. We gave the pamphlets to anyone getting a new pet or anyone interested in getting a new pet. It didn't cost us much because we simply printed them out from the computer, but they did provide a lot of good information about caring for your pet.
Starter kits are made by companies and shown to shops who try them. Sometimes they sell and other times they don't. We had basic aquarium starter kits that we made up ourselves using normal stuff from the shop. We tried to use basic items and keep it simple and affordable. Quite often the kits we made were a lot cheaper and better quality than the stuff from the manufacturers. One item from the suppliers was a hermit crab house, which was a plastic container with a lid, a plastic tree and 2 depressions in the bottom of the plastic for food and water. We didn't think they were that good (especially considering the price) so we used an 18 inch aquarium with a couple of small containers for food and water. It was about half the price and if the hermit crabs died they could use the tank for fish or a terrarium.
A couple of my bosses used to regularly come over and apologise for interrupting when I was talking to customers. They were concerned I was spending too much time with the customers. When the customers came back and brought their friends and family back, the bosses were fine with me spending time talking to customers.
It just comes down to the shop and their staff. Some shops have very good staff who want what's best for the animal and customer, whereas other shops just want profits. All shops want profits but if you spend time with the customer and teach them how to care for the animal, they usually come back time and again and quite often refer other people to the shop. So even though you might not make a heap of money from them during that sale, you get repeat business and that is more important than making a quick sale then losing the customer.
Years ago when I was in the pet shop we used to encourage people to look after their pets as best as they could. We would spend as much time as necessary talking to a customer to make sure they knew how to look after whatever pet they got. This improved even more when Erica started at the shop. She was an animal rights activist and was well mannered unless she saw you mistreat an animal. Then she would give you a lecture on the correct way to do things. She was very good at her job and we wrote up a bunch of care pamphlets for the different animals, birds, fish and other creatures we sold in the shop. We gave the pamphlets to anyone getting a new pet or anyone interested in getting a new pet. It didn't cost us much because we simply printed them out from the computer, but they did provide a lot of good information about caring for your pet.
Starter kits are made by companies and shown to shops who try them. Sometimes they sell and other times they don't. We had basic aquarium starter kits that we made up ourselves using normal stuff from the shop. We tried to use basic items and keep it simple and affordable. Quite often the kits we made were a lot cheaper and better quality than the stuff from the manufacturers. One item from the suppliers was a hermit crab house, which was a plastic container with a lid, a plastic tree and 2 depressions in the bottom of the plastic for food and water. We didn't think they were that good (especially considering the price) so we used an 18 inch aquarium with a couple of small containers for food and water. It was about half the price and if the hermit crabs died they could use the tank for fish or a terrarium.
A couple of my bosses used to regularly come over and apologise for interrupting when I was talking to customers. They were concerned I was spending too much time with the customers. When the customers came back and brought their friends and family back, the bosses were fine with me spending time talking to customers.
It just comes down to the shop and their staff. Some shops have very good staff who want what's best for the animal and customer, whereas other shops just want profits. All shops want profits but if you spend time with the customer and teach them how to care for the animal, they usually come back time and again and quite often refer other people to the shop. So even though you might not make a heap of money from them during that sale, you get repeat business and that is more important than making a quick sale then losing the customer.
It's not just the pet industry that needs changing. Farming practices haven't really changed during the last 500 years. They have become more intensive and animals are generally more crowded now (on most farms but not all) and this can lead to health problems.I just wanted to know about it, that's all. I haven't seen a lot of change lately. We are improving as we go, and some things need to change in the pet industry. I know that people have different opinions, and that's okay. We're all different.
There are so many things that need changing on this planet it's not funny. We need to stop using fossil fuel because it's ruining the atmosphere and environment, but that isn't happening. We need to stop using herbicides and pesticides that were developed 50-100 years ago because they kill everything and cause cancer in people and other animals. We need to stop playing silly buggas with nuclear power because we are all contaminated by radioactive waste from all the nuclear bombs and bomb tests that have occurred here during the last 75 years. We need to take better care of each other, and all the creatures on the planet because if we don't, the world will be a lonely place when it's just us and our food.
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