Overstocking rant

[courtneem]

Not on this site but on another forum this rant was born. I always feel it but never say anything.

Why do people not see current sizes of fish and only focus on final growth length? It is like you are not allowed to put a BABY fish in a smaller tank and move it to larger tanks as it grows!

Example is my common. He is 6" in a 55gl tank. I know he will grow into a pretty large fish, but that doesnt mean at 6" he needs a 125gl tank! It would be a waste.

I like to buy less fish that get large, then to buy many small fish that remain small. That means I have if anything understocked tanks, and since I am 1yr into this hobby and only a few months into liking larger fish I have yet to need a large tank as they are growing out. I need to buy as I get there..

A 10gl is to small for a 1" bullhead? WTF? He will get 11" and will live in a 125gl with just a common pleco, that is pretty spoiled. Yet I get flamed a tiny 1" fish is in a 10gl. They want to see the final result of his size, not the size he is right now.

I think a lot of it is, me realizing that I belong more in a monster fish forum then a general fish keeping forum. I have nothing against little fish, but you get a fish that reaches 1ft or more and people freak out. 11" to me for a bullhead is no big deal, that is small compared to what I face with my common pleco lol

I see this site supportive of "growing out" and that monsters dont need a huge tank until they grow into it. People on this site seem to see the actual size of the current fish and understand the long term size as well.

Some people just think a baby monster needs to be in its final tank size the day it is brought home and it just amazes me.

I am tired of defending myself on this other forum and barely post anymore and find myself posting here more.

My kind of people.

 

[CTU2fan]

I think a lot of the problem is, you see people posting about some monster fish that they're keeping in a smaller tank, but that they "are planning on getting a X gallon in X months" or whatever...and in the end that X gallon tank never comes. So folks have gotten to the point where they assume that if the fish isn't in its adult tank, or if the fishkeeper doesn't already have that tank, that that tank isn't ever coming.

Not saying that's always the case, but I think that's the source of any flaming you might see.

And incidentally I'd bet the common pleco is the single most under-housed fish in the hobby (yes even more than pacu & O's). Think of all the 10G/20G whatever tanks there are out there, and "everyone knows you need a 'sucker'". Poor plecos

 

[ewurm]

RE: Plecos

"I need one of those Suck Mouth fishes to eat the crap off the bottom"

When I hear that. it makes me want to kill a kitten.

 

[cichlaguapote]

Not on this site but on another forum this rant was born. I always feel it but never say anything.

I have no rants on growouts providing the fish have a good home later via buying a larger tank or friends who will 100% take the fish in. Growth rate plays a huge part in me thinking whether something is overstocked or not.

I know a certain person years ago on the forum who competes with this one who alot of people look up to and even has been chosen to spoke at ACA meetings. He was and still is a total jerk about stocking levels and buying the tank before the monster fish. May have money and knowledge but total jerk in personality due to his policing and making a mockery of hobbiests that want similar fish that he keeps and plan on buying a tank later.

Only time I personally rant on stocking levels is:

When people are keeping mutiple fish that are pure killers together and will wind up losing fish because of overcrowding/or fish need to be solo from small size.


They think that's bad tell them I have an oscar/flowerhorn/butti and a p. niger in a 10g..

 

[evilxyardxgnome]

RE: Plecos

"I need one of those Suck Mouth fishes to eat the crap off the bottom"

When I hear that. it makes me want to kill a kitten.

Yea someone posted a thread here asking something similar to that.

 

[12 Volt Man]

the problem is that a lot of people are quick to give advice on fish that they have never even kept and have only read about...

 

[courtneem]

I think you all raise very good points. I agree there are people that never get the upgraded tank. I am comfortable with what I am doing because animals are treated well in my home lol and I know I will get them their tank. I do photography professionally on the side of my fulltime job and it pays for two things, more photography equipment and my fish hobby. I get a $2000.00 payment I can just run out and buy that tank.

If something happens my LFS would always take them back. They are great guys and help me out so much. I know no matter what my fish are taken care of.

I agree commons are underhoused! I freaked out when I bought him. I knew they got big but when I was told online how big my jaw dropped. I realized I had to take proper care of him.

Assuming is probably not the best way though. I wish more people would ask questions before they flame someone on a fish they have in a tank when the size of the fish at the moment matches the tank, you dont know if they are growing out the fish or not.

 

[cichla1004]

RE: Plecos

"I need one of those Suck Mouth fishes to eat the crap off the bottom"

When I hear that. it makes me want to kill a kitten.

Another thing I can't stand is when I see people at petsmart buying a ten gallon starter kit and all their fish (usually including a pleco) at the same time. Just add fish and water and these chemicals all at the same time and they'll do great! I remember a girl at the local Petsmart refusing to sell me a pleco because she knew my tank was only a month old. "He'll die without the algae to graze on". I tried explaining to her that you can feed them blanched vegetables but she didn't know what blanched meant and she insisted "They are specialty feeders that NEED algae!" So I calmly replaced the $300 worth of filters, food, livestock, plants etc that I had in my cart and went to the mom and pop store down the road and bought my damn pleco.

 

[Nova 8]

Some sections of this forum flame about needing the tank now rather then later. I too think its stupid.
Right now I have my Jar who is 9" in my 55 and plan to keep him there until he reaches 1'. When I posted him in the Arowana section I didn't once get someone even ask what I planned to keep him in as his final destination. Nothing but good wishes and advise on how to get him off of live feeders.
In other sections you sometimes see people say "that fish needs a X sized tank, NOW!", yeah right for a 2" fish . I get that people are only, for the most part, trying to help but some people need to claim down on the "full grown tank requirement now" bit. They argue that crap happens and you might not be able to buy that tank, well crap happens and you might have to sell that tank as well.
To each, their own, some are all for little fish in big tanks whilst other are for upgrading (gives an excuse for extra tanks as well ). If some one does it the opposite way to you, doesn't matter which way, its their choice. And if crap does happen what can you do?

 

[darwengray]

Tank size is a controversial issue ,i`ve been keeping fish for err well too long probably and i`ve come to the conclusion that a big percentage of fish really couldn`t care less what size tank they are in as long as water quality is up to snuff and they are getting fed.
A feww years ago i did a stint at a well known marine wholesalers where water quality is as close to perfect as your going to get and many of the fish,including tangs were housed in cubes no bigger than twice their lengths . I didn`t really see any signs of stress or behavioural malajustment in those fishes .
Recently i`ve had to move some labeo and bengana from a big tank to a tank thats only 20% of there previous home ,are they bothered ? not one jot.
If water quality is ok then within reason i don`t see a problem with keeping large fish in small tanks.