View Full Version : stupid noob death tank
hi all here at mfk,
Im really enjoying this site but heres my story, pretty common.
when i bought my first fish tank about 2 years ago i filled it up with hose water and raced out with a water sample to go get some oscars, the Lfs guy checked the water then asked what size tank it was, i told him it was a 36x15x18 and he said "OH great you could have atleast 5 oscars in there and your waters just perfect" :headshake. you can see where this is going so i got 5 2'' oscars got home threw them all straight in and by the next moning guess what? they were all lying at the bottom of the tank except one who was floating on the top.
from there on in I never trusted another lfs and never will, i wanted blood for what this guy had done. :swear:
now I am very precise with my water params and my stocking levels. And allways research everything before i buy.
thanks for reading
lewis-
That's it, get mad at the LFS for selling you product.....
Not for selling product, but for not caring enough to make a long term customer by dispensing a little advice and honesty. Could have sent him home with some water conditioner and asked what he was interested in, how much he wanted to spend, etc. next time he came in he could have sold him a nice selection and expected repeat business once the addiction set in.
Mattcomptonassvanhorn
08-11-2005, 9:08 PM
dude why did you fill it with hosewater? Thats horrible!
AmazonPredator
08-11-2005, 9:30 PM
That's a new one on me. My first tank was a 15 gallon hex that I got for my b-day at age 10. My parents bought the tank, the whole set up, and the fish all at the same time. Threw them all in, ammonia cooked them, and that was that. One thing I knew though was that tap water had to be treated... :uhoh:
DeLgAdO
08-11-2005, 9:38 PM
dude why did you fill it with hosewater? Thats horrible!
hose waters fine, i use it, but i add amquel to make it safe.
Vince
08-13-2005, 11:32 PM
Might also want to consider hose water in oz and in the u.s., how much chlorine, etc. my water ph is 7.8ppm from the waterhose.
redtailfool
08-13-2005, 11:40 PM
some new hoses actually leach chemicals into the water, making them unsafe to fish.
I forgot what the chems are ...
rumblesushi
09-08-2005, 4:59 AM
what's the difference between hosewater and tapwater?
AlaskaJammin
09-08-2005, 5:48 AM
Why get mad at the fish guy? I myself work at a fish store, and I always try to pass on every possible piece of info I can without scaring ths customer. Just gotta find a good store dude.
guppy
09-08-2005, 10:38 AM
what's the difference between hosewater and tapwater?
Hose water is tap water run through a hose, the problem is that as stated by RTF some mainly new hose leach toxins into the water. this true even with older hoses if you have a nozzle attachment that doesn't allow the water to drain from the hose. picture a 100 foot long black old style hose full of water sitting in the sun for a couple days, until that stored water is flushed it will taste of chemicals. The main thing is to run water through it for a couple minutes before using it.
BIG REDD
09-08-2005, 10:49 AM
lfs are still a good source of stock, or at least mine is
darkemotion
09-08-2005, 6:10 PM
hosewater is just fine. I do 30 percent water changes in my 180 every week and my arowanas are doing great!!!
boredcpl
09-08-2005, 6:22 PM
the hose is coated with anti bacterial chemical that can break down and end up in your tank.. harmful to fish.. i was told to buy a hose like the ones used in restraunts.. they do not allow chemicals in the hose.
bluedempsey
09-08-2005, 7:28 PM
i use hose water in all of my tanks
i don't even use dechlorinator
but like someone said let it run for a couple of minutes
repair
09-09-2005, 10:36 AM
Why get mad at the fish guy? I myself work at a fish store, and I always try to pass on every possible piece of info I can without scaring ths customer. Just gotta find a good store dude.
This is so true.... I can't tell you how many times I have tried to help other customers by explaining the water cycle ( with the sales guy right there agreeing ) and all you get is a blank stare and then they tell you that they don't have a big tank and only a few fish and then I give then a blank stare. :cry: Sadly all fish keepers are as bright as most of us.
mermin
09-17-2005, 10:44 PM
ive filled many tanks with hose water and ive never had a problem with it. but i all ways put it in a bucket first to add aquasafe
reefman
09-17-2005, 11:35 PM
it really depends on the shop you go to i've to some were i can have a good conversation with the workers and been to others were i've basicly laugh in there faces one guy was telling me that piranha's are salt water and his friend breed silver aros in his swi :ROFL: mming pool
cabouta1
09-18-2005, 1:36 AM
Why get mad at the fish guy? I myself work at a fish store, and I always try to pass on every possible piece of info I can without scaring ths customer. Just gotta find a good store dude.
Exactly, some people out there just want to make a quick buck, it sucks, but that is reality. However, there are some good people out there that go the extra mile to ensure you have adequate knowledge and equipment to help in whatever you are going to keep. Thats the good thing about this website, most people here know a whole lot more than most people who work at fish stores.
rweedon
09-18-2005, 2:05 AM
Why get mad at the fish guy? I myself work at a fish store, and I always try to pass on every possible piece of info I can without scaring ths customer. Just gotta find a good store dude.
maybe you did not stop to do the math... add it up it is just over 46 gallons. Would you put five Oscars that need at the very min. of 40 gallons (insert debate here) in a 46 gallon tank. Could you just imagine five 14" fish in a 46 Bowfront? The second fault here is the noob that blindly went in without asking any questions... yeah you can say that it is the fault of the seller and somewhat is but if you don't know what you are doing, ask a d@mn question... many will agree with me, even more will disagree I am not saying one person is to blame both of them are... I work in a LFS in a college town and you can beat a person to death with info and will still buy a pike to put in with their Oscar in a 10 gallon (other LFS said it will be alright for a while) and you know it is about making money.... I will tell you the right thing twice, if you still will not heed my advice SCREW YOU @SS HOLE!!! seriously I have to deal with people all day wanting to put Tiger Barbs in bowls there are times that I flat out say no but if the fish has a chance i.e. danio with a puffer ok thats not that bad... but if you want to put an oscar in a bowl I will tell you to screw yourself (Other LFS sold an Oscar to a bowl) sad thing is that they are a chain and not even hurting for the money as we are don't blame a store for your lack of knowledge and him knowing the dimensions should be shot for not saying something... :banhim:
weicong
09-18-2005, 11:24 PM
did u tell him ur water is not cycled yet.
Henryb
09-22-2005, 9:14 PM
Garden hoses have chemicals in them that help with dry rotting. always check the full paramaters of the water before adding new pets. especially a new tank. new tanks are best done when cycled for a few days to a week. then I personally try something that is hardy and cheap aka feeder fish. they die no big deal I only lost pennies, not a cool new pet.
One thing that I personally use in place of the garden hose, is a waterbed faucet adapter attached to a clear hose, like the ones at a home improvement stores for drinking water. (like the ones used in the tank changing kits sold at most pet stores) This can be hooked up to any faucet or spicket outside. much less clean up and you can see inside the whole line. :thumbsup:
Henryb
09-22-2005, 9:24 PM
:confused: maybe you did not stop to do the math... add it up it is just over 46 gallons. Would you put five Oscars that need at the very min. of 40 gallons (insert debate here) in a 46 gallon tank. Could you just imagine five 14" fish in a 46 Bowfront? The second fault here is the noob that blindly went in without asking any questions... yeah you can say that it is the fault of the seller and somewhat is but if you don't know what you are doing, ask a d@mn question... many will agree with me, even more will disagree I am not saying one person is to blame both of them are... I work in a LFS in a college town and you can beat a person to death with info and will still buy a pike to put in with their Oscar in a 10 gallon (other LFS said it will be alright for a while) and you know it is about making money.... I will tell you the right thing twice, if you still will not heed my advice SCREW YOU @SS HOLE!!! seriously I have to deal with people all day wanting to put Tiger Barbs in bowls there are times that I flat out say no but if the fish has a chance i.e. danio with a puffer ok thats not that bad... but if you want to put an oscar in a bowl I will tell you to screw yourself (Other LFS sold an Oscar to a bowl) sad thing is that they are a chain and not even hurting for the money as we are don't blame a store for your lack of knowledge and him knowing the dimensions should be shot for not saying something... :banhim:
Dude this is a public site!! People that come here can ask questions and get feedback from those of us that have either made the mistake already, or know the right way to do things. If you bash everyone for having a opinion or question, or if you just don't agree with them, then you are going to lead a very sad existance in that little pet store working for minimum wage until your old enough to greet quest at walmart.
So how about giving the newbies to the trade a chance to experience all the wonders and challenges of ownership? :WHOA: :screwy:
solmarshal
10-21-2005, 12:59 AM
I learned not to buy anything from petsmart. They dont train the 16 year old employees to give you the right information.
I learned not to buy anything from petsmart. They dont train the 16 year old employees to give you the right information.
I agree, they dont teach them jack crap. For one they should always ask you if your water has even been cycled before they sell you a fish and if your going to buy a fish then the least they could do is say what size tank do you own, then tell them how big the fish is and weather or not you should keep them in that size tank or own it at all. They shouldnt just throw people in there not knowing one thing about fish. make me so mad, I cant even think of how many times I ve gone to petsmart or persupermarket and they sell 3-5 cichlids that are 7+ inches to people who want to put them in a 10 gallon... for the times I am there I tend to talk people out of it, but its ridiculous(sp)....
Peanut_Power
10-22-2005, 12:21 AM
I have to agree wit rweedon....some people are STUPID and won't listen to what you have to say.
"So how about giving the newbies to the trade a chance to experience all the wonders and challenges of ownership?" I say you have issues if you think that allowing someone to go ahead and keep fish IMPROPERLY is a good way to get experience in the hobby. Personally, I think thats a pretty stupid remark. If you have a chance to educate someone and show them what they are doing wrong, I think you should JUMP at the chance....not let them continue doing what they are so they can 'have a chance to experience all the wonders and challenges of ownership...'...there are several ways that can be accomplishe WHILE properlly keepin the fish...;)
gomezladdams
10-22-2005, 12:38 AM
Thats horrible that tank is too small for one oscar. its amazing that even today with so much info floating around on the net people still do things like get fish the same day they fill the tank.hopefully he learned something an has better luck with his next fish.
rweedon
10-22-2005, 1:15 AM
I was not putting the blame on either... I was putting the blame on both of them... the noob made a big mistake by not asking but in his defense he did not know and gave very minimal info to the lfs which probably should have asked more questions themselves... but there is a very valuable lesson to be learned here... do your own research hten do some more research and then ask some questions and then confer with the lfs right before buying...
Peanut_Power
10-22-2005, 1:46 AM
GO WASHINGTON STATE!! WOOOT!!
silverhawk97
11-10-2005, 7:22 AM
same thing happened to my tank when i was like ten i think it is a rite of passage
guppy
11-10-2005, 11:39 AM
I was rereading this thread and while not getting into the whole pet chain store thing, I have to agree with Henryb here about not bashing someone for being under informed, everybody has to learn somewhere and I think that MFK is a good place to learn it right, as long as the newbies feel free to ask questions, after all the worst question to be asking is "Why are all my fish dead?"
BigNicky
12-03-2005, 11:20 AM
You should let the LFS know what he did ... maybe not realizeing?
sprtslvr785
01-09-2006, 12:59 PM
I never trust anybody from fish stores either. The lfs by my house told me that I could put 16 piranhas in a 106 gallon tank for life....
I never trust anybody from fish stores either. The lfs by my house told me that I could put 16 piranhas in a 106 gallon tank for life....
LOL, you could, it is just that 5-6 of them would have rather shorter lives than the rest of them. With piranha I sort of expect that.
Recycling Works
01-10-2006, 9:57 PM
if you want 5 pirhanha in your tank buy 10
duduser
01-31-2006, 12:24 PM
My opinion:
A seller of pets have a responsibility to know the animal it's selling. Just as the buyer has the responsibility to know what it's buying.
In this case both of these went wrong, with bad results.
Bad salespeople have always been a problem for fish hobbyists, as a bad first impression with the hobby makes people quit before they get into the wonder that is fishkeeping.
Uninformed people is a problem also. People thinking fish is just something you can get as a ornament just needs to get some respect for the work and knowledge needed to care for a living creature.
This is not a aquaria-only problem though, most pet hobbies have it. But the low price of fish and the common misconception that they "only need water and food" makes this happen.
Now that's a lot of whine, how about something constructive? We as hobbyists can help and inform people around us. Point out errors in others, and working for fish getting the protective laws (don't know exactly how it is in the US, but annyhow) that most other pets have. Perhaps a county-wide "stamp of approval" for good fish dealers handed out by our organisations. We need to remove the attitude of fish keeping as a low knowledge/maintenance hobby.
puffer_girl
01-31-2006, 12:59 PM
This is a common problem with my lfs also. When someone starts in the hobby you depend on others knowledge to learn what is right and wrong. I'm sure at the beginning alot of us have been misinformed (I know I was a couple times) and you learn through trial and error. For instance, people catagorize fish as groups based on generalizations and how many times have we accidentally paired up fish that we assumed would get along based on one or two peoples personal experiences just to have a fish killed? (I read it on here all the time), or presented feeders to a tank with out quarantining them first-unaware of the possibility of desease transfer, or fish jumping out of tanks, ropefish slipping out of holes in the back of tanks...... These things happening enables us to prevent them from happening again. It is unfortunate for the Oscars and that makes me sad but it is definitely a lesson learned!!!!
ilikefish
08-26-2007, 4:51 AM
hi all here at mfk,
Im really enjoying this site but heres my story, pretty common.
when i bought my first fish tank about 2 years ago i filled it up with hose water and raced out with a water sample to go get some oscars, the Lfs guy checked the water then asked what size tank it was, i told him it was a 36x15x18 and he said "OH great you could have atleast 5 oscars in there and your waters just perfect" :headshake. you can see where this is going so i got 5 2'' oscars got home threw them all straight in and by the next moning guess what? they were all lying at the bottom of the tank except one who was floating on the top.
from there on in I never trusted another lfs and never will, i wanted blood for what this guy had done. :swear:
now I am very precise with my water params and my stocking levels. And allways research everything before i buy.
thanks for reading
lewis-
he said he threw them straight, maybe he shocked the fishes?