best reason 4 a new tank

[Paul_MTS]

hmmmm very odd and hard to get round parents...

I'ved had a job since i was legally aloud i think it's 12 or 13 forget now but i got a paper round, kind of got stuck with that for 3/4 years then got a job at my LFS without a break inbetween jobs.

so if there's something i want, i safe and i buy then in a few cases it's..." Mum can you come and pick me up with thye focus today"......some of my purchases wouldn't of fitted in her feista

to be honest with parents that tough I'm not sure of a good way to get round them, especially if your dad just takes your stuff back

 

[pica_nuttalli]

Yeah, that's really not fair.. he should've at least given you the money back after taking back the tank..

except Son had completely disobeyed an explicit instruction that he couldn't have a new tank. if all Dad did was keep the money, i'd count that as getting off lightly.

dwarf_puffer, don't you already have a 90 gallon? and then a couple more small tanks besides? probably your parents think you already have plenty of fish and want you to just take care of what you already have.

i really doubt that you're going to change their minds, especially since you deliberately disobeyed them already. very few parents are willing to cave in a show-down; confrontation is rarely the best way to get anything. by just buying and setting-up a tank that they already told you not to get, you've kinda forced their hand and they probably won't give up on the issue for a long time.

i suggest that you enjoy the tanks you already have: try new aquascaping techniques, breeding fish, training your puffers, etc. if you let the subject drop for a year or so, while simultaneously demonstrating a real commitment to the hobby, your parents might relent and let you expand some more. but i'd let things lie for a good long while, until they've forgotten most of the conflict.

also, with regards to the money issue:
if your parents "just bought a car" then probably (1) they just dumped out a large chunk of their savings or (2) they took out a loan of some sort. either way, they're looking at what is sure to feel a rather large hole in their wallets and are probably going to be sensitive about what they consider "unecessary expenses".

remember that a new tank isn't just the up-front cost of equipment. there's also the expense of fish, food, plants and medicines. beyond those occasional costs are the raised water and electric bills. i know that running two 5 gallons for me raised my boyfriend's electric bill at least $10 and we have some of the cheapest electricity in the US. that's an additional $120 a year, just to run two small penguin filters and a cheap flourescent tube. imagine the extra costs from heaters, large filters, airpumps, and powerful lights. it all adds up.

--OFF TOPIC EDIT--
you know, i look at the birthdates of all these people i consider near-experts and Lord, if it doesn't make me feel old...

 

[littlefishie]

So rather than take his money he'd saved to put towards the tank, his father could've done something like taught him how to invest it, and put it towards something like post-secondary education in the future. Then, once the money has made more money, perhaps his father would see that he can be responsible for the cash and consider letting him get another tank.
Now, as for other options, well.. I'll tell you what I'm doing to get my 55 gallon in August.

My grandparents have been very insistent that I live with them while I'm in university, mostly because they live all of ten minutes from campus, but I also lived with them til I was 5 years old, and I think they kinda want that time back.. plus they're getting older and may pass on within the next ten years or so, so they want to spend as much time with me as they can. Completely understandable.
Now, the awesome part is they are not charging me rent, or anything like that. And they're buying me a car to get back and forth from school.
And since they're so lenient about my fish in the first place, I was going to tell them that I'd sell both my 15g and my 10g, keep 4 of my seven bettas [the crowntails], and then after working all summer I'd use my extra cash to pay for the new 55g. And on top of that, I'd pay them for the difference in the utility bills from water changes, electricity and such.
So since they want me to live there so badly, I'm going to say 'Wellll, I come with a 55g tank, so..' and see what they say. I've casually mentioned it, but we haven't seriously discussed it.

The best thing that you can do is show them how serious you are about wanting the tank and taking care of it. It's going to be hard for your parents to understand Multiple Tank Syndrome, or the reason why most fish keepers always want a bigger tank, regardless of how large the one they have now is. That's something only us crazy fish nerds understand. But if you can show them you'll be responsible in caring for a new tank and such, they may be more accepting of it.
But if you do have a 90 gallon, what's wrong with that one? I'd kill for a 90..

--OFF TOPIC EDIT--
you know, i look at the birthdates of all these people i consider near-experts and Lord, if it doesn't make me feel old...

Like who, pica?

 

[pica_nuttalli]

all i know is that if i pulled something like that when i was ~14, my parents would flip out. although the smart thing would be to use the excess cash as a learning tool, angry parents are just more likely to say "why should i give it back to you if you're just going to spend it on things i told you not to buy." sorry, i should've said that you were right littlefishie, it wasn't brilliant. but it does make sense. i can only imagine their reaction to the "forbidden tank".

that is a good plan to offer to make up the utility bill difference; can't believe i didn't see it. 'oh: but it may or may not get your parents to agree -- some excuses are just excuses and not reasons at all.

eh, i think you've demonstrated pretty thoroughly that you're serious about getting the tank. i'd work now on proving that you're trustworthy enough to deserve it.

--MORE OFF-TOPIC--

well, paul for one. i could've sworn he was ~6 years older, not ~3 years younger. who knew such bitter, vitriolic knowledge could appear at such a young age? (teasing you paul, i think you're great, oddballs wouldn't be the same without you, please don't yell at me)

 

[littlefishie]

But the thing is, it was his money to begin with from my understanding. Instead of keeping it, why not give it back and give him a chance to prove he can be responsible with it? They can just give him a difficult task, like learning how to invest it..
I keep going on about that cos I had to learn when I was 12! My grandfather gave me $50 to put in mutual funds and eventually we turned it into about $1000.

I figured on the bill difference just because it wouldn't be fair for me to go marching in there, paying no bills and getting a free car, and dragging a 55g tank with me. Something like that might make them a little less uneasy about it..

Off-topic-ness

Paul's a genius. I love the massive amounts of knowledge I see from the younger members on this site.. though I'm 18 so I guess I'd classify as a younger member too!

 

[Raechal]

Or wait until it is your birthday then take your boyfriend ( or girlfriend ) and parents (mom or dad, or both) to the LFS and say you just want to "look" then corner them and give them the deadly puppy dog eyes and beg for that 120 gallon in the corner of the store. Worked for me.

 

[NinjaSmurf]

I sorta was talking with my mom and mentioned a ten gallon, she said 'why in gods name do you need another tank? Why don't you save up and get another big one?' (let's think mom, because you won't let me get a real job yet, and babysitting money comes but once a month, and it's not a lot considering) So what did I do? Took the kid I was watching for a walk, came back with a ten gallon, Got home around midnight, hooked it up, and waited for comments in the morning.... Which I was told that as soon as my mom walked into the livingroom she saw it and said....

"That little $hit."

I'm on my second ten gallon...

Don't try this at home... I'd wait if I were you, because money and tanks going byebye hurts...

 

[pica_nuttalli]

But the thing is, it was his money to begin with from my understanding. Instead of keeping it, why not give it back and give him a chance to prove he can be responsible with it? They can just give him a difficult task, like learning how to invest it..
I keep going on about that cos I had to learn when I was 12! My grandfather gave me $50 to put in mutual funds and eventually we turned it into about $1000.

*shrug* hell hath no fury like a defied parent? hell hath no fury like MY defied parents. hey Raechal, i'll trade ya...

dwarf_puffer, you oughta think about the [$50 + time = $1000] bit. its never too early to start investing for a 120 gallon! i'm serious though. if your parents won't let you get it now, there's still a chance you could get it later. if you ask nicely for your money back, you'll probably either get it or an explaination. i think you should then invest that money one way or the other so that when you *are* allowed another tank, you can get one that totally rocks.

aaaaand apparently littlefishie is an excellent Canadian financial advisor!! snicker: volunteered ya! )

--OT AGAIN--
oh great, now i feel old and decrepit. curse your youthful beauty! i need a drink... or 5...

 

[littlefishie]

Heyy, I haven't done it since I was 12! That was 6 years ago! And I had a lot of help from my grandfather, the man's a financial genius. Started his own business from scratch, is retired, owns his house and van, and is still worth over a quarter million..
I'm pretty sure he's the one that turned it into a thousand bucks, not me!

Don't feel old and decrepit! And pepsi won't help.. <--- better?

 

[Paul_MTS]

well, paul for one. i could've sworn he was ~6 years older, not ~3 years younger. who knew such bitter, vitriolic knowledge could appear at such a young age? (teasing you paul, i think you're great, oddballs wouldn't be the same without you, please don't yell at me)

Paul's a genius. biggrin.gif I love the massive amounts of knowledge I see from the younger members on this site.. though I'm 18 so I guess I'd classify as a younger member too! wink.gif

tah very much I only started tropicals in August(04)!!

oh yeh and put about £40 towards the electric bill since i got my 2 big tanks and i'll be paying for water aswell if it goes up alot....this is quarterly.

 

[Lateral Line]

"If you want a kitten, start off by asking for a horse" Naomi, 15.

Advice.

 

[littlefishie]

Could've fooled me! I figured you'd been at it for years, like I have!

I've been doing it for about ten years off and on now, but didn't start to really get back into it until September, when I moved to rez and was finally allowed to have a fish tank. It alll started with one little betta in a fishbowl, and then went to a 5g, about 6 bettas, and it spiraled out of control from there.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

Don't feel old and decrepit! And pepsi won't help.. <--- better?

not for 123 more days... stupid US laws

 

[littlefishie]

"If you want a kitten, start off by asking for a horse" Naomi, 15.

Advice.

So true!

Hmm, maybe I'll point grandparents at the 120g long I saw at the LFS..
And then when they say 'Hell no!'
"Well, how about a 55? We can still have a really nice community, and it's not 6 feet long!"

 

[littlefishie]

Don't feel old and decrepit! And pepsi won't help.. <--- better?

not for 123 more days... stupid US laws

Come to Canada!
19 in most provinces, but 18 in some of them.

And you know exactly how many days! That's awesome!