What Mistakes Have You Made While Fishkeeping?

[JemZ]

We used to let the shop ferrets out in the morning before we opened up for business.

Didn't know you ran a pet shop!

Considering working for one when I get a bit older, what's it like?

 

[AbbeysDad]

I remember a time so many years ago when Abbey had a ten-gallon tank for her goldfish (Gracie the Wonder Fish) with an undergravel filter.
At the time I foolishly thought that the undergravel filter would handle the waste by itself and a goldfish makes a lot of waste. After a time, the water became fowl and the nitrates were through the roof. I had to totally tear down the tank and start over.
Now undergravel filters can be a great biological filter but like any filter it requires maintenance. With the undergravel filter, that maintenance is gravel vacuuming.
Now after years of experience, I don't much care for gravel. Uneaten food too easily gets out of reach of the fish and fish and plant waste its down under to decompose so routine gravel vacuuming is often required.
I much prefer sand and the sand in all my tanks stays undisturbed. Nothing gets down under except for the Malaysian Trumpet Snails that are part of the clean up crew.
Live and learn.

 

[jimwg]

Ferrets are cool. The two I had were handled as babies and loved being around people. Although most people saw them and ran away. My grandmother was over once and I brought the ferrets outside to run and play in the backyard. They also had a pond that they went swimming in and played submarine. Anyway, they took off across the backyard and my gran saw them. She goes oh god what are those, and lifts her feet up and puts them on the chair. We all laughed coz we had never seen her move that fast. The ferrets didn't even go near her at the time but we did catch them and show her what they were like. She touched their backs but kept her fingers away from their mouths. They never bit anyone but they do have a reputation for biting.

We used to let the shop ferrets out in the morning before we opened up for business. One day we here this high pitched squeal and see this white thing tear across the room. It was a big white rabbit that had gotten out and had been hiding in the shop for weeks and the ferret was latched onto its butt. This rabbit was racing around doing laps with a ferret hanging off its ass. It was hilarious

Ferrets, true to their name, will find anything. Guess you found the rabbit.

Our landlord made a surprise visit once and the 3 ferrets were out. All three of course ran to the door to see what was up. The landlord yelled "holy sh!t what are those things, weasels?" Basically.

 

[JazzyV]

I got my first betta fish when I was in my late teens that I kept in a vase on the kitchen island. Water wise I didn’t know declorinator exist. I didn’t know ammonia or tap water needed conditioner. It was a big red betta. I thought it was a girl and named it Queen Sheba . I didn’t even know it was a boy. Fish in water was all I knew. It lived for idk 6-8 months. It later had something and died. I was sad she pass and didn’t want to try keeping again. I don’t know how to keep fish. Looking back I must have had pretty decent water being oblivious to declorinator or water conditioner also maybe didn’t have as much chlorine or chloramine back then so she didn’t die instantly. Later on she had what I kinda now suspect it was fungal. Easily treatable but I had no idea atm. I didn’t try to keep fish til about 20 yrs later. I would just admire fish but not have one for companionship. One day my family ask why I don’t try keeping and I said that I don’t know how and would just end up dead or killing fish. After a while I don’t know how I started to do research. I started keeping. This time in an aquarium with an HOB filter, heater, with a 30g my family started me on ..plus a UV light, Indian almond leaf..My family said that I would like a 30g much better than a vase.

Another time, I quarantine baby plecos. They all gave me a healthy poo and quarantine is over after a couple of weeks so I drop them in their tank except one gave me what I suspect white poo so it stays in quarantine for treatment. I check on my fish regularly and I found some bizarre stuff floating all over the tank with such a mess. I thought did the black worms die and make a mess. I’m trying to read my water and figure out what is this stuff. The pleco was no where to be found. I kept looking for it but I figured maybe it was hiding under wood or hard scapes. I kept looking and kept wondering what is this stuff floating around in the tank. Did a plant die or my water grew rapid algae. What is this noodle stringy stuff. It’s everywhere. I left being puzzled. I came back again to check and still can’t find the pleco. This stuff floating is weird. I kept staring it at til I finally started to make out a tiny faint fin corner edge. So tiny only my near sighted self can see. I thought to myself no one can see this this is insane. Then I started to do more and more CSI investigation and realized what it was and omg this is the pleco all shredded into noodles and guts. I vomit. Til this day I still don’t know cause. I had 1 shrimp hitchhiker that came with the pleco it was housed with. I had several other folks help me take a look and they were puzzled too. We occasionally say there should be a topic of bizarre deaths you ever experienced in this hobby.

 

[Colin_T]

Didn't know you ran a pet shop!

Considering working for one when I get a bit older, what's it like?

I didn't own the shop, I just worked there.

Pet shops are ok, you either enjoy the work or you don't. It's basically customer service (talking to customers) and cleaning cages. You don't spend much time playing with the animals but you do spend the first and last parts of the day cleaning up their mess.

Basic routine
Come in and open doors and turn lights on. If there are puppies in the shop it usually smells of poop and you need all the doors open to get some air flow through the building.
Clean cages and animals if they are dirty from rolling about in their poop.
Feed animals and then clean up their poop again an hour later.
Clean bird cages and feed and water birds.
Check fish tanks for dead and sick fish. Record details in book. If fish are sick, mark the tank not for sale and treat the tank.
Mop the floor.
Then put the "We Are Open" signs out the front.

During the day.
Start putting stock away and serve customers. Fish come in one day and dry goods normally come in another day. Animals and birds can come in any day including weekends. Customers sometimes bring fish in on different days too.
Monitor cages for more puppy poop and clean up as required.
If you have time, put puppies into enclosure and let them run amuck. Then put them back in their cages and clean up their mess.
Feed the fish several times a day to try and fatten them up. They are usually skinny from being recently imported.

Tank cleaning is done once a week. Clean front, back and sides of tanks with a sponge. Do a water change and gravel clean each tank.
When you have spare time you clean filters in tanks. This is an ongoing process where you start cleaning the filters and by the time you have done them all a month or so later, you start again.

At the end of the day you check cages and clean up more poop.
Make sure everyone has food and water.
Mop the floor.
Check fish tanks again and remove any bodies. This also gets done throughout the day. Record details in book.
Bring signs in.
Do cash register and banking.
Close shop and go home.

 

[JemZ]

I didn't own the shop, I just worked there.

Pet shops are ok, you either enjoy the work or you don't. It's basically customer service (talking to customers) and cleaning cages. You don't spend much time playing with the animals but you do spend the first and last parts of the day cleaning up their mess.

Basic routine
Come in and open doors and turn lights on. If there are puppies in the shop it usually smells of poop and you need all the doors open to get some air flow through the building.
Clean cages and animals if they are dirty from rolling about in their poop.
Feed animals and then clean up their poop again an hour later.
Clean bird cages and feed and water birds.
Check fish tanks for dead and sick fish. Record details in book. If fish are sick, mark the tank not for sale and treat the tank.
Mop the floor.
Then put the "We Are Open" signs out the front.

During the day.
Start putting stock away and serve customers. Fish come in one day and dry goods normally come in another day. Animals and birds can come in any day including weekends. Customers sometimes bring fish in on different days too.
Monitor cages for more puppy poop and clean up as required.
If you have time, put puppies into enclosure and let them run amuck. Then put them back in their cages and clean up their mess.
Feed the fish several times a day to try and fatten them up. They are usually skinny from being recently imported.

Tank cleaning is done once a week. Clean front, back and sides of tanks with a sponge. Do a water change and gravel clean each tank.
When you have spare time you clean filters in tanks. This is an ongoing process where you start cleaning the filters and by the time you have done them all a month or so later, you start again.

At the end of the day you check cages and clean up more poop.
Make sure everyone has food and water.
Mop the floor.
Check fish tanks again and remove any bodies. This also gets done throughout the day. Record details in book.
Bring signs in.
Do cash register and banking.
Close shop and go home.

I mostly want to work there because I do like animals and also because it is maddening to see the state of fish tanks at the pet shops.

It is always so upsetting to see dead fish and sickly fish in the tanks and from what I can see the employees at pet stores can't be bothered to clean them out. I saw one fish the other day who had a bone or something coming out the side of his body and the guy working with the tanks didn't seem to care. At every large, chain pet shop I've gone to, it's guaranteed for there to be dead fish.

I looked and Petco are hiring "Aquatic Specialists". I know for sure I could do a better job than the people there who tell you to let the tank filter for two days before adding fish and who ask you your tank size despite the fact that whatever you say, they will tell you that the fish you want will work.

"What's your tank size? 10 gallon? CAE would be fine."

Would have to work on my saltwater knowledge though.

 

[anewbie]

One of the three petco near myself actually has someone who is diligent and competent but not super knowledgeable. I know they frequently do water changes because i've seen them do it. However, base on how fishes are delivered to these stores there will always be some deaths regardless of skill level.

 

[jonny-5]

My biggest mistake was listening to LFS owners. Not all but most have no clue &/or dont care what setup you have,They just want to sell you fish. Made plenty of mistakes but have learned from them & moved on. Now 20+ years into fish keeping

 

[anewbie]

Our dedicated fish store (only one within 200 miles) has a fellow that think female swordtails are male swordtails with short swords

 

[jonny-5]

My first LFS back in the day told me that 10x Neon Tetras would be fine in an un cycled 5Gallon tank.
So being told by an expert i stupidly bought them & no they didnt make it, 4 days they were all gone

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

My first LFS back in the day told me that 10x Neon Tetras would be fine in an un cycled 5Gallon tank.
So being told by an expert i stupidly bought them & no they didnt make it, 4 days they were all gone

Ex = Has been
Spurt = A drip under pressure.

 

[anewbie]

Neon definitely dislike uncycled tanks. Some fishes do ok in an uncycle tank but definitely not neon; also cardinals dislike uncycled tanks. Turtles might be ok in an uncycled tank but if your put neon in your tank that has a turtle he might eat them.

 

[JemZ]

Another mistake to add to the list:

Buying one serpae tetra.

I must admit he was made of steel and could probably survive getting run over by a truck but had a deep hatred for all the other fish in the tank. So I thought, I will buy another! The o.g. starved the new guy, would nip him if he tried to eat food, the poor fish ended up dying.

As a beginner at the time, I didn't realize they should be kept in groups.