What in your opinion is the biggest obstacle you face when keeping fish?

[Lars113]

Hello everyone
I'm fairly new to this and was wondering, what is the biggest obstacle you face, when keeping your fish?

 

[Rocky998]

Not enough money and not enough space

 

[Naughts]

Diseases when fish are bought that then lurk around in your tank/s.

I used to struggle with maintenance before I
a) switched buckets for a hose and
b) realised I don't have time for more than 2-3 tanks.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Number and location of tanks plus old age.

"And you know, that you're over the hill
when your mind makes a promise that your body can't fill." Little Feat Old Folks Boogie

 

[Fishies4Ever]

Defiantly disease I had 7 cardinal tetras that I had bought and they all died from ich so have ich treatment on hand so if you ever need it I will be there and you won’t be waiting for it to ship or if the store has it out of stock.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Not sure that you'd call it an obstacle but having to euthanise fish sucks especially ones you've had for a long time...never found it easy to do

 

[BrianK]

Me

 

[CrystalStars]

I'm a new keeper. But euthanizing my betta was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I was in tears and heartbroken. But I had to do what was best for him.

On a less serious note. Definitely money, availability and willpower. Money, because the hobby has proven to be very expensive. I'm discovering new things I need to buy for my setup. Availability, because I only have a petsmart in my town that is either out of stock for things I need or just doesn't hold products in general. Willpower... because I want to own every catfish species I see posted on online stores.

 

[Ram419]

Running stone/gravel only tanks for a long time and realizing the sand and/or mud based substrate works a lot better, along with live plants.

 

[chrisy1020]

Biggest obstacle....... however big your aquarium is, you will always want a bigger one

 

[TwoTankAmin]

So many tanks, so little time. Since you can't get more time, you may as well get more tanks.

 

[plebian]

Hello everyone
I'm fairly new to this and was wondering, what is the biggest obstacle you face, when keeping your fish?

Misinformation. That includes this forum. There are some knowledgeable people here, but there is also a lot of pedantry as well as outright bad advice. For example, one "expert" on this forum informed a person with a sick discus that the cause of the problem was the use of a black substrate, which is utterly absurd.

 

[kiko]

definitely the space for the ideas I have which can never materialize because of space...
don't ever buy new tanks...build your own intank sump...and have tanks drilled in the back just to future proof it in case you get a rack so it can do auto water-changes
never trust a rimless tank no matter how good it looks
if you have the space and access to water+drain from that location you have gold xD

 

[Uberhoust]

Cyanobacteria has been my bug bear. I can clean the tanks weekly keeping the NO3 to 10 ppm or less, but there is one type of cyanobacteria that seems to get into my tanks.

 

[sharkweek178]

It's not a hobby for lazy people, that's for sure. I'm sure a lot of people get into keeping a fish thinking that it's a simple low maintenance pet.
I have to force myself to be patient. To let things like cycling or plant growth occur in their own natural time. I'm an impulsive person but I have resolved to never buy an animal on impulse.
And as mentioned earlier, misinformation is a big one. It starts in the stores with employees who often give bad advice. It's also prevalent online. It can be tough to sort out the good info from the bad.