What Fish Would You Never Recommend To A Beginner?

[DrRob]

We've all heard it, the solo clown loach in a 30 litre tank, the bala shark in a 2 footer and the common plec sold as an essential algae eater in a small community.
 
What fish would you never recommend any beginner ever buy, to the point where you'd rather see them on special order only, rather than standard stocks in your LFS?

 

[james_fish]

Red Tailed Catfish was the first thing that popped to mind, because I saw Robson Green catching them on the TV today.
 
There's a long list though!

 

[Paradise3]

Pangasius Catfish.
 
Went to my local today, they had 4 in a small tank simply labelled "may grow large" but no specific size and nothing about the fact that they devour anything that fits in their mouth. And they were in that "I'm pretty and shiny and look cute" stage so people buy them.

 

[attibones]

Goldfish

Most people just getting into tanks don't realize their size or their needs. I go to the LFS all the time and watch people buy ten little goldies for a five gallon tank.

And Discus. Just no.
And by goldfish I'm referring to the comets or koi varieties, those that really need ponds, not so much the fancies as many beginners can manage a 55 gallon for a pair of fancies.

 

[Antinerf]

Things PetSmart will try to sell you:

1) Bala Sharks: (way too big for anything under 40 or 50 gallons, you already mentioned this one that I fell for around 2 years ago)

2) Goldfish, avoid in general since they produce 2x the waste, unless you can maintain a pond.

3) Guppies: (Good starter fish but can be challenging when it comes to waste, siphoning and filtration)

4) A lone tiger barb

5) Minor Tetras

6) Avoid snails. They are prolific breeders. Also avoid livebearers if you can.

7) Also avoid saltwater tanks for n00bs.

I know this is pretty obvious for members but if any guests are currently reading, do NOT put your fish in a bowl. They are death traps. Also don't buy betta in a jar, more like torture in a jar. However, a Betta was my third fish and I learned more from him than any other fish before.

 

[Wildbetta]

Common Plecos --                    these monsters are sold literally everywhere and are being released in local waterways everywhere
                                                 when they suddenly grow too large for the tiny tank they were told was fine.
 
Bala Sharks --                           these guys need groups and long large tanks of around 100 gallons which most buyers are not
                                                 aware of.
 
Clown Loaches --                      these monsters are sold to everyone as fine in smaller tanks and do not have to be kept in groups
                                                 which is so very wrong.
 
Chinese Algae Eaters (CAE) -- these aggressive fish are sold as good algae eaters for any tank when in fact they get really large
                                                 and become fish killers once bigger.
 
Goldfish --                                 Specifically koi and comets/feeders but even the fancies at times since people are not informed of
                                                  the size these fish reach and of the needs/care required for any of the carp family.
 
 
That list was mainly for chain stores.  There are some stuff I don't like to see on top of the already listed fish when going to privately owned LFS.
 
Gars  --                                     Of any kind.  These are true monster fish and should not be kept in a fish store for some
                                                 unsuspecting person to buy.
 
Arrowana --                               Same scenario as the gars.
 
Red Tail Catfish --                     Same scenario as the gars and arrowana.
 
I list these because I have actually seen them in two of my LFS and not being held for special buyers who had asked for them to be ordered in or the owner had ordered one in for a person and actually ordered in more than that to sell in the store as well.

 

[Antinerf]

Haha mentioning Bala Sharks is important here since PetSmart likes to show 'em up and center, all nice and shiny. Lemme tell you about the time I kept 2 Bala Sharks in a 1 gallon tank for a month (they were like 3 in).

 

[sawickib]

Well i just spent about 4 hours trying to make a thread about fish that you shouldnt keep and other helpful info about fish keeping for new comers, but i accidentally hit the X and its all gone, so maybe ill try again later but right now im a little to depressed.

 
O gosh, nvm i fixed it!

 

[Alasse]

Goldfish - And i mean both fancies and standards. Both are generally kept inappropriately, in too small tanks the main thing that irks me. And many dont realise that many of the fancy goldies actually require a heater!

I know this is pretty obvious for members but if any guests are currently reading, do NOT put your fish in a bowl. They are death traps.

This statement is simply NOT true. Perfectly acceptable to put suitable sized fish in bowl. Bowls can be filtered and heated the same as any other fish safe container. I currently have a bowl that is not running a filter or a heater at this stage and the fish are doing beautifully.

 

[Antinerf]

Hah sorry for the misinformation! What is the size of the bowl and what are you keeping in it? I'm really curious now since I've always had terrible luck with bowls, guess I wasn't good at maintaining them. One of the main problems I had was their design- discourages water changes. How do you do it?

[Alert: n00b spotted, ID: (Antinerf)]

Lol. Thanks for correcting me, I like it when this happens!

 

[Alasse]

Hah sorry for the misinformation! What is the size of the bowl and what are you keeping in it? I'm really curious now since I've always had terrible luck with bowls, guess I wasn't good at maintaining them. One of the main problems I had was their design- discourages water changes. How do you do it?

[Alert: n00b spotted, ID: (Antinerf)]

Lol. Thanks for correcting me, I like it when this happens!

The bowl i am using is approx 30 litres, and it has endlers in it (and a juvie pep bn) & cherry shrimp. It is live planted.

Not sure how it discourages water changes? I put a hose in and siphon some water out and add new, same as with the other tanks lol

 

[Antinerf]

Wow 8 gallons? Now I see what you mean, I've had bowl experiences with 1 gal (approx. 4L)! 8 gallons would be a whole lot easier to plant and perform water changes on compared to a 1 gallon...

Gotta love those cherry shrimp!

 

[Munroco]

Larger bowls can certainly house fish, but the shape of a bowl , unless its half full and offering the largest water surface area possible, is the least efficient shape for keeping fish. Fill it to the top, and the surface area (hence the capability) for housing fish is greatly diminished.

 

[Antinerf]

Yeah, kinda why I gave up on them. I wanted a surface that was more accessible.

 

[Alasse]

The bowl i have can safely house a good number of fish, no i do not have it half full, nor full to the brim either. The plants help to oxygenate the water also, The bowl is pretty accessible, not that i really put my hands in it anymore than i do my other tanks lol. As for efficient, people keep tall tanks, these are less efficient than shallow tanks, personal choice really. As i stated keeping fish that are best suited to the dimensions is the main thing.