Unpopular Fish Opinions

I kinda just don't like youtubers I guess.
There was one guy I was watching, a few actually, and then they posted a video of them exposing their pets to alcohol to get them drunk.

Another person exposed many animals to smoke, to see how it affects them.
Sure it's a video topic, but it's also neglect and in some cases abuse as you nearly suffocate your beloved pet.

I guess this is an opinion too, not only should most people not own fish, they shouldn't own any animals.
1/3 cats is obese, dogs too. That's a larger number than humans.
Fat isn't cute, healthy is.


I just rather people care more about their animals than the money or the views.... That was the whole point you got into the hobby.. To care for the animals not your own ego.....

 

I have one. Not using a QT tank with saltwater. My Dad doesn’t QT and I don’t either. Sue me

 

I have one. Not using a QT tank with saltwater. My Dad doesn’t QT and I don’t either. Sue me

There was a story I read recently, about someone not QTing
They got some silly little fish that killed their whole tank, now they're starting over, have 6 nice established fish and 5 that are in QT, the one thing I don't really understand though, is they got 3 and added them to start their new QT, then they got two more about two weeks later, added those to the same QT, then another week went past, and they got another to add to the QT.

Adding fish like that could just redisease the already 3 week QT'd fish, didn't really make sense to me.

Also, you better have a good lawyer, I'm taking you up on your offer

 

A recent post about Petco reminded me of a recent local interaction. A lady had baby fish (looked like a small cichlid) that she was giving away on CL. I tend to take in unwanted babies and give them a home. Her house was far away but I was in the area for the weekend. I was OMW home from the Atlanta Koi and Goldfish show with one of my boys who I raised from a little bitty thing who had just WON in his category.

She had given me her address by email and told me when to arrive etc. I arrived on time and I knocked. She looked out the window. I stood there. She didn't open the door. I knocked again. She closed the blinds. She didn't come to the door. I held up the thing I brought to take the fish and said "Hello"? She peeked through the closed blinds. Then I heard footsteps and she never came to the door. I left.

I knew a 13 year old girl on a forum who took great care of her fish and even gave others advice and ran a YouTube channel and she was a great fishkeeper. I knew another young teenage boy who knew a ton about Koi.

With all this said... Perhaps an unpopular opinion...

A fish lover and good fish keeper does not have a "LOOK". They do not have an age. They do not have a race. None of that.

I wasn't mad I wasted my time going there, I was sad she looked at me and refused to acknowledge that I was indeed who responded to her ad. I came at the time we had spoken about. She knew it was me. She just didn't want me to have the fish. She acted scared of me

I so hear you on this one.... I'm Amish and so I'm easily identified as "different." I was in a pet store a while back and asked the clerk for some black neon tetras. He looked at me with this ??? look -- kind of surprised and maybe a bit condescending, shrugged his shoulders and said, "Most of YOU PEOPLE just get goldfish." You said it right -- a good fish keeper and fish lover does not have a look, age, or race.

I don't have electricity at home, but I do have solar panels that charge batteries. My tanks at home run that way. I work in a non-Amish business and have computer & internet access there though I don't at home. There are MANY different groups of Amish in North America -- some very conservative, some very progressive. I live in an area that gets 4.5 million tourists a year -- I'm surrounded by cars & bustling traffic much of the year.

 

I don't have electricity at home, but I do have solar panels that charge batteries. My tanks at home run that way. I work in a non-Amish business and have computer & internet access there though I don't at home. There are MANY different groups of Amish in North America -- some very conservative, some very progressive. I live in an area that gets 4.5 million tourists a year -- I'm surrounded by cars & bustling traffic much of the year.

Thank goodness for the internet at your work! Otherwise we all wouldn't have the privilege of knowing you!

 

I do believe sometimes fish do just jump out of tanks, I've seen it happen, but it's generally either caused by other aggressive fish in the tank, or that fish is trying to tell you it wants out, or somewhere else that's better for it.

But those types of things can also be prevented with appropriate lids.

Many long fish like bichirs and rope fish jump a lot, some wild caught fish are jumpers too due to them being used to catching their food, but this doesn't mean it's impossible to contain them to prevent death.

You just need a really strong nice lid that the fish won't be able to break through, and if it can, you may have to roll up your engineering sleeves and make something better.

I don't have electricity at home, but I do have solar panels that charge batteries. My tanks at home run that way. I work in a non-Amish business and have computer & internet access there though I don't at home. There are MANY different groups of Amish in North America -- some very conservative, some very progressive. I live in an area that gets 4.5 million tourists a year -- I'm surrounded by cars & bustling traffic much of the year.

Ooh solar panels! I had some neighbors who had them, I really like the idea of having them to help with our electricity cost.
I honestly probably use more electricity than I should, my family has a habit of leaving lights on all day and night.
Thanks for explaining a bit, I guess I could've figured there are different levels of Amish as there is anything really.
Our city is really rough in the center, then on the outskirts it's all beautiful farm land and country, even some cattle and horse ranchers here and there.
Most our Amish reside outside the city which is why we don't see them.

 

Yes I'm only 14 but you "Oldies" who have been the hobbys for years teach me right. This is why you should do research beyond the youtubers.

 

I'm not sure if this is popular opinion or not, but the misinformation crisis is pretty big all around, whether it be me not knowing a whole lot about fish outside of what I keep, or the advertisments on fish stores and products.

It would be wonderful if we could all learn a lot more, and teach others.

 

I think water testing is overrated unless you are cycling. I don't know when the last time was I tested my water. Probably 4 months ago or so. I have happy alive fish, I think I could tell just by looking if something is off!

 

Being that I’m only 14 and relying on my father for financial support with the tank the hornworts were the only live plant I’ve ever gotten. I’m going to try java ferns next, if you have any advice for those let me know. I’m going for an albino bristlenose and some glass fish and gups in my 30 long.
There’s driftwood and a plastic plant in there right now, and live gravel.
My most unpopular opinion (unpopular among moms) is that not everybody can own a fish tank. It takes time and effort to keep one, even if it’s a bowl and a betta. So don’t get a young child a fish without doing all the research and getting the properly sized tank

 

Being that I’m only 14 and relying on my father for financial support with the tank the hornworts were the only live plant I’ve ever gotten. I’m going to try java ferns next, if you have any advice for those let me know. I’m going for an albino bristlenose and some glass fish and gups in my 30 long.
There’s driftwood and a plastic plant in there right now, and live gravel.
My most unpopular opinion (unpopular among moms) is that not everybody can own a fish tank. It takes time and effort to keep one, even if it’s a bowl and a betta. So don’t get a young child a fish without doing all the research and getting the properly sized tank

You're one smart kiddo!
Wish all 14 year olds knew as much about fish keeping as you! And adults too! Lol
A lot of people think fish are an easy pet, I did when I was younger, and still sorta did when I started getting my own tanks, but boy! Was I in for a slap in the face about my water!

I didn't know there were so many things that could go wrong, I didn't even really cycle my tank when I first got it... Somehow was lucky enough that the live water I had was able to keep up with the fish I added, and that the water changes I did were correct.
My tank cycled itself pretty quick and I was set and good to go, no losses.

I overstocked myself super quick, then realized how bad everything was.

Bought a fish infected with ich and didn't know, lost 14 fish and had to work on my tanks every day to keep everyone else from dying.
Somehow the toughest survived, and now I'm back up to 20 some fish scattered in my tanks, and expecting some fry soon again and in the month ahead. Got a big boy we call Baron who is making his runs.

I'm implused to buy more, but know I should just let the fry grow out instead before adding more.

In the few months I've owned fish, I've spent more money than I would on any cat or dog in a whole year, I'm sure, and lost more too.

 

I paint the back of all my tanks because I can't stand tanks you can see through. Also don't like bare bottom-gotta have sand or gravel. I know bare bottom is sometimes necessary for breeding but l don't breed fish. Don't like rimless tanks. l like the old fashioned black plastic rim. Fav shape is rectangle-no bowfront, hex, or cube for me.

 

Here’s another one: I don’t like other fishkeepers.

 

Here’s another one: I don’t like other fishkeepers.

I'm curious as to why you are on a fish forum then...

 

I'm curious as to why you are on a fish forum then...

Just adding to the discussion. Things got pretty dark, just trying to lighten the mood.

 

You're one smart kiddo!
Wish all 14 year olds knew as much about fish keeping as you! And adults too! Lol
A lot of people think fish are an easy pet, I did when I was younger, and still sorta did when I started getting my own tanks, but boy! Was I in for a slap in the face about my water!

I didn't know there were so many things that could go wrong, I didn't even really cycle my tank when I first got it... Somehow was lucky enough that the live water I had was able to keep up with the fish I added, and that the water changes I did were correct.
My tank cycled itself pretty quick and I was set and good to go, no losses.

I overstocked myself super quick, then realized how bad everything was.

Bought a fish infected with ich and didn't know, lost 14 fish and had to work on my tanks every day to keep everyone else from dying.
Somehow the toughest survived, and now I'm back up to 20 some fish scattered in my tanks, and expecting some fry soon again and in the month ahead. Got a big boy we call Baron who is making his runs.

I'm implused to buy more, but know I should just let the fry grow out instead before adding more.

In the few months I've owned fish, I've spent more money than I would on any cat or dog in a whole year, I'm sure, and lost more too.

Same here, I lost my three guppies to fin rot. Had no idea what it was until the little orange couldn’t swim. Now that the 30 has been treated and cleared it’s been running for 3 weeks now to let it cycle on its own, I’m getting the new fish this week.
I’ve always been pretty passionate about caring for the animals I get correctly, have been since my leopard gecko got stuck she’s and became blind. I’ve spent a lot of turns researching and learning from my mistake, and I wish that other fish keepers would invest as much time. It’s not as simple as feed them some cheap flakes and let them sit.

 

A recent post about Petco reminded me of a recent local interaction. A lady had baby fish (looked like a small cichlid) that she was giving away on CL. I tend to take in unwanted babies and give them a home. Her house was far away but I was in the area for the weekend. I was OMW home from the Atlanta Koi and Goldfish show with one of my boys who I raised from a little bitty thing who had just WON in his category.

She had given me her address by email and told me when to arrive etc. I arrived on time and I knocked. She looked out the window. I stood there. She didn't open the door. I knocked again. She closed the blinds. She didn't come to the door. I held up the thing I brought to take the fish and said "Hello"? She peeked through the closed blinds. Then I heard footsteps and she never came to the door. I left.

I knew a 13 year old girl on a forum who took great care of her fish and even gave others advice and ran a YouTube channel and she was a great fishkeeper. I knew another young teenage boy who knew a ton about Koi.

With all this said... Perhaps an unpopular opinion...

A fish lover and good fish keeper does not have a "LOOK". They do not have an age. They do not have a race. None of that.

I wasn't mad I wasted my time going there, I was sad she looked at me and refused to acknowledge that I was indeed who responded to her ad. I came at the time we had spoken about. She knew it was me. She just didn't want me to have the fish. She acted scared of me

That’s terrible some people just don’t care how rude they are or stupid they appear I would have yelled Boo when she looked out the blinds , but then again I’m a 63 yrold child

 

Ok, this one is for real. I'm a glass tapper. I even got yelled at by a Petco employee. . . I was mad ****. Then again, I've even been yelled at non-fishy places, for being "handsy." Security had about enough of me at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I was there to do a paper, which I got an A on.

 

Ok, this one is for real. I'm a glass tapper. I even got yelled at by a Petco employee. . . I was mad . Then again, I've even been yelled at non-fishy places, for being "handsy." Security had about enough of me at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I was there to do a paper, which I got an A on.

I tap glass too, and like to pick up expensive rocks and fossils at 'witch' shops, there's a lot of wiccans here so we have a lot of herbal shops with magical items.

 

I'm gonna disagree with that last one, couldn't let it slide .

That's the spirit! Just trying to keep it unpopular..

 

Some unpopular opinions of mine

• This seems to be an unpopular opinion in this thread but I actually enjoy some of the alleged abominations such as fancy goldfish (not bubble eyes though), Flower Horns, and Blood Parrots (no other variations). Though I don't like the short body or balloon variations, I don't like glo fish or dyed fish, and specifically the veiltail oscar weirds me out.
  
  
• pH should not be messed with unless you want to breed or keep sensitive and/or exotic fish, otherwise just keep it stabilized.
  
  
• Quit suggesting oto catfish for beginners or otherwise new tank setups, since they're probably wild-caught they will probably only accept algae for sustenance at first before they recognize anything else as food, and by then it might be too late.
  
  
• Quit telling people to rehome their fish under any circumstances. That's just not nice. It's not hard to offer suggestions on what to expect and how they can prepare for the fish.

I'll think of more later, I'm sure.

 

HI guys. I suppose I could say that some of you asked for it... You're right, we have been watching and 'censorship' has recently occurred on this thread.

I've quite enjoyed the light banter going on here, and many posts made me smile or even giggle with delight. I also believe that unpopular opinions must be shared so that we as a people may change for the better. With that in mind, please know that nobody has a right to attack others or be condescending. So, here are some things to consider...

To those of you that find this thread to be your standing ground for bashing others, including public figures such as those on YouTube... you are wrong. Fishlore is a community for helping others, finding your own answers, sharing experience and even opinions, yes, but it is not a place for sounding off against those you dislike. Specifically attacking people goes against the word community after all.

Fishlore is a place that we all want to be welcoming for anyone and everyone. For that reason, moderation and censorship are necessary. This is not a place to plant your flag or stand on your soapbox. Sorry folks, I don't like to be heavy-handed, but I must say, ridicule of the staff here and complaints about moderation are getting quite tiring. These are the people that make this place what it is, so please be aware that comments of this nature will not be tolerated.

Thank you.

And my own unpopular opinion... Moderation and censorship are necessary for the kind of environment we all want here.

 

Ok, this one is for real. I'm a glass tapper. I even got yelled at by a Petco employee. . . I was mad . Then again, I've even been yelled at non-fishy places, for being "handsy." Security had about enough of me at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I was there to do a paper, which I got an A on.

You obviously got the A in the art paper because you are a hands-on person!

I paint the back of all my tanks because I can't stand tanks you can see through. Also don't like bare bottom-gotta have sand or gravel. I know bare bottom is sometimes necessary for breeding but l don't breed fish. Don't like rimless tanks. l like the old fashioned black plastic rim. Fav shape is rectangle-no bowfront, hex, or cube for me.

I too like gravel however I was tempted to remove it from the main tank after doing daily water changes in the quarantine tank. It's so easy to clean completely a bare bottom tank

 

Though I don't like the short body or balloon variations, I don't like glo fish or dyed fish, and specifically the veiltail oscar weirds me out.

I just looked up veiltail oscars and they're so weird looking!! I love the longfin varieties of most fish, but something about the oscar rubs me the wrong way

 

Indeed. The only fish that llooks better with long fins are goldfish and bettas. Maybe angelfish too. Oscars are ugly anyway and adding more fins is adding more ugliness.
Does that qualifies for unpopular opinion?

 

Goldfish of all types are the most beautiful fish!

 

Here's one.
Forget about rinsing you clogged filter media, toss it in the trash!
As long as your tank is well established (8 months+) you will not lose your cycle. The BB lives on every surface in your tank not just the filter, as commonly thought. Come test my tanks, if you don't believe that.

 

Here's one.
Forget about rinsing you clogged filter media, toss it in the trash!
As long as your tank is well established (8 months+) you will not lose your cycle. The BB lives on every surface in your tank not just the filter, as commonly thought. Come test my tanks, if you don't believe that.

I completely agree with this one. This is why I always recommend moving everything from a smaller cycled tank over to a bigger one when up-sizing. The bacteria lives on everything in the tank. If one truly wants an instant cycle, move all the bacteria.

 

I completely agree with this one. This is why I always recommend moving everything from a smaller cycled tank over to a bigger one when up-sizing. The bacteria lives on everything in the tank. If one truly wants an instant cycle, move all the bacteria.

Lol it makes me laugh when I see ("80%of your BB lives in the filter") I always wanna say "Wow that is 1 gigantic filter".

 

Oh I just remembered one!

The filter cartridge that come with most filters initially are especially poor quality to force you to buy more.

I honestly think that because a year ago Ibought a couple new filters and the first time I tried to clean the cartridges the filter floss part basically disintegrated. Bought another set and I haven't had the need to get new ones since.

 

Oh I just remembered one!

The filter cartridge that come with most filters initially are especially poor quality to force you to buy more.

I honestly think that because a year ago Ibought a couple new filters and the first time I tried to clean the cartridges the filter floss part basically disintegrated. Bought another set and I haven't had the need to get new ones since.

Agree. The replacements are still too ecpensive. I make my own now, for a fraction of the price.

 

Agree. The replacements are still too ecpensive. I make my own now, for a fraction of the price.

I like the hagen/fluval filter medias and how you can use those to modify most filters. It's likely more cost-efficient and effective in the long run. Been meaning to do so but... I've been lazy about ordering them lol. EDIT: Actually, it's mostly that I'm not looking forward to cycle new media lol.

 

• Quit suggesting oto catfish for beginners or otherwise new tank setups, since they're probably wild-caught they will probably only accept algae for sustenance at first before they recognize anything else as food, and by then it might be too late.

Yes. I agree so hard. They're often caught from the wild using cyanide, too, which makes their death rate even higher. They're adorable but they're not great for many aquariums.

 

I like the hagen/fluval filter medias and how you can use those to modify most filters. It's likely more cost-efficient and effective in the long run. Been meaning to do so but... I've been lazy about ordering them lol. EDIT: Actually, it's mostly that I'm not looking forward to cycle new media lol.

How long has your tank been cycled?

 

Here's another: EVERY fishkeeper should test KH.

 

Yes. I agree so hard. They're often caught from the wild using cyanide, too, which makes their death rate even higher. They're adorable but they're not great for many aquariums.

Actually, they’re caught with nets.

 

Actually, they’re caught with nets.

They use cyanide to make tthe fish go drowsy & easier to catch.

 

They use cyanide to make tthe fish go drowsy & easier to catch.

I still don’t believe they use cyanide to catch them. I prefer proof over heresay.

 

Here's another: EVERY fishkeeper should test KH.

Agree. That can't possible be unpopular, is it? People just assume there ph will remain stable?

I still don’t believe they use cyanide to catch them. I prefer proof over heresay.

Cyanide is deadly to humans in small amounts. A fish on cyanide is probably easy to catch, because its dead. I need some proof too.

Wow. Is Wikipedia enough proof?

 

Wow. Is Wikipedia enough proof?View attachment 488974

I am aware that cyanide was used to catch saltwater fish, but also heard that even this wasn’t practiced as it once was. It’s the freshwater fish, specifically otocinclus that I question its use on. Seems questionable to do this on such small fish and a schooling one. I expect a cast net (throw-net) to be quite sufficient. In fact, it can be very efficient in doing the job of catching lots of fish in a relatively short period of time, with a practiced hand. I even met a guy who filled two trash barrels of fish by himself in a little over an hour’s time using a cast net.