Why did you buy fish that get too large for your tank?

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I

Industrial

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 22, 2010
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Buffalo, NY
So at the LFS I work at, people are constantly buying fish that will outgrow the size of their tank and they don't see any possible problem in that.

On MFK I still see a bunch of people buying fish that are likely to grow too large for their aquariums as well.

So what makes people think that if they buy fish that grow too large everything would work out? Stunting? Euthanize it when it gets big? Rehome it?

I will start out this thread. I bought two juvi ID sharks about a year back thinking that once they get too large for my tank, I would be able to find somebody locally with a 4' wide tank and a small school of ID sharks who would want more.
 
i'm the type that wants big fish but wont buy them unless i have the tank for it!!!!
 
I bought 2 oscars and a GT for my 55 when they were babies with the full intention to buy a larger tank in 6 months. It only took me 2 months to find a larger one on craigslist. Had I had no intention of going larger then I would not have gotten the stock I did...
 
So far I've bought fish that will be OK in my tank fullgrown, but will really need an upgrade for comfort. Reasoning being that I will eventually be getting a 125+ for them, hopefully sooner than later (hopefully before they're FULLY grown) but if things don't work out, they'll still be ok in the meantime for a relatively short period if they do reach adult size in the current tank.
 
Ignorance. A lot of people buy bigger species thinking they won't get big fast, it's usually aquarium novices that do and think this though. Other more responsible owners, buy them expecting to upgrade later on when the fish attains a certain size.
 
For the most part I think its just ignorance on the customers part, but there are a few exceptions like grow-out tanks and raising them to a larger size and selling.
 
I personally don't get fish that are too big for my tank. But I see that a lot of people do.
 
Let's not pretend this is only limited to fish.
People often buy dogs when they have very little space or a yard for the dog.
You see many people putting too many gerbils in a 10G tank.

It is usually rooted in selfishness and ignorance. We want what we want and simply don't know any better.
 
Jayzao;4576592; said:
Let's not pretend this is only limited to fish.
People often buy dogs when they have very little space or a yard for the dog.
You see many people putting too many gerbils in a 10G tank.

It is usually rooted in selfishness and ignorance. We want what we want and simply don't know any better.
Click to expand...

I dont have a dog (anymore), but I agree and disagree with you, depending on the breed alot of dogs like to be kept in the home rather than left outside despite the size of the yard, and you can walk a dog and take it to parks, can't really take your fish to a lake and let it swim for the day and bring it back home. What I do hate that disgusts me is people who buy a dog and keep it crated or fenced in a small room for most of its life.
 
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