I Don't Get It !!

[Dorkhedeos]

i think returning fish is fine. i would love somebody to return those blue german rams to petsmart, but they didnt. if you didnt know you were allergic to dog hair or cat hair and you bought one, wouldnt you return it?

 

[Synirr]

I usually do incredible amounts of research (even on fish I'm not intending to buy, lol,) but sometimes it just doesn't work out. Especially with cichlids, the temperament of EACH INDIVIDUAL FISH can play a huge role. When I bought my first midas hybrid, I was told it was a bloodparrot... and this still might be true to some extent, but I know now that it's definitely more midas than bloodparrot. My LFS owner is generally to be trusted, but she was a little stumped about this particular fish as well . Anyway, the first one turned out to be way too aggressive, so I exchanged it for one of its siblings who is much, much more mellow. Considering it was a hybrid, I decided to experiment on its temperament and see if it could be tankmates with my oscar. It worked out for quite a while, but I'm guessing it hit sexual maturity and things just went downhill from there. I had to return it for the safety of my oscar... but have since gotten it back, along with a tank divider, and might try to mix it with my oscar again once I get a bigger tank -- which will be soon, and might be VERY soon! I saw an ad for a cheap 150 gallon in the newspaper today

I'm also going to have to return a new oscar I bought to be tankmates with my old one... I misjudged the size, and the new oscar is just too small to compete with the old one

 

[Jezah]

I bought some tetras to see which ones I liked the best...now I am bringing back the ones I dont like. I got a pair of penguins, congos and pristellas. That isnt cruel, it is just how I did it. You cannot tell a fishes real personality till you get it home. Plus in my lighting, congos are not as nice looking

 

[webcat5]

As the original poster, I have read everyones' opinions and have looked at each and every point that people have made. I thank every poster for thier views.

At some point we have to ask ourselves when it is, or is not okay to return fish to the LFS. In most cases when your other fish are put into jepordy because of an individual fish, I can understand finding a new home for that individual. I understand the different personalities of fish even when they are of the same family and that some are more aggressive than others.

I guess that, maybe since I have never had this problem (knock on wood) I just couldn't figure this out. Or maybe it's because I would have to drive a total of 6 hours just to return a fish.

My husband is a glass cutter and since I purchased my first aquarium, he has made me 4 more. If I ever run across a fish that does not get along well with my others, I will just ask him to make me another tank I guess.

 

[laboul]

My husband is a glass cutter and since I purchased my first aquarium, he has made me 4 more. If I ever run across a fish that does not get along well with my others, I will just ask him to make me another tank I guess.

Holy cow, that is too cool!

 

[webcat5]

Holy cow, that is too cool!

Ya! Now I am not allowed to buy a tank because he can make one in any shape I want!

 

[smb7676]

I to do endless research before I buy a fish, but fish are living things and some times you get a grumpy fish. I have only once had to take back a fish but I really had to . I wanted 2 sharks but my very good LFS said to add one and see how it goes and come back at the end of the week to buy the other. This was because my tank was new it had cycled but I wanted to err on the careful side esp. with 30.00 fish. I had set up the tank to get the sharks so I went ahead and bought 1 things went well no spikes with my ammonia so I went back 4 days later. Got the fish home and my current fish attacked him. This is supposed to be a shoaling mild manner fish, well he wasn't. I called the Lfs they gave me somethings to try, rearrange the tank feed and turn off the lights. So There I am next morning I uncover my tank turn on the lights and see my fish in the tank that looks like it was hit by a tornando. And the old fish sees the new and that was that The poor new guy was pinned under the java fern anytime it moved the current fish would niphim. So we took the new one back!! The LFS said they would take meany back if I wanted to try another fish to keep in a pair or trio but We were attached to our guy so now he swims around with fish that don't look at all like him !!!!!!! Changed the whole goal of our tank but I really thought taking the fish back was the only way to go. So there are times when that is what should happen !!!!!!!!!!

 

[webcat5]

As I said; I now understand that sometimes it can be unavoidable, in your case maybe you should have gone with your first plan and purchased them at the same time.

I had a platty that was by himself for a while (only Platty, not only fish) that turned into a terror. As soon as I got him some friends he was back to his normal self again. P.S. I kept him and did not return him.