Which Is The Most Abused Fish Species?

[Jenste]

We have all read goldfish and betta horror stories, keeping tetras singularly or in pairs, angels in water with a low depth,


so....which fish do you think has it the worst in the hobby? and a quick, simple explanation why.

please, let's not get carried away and argumentative...
I am actually genuinely interested in hearing about which fish are commonly being sold and kept incorrect...
we all come from various points of the globe and it would be interesting to see if different fish are being poorly kept in one area over another.


if I see one type of fish really listed I will add it to the poll!

 

[PDSimon]

I just think tetras because people buy neons cos they look pretty, stick them in a brand new tank and they die.

goldfish is close though with the whole goldfish bowl thing...

 

[doresy]

Got to be Goldfish

Just for the invention of the so called goldfish bowl. Their cost alone makes them ripe for abuse.

Wedding table decorations (sic), sealed in key rings (alive!), prizes at the fairgrounds, being kept by children and forgotten by parents......destine to live in a tiny bowl of pea soup water!........the list is endless

 

[mattlee]

my choice would have to be either big fish kept in small tanks causing them to be stunted ie oscars, sevs etc or bettas being kept in bowls with no heater or filter and constant water changes causing stress....
its a tough one to choose

i think i would go with the betta/goldfish in a bowl due to the constant water changes stressing it out. no heater for a fish that prefers warmer temps and no filter for obvious reasons.

but then as simon said throwing neons in a new set up just to wait for them to die or singular tetras that prefer to be in groups having a lonely life isnt much of a life either.......

im not going to vote as i cant decide but ive given my say

 

[Jenste]

I made it so users can select multiple answers, but please, don't select more than three or its irrelevant

 

[always4lora]

I choose shrimp as they quite often get used as feeder's, i'd use them if i could get them cheap enough! I used dried river shrimp so betime it's dried im pretty sure its been abused!

 

[jacko32]

its tough goldfish and betta get kept in unfiltered bowls which are too small but then on the other hand some parrot fish get injected with coloured ink

then on the other hand theres cod which we have abused by over fishing bit off topic just thought i would throw that in

 

[Ryefish]

goldfish

 

[james_fish]

I'd of thought Goldfish or Betta's. I went Betta's.

James.

 

[MrNiceGuy]

We have all read goldfish and betta horror stories, keeping tetras singularly or in pairs, angels in water with a low depth,


so....which fish do you think has it the worst in the hobby? and a quick, simple explanation why.

please, let's not get carried away and argumentative...
I am actually genuinely interested in hearing about which fish are commonly being sold and kept incorrect...
we all come from various points of the globe and it would be interesting to see if different fish are being poorly kept in one area over another.


if I see one type of fish really listed I will add it to the poll!

well, surely feeder fish such as rosy red minnows should be mentioned, but in terms of fish that are unintentionally harmed by ignorance, i'd say goldfish by faaarrr. its really not even a question. goldfish bowls without filters are still very common and advertised in pet stores. even a majority of the people that keep them in tanks have no problem keeping them in 10 gallons... or they'll keep 15 in a 55 gallon.

you could make a case for bettas though.

 

[Oscar Betta]

Goldfish because it's the stereotype "goldfish bowl".

 

[GAB99]

Don't feel bad. The only real Hitler of fish is my dad. We had a 10 gallon community tank back in 2000 that my mom set up and when my dad came back from overseas all she did was complain about how much counter space the tank took up. My dad got sick of it and intentionally killed ALL the fish. He squirt a drop of hand soap into the tank one night when everyone was asleep and so we woke up to all the fish dead. He later on commented on the occurrence (about 3 years ago) and told me what he had done. I didn't know what to say. My mom still doesn't know. And mind you...in 2000 I was only 12 years old!

As far as unintentional, I almost killed my boyfriends african cichlids after a move. Note to self: don't use hand sanitizer before putting your hand into a fish tank!!!


You've got me worrying about power outages now!!! If 14 hours = annihilation then what if a hurricane hits the southeast and knocks out the power for 3 days??

i voted gold fish but tbh ANY fish sold to a person who has no idea on how to care for them is abused, whether it be gold fish arowana or pleco, they all get abused. it tends to be the very expensive ones that survive the abuse as people wont waste that much money on a fish to last a few days.

 

[shelaghfishface]

well i was going to say oscars, but then ive never kept one in a bowl..but ill bet they are a close 2nd

 

[BethK]

Bettas, not just because of the issue with people keeping them in vases, because they 'look good' but for the simple fact that people world wide, still put males together to watch the fight

 

[meguro]

galaxy rasbora, red line torpedo barb and red tailed black shark