Jonny_Maelstrom

Hi all,
I know I'm preaching to the converted on a forum like this, but I want to stress for anyone thinking about getting their first tank the importance of doing your research before you start - something I failed to do.
I went to the pet shop to 'look at fishtanks and have a think about it' and came home with a 5-gallon tank - ideal for the space I wanted to put it, but really not as practical as a larger tank. I then proceeded to buy a Chinese Algae Eater (managing to get the tank cycled first, so I did do SOME research).
If you happened to read my recent post where I mentioned I had an Oto, well, that's what happens when you leave the shop without double checking the name of the fish you just bought. But hey, I thought it looked like an Oto.
I've just taken the little fella back despite assurances from people in two pet shops that 'they only grow as big as your tank will allow' (is this true by the way?) because everything I've read suggests they grow too big for a tank as small as mine. Then again, what doesn't? No, really. What doesn't? I need something that will stay small.
That is positively the LAST time I buy a fish - a living breathing thing - without doing my homework first. I shudder to think of the number of goldfish my sister and I won at the fair when we were kids and killed through sheer ignorance, meaning I, like many others, grew up assuming fish 'just don't live that long', more a fun thing to look at for a few weeks than an actual honest-to-goodness pet.
So once more, DO YOUR RESEARCH. Don't just ask questions. Try to find out if the people who are answering them are qualified to do so, or if they're just people who sell stuff. Don't just learn from your mistakes. Learn from mine.

AggieYen

Hi Jonny,

Welcome to Fishlore! Completely hear what you're saying - I did the exact same thing that you did, except that on top of the 'oto' (that turned out to be a CAE) that I brought home, I also got 3 goldfish that came... wait for it.... FREE, with the 5 gallon tank. Came here and veeerrry quickly learned. I lost one of the goldfish, re-homed the 2 (saw them recently in their new outdoor pond, and they've gotten HUGE!!), and brought the CAE to an LFS.

Having said that, I wanted to say - if you are thinking of getting otos, they like being in groups of 3 or more, although in a 5 gallon you'll want to stay under 2. They're very sensitive to water chemistry, and they starve very quickly, so it's not advisable to get otos for brand new tanks. Wait till your tank is established, and has had some time to grow some algae, then get your otos. I recently bought two, but lost one overnight, and it was an established tank, acclimated over an hour, and still it died.

In some countries it's now illegal to give away goldfish as prize winnings at fairs - which I say, is a GREAT move.

Jonny_Maelstrom

Hi Aggie,
Thanks. I used to work at a newspaper in the UK (I'm from there) and they sent me off to write a story to see if our local council was 'one of these councils that's decided to ban goldfish from fairs'. The council, busy with recycling schemes and what not, hadn't given it much thought and the press officer thought I was joking. Apparently children who are with someone over 16 can still win them.

In fairness to my LFS, the sign did call them 'sucking catfish', not Otos. I persuaded myself it was an Oto over the long weekend by looking at pictures and (yes, I admit it) hoping for the best, as the shop was closed and I couldn't go and check. No otos in the shop where I live.

Now the little CAE has gone I only have one serpae (didn't know they liked to be in schools, another mistake, but he's at least alive with no CAE to edge him out) and am not sure what else to get as there's very little that stays small and doesn't want to be in a school.

Lucy

Hi Jonny, Welcome to Fishlore

A betta would love 5g!

You are so right about doing research, and even then, once you get to the store and see all the pretty fish, it's easy to sway from your original plan.
I've got 10g with neons and serpae, sometimes I look at the tank and I don't see a single fish! If it weren't for this forum, I would have run out and bought a bunch more thinking there's plenty of room. I would have never thought about the bio load.


oops, just saw you had a serpae, you could get another to keep him company, I had 2 for a few months and they got along ok, but it wasn't until i added 2 more that they really became active. I like them they have cute little fishie movements lol.

Blub

COBettaCouple

Welcome to Fishlore.

Sadly, many many people have taken home CAE's thinking they were Otos. Often the shop employees don't know the difference themselves.

Mike

Probably the best motto to live by in this hobby.

Jonny_Maelstrom

So long as we're talking about research, can anyone recommend some sort of - preferably pocket-sized - fishkeeping guide book? Good though this site is, it would be great to have a handy reference next time I'm in the shop and about to make some wildly inappropriate purchase. Something with a section about fish health/diseases - another topic I've yet to learn about - would be awesome.

Allie

Google it, my favorite.

Blub