Fustrations Of Keeping Fish

[JamesFish]

Well things were looking so promising. Was on track to visit new shops had a little space in the tanks so could buy something special and needed a little plant after removing 95% my giant vallis as it was clogging the flow up.

1) First new shop stop and buy plants, few small fish nothing exciting, come home soak plants and rinse place in tank next evening. Check after a few hours shrimp are all on the floor struggling to breath. 11PM at night finished a 50% water change and plant in bin.

2)Replace a pump leave old one on floor while put bits away. Dog chews built in taps and have to order a new set from Germany.

3) new taps arrive fit check all working and prepare to put away as its not strong enough to serve as a WC pump leave on floor while dealing with something. Come back dogs chewed inlet pipe. Just ordered new one tonight.

4) Visit another new shop have fish in I want have been hunting for over 2 years and they are in with 1 sick fish in the whole rack. Gutted silver lining shop agrees to call me when ready still waiting on call. I took time off work to get to go to this one during the week.

5)While at shop they have some fish I want get, make 1 bad googled choice come home. Move fish so can be in a Q tank big enough. Fish I bought badly break out in whitespot. Now after 7 days has cleared the treatment will finish in a few no losses but still gutting as its meant my 1 free weekend I have a month to go fish shops I couldn't so can't move them along till cleared up for a few weeks. I'd never pass along an ill fish its not fair.

6)High winds knock siphon kit off fence and dog chews it outside nobody notices as nobody looking. (New ones in post)

7)Light unit switch breaks have to cut it off and fit it to an algarde switch so its not just hard wired. Juwel kit at its best when it sparks blue 1 month out of warranty.

Now overall my dog doesn't chew things he shouldn't and as he has treats that are fish based I can't be really mad that he's tried used piping out it probably smells close. He doesn't normally chew anything so can't complain just seems he got my kit just after new spares arrived.

All this happens in less than 2 months anyone else have frustration like this or have I just been unlucky. Bad fish buying my fault hands up mistake on my part.

So far I'm looking forward to next month when I can go get some more plant move off fish that are wrong and get back on track but still wondering how other people avoid it /deal with it. I can't be the only one who runs into trouble or are people smarter then me and don't get so peeved about things?

1 tank is nicely done waiting on plants to grow and some ammano shrimp even if people say its boring I like it. New filters working well and hope to remove the backup internal this weekend. Should finally get clean enough sand without having to vac every 3 days.
1 tank is awaiting plant and a massive change of fish to sort out.
1 serving as an over sized q tank currently possibly going to be a cory and mollie tank. Needs 3-4 50% wc to remove meds. Hoping the meds don't kill my live plant.
1 The dedicated Q tank - Currently full - Normally do 2 weeks but as others had issue they will be in a bit longer as I really value some of my older fish and don't want to put them through medication.
1 Tank supposed to be empty currently full of fry as only place left to put.

I'm aiming for 3 tanks how did I end up with 5 on the go is beyond me. So if things are not going to plan don't worry your not the only one.

[iSynoCat]

I guess I'm not alone then

[Viktor Jarikov]

Sounds familiar, probably to anyone who's done anything at all in their life.

Keep up the spirit!

[naturalart]

lol!! I remember reading this a few weeks ago. One of the funnier post I've read in a while. I don't mean to laugh at your misfortune, but like Viktor said: 'no different from anything anyone experiences when they are doing anything worthwhile'. But I would change my brand of dog biscuit! Lmbo!!

[pleconut]

Get you dude!! It's been a bonkers few months but I'm not ready to throw the towel in on it just yet! However there's days in my head it's like "bugger it I'm done with it".But another part says differently. The toughest time was when I took on a job at an LFS (and a disreputable one at that. Actually id been asked to help out as pet shop licencing dept were on their case to say the very least). This was three months ago. Wasn't the best move at the time. It was a voluntary job and one of the colleagues had such a poor attitude it was unreal. So I'd get up at 5. Do any fish related maintenance etc, as inadvertently there was no way I'd feel like it after a shift like the ones i was having. The worst day which was the day before I quit I went in and the colleuge was in charge as manager was off to the airport. They'd been asked to keep a check on stock levels and to be aware someone was responsible for the fish. On that day it was me and this colleuge. As the manager had done a lot of airport collections in the previous days. The night before there was a collection and I found fish had just been dumped wherever there was space with no consideration for compatibility whatsoever. Colleague was busy with a customer. I walked past a tank to discover an RTC in distress. (which IMHO shouldn't even be in an LFS!)
The RTC had decided it wanted to eat a fish that was to big for its mouth and the still alive fish stuck in its mouth was causing the RTC extreme distress and it couldn't breathe. My instinct (very obviously) was to try to save both. So I very gently netted the RTC, not knowing much about it as I'd obviously never considered keeping one lol, but aware it might have spines ect. I caught it, but left it in the net, to try to extract the fish which also had spines in its mouth. Next thing was this stroppy colleague swearing at me and saying I'd kill the RTC when all i tried was to help it! So I left it to him. And went about my work to discover a similar thing happening in the next tank. So again as the colleague was busy, so to speak, I'm extracting fish from an over enthusiastic hungry bigger fishes mouth. After this we had to put fish in appropriate tanks according to compatibility. After this I was asked to ensure all the fish had what was required in the individual tanks. So off I went doing what exactly I was asked to do in an attempt to not get on the wrong side of the colleage again. I found some mustard spot plecos in a tank with no wood, and had been for some months. So i go to where the wood is kept to put some in. "Put that back" came along with some choice words. Went home feeling awful as my passion for the welfare of fish was not what was seen that day. The next day stroppy colleagues day off i bought those mustard spots home, and they where in a disturbing state. (They have fully recovered now BTW) This was the last straw for me and the job ended. In my fishkeeping at home it's one thing after another recently with a whitespot wipout. Heaters, and equipment problems failures and delays in replacements coming. Including filters which obviously meant keeping on top of water quality. Pleco spawns going pearshaped. Female of an ABN breeding pair getting eggbound and, a male left fanning for her attention then a delay in finding him another. Now found one. It is very very frustrating sometimes. But at other times for me the ups despite all the frustration, like having a new fish project or a breeding success far outweighs it all. Couldn't have a dog as well though.

[Carolus]

@pleconut Damn I think I would have lost my composure with that collegue if I were in your place! Your patience is almost infinite it seems like.

[pleconut]

I even tried to keep hold of the job, believe it or not, in the hope things might change. (They haven't TBH). I called the manager to try to reduce my hours my thoughts being less time I was there, the less fed up I'd be with this colleague I would be. (To put it politely). But when i called he wasn't interested in my offer of working less hours but unpaid for an even longer time.

[JamesFish]

Ouch well done for trying with the job.

Well for me I gave away free excess fish and the incorrectly purchases to help solve my issues. All was going well till last week.

I lost my loach of over 16 years most upsetting had since I was at school. My lemon tetra went nuts and killed the other 2 males has left the 3 females alone. Putting together flat pack upset my molly so much died of stress. Didn't even consider that an issue as over other side house. Live and learn.

Left lights on by accident when went away for 2 days. Yup algae blooms.

My pride and joy oil cats that I was trying to breed just broken out in white spot. So temp up and added a little salt tonight see how it goes.

Was looking forward to getting some Otto's or shrimp this month not going to happen now. Still bright side I have a 2ft with just a female fighter in once everything settled can do a box hood swap to external filter, add sand instead of gravel and move my Cory's or oil cats in.

Chin up all and try to learn. I'm coming to the conclusion I've got allot more to learn.

[bekateen]

If there is any bright side to losing a bunch of fish all at once, it's that all of a sudden you have lots of available tank space to explore new fishes and new décor. Just be careful that you solve the original problem/cause of the die-off before adding new fishes!

Cheers, Eric