Need another approach, help...

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G

gspille

Candiru
MFK Member
Aug 12, 2008
266
7
48
Illinois
I go to a co-worker's house to check out their tank, I get there and this is what I find. Sorry if this is a bit long.

75g with 2 oscars about 8in each, 3 silver dollars about 5 in, and a huge pleco about 15in! He had the Rena xp3 shut off, and the HOB penguin 350 was running. I asked why it's off, and he said it's broke.

To sum things up, they were told by the folks at the lfs that the Rena NEVER needs maintenance, and you NEVER have to do anything to a tank this size using it. The water will always be good. WTF!

Anyway, I cleaned out the Rena and got it back running, and told them to buy a syphon of some type to clean the tank and explained how and all that. Today I get back to work and ask him, and he says he didn't feel he needed to buy that stuff because when the Rena is running the tank is fine. What the heck can I do? I've shown him threads in the forums.
 
he doesn't even do water changes? I'm sorry, but that is so basic that if he is not even there, these fish will all die

what can you do? MFK might be TMI for him at this stage . . . instead, get him the most basic book on Oscars you can find, one of those little TFH books they sell at the LFS, and hope he reads it.

show him the chapters on what size tank to use, what kind of filtration to use, the importance of water changes, etc.

then, hope for the best . . .
 
I know the tanks been set up for at least 6 months.
I've talked to him again, and I'm going to take him my python and show them basically how and why. I think once they see the debris coming out they'll see the light.
 
Show him a picture of the Oscar with HITH maybe that would help the water change ball rolling.
 
Buy him a $10 gravel vac from that same LFS he went to, then beat the LFS owner with the rubber hose for about 15 minutes, then throw the vac on your buddy's desk & say "There! Now you dont have to buy anything you lazy, cheap ^$&^%&%^&(*%$#!!!! son of a &*^&^^%$&*!!!!!!!!!!"
 
Hey, well just got home from helping/teaching them a little about tank maintenance. Went to a different LFS and he bought his own python, bottle of Prime, and salt. He even bought more foods, since all he was feeding them were guppy feeders and cichlid sticks.

Hopefully they'll keep it going.
 
That is good to hear. Hope he will keep it up and become a successful fish keeper.
 
Thats awesome

I have some stubborn freinds I guess.
One of my buddies seen all my tanks and set up his own because he really liked my predator tank. He then asked me to try and help him find a red tailed payara to keep because he liked the way mine looked. So after i tried to explain all about predators to him and how these payara are all wild caught and eat a diet soley based on live fish in the wild. And that it was possible to teach them to eat dead stuff but for a while he must feed live foods. He was like( yea i allready know all that)

So he bought a Tatuaia from aquabid and called me and tld me about it. I went to check it out and seen peices of shrimp laying in the tank. So i asked what it was for and he said it was food. And that the fish could eat shrimp or die it was its only choice.:WHOA: And he went on to tell me there was a video on youtube of one eating shrimp. lol

I asked if he remembered me telling him that he had to teach the fish that shrimp was a food source over time or they would not recognize it as food. And he remembered but said it was a fast track attempt at teaching.

Long story short the tat lasted a month and then died. I offered to buy it several times and he said he liked it too much to let go. :screwy:(but not enough to feed it I guess)
 
Dang that's sad. I told him today that I'd take his big pleco and trade him for one of ours that's about 10in. But I'll wait and see how he keeps up with his maint.

I've known many people who will not follow advise on properly feeding their fish. In fact, one guy has lost all his stock like 3 different times in about a 2 year period, and still will not listen and refuses to just give up the hobby. I had bought his tank from him at one point, and he turned around and bought another one!
 
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