Petsmart's Advice

[Etheostoma]

I can't resist...

There is a time and place to discuss things like this. In the Freshwater section in another members post about something else isn't one of them.

Alrighty, where's the place? Y'all keep a "happy box" around here somwhere?

Look, bashing the questioner does no good. At any time. They'll be driven away and learn through the same painful process so many of us have.

Even if the questions are seemingly obtuse and the asker wants their answers spoon-fed rather than having to do any research. Contribute what you're willing to, help as much as you feel like, then walk away and leave the fish to their fate.

You can lead the horse to water, but you can't make him drink. Feeding a horse salt might make him thristy, but he still won't drink until he's ready. Problem is, with feeding him salt he might begin refusing the "treats" (in our case "wisdom & experience") from your hand.

If you're not part of the solution, you're likely just a suspended solid, bound for the filter and soon to be discarded.

 

[homebunnyj]

And bickering among ourselves helps the original poster how?

There is a time and place to discuss things like this. In the Freshwater section in another members post about something else isn't one of them.

Well said, Orion!*thumbsup2
I won't be baited anymore, as tempting as it is. It's kinda like shooting fish in a barrel, just not sporting.

Hopefully, Dragon is off doing some reading, as he/she is interested enough in his/her pets' welfare to have come here first.

I had no intention of bashing anyone. I thought perhaps he had no idea he sounded argumentative, as in several of his posts he asked for advice then came back with reasons not to follow it. Seems that others have a problem with my pointing that out, although I tried to do it respectfully.

Dragon, if you do have a problem with it, please feel free to let me know and I will apologize on the board. I have no problem with you and was trying to respectfully point out something that could stymie your efforts to educate yourself in the proper care of your fish. We're all here for the same purpose.... *SUNSMILE* Well, most of us anyway.

 

[Izz]

no offense but you people are getting very annoying

yes - you people *DRUMMER*

 

[kristar1982]

Hi there everyone. Dragon: I think the woman gave you pretty good advice at the store. If you had bought all the fish you wanted at the time, some big problems could have arose.

You said you bought an algae eater. Is it a chinese algae eater? Because I have heard that they become pretty big and aggressive. However the siamese algae eater does not. Guppies are not aggressive and will not be able to defend themselves.

And finally on cycling, it is great advice to read the stickys, you could learn so much. I read them and others over and over and over again until I had a full understanding of the whole process. Yet, I already had a couple tanks up and running before I knew what the heck was going on, somewhat like you.

After all is said and done, I think you will be just fine in your new hobby. You've already taken a few steps in the right direction by trying to find out how to do things right.

Good Luck and don't be shy about asking questions. People only respond to the threads they want to.

 

[ninamarie]

Ok Ok Who here needs a hug and a cookie!
Stop it.

 

[Etheostoma]

Hug and a cookie?

I'm having an old belgian favorite; a smoke and a pancake. You know, cigarette and a flapjack? Or maybe I'll opt for the pipe and a waffle, or a could go whole-hog and indulge with a bong and a blintz!

(the above pirated from Austin Powers, Gold Member)

 

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

OK, while I was absent my guppy ,ck<, died. My tank will not house guppies ever again because I think they are a little bit too difficult to take care of. I've met no one who has had success with them. So I removed the divider which made the tank's only resident very happy. I now have two painted glass fish in the tank, CC{, who like to stay close to each other. On the same day I bought them I also got a baby algae eater, <zzz<. The guy who runs the pet shop said that there was some gold on his nose. I've recently noticed that most of his head is golden. He's got a solid black line going down each side of his body and the rest of him is sort of a darkish golden brown. Could this be a baby golden algae eater, <zzz<, who's colors just haven't fully developed. He is 1 and 1\2 inches long incase that helps. Oh and by the way an algae eater is not a plecostomus plecos are usually dark in color and generally get very large. Algae eaters are long and not as big, and have a lighter color such as brown or golden. Algae eaters also have a more pointed head. For a minute I was wondering how many of you knew that.

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

AHHHHH!!!PAINTED GLASS FISH!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!! *points finger and wails loudly*

 

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

What's wrong with painted glass fish? I think they're a beautiful and social addition to my tank and they have caused no problems whatsoever.

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

http://www.deathbydyeing.org/

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

there is a reason they are called glass fish.

 

[Pure]

*smacks yahoo*

Shush! It doesn't sound as if he/she knows about painting/dyeing fish.

I strongly suggest you visit deathbydyeing.org. Read up on the horrors your fish have gone through before coming into your tank, and of course why we should not buy them. Not your fault you didn't know.


Emm yeah I and at least most others know the dif between plecos and an algae eater. Urm last count I have over 100 plecs in my tanks, But thanks for the FYI.. j/k

I think you may have been questioned because it is common for a newb to call a pleco an algae eater.. That's all.

Sorry for any misinterpreted harshness in this thread, and welcome to the tank!

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

sorry... didnt mean to be all like BLAHHH!!!!

 

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

Uhhh...well...now that this disturbing information has been brought to my attention I have but one thing to say about this issue. What reason do I have for returning the glass fish to the pet store and increasing THEIR chance to live. Are they somehow inequal to any other fish because they were tampered with. I do not think less of these or any other fish than my fellow human beings. Now that they are in my custody, I have no choice in sound consience to bring them back. If I can't try to provide a good life for these handicapped fish then why do humans do it for our own kind?

 

[noncentric]

Uhhh...well...now that this disturbing information has been brought to my attention I have but one thing to say about this issue. What reason do I have for returning the glass fish to the pet store and increasing THEIR chance to live. Are they somehow inequal to any other fish because they were tampered with. I do not think less of these or any other fish than my fellow human beings. Now that they are in my custody, I have no choice in sound consience to bring them back. If I can't try to provide a good life for these handicapped fish then why do humans do it for our own kind?

Hi Dragon, I think it's fine for you to keep the fish that you already have...although I certainly wouldn't want to buy any additional dyed fish.

Dyed fish usually have weaker immune systems and are more susceptible to getting sick and dying, so no point in buying those types of fish.

Also, by buying painted fish, then you're indirectly encouraging the continued practice of dyeing fish. What I mean is...if people didn't buy painted fish from petstores, then petstores wouldn't buy painted fish from suppliers, then suppliers wouldn't continue to keep painting fish. I think that's the general argument against buying painted fish - same theory that goes with puppy mills, munchkin cats, etc.

Good luck!

 

[ecotank]

Hi Dragon,

Aside from the whole painted fish issue, I must ask why you decided to purchase ANY fish at all after having a death and still seem to have no knowledge regarding the cycling of your tank and if it is actually safe for any fish at this point (forgive me if you actually bought a test kit and know your water conditions, I didn't see it posted here).

Guppies are very easy to keep, however many fish do not live through a "fish in" cycle. It is why you will see most here in favor of fishless cycling and does allow you to fully stock your tank when it is ready.

I don't think anyone expects you to return your painted glass fish, only that you have the knowledge of how they are created and thus no longer purchase them in the future (if no one buys them, they won't be put through the horrors that come with artificially giving them the color).

 

[Pure]

Eco is right, keep the ones you got...Provide for them a home that they would be lucky to have. It isn't your fault what they have been through. just as Eco said don't get anymore

 

[rohnds]

Right now the best thing to do is not buy any fish for a while.

First try and buy a test kit. If you don't buy a test kit, here is an easy way to go about cycling your tank.

If you don't have a test kit, do 20% water changes every other day. This is only way you are guaranteed to keep your NH3 is down and even keep your NO3 under control. Keep this up for the next 10 or even 14 days. Then reduce the water change frequency to about every 3 days for the next 10 or 12 day. Then every 4 days for another week. By this time your tank should have cycled. During these water changes make sure not to vacuum your gravel.

It is absolutely necessary to buy a test kit to avoid making water changes every other day is incase of a NH3 spike.

Do not buy any medication that claim to help reduce NH3. They just don't work.

Rohn

 

[rohnds]

Give your child some credit for his intelligence. It is self-control that three-year-olds are lacking. We as adults should certainly have mastered that.

I wonder if any one our junior device engineers that join straight of college have mastered self control since they require years before being able to work on their own project. This isn’t due to lack of self control but due to lack knowledge. Like a kids they college grads have to learn and many of them doesn’t matter it in a couple of weeks or months. Some makes the same mistake more than once. This is calling mastering a field (task). One of the biggest joke (for us) is watching these hot shots out of college tune a electron beam on a Implanter. It is mater of knowledge and mastering that field.

When you were in school or college, have you wondered why they give you millions of assignments to do. Repetition is one of the best learning tool whether your are teaching, learning, or in work place.

None of these has anything to do with one self control. Each and every one of us learn at a certain space and we need to respect that.

Statements like these are classic examples of respecting others,

would hope that we here have more capacity to understand what we read than a three-year-old.

Rohn

 

[FroggyFox]

While I agree that test kits are absolutely necessary and that you need to do water changes while your tank cycles I do not agree with

During these water changes make sure not to vacuum your gravel.

unless you have an undergravel filter, and even then I dont know why you wouldn't vacuum your gravel. If you have lingering waste in there it will only serve to punch your ammonia and nitrites up higher than they already are. Your bacteria will build on everything in the tank including your gravel and vacuuming your gravel is not going to do damage to the bacteria.