Early fish keeping mistakes

I like that honeyg bloke he sounds cool

 

Oh totally. And that Armadillo girl! She's such a cracker. I'll bet she must have gone to comedy school or something.

 

Oh totally. And that Armadillo girl! She's such a cracker. I'll bet she must have gone to comedy school or something.

you mean crackers, right? just like flbettacouple.

 

OMG, I when I decided to start up a tank again I think I made every mistake it's possible to make. That's how I found all you crazy fishheads. If it wasn't for this site I would have most likely chucked the thing out the window and given up.

 

When I was much younger my family started an aquarium. It was only 10 gallons and it quickly became overstocked. I think we had 13 fish at one point.....I have no idea how many inches of fish that was!!! We eventually worked our way up to 15 and then 35 gallon tanks but I never forgot how special that first tank seemed.

 

My hardest lesson learned is to make sure your substrate (whether sand, gravel, etc.) is airated routinely. I almost lost every fish I had in a 20 gal. long tank because I failed to vacuum under decorations in the tank. The gravel collected pockets of anaerobic gasses, and when one of those bubbles seeped out of the gravel, it poisoned my tank within a couple of hours. I think only about 2 or 3 of my fish survived. Now I clean all the gravel in the tank by lifting rocks and decorations, and the tank I have with sand is kept airated by MTS (malaysian trumpet snails).

That's awful, and so good to know. Thanks for that. I don't like to move their decorations as that's where they go when they want peace. Looks like a change of policy is coming on. I guess if you only do it once in a while it's OK (like once a month?)

Once a month is fine. You can also take the stick end of a wooden spoon or knitting needle, and poke around the substrate to keep it airated.

 

No kind of goldfish can go in a small tank for too long...they get really big. I had 8 fancy goldfish in 20g...they were tiny but once I learned more I realized with amount of goldfish I had at the time...we needed the 120 gallon we have now. So I sold them...I really didn't want a huge goldfish tank.

 

Thanks, Allie. I'll add this to the goldfish caresheet. I try to keep this one species-generic. Thanks for your input!

 

Thanks, Allie. I'll add this to the goldfish caresheet. I try to keep this one species-generic. Thanks for your input!

YOu are welcome...a lot of people don't realize how big goldies get...we had one here as big as our piranhas it was their xmas dinner....I haven't ever seen a goldfish that big....we do have a feeding video but it's kinda nasty.

 

Yeah, I feel so sorry for goldfish. Because they are treated like commodity most times. Like, given away at a fair or something, in a bowl.

 

Don't listen to your local fish stores' peoples' advice, unless you know they know for sure what they are talking about.
A friend of our worked for one of the major lfs chains. He wasn't allowed to tell the customer not to buy a fish. Even tho he knew that the fish the customer wanted couldn't go with what they had. :-X I once over heard someone talking about having piranha in with Oscars and other SA cichlids. They store clerk just nodded & smiled. NOT ALL SA American fish can go together lol.
So research on your own time before you go to a pet/fish store. All you have to do is Google the name of the fish you like or tropical fish...and all kinds of good info pops up.

 

Thanks a lot for the addition, Allie. I've added it to the first post.

 

Here's another one...Never clean your tank with bleach or any other cleaners. Clean with a scrubber/sos pad type and water.
If you don't rise rinse it properly the chemicles could kill the fish. A friend of ours cleaned the outside her tank with windex...but then used the same cloth to wipe the inside. All her fish died.

 

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand thanks again, Allie. Man you bring so much good info, comments, feedback and pix to this site. Thanks for being such an active member!

P.S. Just added your comment to the main sheet now.

 

I have made plenty of early mistakes....same with my fish friends.

 

Never ever buy fish from a tank with dead or diseased fish in it. Trust me you will fight it forever.

Beeboy

 

Thanks so much, Beeboy. I've added it to the list.

Guys, I love your contributions. Keep posting.

 

I learned that the bigger bodied Betta the older they are. Betta should be babies, 3-4mos old/1-2" when bought...since they can only last 3-5 years.

 

Oh thanks Allie. I'll keep that one on the side for when I finally update the betta caresheet. We try to keep this one species-generic. Good tip, though.

 

So much good stuff all in one place! Thanks! I'm suffering right now from mistakes made by trusting the LFS guys.

 

It's awful, isn't it, that you don't feel you can trust the specialists. Glad we could be of help. Don't hesitate to share your own early mistakes, so future newbies won't have to.

 

It's awful, isn't it, that you don't feel you can trust the specialists. Glad we could be of help. Don't hesitate to share your own early mistakes, so future newbies won't have to.

The sad part is most of ours and probably world wide pet/fish stores hire people the same way they hire at Mc Donald's. Inexperienced people who no nothing about pets/fish. The people who work in the fish room should have some knowledge of tropical fish...they are getting better people in here.
The guy who runs the fish room at one lfs ask my boyfriend if he wanted a job...I think one of should. We've learned a lot over the past year with all the types of fish we've have kept. All the research we've done.

 

It's awful, isn't it, that you don't feel you can trust the specialists. Glad we could be of help. Don't hesitate to share your own early mistakes, so future newbies won't have to.

The sad part is most of ours and probably world wide pet/fish stores hire people the same way they hire at Mc Donald's. Inexperienced people who no nothing about pets/fish. The people who work in the fish room should have some knowledge of tropical fish...they are getting better people in here.
The guy who runs the fish room at one lfs ask my boyfriend if he wanted a job...I think one of should. We've learned a lot over the past year with all the types of fish we've have kept. All the research we've done.

yea, if we ever get to have a fish shop like we want - the jobs will be "experience required"

 

It's awful, isn't it, that you don't feel you can trust the specialists. Glad we could be of help. Don't hesitate to share your own early mistakes, so future newbies won't have to.

The sad part is most of ours and probably world wide pet/fish stores hire people the same way they hire at Mc Donald's. Inexperienced people who no nothing about pets/fish. The people who work in the fish room should have some knowledge of tropical fish...they are getting better people in here.
The guy who runs the fish room at one lfs ask my boyfriend if he wanted a job...I think one of should. We've learned a lot over the past year with all the types of fish we've have kept. All the research we've done.

yea, if we ever get to have a fish shop like we want - the jobs will be "experience required"

I think that it definitely should be how it is.
Today a lady at the lps store was asking the guy working in the fish room what type of cichlid a fish were...he hemmed haaed...I finally said they are yellow labs...african cichlids. He actually walked away and let me talk to the lady. :
She wanted a midas, but didn't know how big they got. lol I talked to her the whole time I was there while my bf was getting Datnoid #3

 

This is the best article I've ever read in a long time, and I'm glad I did! Thanks a bunch for creating it. This has become one of my favorite sources. I've heard of many of these things before but some of them I did not know about.

 

Wow, thanks a lot, Tayful. And please don't hesitate to add your own lessons-learned to it as time passes. Just add a post to this thread, and I'll integrate it to the main article's text.

 

how about a small amount of salt in fresh water tank.

thanks

 

Contrary to popular belief, The immediate threat of salt to fish and plants is greater then that of any potential long term benefits that may or may not be gained by its use.

Scaleless fish, particularly cordydoras, are very sensitive to salt. Even a small amount could harm them. Tetras are also fairly sensitive to salt.

It is not advisable to add salt to your aquarium on an ongoing basis unless the fish require brackish water conditions.

Remember, "If its not broken don't fix it."

In fact,your fish are much better served by leaving them alone and allowing them to regulate their own osmotic balance ... something they have been doing without your help for thousands of years.

Oh and Armadillo, I would like to give some more helpful advice on your already amazing article that I'm sure will help many newbies out:

A couple months back I had a beautiful 175 gallon tank with about 30 huge goldfish about 5-8 inches in length, a beautiful butterfly koi, and two iridescent sharks measuring about 5 inches. It was a great aquarium until I went on vacation and didn't clean my tank for about a two weeks. When I came back to my surprise (/sarcasm) the tank was completely green. So I decided to do a 50% water change and completely block my tank of sunlight for about 3 days.

The algae never went away so I decided to buy some algae medicine called AlgaeFix. Now since I was used to using 5 ml of liquid (one teaspoon) for every 10 U.S. gallons of water, I added 17.5 teaspoons of algaefix for my 175 gallon. I also decided to cover my tank to further clear my algae problem. I woke up in the morning and found all my fish completely dead. Every single last one of them. I was horrified. Anyway, I re-read the directions for use and it said: Add 1 teaspoonful(5ml) for each 50 U.S. Gallons. I felt soo bad for not reading the directions carefully.

The morale of the story: ALWAYS CAREFULLY read the directions for use of every medicine you use on your tank even if you think it might be a specific dosage amount. Also, be careful when using algae medicine as it is very stressful to your fish and can kill them if too much is used for too long or you could end up like me, with an empty 175 gallon tank. Oh and have some trustworthy person to take care of your fish while your away, and don't use those vacation feeders as they will dirty up your tank.

 

OK, I just learned this one the hard way. NEVER trust a piece of driftwood until it's been in a tank for a LONG time. I just went thru this, I did everything I was supposed to: boiled it for hours on end, let it dry in the sun, etc... Didn't matter. I set up my tank, everything looked beautiful. 3 days later my angelfish are dead and there's this horrific slimy stuff oozing out of my driftwood. Needless to say I took it back and had it out with the shop owner.

The NEW piece of driftwood I have is this amazingly twisted weird looking stump sort of thing I bought last week from a great mom & pop LFS in Tampa. This one I know is clean, because I watched the owner carefully take it out of a Discus tank it had been in (supposedly for over a month). But even with that bit of wonderful background info I don't plan on putting fish into this tank for a while yet.

 

Thanks so much, JI'm and Skyline. I've just added your edits to the article.

 

Armadillo, you should sticky this thread, a lot of the information on here is very useful and you have done a great job putting it together, it's a great article for some of the new fish keepers to read.

 

As a new fish mama, I learned when doing a water change don't watch the fish, even if thay are the cutest things ever, your bucket will over flow. LOL

 

Hi!

They need friends!:
Always remember to keep schooling fish in numbers of six or greater! Otherwise you will have sad, miserable fish who may nip fins! They look so much better and are so much happier in numbers. So - before you buy - check if they school!

 

Thanks, Skyline. In effect, it is sticky, but indirectly. The moderator team was trying to find a solution to the proliferation of stickies in popular sections, so we came up with a system of page holders. Here's the sticky: .

Armadillo, you should sticky this thread, a lot of the information on here is very useful and you have done a great job putting it together, it's a great article for some of the new fish keepers to read.

 

Thanks a lot, MelyBu and HatchetHeaven. Both very good warnings. I've added them to the list. Our beginners will soon have no more opportunity to err!

 

Hi!

Would I be right in thinking this is the right place for this?

Fishkeeping do's and don'ts

Do's

1) Cycle your tank. (You can read about that here: https://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm)
2) If you are setting up your first tank - make sure it holds at least 20 gallons! It is much, much easier to maintain.
3) If you are getting a schooling species (such as Neon tetra or Harlequin rasbora) get at least six to make sure they can stay happy and healthy with plenty of friends.
4) Feed your fish a varied diet.
5) Plan what fish you want to put in your tank before adding any!
6) Ask questions and use this Forum.
7) Remember to perform a 25% weekly water change.
8) Check your fish for any signs of disease every day.
9) Do your research!
10) Make sure your bottom feeders get enough to eat.

Dont's

1) Don't put your goldfish in a goldfish bowl!
2) Overfeed your fish.
3) Trust the guy at the fish shop's advice.
4) Ask a non-fishkeeping friend to feed your fish whilst your away.
5) Take your fish to the vet's.
6) Put an Oscar in a 10 gallon tank because "He's still small"
7) Add a medication that clearly states "Not safe for invertebrates" into the tank containing 15 Ghost shrimp!
8) Mix salt and Fresh water fish in the same tank.
9) Put two male Bettas in the same tank unless the tank is very big.
10) Overstock your tank!

Feel free to add more to the list. Just make sure you state clearly if it's a Do or Don't!

 

HI Hatchet Man. Yes and no.

This is one of the sections used to warn beginners against the mistakes we (or our friends) have made, so it's a great spot for yoru new list.

Buuuut... a lot of the suggestions you make are already on the list - like I said, great minds think alike, ! Also, you make some species-specific suggestions which should just get entered as new posts in the species-specific caresheets, once you've checked they are not there already.

We try to avoid the double posting of information, to facilitate navigation. We really appreciate your efforts. It's good to know you're sharing your knowledge to help beginners.

So, if you'd like to publish your information in this thread and/or in the species-specific caresheet, could you please eliminate redundant points from the list, and post species-specific ones in the individual species' caresheet?

 

Hi!

There are individual species caresheets?;D I never knew about that! (Do you mean the ones one the homepage? I know those)

 

Very nice! Thank you! I would add one thing though. Electricity and water are a dangerous mix. Throw glass in there and your playing with fire instead of water. Always allow enough slack for a drip line in your wires and watch that those lights are secure and the connections good. Periodically take a look at the floor under your tank you might catch a leak before it's a rupture. And make sure when you set up the tank it is on a level surface, first you really don't want it to fall, second if it is leaning it can cause unequal pressure on the glass and increase your chace of a leak.

I've been shocked enough and seen enough leaks to throw that : in

 

HI HatchetHaven. No, I mean in the main forum. Here's one, for example: . They're a collection of members' remarks on best practices regarding individual fish species.

Hi!


There are individual species caresheets?;D I never knew about that! (Do you mean the ones one the homepage? I know those)

Thanks a bunch for that remark, Trio. I've added it to the main list.

Keep 'em coming!

Very nice! Thank you! I would add one thing though. Electricity and water are a dangerous mix. Throw glass in there and your playing with fire instead of water. Always allow enough slack for a drip line in your wires and watch that those lights are secure and the connections good. Periodically take a look at the floor under your tank you might catch a leak before it's a rupture. And make sure when you set up the tank it is on a level surface, first you really don't want it to fall, second if it is leaning it can cause unequal pressure on the glass and increase your chace of a leak.

I've been shocked enough and seen enough leaks to throw that : in