Your biggest mistake
- Thread starter FSM
- Start date
i went to petsmart and i am only 12 and i was smarter than them they were like ooooohhhhhhhhhh your son is very smart to my dad. i was just sitting there thinking "all i did was read the box" literally that is how stupid petsmart people are they have their dragon gobies listed under 30 gallon tank in fresh water! and they dont feed their fish the right stuff also they have oscars and other agressive fish under semi agressive
buying my first tank. i,ve had mts (multi tank syndrom) and been broke ever since. i just see dollar signs swimming in my tanks
I've been maintaining my own tanks for over 20 years, I have made so many mistakes, looking back some are now funny, but some still burn my nerve and never will be. and some..I continue to make, I feel like an alcoholic when it comes to fish, I know what I'm about to do is wrong yet I still do it.
my first mistake, my first fish, when I was 8 I had a male betta 'blue' I would change his water once a week and one day I changed his water and didnt realize the water I had filled up the bowl with was HOT water, I threw him in and he turned BRIGHT RED as he died instantly, I added salt to the water, but he was dead on sight, I never made this mistake again thankfully.
capturing my pictus and 5 fin columbian cats with a net, theyre whiskers get caught in the net and torn off, thus they lose theyre balance like a house cat and swim in circles of agony from having theyre whiskers torn off, I still feel bad for them, thinking back.
using a filter way to small for my tank, after a few months. you watch your fish slug around in discomfort, your constantly cleaning and it always looks like crap, no matter how much time and effort you put into it. now I know ~ THERES NO SUCH THING AS OVER FILTRATION
moving fish into newly set up tanks. I lost my beautifull group of 7 6inch SUPER RED, red belly piranhas after putting them into a tank full of tap water and clorine remover. I thought that the active filter being moved would stop the tank from cycling. I was wrong
Bringing native fish home in an airtight container
fish were dead after a 30 minute drive in a cooler closed tight.
Bringing native fish home period. first off there is a high percentage of turnover bring natives into aquarium parameters, yes theyre hardy putting up with pollution, cold weather etc but they die often from loss of theyre natural PH, diet, and injuries while catching them. in the end after flushing them, you realize that you hurt theyre population and life in that lake by taking them out of it.
not replacing the mechanicals in my aquaclear filters when they start to become intermittent. theyres little magnet/wheels/props in theyre that need to replaced after 2-3 years or so and if you dont replace them, they will stop flowing one day when your not home and if your lucky enough to not come home for 3 days you may find yourself the previous owner of a beautifull 14" Red Devil Cichlid or a tank full of 24 Malawi cichlids which were only 10 bucks each 4 years ago when they were juveniles...
flushing fish..I dont know where I picked up this habit, maybe routine habit learning the trade as a kid but to this day, I find a dead fish and I take it out and head to the bathroom. and now my gf has it down to an art, telling me that because I bought the fish in the last week I could get my money back. If I could bring it back in a bag. but I cant cuz I have now put it into the sewers of my dumb ass. I'l take the fall, its most always my fault as I always try to mix species which most people would say NO to the idea, said species have never seen each other in history and have no wish other than to be mixed with one fine phat azz'd female of theyre own kind. how many times I have purchased a fish for 10-80 dollars and lost it within 7 days and flush it. due to negligence I am convicted, and I can take that. but looking back over 20 years realizing how much money I have flushed down the toilet after the fact, really burns me.
heaters, I think I have busted 5 heaters now, unplugging them, moving them to new tanks and dropping them in water, only to have theyre christmas ornament glass smash into a thousand pieces into my substrate. the first time, its a shock, after that your pissed you already knew this was gonna happen and now your out some bucks and time cleaning up the time consuming mess.
buying cheap equipment. I have bought so many tanks you'd be lucky to have just the number of tanks, I now cant remember. I would buy what I could afford at the time, always far under the bar of what I really wanted..first a 10g than 3 10g's than a 29 and than a few 20's and a few more 29's and I cant remember how many frickin aqua clear 20's I've owned in my life. more than 20 no doubt. buying my heaters at garage sales from 80yr old women who have been out of the hobby for so long they still cant remember what happened to that metal framed aquarium they had, or how much they heater actually cost with the red painted gravel back in 1982. looking back, I think about the cash that has changed hands, the accidents had with said tanks, heaters and filters. and realize what I always wanted since I was a boy was 3 100gallon fish tanks with the best heaters, filters and lighting money could buy, and looking back I realize the money spent and the constant effort put forth for 'the next tank, the next set up' I COULDA HAD DAMN NEAR 6 OF THOSE BY NOW!!!!
as some of you know, cleaning tanks, moving fish and introducing new fish, you sometimes come upon a situation where you have one who cant go into said tank, he will die. so thinking about your predicament, you go over who is most agressive in your roster, smallest etc etc and you decide that until tomorrow when you can get back to fish civilization (your LFS) you have to place 2 fish togethor which you know is a bad idea but you hope for the best. and every morning I wake up and see the carnage. I feel stupid, ignorant I didnt have another hospital tank laying around (my first one was full) that I didnt leave him alone in a bucket, didnt do more than I could. its compounded because its usually a fish I was doing somthing experimental with like putting a little jewel cichlid with a breeding pair of africans, putting a tiny mbuna with a native I had raised from fry myself or some other fish I had just plunked a load of dough on, hoping for the best in my gleeming ignorance. these pisz me off the most because once a fish is dead, there is no going back, you see your mistake, you know its your fault and somtimes not even more money can make it right...that decision you made, rushing around last night.
lastly is buying fish you dont keep. and this is the kama sutra of fish keeping right here, if you wanna save yourself some life for later, you'll listen intently... you buy fish that you fancy, you buy species that catch your interest and you continue to buy species that keep you happy. but some die at the hands of other fish, some die by your own ignorant hand and some get passed on for lack of space, lack of time, lack of money, and lack of focus at the hand of theyre owner. looking back I have owned easily over 1000 fish, and I laugh just at the thought of it being only 1000 fish, and I dont buy cheap fish. maybe when I was 8. a couple rhoms, dovii's, discus, and wild caught show quality hap ahli mating pairs has a total of $600 for 10 fish. I bought fish where I would think about the size later, I would think about tank space later, I would think about upgrading my filtration or heater later, I would think about doing a species only tank later, I mixed species, sizes, parameters, aggression, temperatures and ideas, thoughts and beliefs without question.. and some times I just didnt give a %#@* about the money I paid out already for said fish or the outcome about to plow forth like truth. I paid now and asked questions later and thats how I learned and got by and the biggest thing I ever learned was...save your money, buy the best tank and filter and heater you can and than step forward to buying the perfect community. but know this...if you put a fish on the counter and you cant see yourself keeping that tank set up those fish are going into for that said fish for 5 years or more, you just wasted another $15 or more.
my first mistake, my first fish, when I was 8 I had a male betta 'blue' I would change his water once a week and one day I changed his water and didnt realize the water I had filled up the bowl with was HOT water, I threw him in and he turned BRIGHT RED as he died instantly, I added salt to the water, but he was dead on sight, I never made this mistake again thankfully.
capturing my pictus and 5 fin columbian cats with a net, theyre whiskers get caught in the net and torn off, thus they lose theyre balance like a house cat and swim in circles of agony from having theyre whiskers torn off, I still feel bad for them, thinking back.
using a filter way to small for my tank, after a few months. you watch your fish slug around in discomfort, your constantly cleaning and it always looks like crap, no matter how much time and effort you put into it. now I know ~ THERES NO SUCH THING AS OVER FILTRATION
moving fish into newly set up tanks. I lost my beautifull group of 7 6inch SUPER RED, red belly piranhas after putting them into a tank full of tap water and clorine remover. I thought that the active filter being moved would stop the tank from cycling. I was wrong
Bringing native fish home in an airtight container
fish were dead after a 30 minute drive in a cooler closed tight.
Bringing native fish home period. first off there is a high percentage of turnover bring natives into aquarium parameters, yes theyre hardy putting up with pollution, cold weather etc but they die often from loss of theyre natural PH, diet, and injuries while catching them. in the end after flushing them, you realize that you hurt theyre population and life in that lake by taking them out of it.
not replacing the mechanicals in my aquaclear filters when they start to become intermittent. theyres little magnet/wheels/props in theyre that need to replaced after 2-3 years or so and if you dont replace them, they will stop flowing one day when your not home and if your lucky enough to not come home for 3 days you may find yourself the previous owner of a beautifull 14" Red Devil Cichlid or a tank full of 24 Malawi cichlids which were only 10 bucks each 4 years ago when they were juveniles...
flushing fish..I dont know where I picked up this habit, maybe routine habit learning the trade as a kid but to this day, I find a dead fish and I take it out and head to the bathroom. and now my gf has it down to an art, telling me that because I bought the fish in the last week I could get my money back. If I could bring it back in a bag. but I cant cuz I have now put it into the sewers of my dumb ass. I'l take the fall, its most always my fault as I always try to mix species which most people would say NO to the idea, said species have never seen each other in history and have no wish other than to be mixed with one fine phat azz'd female of theyre own kind. how many times I have purchased a fish for 10-80 dollars and lost it within 7 days and flush it. due to negligence I am convicted, and I can take that. but looking back over 20 years realizing how much money I have flushed down the toilet after the fact, really burns me.
heaters, I think I have busted 5 heaters now, unplugging them, moving them to new tanks and dropping them in water, only to have theyre christmas ornament glass smash into a thousand pieces into my substrate. the first time, its a shock, after that your pissed you already knew this was gonna happen and now your out some bucks and time cleaning up the time consuming mess.
buying cheap equipment. I have bought so many tanks you'd be lucky to have just the number of tanks, I now cant remember. I would buy what I could afford at the time, always far under the bar of what I really wanted..first a 10g than 3 10g's than a 29 and than a few 20's and a few more 29's and I cant remember how many frickin aqua clear 20's I've owned in my life. more than 20 no doubt. buying my heaters at garage sales from 80yr old women who have been out of the hobby for so long they still cant remember what happened to that metal framed aquarium they had, or how much they heater actually cost with the red painted gravel back in 1982. looking back, I think about the cash that has changed hands, the accidents had with said tanks, heaters and filters. and realize what I always wanted since I was a boy was 3 100gallon fish tanks with the best heaters, filters and lighting money could buy, and looking back I realize the money spent and the constant effort put forth for 'the next tank, the next set up' I COULDA HAD DAMN NEAR 6 OF THOSE BY NOW!!!!
as some of you know, cleaning tanks, moving fish and introducing new fish, you sometimes come upon a situation where you have one who cant go into said tank, he will die. so thinking about your predicament, you go over who is most agressive in your roster, smallest etc etc and you decide that until tomorrow when you can get back to fish civilization (your LFS) you have to place 2 fish togethor which you know is a bad idea but you hope for the best. and every morning I wake up and see the carnage. I feel stupid, ignorant I didnt have another hospital tank laying around (my first one was full) that I didnt leave him alone in a bucket, didnt do more than I could. its compounded because its usually a fish I was doing somthing experimental with like putting a little jewel cichlid with a breeding pair of africans, putting a tiny mbuna with a native I had raised from fry myself or some other fish I had just plunked a load of dough on, hoping for the best in my gleeming ignorance. these pisz me off the most because once a fish is dead, there is no going back, you see your mistake, you know its your fault and somtimes not even more money can make it right...that decision you made, rushing around last night.
lastly is buying fish you dont keep. and this is the kama sutra of fish keeping right here, if you wanna save yourself some life for later, you'll listen intently... you buy fish that you fancy, you buy species that catch your interest and you continue to buy species that keep you happy. but some die at the hands of other fish, some die by your own ignorant hand and some get passed on for lack of space, lack of time, lack of money, and lack of focus at the hand of theyre owner. looking back I have owned easily over 1000 fish, and I laugh just at the thought of it being only 1000 fish, and I dont buy cheap fish. maybe when I was 8. a couple rhoms, dovii's, discus, and wild caught show quality hap ahli mating pairs has a total of $600 for 10 fish. I bought fish where I would think about the size later, I would think about tank space later, I would think about upgrading my filtration or heater later, I would think about doing a species only tank later, I mixed species, sizes, parameters, aggression, temperatures and ideas, thoughts and beliefs without question.. and some times I just didnt give a %#@* about the money I paid out already for said fish or the outcome about to plow forth like truth. I paid now and asked questions later and thats how I learned and got by and the biggest thing I ever learned was...save your money, buy the best tank and filter and heater you can and than step forward to buying the perfect community. but know this...if you put a fish on the counter and you cant see yourself keeping that tank set up those fish are going into for that said fish for 5 years or more, you just wasted another $15 or more.
P.S I now have a 100 gallon Bow Front tank, on a stained curved stand, the newest eheim Pro is sittin underneath, I got the best jager heater money can buy and a double T5 50/50 actinic light up top. I do tank maintenance once every 3 months. its full of 24 bright vibrant Aulonocara, Protomelus, Copadichromis, Haps, a few Mbuna and 1 big azz show quality green terror (9inches) I have 2 29gallons set up for breeding, 2 20G 'stand by' tanks for new fish and hospital tanks. I love what I have, I smile thinking of what I've done, what I've learned and I wouldnt trade it for anything. do what you do cuz you want to do it, in the end you can say you did it your way 
cant take money with you..only memories
cant take money with you..only memoriesMy biggest mistake was putting a convict into a community tank! I had some experience with tanks at the time and I knew they were agessive, I just thought if I had one instead of a pair it wasnt going to be that bad, I learned my lesson pretty quick
PUTTING IN A PIECE OF BOGWOOD WHICH I HAD ASSUMED WAS OKAY BECAUSE IT WAS SITIING OUTSIDE IN AN OLDER TANK BUT IT CAUSED A PH SWING AND KILLED 3 OFF MY PRIZED CLOWN LOACHES
srry
srry
I haven't done anything really dumb...yet 
, but my dad did something that deserves a mention. He has a 40 gallon SW tank set up, and after about a month of having it running he saw some algae growing in the gravel, so he took all the gravel and decorations out, thoroughly rinsed it all 
, and then put it back in the tank. Lost almost all the fish in the tank.
, but my dad did something that deserves a mention. He has a 40 gallon SW tank set up, and after about a month of having it running he saw some algae growing in the gravel, so he took all the gravel and decorations out, thoroughly rinsed it all , and then put it back in the tank. Lost almost all the fish in the tank.
tyl089;1689439; said:
Well, you don't have to be 15 to do that. I just made soup out of my breeding pair of Convicts. SO SUCKS!
Wasnt my personal mistake but a good one to mention. A previous fish specialist at my store was closing and doing water changes. He was using a python and actually closed and left while it was still filling the final tank. We fill a majority to the tanks themselves and the rest to a sump below, regardless it ended up shorting out all the FW setups and flooding a 1/4 of the store! Nor too mention 80 percent of the livestock died! Super bummer!
