This is going to be a novel,, but anyways..
Throughout our fish-keeping lives we have seen many, many different people involved in the hobby, that keep their fish in many different ways. I am going to outline these ways, and feel free to comment or add onto them.
#1 - Rich Newbie -
Goes into the petshop, says he wants fish and gets whatever the LFS Worker says he should. He leaves with a 55 gallon, UGF, gravel, 2 filters, an internal filter, 100.00 worth of plants, the most costly lights they sell, and anything else reccomended. He goes home, sets it up, (most of it not neccessary), and goes to get his fish. He either gets a dozen pacus (right off the bat), 6 danios (to cycle), or 12 tiger barbs, 20 neons, a CAE, and whatever else. Success is variable, but dead fish are just replaced.
#2 - The researcher -
Goes to to the petshop, gets his 20 gallon, as he read it is easier to maintain, UGF, Gravel, 2 plants, 4 danios, a heater, an external filter, a top, lights, etc. Six weeks later he purchases his community. He is succesful, and later buys a 75gallon and 2 oscars. (MONSTER)
#3 - The 30 year know-it-all -
Walks in to the LFS like he is ten feet tall. Asks for a fish in a disturbingly mis-pronounced latin name, and mis-interprets your look of "WTF??..." as you don't know half of what he does. He goes on to say the common name, how many years he has kept them, and points their location in the store out to you. He buys them with the aquarium, and brings the dead bodies back the next day in a zip loc bag. He says you caught them wrong, and he wants new ones. It goes on....
#4 - The sustainer -
He buys a gallon critter keeper and some gravel. He says what can live in here. You say nothing. He says I'll take six tiger barbs and a bicher. You say "not for that cage". He leaves and comes back the next week. The other store sold him some and he wants to know why they died....
#5 - The family -
A school of people, a mom, dad, and four kids come in. They say they have a ten gallon. The parents say "ooh, I like this one. Is this one good? will it go with.....yada yada yada." The kids are sporatically darting through the store, saying "I want that one, no that one, that one, not that one!, that one! They end up leaving with an albino oscar, 2 tiger barbs, a betta, some blackskirt tetras, etc. You can guess where that one goes...
#6 - The MONSTER -
He walks in, and gets a jardini arrowana, to put in his well established 265 gallon. Next week he will be in to pickup the rescue Pangasius cats...
I don't know about you all, but I know which one I would want to be....
I am sure I forgot quite a few variations, that's what you all are for!
Throughout our fish-keeping lives we have seen many, many different people involved in the hobby, that keep their fish in many different ways. I am going to outline these ways, and feel free to comment or add onto them.
#1 - Rich Newbie -
Goes into the petshop, says he wants fish and gets whatever the LFS Worker says he should. He leaves with a 55 gallon, UGF, gravel, 2 filters, an internal filter, 100.00 worth of plants, the most costly lights they sell, and anything else reccomended. He goes home, sets it up, (most of it not neccessary), and goes to get his fish. He either gets a dozen pacus (right off the bat), 6 danios (to cycle), or 12 tiger barbs, 20 neons, a CAE, and whatever else. Success is variable, but dead fish are just replaced.
#2 - The researcher -
Goes to to the petshop, gets his 20 gallon, as he read it is easier to maintain, UGF, Gravel, 2 plants, 4 danios, a heater, an external filter, a top, lights, etc. Six weeks later he purchases his community. He is succesful, and later buys a 75gallon and 2 oscars. (MONSTER)
#3 - The 30 year know-it-all -
Walks in to the LFS like he is ten feet tall. Asks for a fish in a disturbingly mis-pronounced latin name, and mis-interprets your look of "WTF??..." as you don't know half of what he does. He goes on to say the common name, how many years he has kept them, and points their location in the store out to you. He buys them with the aquarium, and brings the dead bodies back the next day in a zip loc bag. He says you caught them wrong, and he wants new ones. It goes on....
#4 - The sustainer -
He buys a gallon critter keeper and some gravel. He says what can live in here. You say nothing. He says I'll take six tiger barbs and a bicher. You say "not for that cage". He leaves and comes back the next week. The other store sold him some and he wants to know why they died....
#5 - The family -
A school of people, a mom, dad, and four kids come in. They say they have a ten gallon. The parents say "ooh, I like this one. Is this one good? will it go with.....yada yada yada." The kids are sporatically darting through the store, saying "I want that one, no that one, that one, not that one!, that one! They end up leaving with an albino oscar, 2 tiger barbs, a betta, some blackskirt tetras, etc. You can guess where that one goes...
#6 - The MONSTER -
He walks in, and gets a jardini arrowana, to put in his well established 265 gallon. Next week he will be in to pickup the rescue Pangasius cats...
I don't know about you all, but I know which one I would want to be....
I am sure I forgot quite a few variations, that's what you all are for!
) Walks up to me, "Do you have any Botia [??????????]....I stare back blankly while I try to think of what scientific name that kind of sounded like and lead him to where some of the various Botia sp. are. He chuckles and looks smugly at me appologizes for throwing me (clearly due to my ignorance, not his) and then says "Yoyos?" and I show him where they are.