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I have become one of the worst fish keepers ever this past few months. I let my tanks degrade to horible conditions and to the point where fish were lost because of arrogance. I have to get this off my shoulders because im mad at myself for letting this happen. I just go busy with football and work each day and fish went from being my top priority to the bottom of the list.
I had a beautiful 50 gal planted tank and had put months of work into to it and money to get all the right fish for the setup and just let it all dwindle. I just cleaned it today finally after so many months of saying ill do it today or ill do it tommrow. I feel horible for making the fish go through it, but i want to start over again and am dedicated to manage my time better. Please give me your opinion on what i have done.

yeah - it kinda sucks that you let the tanks go, but honestly, i'm sure that you're not the only one. i've done it too! in fact - for the first 6 years or so of my fishkeeping 'career', i didn't know any better - guess that's what happens when you get advice from your mother who has no clue what she's doing. I only did 100% changes (complete with boiling the rocks ornaments and filter media , no water conditioner, etc) once every 6 months or so (obviously i've smartened up - now it's weekly 20% water changes for me!!). fish are pretty hardy for the most part and can survive some pretty harsh conditions in my experience. at least now that you've realized what you've done you're willing to smarten up and take care of the fish better. good for you!!! and keep it up!

I only did 100% changes (complete with boiling the rocks ornaments and filter media , no water conditioner, etc) once every 6 months or so

That's what most fishkeepers done in the past, in fact some still do

You may be neglecting your fish and I'm sure you'll be able to set aside some time soon to do the right thing but you can't label yourself "the worst fish keeper ever" , sadly there too many more people out there that deserve the title alot more than you do

Don't be too hard on yourself. No-one can be the perfect fishkeeper, and I'm sure we're all guilty of not taking the best possible care of our fish at one time or another. It becomes a problem if it keeps happening, at which stage it would be better to give up for a while and find a better home for your fish. But if you're willing to give it another go and stick to the maintenance and care they need, I'm sure you'll have a happy tank in no time. Which will, of course, make you more inclined to keep it up.

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde

All of us let things get on top of us at some stage or another, at least, i certainly have once or twice. It happens.



For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Ummm... yes... you're not the worst fishkeeper out there...

*runs to clean betta bowl*

at least there is a java fern in there...

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Nice start, take responsibility for your actions. Now take the right steps to rebuild, slowly and properly. You recognize that maintenance is the work ethic behind creating the aquarium. Set your maintenance to a schedule.

Monday and Thursday - water changes and vacuum
Saturday - clean filters, wipe down interior glass
Sunday - watch the tank for an hour to enjoy it and see what needs to be done

Simple things but a routine makes it happen.

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

If i were you I'd get a few hardy fish for your tank... some schooling tetras such as black widows (which i have). Keep the population down so you wont have as much waste product. Always have some time to gravel vac the tank...even if it's a quick 5 min job before bed.

I've got a fever... and the only prescription... is more cowbell!

i honostly think 2 WC's a week is a little too much. Maby if you had discus in the tank it would be ok.

i think 2 changes a week may be ok in a crowded tank or a 10g or something, but with a 50g planted tank, he should be fine with water changes once every week or two, right? maybe try to keep a calander near the tank and mark off cleaning days so you can see visually how long you have neglected your fish.

and you're not the worst ever. most of us have done similar things at some point or another. =} i'm in no way saying it is ok to do, but it certainly is not uncommon.

The pottery that growls!

Fish havent been my top priority ether so your not quite the only one&gt; But it will be one of the top soon cause i now how much studying and school work i have to do and get enough time to type some post for some people. GOod luck with your new schudule

Vicious &amp; Victim,

Your posts indicate that you believe that frequent water changes are not beneficial to your fish.

A response to a letter printed in &#8220;letters to the editor&#8221;, Tropical Fish Hobbyist, August 2004:
"I&#8217;m glad to hear the new regimen is working for you. For the benefit of our readers, I&#8217;ll point out that our discussion s centered around the idea that the less you do to your water, the more likely you are to keep up with your water changes, and that frequent water changes are, in most cases, more beneficial than fine-tuning the chemistry of your aquarium.
There are two simple reasons for this. When you doctor your water, whether through RO, DI, pH adjusters, salt mixtures, etc., you are concentrating on only a small fraction of the parameters that can affect your fish. There is a constant accumulation of waste products, bio-filtration end products, pheromones and other pollutants. These can only be removed with water changes. In addition, trace elements are used up, and these are replaced with water changes. Therefore, while your careful manipulation of a couple of parameters may produce an &#8220;ideal&#8221; reading, the rest of the water chemistry is deteriorating. The overall effect of constant water changes is superior.
The other advantage is that fish do better without stressful changes in water chemistry. Even when that chemistry is not the most like that of their natural habitat, they do better with a stable environment than with a chemical rollercoaster. Thus, the more often you change your water, the more similar your aquarium water, the more similar your water will be to your water source, which means that adding water is less stressful for the fish. This self-perpetuating stability is in most cases the most beneficial for your fish.
&#8230;Since stability is much easier to achieve with frequent, large water changes, and since most fish will adjust to most water supplies, the large-scale water change regimen is often, as in your case, the solution to your problems."


I am a discus keeper. I learned in the 1970s that my fish were healthier when I performed frequent water changes. Since then, I have applied the concept of large, frequent water changes as the most basic tenet of my fish keeping whether discus, live bearer or African cichlid.

My results are:
1. Breeding success,
2. Low mortality rates,
3. Substantial growth rates,
4. No disease,
5. No algae.

I strongly recommend water changes.



__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

I agree To many water changes can do some harm but thats before your beneficial bacteria has settled in and established. Once its established it can get taken away by too many water changes but 2 wc a week isnt going to due it