things that people not into the aquarium hobby say or do that annoys you?

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I hate when my partner says they are just fish , stupid animals , you spend more time with them than me , it angers me because they haven’t chose to live in a fish tank so there environment has to be good she hates seeing chickens in cages but can’t understand that fish need care
 
So for around half a year now I have successfully kept a Amazon river biotope aquarium in a tank of around 145 liters or 38 american gallons .

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What I have also experienced during this time is the shocking ignorance I see from people not into the aquarium hobby.

These are the types of people that always go "duh it's just a fish" when I try to explain the things needed to take good care of them and the extent to where I am willing to go to do so when all they see are cheap worthless critters that you might as well just chuck in a bowl and flush down the toilet when you are bored of them .

My youngest sister who is 11 is one of those annoying people that find my fish boring and one of the reasons being that you can't cuddle with them even though that's not even the reason people buy them in the first place.

Recently when I was cleaning the glass one of my marbled hatchetfish decided to jump out of my tank which wasn't even the only thing causing me to panic because our recently purchased 3 month old kitten decided to try to get closer to the aquarium luckily though my dad saved the poor thing by using some paper towels to put it back in the tank

What made me mad later though was that my sister insisted her kitten would never hurt the fish in any way which is an extremely ignorant thing to say because not only is that kitten much bigger than that tiny fish there is also a severe risk of it fatally injuring the fish with it's claws and teeth even if it was only trying to play.

Had it been an adult cat it would be even worse because it might have tried to eat it but she insisted that it's a myth that cat's eat fish which made me scratch my head in disbelief because cats are predator animals and they are more than capable of killing and eating animals much smaller than them such as fish or mice.

It's like people just see dogs and cats as the only legit pets and the only reason they get them is to cuddle or any other legit reason such as hunting or helping disabled people when there are so many amazing pets that get ignored or neglected because of ignorance and lack of proper knowledge such as cockatoos,macaws, or goldfish.

What are the worst things you have heard people who are not into the aquarium hobby say or do that made you mad?

When I set up my 4ft for one of my bettas and people told me it was a "waste of space" having such a big tank for him and that my betta "wouldn't be happy anyway because they live in puddles" !!


Edit: people who came over to our house**
 
What bothers me a little are:
> The relatively new hobbyists wannabe gurus that learned a little and talk (or write) a lot...speaking like experts, often reciting the old myths that just aren't true.
Sadly a lot of that goes on on fora, including this one. That can damage the reputation of the forum in question as new joiners have no idea whether the answer they have been given to a question is from a reliable source or not.

Closely related is people trying to prove their guru status by jumping onto every new member with a list of things they are doing wrong, even though they are clearly incapable of answering the original question.
 
"There's no colour! It's not very colourful."

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Its not the screaming neon colours they expect.

They're insane! Your tank is flawless! You've checked every box on it. It's well designed, everything looks healthy, the water looks pristine and it looks very natural. I wouldn't change a thing.

How about the dreaded, "I never had a problem doing "X" way before.". You lucked up before and who knows how it affected them in a way that you couldn't outwardly see. Surviving and thriving are very different concepts.
 
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When I set up my 4ft for one of my bettas and people told me it was a "waste of space" having such a big tank for him and that my betta "wouldn't be happy anyway because they live in puddles" !!
Edit: people who came over to our house**
People see or hear of fish being found in small pools or ditches and ASSUME that's how they live. In reality, nature is often very cruel and these poor fish get trapped in ever receding waters, to survive for awhile, but most often die there. Ignorance is bliss.
 
So, my neighbour has friends who have a fish tank, very uncared for, with guppies. Overstocked, dirty and lots of algae. 1 girl with serious shimmies, 2 deformed.
She (my neighbours friend) told me that it was her husbands tank and that he got fish as a gift and he looks at them from time to time.
People, fish are responsibility, not "gifts" and they require proper care.
 
Yesterday I understood how much I love my BN plec. I was putting my play sand in and he felt really bad so I've put him in a bucket with shrimp, he feels better now :thumbs:
I love mine to. Sure they make a mess, but they are worth it. :wub:
 

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