What's The Stupidest Thing You've Done?

[Ilya]

Lol, when I owned an aquarium a few years back, I did everything you can possibly do wrong.

Listing:

• Dumping 100% of the water instead of siphoning 20%.
• Rinsing the filter out with tap water.
• Washing the aquarium with dish soap.
• Not cycling the water, putting the fish in after 15 minutes of filtering.
• Not testing for ph, nitrate or ammonia.
• Cracking the aquarium, then patching it up with water-proof tape .

Yet, my fish survived for half a year.

Fish:
Common Guppies
Swordtail Fish

Now I know my mistakes, and the next time I get an aquarium (I'll buy one this summer), I'll do everything right.

 

[cuticom]

LOl my first fish when I was 7 had pretty much the same treatment. They lived in the smallest aquaone, which is about 7g, 4 goldfish, 100% clean every week, filter was scrubbed to death under tap water. It wasn't as bad as it could've been though, we're on tank water so no nasty chemicals, and I'm making it up to those 4 goldies now, they have a 125g pond all to themselves, I'm surprised they lived through my treatment though, their about 8 years old now and 8 inches long each.

 

[Yazan]

Rinsing the filter out with tap water.

Me too.

Washing the aquarium with dish soap.

Me too.

Not cycling the water, putting the fish in after 15 minutes of filtering.

Me too.

Not testing for ph, nitrate or ammonia.

Me too.

 

[MojoDex]

my first tank i mixed yellow labs, green spot puffer, knight gobys and a butterfly fish! wasnt good as u can imagine

i know far better now and my dad told me they would be fine he's been keeping fish over 30 years and still obviously knows nothing

 

[.Relinquished]

I tend to be careful but one time I filled a bucket of tap water to fill in my tank after doing a water change. I forgot to dechlorinate it, and im not sure what negative effects this can have. I'm assuming killing you're bacteria colonies and stressing out the fish to the max.

 

[lawrie]

i put a male betta in a community tank with 6 black skirts and 2 bala sharks...but took the fighter out soon afterwards!

 

[Benauld]

When I was really little, (about 6 or 7yrs- back in the 80's), my dad used to keep fish. I can still remember nagging him incessantly to buy some dyed glass-fish, until he inevitably gave in. (Yes, I know, I'm the spawn of Satan. I'm very penitent now though!)

EDIT = Opps! Wrong smilie! I meant this one:

 

[paul_219]

Lol once i electrocuted my fish lol. They where dancing all over thank. I killed a gouramis by mistake. That was the stupidest thing i had ever done.

 

[Ilya]

I believe I also overfed my fish. Twice a day for small fish.

 

[mark.w.jones]

On a fairly regular basis I take all my wood out of my tank to give it a really good clean. Fill it back up to the brim with dechlorinated water then remember I've forgotten to put the poxy wood back in so have to empty water loads of water out again and... ***$$$% aaaaaaaargh! So irritating.

Outside of fish keeping I have also once tried to deep fry some poppadoms in lime cordial which I had mistaken for sunflower oil on the same shelf in the cupboard. I didn't notice until it started fizzing over the side and producing a strange citrus smell

 

[Sysiphus]

Tried to fix a broken heater.....

Actually took the glass tube off and "improved"

on the design. Next morning glass tube cracked - circut blown and temp at 96 F.

Please don't tell anyone....

 

[Richie Hell]

I tend to be careful but one time I filled a bucket of tap water to fill in my tank after doing a water change. I forgot to dechlorinate it, and im not sure what negative effects this can have. I'm assuming killing you're bacteria colonies and stressing out the fish to the max.

I did that the other day. Filled a bucket with tap water, and as it's a small tank I use a cup to put the water in. First cup had just gone in the tank when I remembered I hadn't dechlorinated it. Had to quickly grab the dechlorinator and chuck that in.

Fish was fine, didn't seem to notice. Filter bacteria survived too. Lucky escape!

 

[madmom]

That ones easy. I had to clean out the fry tank and had nowhere to put them so I put them in a glass. My daughter thought it was juice and almost drank them.

 

[martyn21uk]

I know this is a light hearted thread but I just wanted to pick up on the using water thats not been de-chlorinated. Its my understanding that when we add too much dechlorinator (we all do!) it sits in your tank waiting for chlorine to attach onto. So if you then add some untreated water, the chances are there will be a fair amount of dechlorinator waiting for it and keeping your fish safe!

 

[Ilya]

But too much dechlorinator could be harmful to your fish.