What Fish Do You Regret Buying?

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I'm a beginner fishkeeper. The fish I regret buying are the painted glass fish currently in my aquarium. I had no idea they were dyed when I bought them, and all I wanted was pretty colored fish. The guy at the lfs said they were some kind of colorful tetras, and I believed him. Then when I was researching trying to find (I asked here and got the answer) I realized that a) I had accidentally supported a cruel enterprise and b) I didn't get the colorful fish I wanted. Should've bought the glofish...
 
I'm a beginner fishkeeper. The fish I regret buying are the painted glass fish currently in my aquarium. I had no idea they were dyed when I bought them, and all I wanted was pretty colored fish. The guy at the lfs said they were some kind of colorful tetras, and I believed him. Then when I was researching trying to find (I asked here and got the answer) I realized that a) I had accidentally supported a cruel enterprise and b) I didn't get the colorful fish I wanted. Should've bought the glofish...
We all make beginner mistakes, it's just part of the hobby...most important is that we learn from them, as you have...don't fret over it
 
Monster fish. All of them. Never had the big tank that I thought I had for them. Decades ago 240 gallons was huge..as big as they came. So,I tried all the big fish..coming and going. All of them. Looking back I needed an aquarium about half the size of my house to give them room to turn around in. Fish that can reach 3 or 4 foot or more just shouldn't be sold..or with proof you have that giant tank. Some do.
 
My GloFish Tetras... I just don’t really care for them for some reason. I’ve decided if I’m going to have tetras I’d rather have some Serpae, X-ray Pristella, Rummynose, red or black phantom, or candy cane. Those are all really neat to me!

Also, although I love my common pleco, he stays in his cave. Never see him. I’d had rather picked some loaches or had been more picky about the species of pleco.
 
Hmmm, I've racked my brain over this topic since the thread got posted! There haven't been any I really regret, yet.

Perhaps one. I bought a single pygmy cory I spotted while at the LFS for food and things, because I knew I wanted some later down the road, and he was the last from a stock my LFS had in. Someone had bought a load of the batch, leaving a little guy all alone. I felt bad for him, and he was so cute, I bought him, thinking it wouldn't be long until I could get some more, and that maybe he'd hang with my otos in the meantime. I'd seen videos of otos and pygmy cories hanging out together, following one another, it was adorable. Asked my LFS guy to order some more as soon as he could.

But with Brexit and Covid, store was having supply problems. I kept asking, they kept telling me they couldn't get any at the moment, but they'd keep trying, that others wanted some too. Larry the Loner as I dubbed him zipped about the tank, seemed okay, but didn't really bother with the otos much. After a while of this, called the only two other fish stores anywhere near me, chains, and they didn't have any. I ended up raising the GH slightly, so the tank water would be on the high end of acceptable for otos and pygmy cories, and the low end for guppies, and added some male guppies, hoping some mid -water swimmers would keep him company. That seemed to help for a while, he did swim with them sometimes, but I knew it wasn't the same as having other pygmies.

A couple of months pass, and I'm starting to worry. I look into online stores. Find out that shipping would understandably cost as much as the school of fish did, and I just couldn't afford that all at once.

Then Larry started to seem depressed. Stopped pottering about the tank and sitting on leaves, and sat on the filter intake, rarely moving from that spot. He wasn't sick, tank water was perfect, he was lonely, I'm sure of it. Luckily only a few days after that, the store let me know they'd been able to order some in, and I placed a deposit straight away! Night before I go to pick them up, they let me know that someone had accidentally sold a load, they had two left. Really apologetic, I understand, things happen. I go to pick them up, they're even more apologetic, only one left. Filter accident. But they've ordered more in, due in a week. One is better than nothing, he looks healthy, I take him home. He's half the size of Larry, only a baby! Larry does seem to perk up a little. The next week, I pick up six more, also babies the size of the second one, adorable, and Larry is definitely much happier being one of eight! They all sit about on the sand beach together, and mill about in groups of three or four when they fancy a swim, Larry among them. And now, they do hang out with the otos! Often find all of them sitting on the sand together. Will be getting another batch of pygmies soon to bump them up to 12 or so.

But from getting Larry, to finally having a decent sized school, took four months. In hindsight, I wish I'd left him in the store. There's a good chance someone who already had a load of pygmies would have picked him up, I know I'm not the only one who feels sorry for singletons left in tanks. Lesson learned there!
 
Hmmm, I've racked my brain over this topic since the thread got posted! There haven't been any I really regret, yet.
Aww bless you! At least he has lots of friends now! I was in the exact same position with a black skirt tetra who outlived every other skirt tetra I've kept! He's almost 6 years old and I've had too add a few more to his tank recently as all of his friends died of old age :(
I love fishkeeping stories that turn out great in the end! It's what makes this hobby even more worthwile :)
 
Yep,thats a topic on its own. I bought 3 greenline Rasboras 3 years ago. One is left. Small fish,not seen them for sale since- and the 3 were all the store had. Yet the one a female,seems very active and pals with four Giant Danios..she chases them,they chase her and she no longer hides at all like she had when the last of the others passed.
The other groups I have? If something falls...I can at least find a new friend at LFS.
I mean- fish die. Its why they lay thousands of eggs at a time and several times a year. They die even in the perfectness of nature.
Unless-lol,you buy a Pacu...they NEVER die! A warning about getting a super guilt trip trying to rehome your old gentle giant.
 
I regret buying feeder fish for a Spiny Eel that i had....he never touched them and they grew up into a pack of vicious rosy barbs that nipped the hell out of my angels fins!
 
Cardinal tetras, they're dull and shy. They barely interact with each other and never with other fish. They look flashy at first, but their coloring is one dimensional and flat and it quickly grows old. My Pristella tetras are about twice as interesting and honestly more attractive looking.
 
The fish I probably regret most is my tiger barbs. They are lovely to look at and watch but they are such a nuisance to the other fish. If anything ever went wrong in the tank... they tended to be behind it.

As a result, i bought a separate smaller tank just for them that has been nicknamed alcatraz. Specifically designed for these little thugs.
 
Tiger Barbs- classic mistake everybody makes.
Reminds me of...Red Tail Sharks. Magnificent colortation on some- deep matte black,deep red tail and that great white tipped fin....until they start to make all day everyday,chase the other fish nonstop.
They are not good for the peaceful tank,and they are not equipped to deal with true tough guy fish. Otherwise if you find the right tankmates- Loaches and fast fish like Danios and barbs,I then say - must have fish.
 
Fish I regret buying... hmmm... probably my neon tetras. A friend of mine had a school of 6, but 5 died of unknown causes and she had 1 alone, but didn't want to buy more. She asked me if I wanted the tetra (his name was Sharkbait?) so I decided a school of 5 neons would be nice for my 10 gallon guppy tank (I know now that guppies and neons have different water parameter needs) So I told my friend I would buy a group of tetras, then she would bring Sharkbait to me next time we saw each other. Well, we had several get togethers cancelled (her older brother got sick so we had to cancel, then the next time we had plans my older brother got sick so we had to cancel again.) I bought four tetras, but the store employee squished one by mistake and it died the next day, THEN my friend let me know Sharkbait died. So I went back to my LFS and got 2 more neons. The whole thing was stressful, and now i have the 4 neons I have left in my 55 gallon tank, I know they need a bigger school, but my plans for the 55 gallon tank don't include a school of neons. So now I'm stuck with them, and now I have to get more so they are happy. Oh well, maybe I can talk my mom into a third tank;)


Hmmm, I've racked my brain over this topic since the thread got posted! There haven't been any I really regret, yet.

Perhaps one. I bought a single pygmy cory I spotted while at the LFS for food and things, because I knew I wanted some later down the road, and he was the last from a stock my LFS had in. Someone had bought a load of the batch, leaving a little guy all alone. I felt bad for him, and he was so cute, I bought him, thinking it wouldn't be long until I could get some more, and that maybe he'd hang with my otos in the meantime. I'd seen videos of otos and pygmy cories hanging out together, following one another, it was adorable. Asked my LFS guy to order some more as soon as he could.

But with Brexit and Covid, store was having supply problems. I kept asking, they kept telling me they couldn't get any at the moment, but they'd keep trying, that others wanted some too.
I had a very similar problem! I bought 3 Pygmy Cory Hastatus (I actually asked for Pygmy Cories, but the employee OF COURSE gave me the most expensive variety), and planned to get more when i upgraded my tank size. When I went back to get more, they said they couldn't get any in because their supplier was out of stock! Well now its been like 6 months, and they still don't have more, so (like you) I looked online. Well I found some good prices and am able to pay shipping, but EVERYONE is out of stock, everywhere. Its crazy. Makes me so sad though, my cory hastatus are my favorite thing in my tank, they are so pretty and so bold and so active, and i want a massive school of them in my 55 gallon
 
Platy’s- when I was starting out I got some in a few colors. Little did I know that eventually I’d have 50 of them in a 40 gallon because they are just water rabbits. ? ended up giving them to a pet store and never looking back on livebearers.
 

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