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I find it interesting how everyone starting out seems to think they NEED an algae eater of some kind...but, I dunno...I have several tanks with no algae eaters at all, and no algae...

Oh yes, and one more incident I remembered, as said by my lovely sister:
"Steph, help! My cichlids are beating the crap out of my goldfish!"
Apparently she had to buy the goldfish so her little monster (aka son) would stop his whining.

Last edited by smantzer at 07-Mar-2005 00:24

"Fish are hard to take care of, I don't want to waste the time..."

Customer: "My tank is doing fine without water changes."
Me: "How old is your tank?"
Customer: "About 3 or 4 years old"
M "Really? And what kind of fish do you keep?"
C "Oh, depends. My fish just all die and I get new ones after that!"
Me:

"It wont live long anyway"

"I want something easy to take care of, like a goldfish"

"the guy at the fish store said I could have 2 dwarf gouramis, 7 serpae tetras, 2 common plecos and 1 panda cory in my 12 gal"

"the Betta likes his water dirty" after not changing it for 3 months.

As I'm peering in the tank through the green algae bloom "the guy at the store said all these fish would be okay in my 10 gal." I never did figure out exactly what was in the tank, it was hard to tell from just an occasional swim by.

---

I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.
~ Mae West

From the oust commercial that shows a 29 gal with 3 very large goldfish

I keep one here because I don't like the fishy odors

Well why dont' you go dig a pond you ignorant fool, goldfish don't belong inside ]:|

^_^
[hr width='40%']"There’s an emptiness inside her. And she’d do anything to fill it in.
And though it’s red blood bleeding from her now. It's more like cold blue ice in her heart.
She feels like kicking out all the windows. And setting fire to this life."[/font]

here's another one that bugs me...

"why do i need such a big tank? fish only grow to the size of the tank they're kept in."

Oh yes. People who want to keep piranhas so that they can pose as 'hard' before their chav mates. ]:|]]:|]]:|

And the guy who wanted me to fix his Festering Aquarium Of Doom™. The one with the Pangasius cats in it. Which smelt like a blocked drain when I lifted the lid.

There are some complete twonks on this planet, aren't there? :%)

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

"I want to get a tank for my kid, and I want to start small so they can get the hang of it..." It's not easy convincing these people that smaller tanks require MORE maintanence.

"Oh, I want a beginner goldfish."

"I had goldfish for years in a bowl!" to which I reply, "20 years? Because goldfish aren't old until they're 20, and the record age is 43."

Every day at least three or four people will come in wanting "allergy eaters" or "sucker fish" and when I ask what kind, they just look blank, or say "the one I had before was THIS BIG and black... so I try to steer them away from a common pleco, and then find out that all their previous algea eaters died because they IN FACT HAVE NO ALGEA IN THE TANK. People are being told that catfish and algea eaters should be the first fish in a tank! And if I find out who is spreading this lie I'll scream!

"I want three tetras." to which I reply, "What kind of tetras?" "Oh, you know, tetras." "Well," I say, "There are two dozen species of tetras in this store, and technically pirhanas are tetras, so what kind were you thinking of?" That always gets them.

Oh yes, I'm a fish snob b**ch.

I'm so adjective, I verb nouns!

I don't care if he is dyed or not... he matches the room!!!!

Sure, all these little fish will fit in a 10 gallon tank (1 oscar, 4 banjo plecos, 2 orandas, and a betta)



___________________________________________

If at first you DO succeed, try not to look astonished.

As an addendum to that Tribblehappy, you might like to know that my Panda Fun Palace™ was cycled way back in 1994 with Otocinclus.

However, I knew right from the outset that I wanted Otocinclus. So I spent time and effort getting the aquarium ready for them. I spent time deliberately cultivating algae for them to eat. And stocking up on foods that would supplement their diet. So that when I took delivery of the Otocinclus on December 12th, 1994, they had a home fit for their arrival. Nice pieces of bogwood with algal growths awaiting them, live plants, and a carefully dosed diet of algae wafer supplements and the like. Then, after six weeks, the Cardinals went in.

That original batch of four Otocinclus lasted a long time. I only had to start replacing losses after about 5-6 years. One of them lasted over nine years. I said goodbye to the little fellow as old age finally overtook him on March 12th, 2004.

But then, I planned in advance for the little guys.

And, the fact that my Pandas have now spawned 70 times in less than 2 years since I got them in December 2002, is also a testament to the fact that I've done things right. I planned ahead for them.

Use the brain cells before spending a penny, and later heartache is avoided. Trouble is, too many people dive into fishkeeping thinking that it's like buying a TV - plug in and go. Doesn't work like that I'm afraid.




Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002