So it starts with a craigslist posting. I've been wanting to get back into the hobby after several years of being out and have been patiently browsing for a good deal on a tank. I thought i struck gold when a local guy was offering his setup for four hundred. So i go and check it out.
Its a 125gallon tank. Filled with a gar, two oscars, an ID shark, a pacu, etc. He said if i took the fish too he'd sell for 300. What a steal.
Now I've been researching cichlids and fronts so i wasn't familiar with these fish he had, but I went home last night and did research. And I almost died. I couldn't believe how big these fish get, and that he had them all in the same tank.
So what ended up being a desire to get back into the hobby has quickly turned into a rescue mission. One that i'm ill equipped to handle. I don't know how they all survived this long. There's not enough filtration, he told me how he fed them all sorts of crap like bacon. Even showed me a video of him feeding a feeder mouse to the Oscar.
So i'm trying, but i know long term these fish need new homes. The gar is around 20", the pacu 10", one oscar is 10", the other is 4", the ID shark is between 12"-14". There are also a small red devil, and three catfish I don't know what they are.
I realize maybe I shouldn't have jumped in so deep, but I couldn't let this dude keep buying fish like that. And all from the same GD LFS. Always hated that place, and this only confirms.
So can anyone help? Anyone in the area/region willing to take these fish? Suggestions for the short term? I feel terrible these fish are all in the same tank together, and I feel worse still that I probably shouldn't be trying to take care of them.
Its a 125gallon tank. Filled with a gar, two oscars, an ID shark, a pacu, etc. He said if i took the fish too he'd sell for 300. What a steal.
Now I've been researching cichlids and fronts so i wasn't familiar with these fish he had, but I went home last night and did research. And I almost died. I couldn't believe how big these fish get, and that he had them all in the same tank.
So what ended up being a desire to get back into the hobby has quickly turned into a rescue mission. One that i'm ill equipped to handle. I don't know how they all survived this long. There's not enough filtration, he told me how he fed them all sorts of crap like bacon. Even showed me a video of him feeding a feeder mouse to the Oscar.
So i'm trying, but i know long term these fish need new homes. The gar is around 20", the pacu 10", one oscar is 10", the other is 4", the ID shark is between 12"-14". There are also a small red devil, and three catfish I don't know what they are.
I realize maybe I shouldn't have jumped in so deep, but I couldn't let this dude keep buying fish like that. And all from the same GD LFS. Always hated that place, and this only confirms.
So can anyone help? Anyone in the area/region willing to take these fish? Suggestions for the short term? I feel terrible these fish are all in the same tank together, and I feel worse still that I probably shouldn't be trying to take care of them.
