Why Do People Hate Goldfish

[shibby]

Please dont blame shops unless you have actually worked in one and seen the troubles they go through. Running a fish shop is actually a lot more work than you see and think it takes. Everybody blames the fish shops, but they dont realize that its a hard business. Fishkeeping is not necessary to live, so once the economy goes to crap like right now, lfs owners struggle and they need every sale they can get. If customers get a whole bunch of crap from the owner and workers about needing a ridiculous size tank for 1 stupid goldfish, they arent going to be customers for very long. We are hobbyists, thats why we care. You guys have to realize that not everybody cares about this hobby.

i totally agree, best post ive read in ages! weve put up a note on our goldfish tank at work explaining lifespan and why the fish will grow to the size of the tank but how they will die about 28 years premeturly, in all fairness though not alot of people really care they just want to make kids happy then blame us when they die, in which i come in and argue a little maybe


on another note as long as im ethical then thats good other people can have the information and make a decision themsheves.

and finally a positive note i think goldfish are awesome, ive got a 300 litre tank for them with a big external filter, i like to give them a nice home though i think im in danger of overstocking, i have 8 in there and when they get to there full size i think it may be overstocked, but luckily i can take them to a nice display pond when there ready

 

[S6TGP]

there ugly, produce loads of fish waste, and are not better than marine or tropical

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I love goldfish, i have a load of common and comet goldfish in my pond as well as some in one of my tanks- they're beautiful fish which come in a vivid and stunning range of colors and patterns, they are friendly and always happy to see you, they are hardy and simple to keep, and they're intelligent (yes its true they are actually very intelligent as far as fish go- the whole memory of seconds thing has been proven to be a myth) and they live for a long time; Goldfish are great !

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

goldfish are boring to me because they only come in red, black nd white. i have a pond full of goldfish which i spend 5 mins a month on max and have a koi pond where i spend a good 1-2 hours a week maintaining it.

Not true at all, goldfish come in every color that koi do, the only thing they lack is some of the patterns that koi have (given that though i've seen some goldfish which come in patterns that i haven't seen replicated in koi).

Please dont blame shops unless you have actually worked in one and seen the troubles they go through. Running a fish shop is actually a lot more work than you see and think it takes. Everybody blames the fish shops, but they dont realize that its a hard business. Fishkeeping is not necessary to live, so once the economy goes to crap like right now, lfs owners struggle and they need every sale they can get. If customers get a whole bunch of crap from the owner and workers about needing a ridiculous size tank for 1 stupid goldfish, they arent going to be customers for very long. We are hobbyists, thats why we care. You guys have to realize that not everybody cares about this hobby.

I know times are hard an all with this recession, HOWEVER, i still cannot justify a pet shop selling a goldfish to someone without telling the customer anything about the size tank it needs, the size the goldfish can grow to, the amount of work that needs to go into maintaining a goldfish tank properly, what the goldfish needs to eat etc.

Pet shops which sell goldfish to people and know such people are going to put the fish in a ridiculously small tank or bowl, only perpetuate the feeling that goldfish are not worth spending money on or caring much about.

I personally feel that pet shops should not sell fish if they don't give a damn about them and only view the fish as swimming money. The fact of the matter is that while many pet shops will tell people buying dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters etc that these animals need a decent living space and needs to be taken out regularly and needs a dedicated owner in general etc, a lot of pet shops don't care about fish in this same way at all. So as much as one might try to use recession to justify poor consideration towards fish, the fact of the matter still remains that ultimately fish only get treated poorly because people view them on a lower level. And the fish most abused on this level is the humble goldfish.

 

[B13]

I was in a great LFS on Saturday and they actually have signs posted up stating that if you want goldfish, you get the pump/filter to go with them or you walk out the shop empty-handed!!




I'm definitely gonna go back there: the staff were both knowledgeable and helpful, the shop was well-presented and well-stocked, the fish looked healthy and it was obvioulsy well-established. Great place!!

 

[Schmill]

From being a pond owner I don't hate goldfish, I love them!
What I DO hate is HERONS, and their breakfast habits

 

[B13]

Do you know the trick of buying a fake heron and standing it by your pond?

Herons are territorial. If a heron flies over and sees another 'heron', it won't land...