Does fishkeeping ever give you headaches?

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Natalie

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Aug 31, 2007
1,552
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36
Florida
I have had the worst headache the past day, not for any medical reason, but because I'm constantly racking my brain about another tank I want to set up! It's starting to get fairly ridiculous. I know I want a Midas, but there's both a beautiful full-grown male and a promising juvie at the store. I don't have room for the adult, but I like him the best. And the more I think, the more upset I get about the thought of someone else buying him, or him spending months and months in that tiny LFS tank.

Then, once I decide on the adult vs. juvie (and I've changed my mind several times today), I start calculating how much a 75g tank is going to cost. Not only that, but if I get a 75g then my 40g breeder will have to go because I don't have room for both. The 40g has a blood parrot that I'm very fond of. So then I get stressed thinking about rehoming that fish...

And to top it all off, my favorite cichlid (my convict) is now in a 20g long because his swim bladder isn't working and he basically lies on his side all day. He may get better with time, but it's really stressful watching him look this way. So then I get stressed about that.

Several times today, I've tried to tell myself that I should just be happy with my convict and my parrot, and forget about getting a Midas. And then I start thinking about the gorgeous adult at the store, sitting in that 20g tank.

Am I the only one who thinks this much about my dang fish???
 
I think about different fish I see at the LFS and have had to pass on some due to compatibility, adult size, or special needs. How long has the convict been in that condition? I recently had a footlong tiger shovelnose catfish that had a swim bladder issue. He was beautiful but I had to end his suffering after two weeks because he was deteriorating. You've got pretty small tanks. Ever thought of getting rid of a smaller tank for a 55 or 75? You'd love the extra space.
I think of my tanks all the time. Especially about new fish, tanks, what I could do different with my tanks, etc. That's normal with any hobby. Difficult situations come with anything good!
 
kevinfleming21;4395795; said:
and no, I think about owning diff fish 24/7
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same here...I used to get those headaches as well. Just sleep it off and stay off MFK if possible for a couple days(or at least dont go through the sub-forums). I did it for a couple days and worked pretty well.
 
rup_pilot;4395816; said:
You've got pretty small tanks. Ever thought of getting rid of a smaller tank for a 55 or 75? You'd love the extra space.
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Yeah, before I moved 2 months ago I had a 100, 90, 55, 46, and 30, so I downsized a lot.

My absolute favorite fish species is a big beefy male Midas. My LFS has the best one I've seen in person. It would be an emotional buy, but I guess that's why I can't stop thinking about that fish.
 
Forgot to answer your Q about the convict. He jumped out of his tank 2 1/2 weeks ago, and his swimming ability declined from there. Yesterday he had x-rays done, which showed that his swim bladder is either fluid-filled or ruptured, or that the vagus nerve (which produces the gas) has been damaged and isn't working. I immediately bought him a more shallow tank and am leaving the bottom bare, with just his cave in the tank. Depending on what's wrong with him, it may take up to another month for him to improve. My hopes aren't high for him, but I'm giving him a chance because he's still eating well, just can't elevate himself off the bottom of the tank when he swims.
 
Try changing hobbies :-)..

I know it sucks when you used to have all that space for tanks and then move and only have space for one tank I was or still in the same situation. Avoiding MFK is one solution as well as staying away from the LFS but we can't do that right :-)... hence we battle headaches
 
There's no way I can change hobbies, lol. What used to be a hobby is now my profession... so I'm screwed. ;-)
 
I feel pretty stupid after listening to you all, you have much more willpower than I do. For the time being, I'll try to be happy with my 40g parrot and 20g sick convict. I have to move again in a year and it'll be much easier if I don't have a larger tank to lug around.

P.S. Maybe my parrot will turn into a good monster. She bit my hand HARD yesterday during a water change.
 
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