Have you ever had a fish you regretted getting?

[lahlumdi]

As I am assessing my tank, I am regretting that I got a Badis Badis, which needs live food daily, but that isn't the kind of diet the rest of my tanks needs. So now I am seriously regretting getting it. I was encouraged to get it because it was supposed to help control my snail population.

Have you ever gotten a fish you regretted getting? Not a good fit? Would get too big? Mean spirited? Ate your other fish?

[bushwhacker]

lahlumdi, when i got my 100 g tank i also got a 30 gal hex with mbuna included... the devil incarnate..i could have dealt without them even tho i love the little guys i ended up trashin all of them what few were left after their murderous rampages

[Deleted User]

I'm not so infatuated with our zebra danios. I wouldn't really mind if they were back at PetSmart.

[Rue]

I found the pea puffers a bit of a regret. I had fun setting up the tank, and I love their personalites...

But the constant stress about getting them snails to eat worn thin quickly...not to mention that the tank gets very dirty because of their feeding habits...

So I'm glad I experienced them - but I won't get them again.

[Jaster]

Not yet... I've been lucky. So far I've enjoyed all the fish I've gotten. thumbs2:

Which is why I have so many tanks... :hmm3grin2orange:

[smaug]

The whole brack tank thing as well as the nandus leaf fish that lived to spite me.

[Lady Hobbs]

Oh yes. All the grumpy angels I've had. Gourami's, mollies and platies. Long-finned white tetra's. A few others that die and you just kinda go "oh well".

And danio's. I hate them!

[rich311k]

And danio's. I hate them!

I am glad to know I am not alone.

[domjd05]

I am glad to know I am not alone.


danios are quite annoying IMO... I regret buying a red devil from petsmart a few years ago..thankfully my LFS took it in.

[Deleted User]

Sounds like danios aren't going to be voted Most Popular here [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[lahlumdi]

Sounds like it. No, for the danios...

So... in addition to that, how do you get rid of fish you don't want??

[Deleted User]

Some petstores will take them, I think.

I'm "hating" my danios now. I have relocated them to different tanks several times and it's a real pain in the butt. The last time, though, it went pretty fast and easy (big surprise)... BUT, I tried to take them out of their current tank the other day and move them and stopped after about 5 minutes (none were caught) because I was thinking I'd suck them out with the python if I didn't take a break. They just annoy me SO much when I have to move them but then on the other hand, I'm the dumb--- who has decided to make them play musical tanks.

On the bright side (or maybe not, depending on how sick of zebra danio a person might be), none of these has ever died on me. They maybe be with us a loooong time. Since the only time I sincerely hate them is when I have to catch them, taking them to the petstore would initiate that frustration so it's a no win for me. I really will be ticked off if i end up keeping the tank they're in now set up simply to maintain their school!!! I bought a tank divider to help me narrow the chase and will give it another shot soon.


It's for SURE a personal decission and probably not one I could make, even with the darn danios, but some people I think do "cull" the fish they don't want and cannot place. In horses, when I say "cull" it means to move on to new homes horses that aren't right for my breeding program, but I learned in fish, it means to kill them.

[smaug]

In my case I got rid of most of the fish that I didnt want anymore by getting that dang leaf fish.That took care of all the small redundant fish,now I got him and everytime I see a smaller fish like corys or dwarf cichlids I think,,,,,,damn.

[hybridguy]

I bought a Venustus that was about 8" and had beautiful color and he was a complete bast#*d of a fish, he tried to kill everything in my 220 as soon as he hit the water!! i put his butt in a 5 gal. bucket for a day and rearranged my tank and tried again, nope that was a negative, so i put him back in the bucket and took him back to the store.

[Lady Hobbs]

I have no stores around here that will take fish in. Mine get culled.

[smaug]

I have no stores around here that will take fish in. Mine get culled.
Ive done that as well.

[Lab_Rat]

The only fish I've regretted getting were the ones that didn't work out in my african cichlid tank and that I had to trade back into the LFS. I knew that was an option before trying to find the right mix.

I don't agree with killing a fish just because you don't want it. Sick fish that's not getting better, yes, suffering fish, yes, fish that is no longer "pretty", no. If you don't want it don't get it in the first place. Do your research ahead of time.

[Braccus]

Every day.

It isn't that I hate the fish I have it is just that the more I learn about new fish the more I want them but I know I have neither the community or space that they need.

So I find myself, yeah it is sad to admit it, hoping a fish or two may croak. I could never do anything to harm them though so don't freak out!

[lobsternoob]

Quite a few. Most recently a koi that I "rescued" from a 5 gal tank thinking it would go into my pond when finished, or any one of three of my customers that have ponds. Well, none of the three customers wanted it, and my pond is going much slower than expected due to lack of funding for what I really want to do. So now I have a koi that's taking up a 29g tank I'd really like to do other things with. I'm not going to cull it just because I don't want it, and I'm not rehoming it into an equally bad, or less appropriate home. Thankfully its still really small, a fully grown koi doesn't belong in a 29g much more than it does a 5g

[incorporeal_x]

My mollies. They really get on my nerves and had a ton of babies that I just don't know what to do with.

[domjd05]

The only fish I've regretted getting were the ones that didn't work out in my african cichlid tank and that I had to trade back into the LFS. I knew that was an option before trying to find the right mix.

I don't agree with killing a fish just because you don't want it. Sick fish that's not getting better, yes, suffering fish, yes, fish that is no longer "pretty", no. If you don't want it don't get it in the first place. Do your research ahead of time.


Sometimes with cichlids, research doesn't always match up with what's in your tank... ya know? I've never had to kill a fish, and I'd do just about anything I could before I ever would.. but the point is sometimes things happen unexpectedly, and we've all taken that chance with "that" fish thats just slightly more aggressive then the others, and we knew before-hand, sometimes it works out OK, others, not so OK..

Sometimes we buy fish that we think will be great together, all the research has told us that the temperaments are the same, yet we put them in our tank, and before you know it, all your tetras are gone, lol...

[Lab_Rat]

Sometimes with cichlids, research doesn't always match up with what's in your tank... ya know? I've never had to kill a fish, and I'd do just about anything I could before I ever would.. but the point is sometimes things happen unexpectedly, and we've all taken that chance with "that" fish thats just slightly more aggressive then the others, and we knew before-hand, sometimes it works out OK, others, not so OK..

Sometimes we buy fish that we think will be great together, all the research has told us that the temperaments are the same, yet we put them in our tank, and before you know it, all your tetras are gone, lol...

Totally different situation than killing a fish because you're tired of it or decide you don't like it. I am well aware of what is involved in finding the right combination of cichlids. It is why mbuna and such are not good beginner fish.

[gabbyguppy]

I'm not so infatuated with our zebra danios. I wouldn't really mind if they were back at PetSmart.

Agree! I had them when I first started in this hobby. They actually killed one of my Guppies. Their constant activity kept my tank in turmoil. I know my fish celebrated on the day I sent them packing.

Karen

[iluvmyfishes]

Yes i have gotten a fish I have regretted getting. Usally the stores will take back fishes if they are in good health, they might even refund your purchase. Good luck!:ssmile:

[Chrisinator]

I regrett getting my Guppies and Pencilfish. I got the Guppies thinking that I could breed them since they were a German Blue type but I lost interest in them. It was an impluse buy.

With my Pencilfish, I was at the best pet store you can imagine but my parent's were rushing me so I didn't really have enough time to look at other fish that could have caught my eye.

I wish I can give my fish away to someone and get some Threadfin Rainbows or some cooler fish.

But, still, I'm satisfied, but wish I hadn't done it. I love my Peacock Gudgeons though :]

I would give back the fish to someone but my parent's wouldn't allow that.

[sheamurai]

I've been able to bring back any "mistakes" I've bought, so I have no real regrets about fish that I wish I didn't have anymore.
I do regret getting the pair of rams I got, because they both ended up dying and I never really knew why, tho the consensus was my pH, or water quality. But I can't quite accept that as I have other fish who need a decent quality of water and they have done well...I hate mystery deaths! But I won't be buying anymore rams as I can't figure out what the problem is for them.

[Mith]

I won't say I have fish I regret getting, but my Mbunas are getting older and things are kicking off! I had a female peacock that got beaten up bad twice...I've already arranged to give her away. She's quarentined now while she heals.

I had to cull an adult blue fish because it was also thrashed. I tried to quarentine her but she had already lost so much weight and wqas thrashed from being bitten, when I saw she was just swimming around upside down and totally disoriented, I just cut her head off.

Side note.....if someone doesn't have access to a place or person who can house a "bad" fish who's fighting everyone....I don't think killing that fish is a bad thing what so ever. I would NOT expect someone to drive a long way just to house one fish. To me their JUST fish. I take care of them the best that I can, but if a reasonable solution to get rid of them is not available.....then cull the darn thing!!!!!!

[i_am_511]

My gold gourami chasing everyone but after a few days or so he stopped. Or my platy male being so "horn knee" chasing my girl platy around and getting jealous when other fish come by here.

Im surpised at all the people talking about murdering when we just talked about fish abuse recently. I mean i guess its just fish but dang. i guess if craigslist rehoming and the store wont talk them at least flush them instead of just killing them. I know that is bad but not as bad. Even getting a fish that will eat them would be better then killing them.

[Deleted User]

I might feel differently (probably would) about culling a "dangerous" fish I could not re-home. That would be saving my other fish from it. However, I can't bring myself to do it to the harmless, but real annoying, danios. I'd feel guilty but I have had to take a break from trying to catch them before I did something I might later regret.

I haven't asked yet, but one thing that I've "worried" about is if my mbuna's have babies. I will need to talk to the fish stores before that happens, but if they do not want to take them, and I do not step in to preserve the babies, will the adults take care of them? That's pretty much what we let happen with the platies.

And, also, what about Mollies? I might like some of those but read yesterday that they can over run you. I'd planned to handle their population like I do the platies, but maybe the parents don't eat or even defend molly friy? Ugh...

[Lab_Rat]

i guess if craigslist rehoming and the store wont talk them at least flush them instead of just killing them. I know that is bad but not as bad. Even getting a fish that will eat them would be better then killing them.

If this is an attempt at humor, you fail. Even though I'm against killing a fish just because you don't want it anymore, it is still better for them to be quickly dispatched rather than flushed down the toilet. That is a horrid thing to do to a fish, not a quick death.

Again, with a super aggressive fish that is killing everything in the tank, it's a bit of a different story than those who you just don't want anymore.

I might feel differently (probably would) about culling a "dangerous" fish I could not re-home. That would be saving my other fish from it. However, I can't bring myself to do it to the harmless, but real annoying, danios. I'd feel guilty but I have had to take a break from trying to catch them before I did something I might later regret.

I haven't asked yet, but one thing that I've "worried" about is if my mbuna's have babies. I will need to talk to the fish stores before that happens, but if they do not want to take them, and I do not step in to preserve the babies, will the adults take care of them? That's pretty much what we let happen with the platies.

And, also, what about Mollies? I might like some of those but read yesterday that they can over run you. I'd planned to handle their population like I do the platies, but maybe the parents don't eat or even defend molly friy? Ugh...

If you think those danios are hard to catch, wait til you try catching the mbuna. Damn things are the most difficult fish I've ever had to catch, usually I'd end up tearing the entire decor of the tank out and even then it was still a struggle. As far as their babies, mine always got eaten by other fish unless I separated out the female and stripped her into a separate tank. I would advise finding a lfs that would be interested in taking them before trying to raise the fry.

Mollies generally eat their young like other livebearers do. I've always kept either gouramis, rams, or bettas with my livebearers and generally none would make it each time they were dropped, save one or two every couple of months that were really good at hiding in java moss.

[rookie]

I wish my angel would just eat my glo-lights I think that I'm gonna get some new fish soon in order to make my who tank SA/CA but I have noone to rehome them. I don't know why but I don't think I would ever perpousely cull a fish but I'm all about praying that my fish follow the natural food chain. But my bettas are the biggest pain. My girl got them with a tiny little split tank but when we learned more about them I ended up getting a new 10g with a divider just for them and I'm thinking I could have a qt tank or something else nicer but insted I got two fish I have to care for that are boring

[i_am_511]

[QUOTE=Lab_Rat]If this is an attempt at humor, you fail. Even though I'm against killing a fish just because you don't want it anymore, it is still better for them to be quickly dispatched rather than flushed down the toilet. That is a horrid thing to do to a fish, not a quick death.

Again, with a super aggressive fish that is killing everything in the tank, it's a bit of a different story than those who you just don't want anymore.


No i dont fail cause it wasnt no sorry attempt at humor. And i also wasnt speaking on super aggressive fish killing them to save your other fish. If your killing a fish cause you dont want it no more is why i said that. Either way its a messed up situation regardless of flushing them/cutting there heads off. Some people might be the type to have a different conscience and not want to kill them(even tho they will die down the toliet). Rather someone robs with a gun or using there computer its still robbing and some people think its not right.

Ive got fish that are just taken up space that im not in love with but my girl likes them and im not just gonna make them disappear. But then again like Mith said its just fish

[Lab_Rat]

Flushing a fish down the toilet alive is a much worse way for the fish to die than is a quick death by decapitation.

I really think you are a troll. If you're not trying to troll you come about it very naturally.

[Tetris]

Rather someone robs with a gun or using there computer its still robbing and some people think its not right.

What does armed robbery and online fraud have to do with flushing a live animal down the toilet?

[i_am_511]

WOW maybe this isnt for me cause nothing i say is right in this place i always feel like an outcast and not part of the group.

No im not trolling and i dont know how that could be got out of that. I was saying i didnt think it is right to kill a fish just cause you dont want it. And i was just saying no matter how you kill them it would be wrong in my OPINION if your killing them because you dont like the fish anymore. But i also agreed with Mith that hey its just fish. I wouldnt kill any of my fish because i didnt like them. The comparison with robbery was no matter which way you do it your still robbing them aka no matter how you kill them cause you dont like them your still killing them.

Some of the fish i have had were ones my other half seen liked and got. I didnt kill them or anything like that i just told her we need to make sure its good to go with who is already in the tank and etc.

[William]

Angelfish and discus. And I make the mistake over and over again. I am suckered in by how beautiful they look and then after I while a realise how booring I find them compared to my normal monsters, jags, dovii, umbies, snakeheads etc and that I could keep a monster in their tank.

That problem never arise with smaller fish that can be kept in tanks that would be to small for monsters anyway.

[jcarr71]

Let me join the danio club. They are annoying fish that never properly school, eat more than their share, and have no distinguishable personality traits. I have 8 in my 75g community and I want them gone.

[hursab]

I only see my sucker fish once every two days, for like 3 seconds at that.

Super lame. So much filter use gone to waste.

[domjd05]

I'd have to agree the logic behind flushing a live fish down a toilet (cold water, unfiltered, chlorinated amongst OTHER things...) being better than Culling is a pretty weak argument. Perhaps an extra moment of reflection prior to posting what you've written could filter out these ..moments..



















:22:

[lobsternoob]

If your gonna cull em, kill em, however you want to say it, have some guts. Just kill it, bash it with a rock, cut its head off, etc do it fast. Don't flush your fish.

[deathtroll]

a couple of months ago I bought a spotted labled leaf fish the only thing I regret about it was I researched the wrong fish as it turned out to be an african bush fish diference is one gets 3" and one gets 6" now working on how to fit another tank in the the budget

but if I have to cull any fish they become turtle food end result is quick and painless

[red eyes]

culling small fish is easy when you own big fish's ;)
but definitely some times you regret buying a fish either cause it causes a uproar in the tank or isn't really suitable for you ability to care for it, like I have a GBR that simply needs softer water then I can get it =(

[kaybee]

I regret placing two azure/Scotts damsels in my reef tank. I actually had an opportunity to extract them about 2 years ago, but they were spared from eviction. Now they are impossible to extract (unless I use something like a frogfish!).

Reason #1: Every now and then for no apparent reason they start to dig (as in create 3" deep pits) in the sand and shower lower level corals in the vicinity with sand, which make me have to rearrange the tank and coral placements in ways I do not like. Sometimes some corals get completely buried in the sand due to their excavation. These damsels get on this intense 'digging kick' for about 3 weeks, then do no digging for many months.

Reason #2: They fiercely attack my hand (specifically targeting the thin skin at the back of and between my fingers) when I have to adjust something in the tank. They're not capable of drawing blood or anything but they're really annoying when they do that.

[robflanker]

I only see my sucker fish once every two days, for like 3 seconds at that.

Super lame. So much filter use gone to waste.

What is a "sucker fish" and what is a "cool cat"?

[Aeonflame]

I guess they meant some sort of pleco. As for the cool cat.. god only knows.

And as for the whole culling issue, it all depends on your personality, and the way you regard the fish under your care. Personally, I would not kill a healthy fish simply because I didn't want it anymore, for whatever reason. I know that many of you here will disagree, but thats just the way I see things. I think its pretty weak to treat an animal as a mere object, especially one that we are meant to care for.

[domjd05]

hahaha, lame catfish.. as opposed to a "cool" cat-fish... right?

I guess a shovel-nose might be cool, but probably regrettable.

Anyway, another fish I regret getting a 8'' "dragon goby" that ended up being a freaking bichir and ate a few of my favorite fish.. thank you NOOB at LFS.. although it's just as much my fault because I didn't recognize the difference until it was too late.....

[Aeonflame]

hahaha, lame catfish.. as opposed to a "cool" cat-fish... right?

I guess a shovel-nose might be cool, but probably regrettable.

Anyway, another fish I regret getting a 8'' "dragon goby" that ended up being a freaking bichir and ate a few of my favorite fish.. thank you NOOB at LFS.. although it's just as much my fault because I didn't recognize the difference until it was too late.....


Uhh.. if you had researched the fish, you would have known it was a bichir and not a goby. They look nothing alike.

[domjd05]

Uhh.. if you had researched the fish, you would have known it was a bichir and not a goby. They look nothing alike.

Very good aeon.. hence the part of my post where I say, "although it's just as much my fault because I didn't recognize the difference until it was too late....".. which would imply I didn't research it... and would also imply I was aptly aware of my mistake, but again, thanks for pointing that out, you're awesome.

[Northernguy]

I think my biggest regret fish were my snakeheads.
They killed my albino clown knife.That sucked.
I bagged them and left them on the counter of the lfs that sold me them.

[Aeonflame]

Very good aeon.. hence the part of my post where I say, "although it's just as much my fault because I didn't recognize the difference until it was too late....".. which would imply I didn't research it... and would also imply I was aptly aware of my mistake, but again, thanks for pointing that out, you're awesome.

Why thank you, anytime. :22:

[Scrup]

I think my biggest regret fish were my snakeheads.
They killed my albino clown knife.That sucked.
I bagged them and left them on the counter of the lfs that sold me them.

Did you like sneak in set it down and run out? That would be amazing. Like reverse robbery.

Anywho, I regret getting a convict pair. Got a bunch of Mbuna for free with a convict pair. The female was fine, but as soon as they spawned, the male almost killed all the others. Took the convict into the LFS (which I also regret, Saw it a week later dead and torn to pieces by a few oscars...)

As far as culling goes, my grandmother always had these two bricks in her backyard she would use. she'd dose em with some vodka to knock em out, put em in a plastic bag and smash em. Over in an instant. Then one of her 5" goldies had dropsy and was heading out the door. She put it in a bag, walked outside... and came in with a red goop all over her. (basically it exploded out of the bag all over her) She used a knife from that point on.

[Lab_Rat]

As far as culling goes, my grandmother always had these two bricks in her backyard she would use. she'd dose em with some vodka to knock em out, put em in a plastic bag and smash em. Over in an instant. Then one of her 5" goldies had dropsy and was heading out the door. She put it in a bag, walked outside... and came in with a red goop all over her. (basically it exploded out of the bag all over her) She used a knife from that point on.

Gross, I did not need that visual.

:thumbdown:

[sunfishman]

I think my biggest regret fish were my snakeheads.
They killed my albino clown knife.That sucked.
I bagged them and left them on the counter of the lfs that sold me them.

if i remember, didnt you say they eventually took them back?

[sunfishman]

I regret placing two azure/Scotts damsels in my reef tank. I actually had an opportunity to extract them about 2 years ago, but they were spared from eviction. Now they are impossible to extract (unless I use something like a frogfish!)..

a full grown volitans will take care of that problem just fine...heh heh heh..

[Pele]

WOW maybe this isnt for me cause nothing i say is right in this place i always feel like an outcast and not part of the group.
.
join the club