Hello,
Firstly, about style, then I'll get to your particular dilemma. Yes, using capital letters in their traditional places matters. As does using a spell check if for some reason you aren't confident about the quality of your written English. Why? Because there's a relationship between how a question is asked and the quality of the reply you'll get. Writing proper English is the single best way there is to show respect when communicating via text. It says to the reader that you care about them, and that you want to make your writing as clear as possible so that there's little scope for misunderstanding. Writing in text speak or making up your own grammar and spellings sends the opposite message. It says to the reader that you don't care about them, and that you're a selfish person who abides by your own standards and not those of society around you. The end result will be fewer people will bother to reply, and those that will may be more hostile or critical than otherwise.
Anyway, as for your situation. Of course you do not need to kill your fish. Indeed, you shouldn't even consider doing so unless you understand
how to euthanise fish humanely. Flushing them down the loo or sticking them in the freezer aren't humane, and even putting aside any bad karma you'll accumulate by doing this, treating animal deaths casually is a slippery slope that can lead to bad character traits more generally. As others have suggested, you can announce your "yard sale" of fish on this bulletin board or elsewhere, and hopefully folks will be able to help you out. Alternatively, call the pet store, explain the situation, and return the fish as soon as practical. In the very short term, daily water changes of 25% should avoid any fatalities, but this isn't a long-term solution.
Now, was this situation the retailer's fault? Yes and no. Yes, retailers should be obliged to provide good information. But they are, after all, retailers, and even the best can't know everything about every species of fish they sell. You wouldn't buy a car from a retailer based on his or her recommendation, and you wouldn't buy clothes based on the opinion of the retailer rather than your own. Personal judgement is always a part of any retail transaction. In this situation, by all means go shopping for fish, but either research some good species beforehand, so you can pick up the exact fish you want, or else buy (or borrow) a good aquarium fish encyclopaedia, and use that while you're shopping to check the basic facts such as size, temperament, water chemistry requirements and so on. For some reason teenagers today are terrified of books, but trust me, books are our friends, and they are remarkably easy to use. Simply open the covers, turn to the index, look up the species you see in the tank before you, and read the words of wisdom provided. If the facts presented mean the fish should work in your aquarium, then you can buy the fish with confidence. If the facts suggest problems, then you can avoid disappointment and unwanted expense by leaving the fish in the pet store. What could be simpler? Once you get the hang of reading books, you'll wonder how you lived without them. (Yes, I am being sarcastic here, and I'd like to think you read books anyway, but my point stands: an aquarium book is your friend while shopping.)
What you've done is learned a lesson most of us experienced hobbyists have learned at some point: ignorance is expensive. There's a reason we read, why we go to school, why we get college degrees. The more you know, the better your life becomes. This applies to everything from keeping pets through to getting a job. Spend more time reading about your fish, and then when the time comes to go shopping, you'll be able to craft a great collection of pet fish ideally suited to the tank you have.
Cheers, Neale
Oh, and PS. The pet store can't be 75 miles away. If it takes 30 minutes to get there, and it's 75 miles away, then you must be travelling at 150 miles per hour, which seems unlikely.
I Live In A Small Suburb There Are No Buses No Taxis And The Shop I Bought The Fish From Must Be 75 Miles Away. It Takes Like Half An Hour To Drive There.
Next Time Think Before Your Ignorant.
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