Let's share our blunders!

[DRRT]

I agree. You may have good advice because of what you learn from reading forums, but there's nothing like first hand experience, and that comes with time. No offense to anyone, but Bob Fenner said to take everything you hear with a bag of salt, not a grain. That's how iffy the hobby is, esp. the SW side.

[crazedpuffer]

IT depends on what your doing at the fish store. If your doing huge water changes then I think that should be for older teens and adults, but if it's just catching fish or something thats fine for younger aged people.
Back on topic: One time I was at my LPS when they still had SW Fish. Some guy asked for a snowflake eel for his 120 gallon tank. It took 3 employees to catch it (they were kinda creeped out by) and when they were about to bag it it fell on the floor! They were all screaming and after a while finally got it (it kept squirming so they couldn't hold it) it was pretty amusing.

[Troender]

I once went to a LFS to buy a coolie loach. Wow, I got quite a show. They only had one left in the tank, and I wanted it. Have you ever tried to catch those loaches? They are quick! And almost impossible to catch. And when there's only one to choose, you have quite a job ahead! I couldn't laugh openly at the poor girl trying to do her job, but om my inside:
BTW, I've never seen anything as quick as Denisoni barbs! Wow, they are torpedos! It seems like you can get much entertainment by going to the LFS, asking to buy a fish very difficult to catch! Well, the Denisoni turned out they weren't quick enough to not get eaten by that terrible Mystus I had (which is one more of my blunders: buying that awful fish!)

[hadla]

just thought of another after reading the ph thing... when i had my 5 gallon with just beethoven(first dp), i tested the water and thought the ph was too low or something and decided to add a little ph up. about 10 minutes later, i notice beethoven is looking a little drunk(swimming erractically and bumping into the tank walls), i freak out and do like a 75% water change, 5 minutes later shes back to normal. and i learned my lesson about not using any chemicals in my tank except for stress relief dechlorinator and melafix

[groovitudedude]

I once went to a LFS to buy a coolie loach. Wow, I got quite a show. They only had one left in the tank, and I wanted it. Have you ever tried to catch those loaches? They are quick! And almost impossible to catch. And when there's only one to choose, you have quite a job ahead! I couldn't laugh openly at the poor girl trying to do her job, but om my inside:
BTW, I've never seen anything as quick as Denisoni barbs! Wow, they are torpedos! It seems like you can get much entertainment by going to the LFS, asking to buy a fish very difficult to catch! Well, the Denisoni turned out they weren't quick enough to not get eaten by that terrible Mystus I had (which is one more of my blunders: buying that awful fish!)

It takes longer to catch a dojo/weather loach than it does to catch a kuhli. The toughest fish I have ever had to catch were my zebra danios in my 55G, closely followed by the bleeding heart tetra in the 55.

[pufferfreak]

I am perfectly happy with my life. I just need money. Working at a LFS will just take away some of my kid life. oh and groove when i was eptying my tank it was freakin hard catching my danios and loaches.

[groovitudedude]

Who owns Clown Loaches? You can't catch THOSE with a net.

[manutius]

Who owns Clown Loaches? You can't catch THOSE with a net.

I have some of those to catch soon and I know what you mean, I have plans to remove nearly all the water and then use a peice of plastic and plan to trap them at one end. Thats the plan :S

I think my plecs will be easier to catch, just hold float a bucket in the tank an pick up the bit of wood they are on and lift it out the water, the plecs then plop off into the bucket

[groovitudedude]

I use a net to corner mine and have them swim into a small bucket. Mine are only about 3-5 inches so it's relatively easy.

[DRRT]

Today, while cleaning my dad's tank, I was moving the decorations around and trying to fend off the niger trigger to keep it from biting me. I was concentrating so much on the trigger that I didn't notice the other fish swimming by my hand and suddenly something bit me. I was startled so much I dropped the sipon and got water all over the tank stand. And the fish to bite me: sohal tang.

[daenja]

vicious fish!

[manutius]

I always think of PP's puffer that went carpet surfing after it bit her!!!!!

I need to go off and find a great pirhana and oscar story told to me by a guy on my other forum, leave me a while though as there's a lot to get through

[manutius]

here we go, courtesy of Jimthefish.

"Up Close and Personal with Piranha

I used to work in a children's home where I had a room too. I had 8 tanks in the room, one of which was a 4 footer with a pair of piranha. It was an excellent behaviour tool for the kids; behave or you get to feed the fish. In a small room this meant that the big tank had to be beside the door, parallel to and about three foot from my bed.

The night staff was great if I was on a day shift, they would come round about 7, knock on the door and get me out of my pit. Fred was probably the most efficient. There would be a loud bang on the door, it would open and a hand would reach for the light switch. The door would then close with a resounding BANG. When Fred woke you stayed wakened.

Piranha, as you may know, are messy fish, so once a week I removed the hood of the tank and hung a big power filter on the front to give it a good clean.

Enter Fred. Loud bangs, sudden lights followed by more loud bangs followed by sudden movement as I threw back the duvet. Too much for one of the pair. Knocking aside the flimsy plastic condensation tray this fish launched into a leap, landing on the bed right between my legs! Sleeping as I did au naturel, you might understand my consternation. I have NEVER got out of bed so fast. The fish continued to leap about, its next move to the floor, right between me and the cupboard where I kept my nets. Back on the bed for me! I managed to get a net under the beast, started to lift it back into the tank but nothing that simple! The fish decided it liked the floor. Those teeth are sharp! Right through the net and back to the floor. After a few more seconds leaping on and off the bed I did eventually get a second net, grabbed the fish in these improvised tongs and got it back in the tank.

I sold the piranha not long after this. The excuse I gave was that they were boring, hiding in the back of the tank all the time. They DID, HONEST!"

and this one

The Fish Bites Back;

One of the landed gentry of the area strolls haughtily into the shop one day. " I have a space in my sitting room. I think an aquarium would be appropriate." No problem, the guy drives out, measures up and returns a couple of days later with a two foot tank and all the fittings. Having set it all up he tells her ladyship to come into the shop two weeks later to choose some fish. "I'll have that one" she says, pointing to a 10" Oscar. He explains that the tank isn't big enough. "Then get me one that is!" OK, he goes out, strips down the 2 footer and replaces it with a 4 footer, complete with cabinet to match the decor. "I will not require a hood, the wall lighting will be sufficient" Of course.

One week after the fish is installed a most distressed and irate phone call. "Come and take this beastly fish away NOW!"

One of the other residents of the house is a moth eaten cat, a respected family pet of several years standing. The curious feline decides that Oscar is a new toy and climbs onto the tank frame to try to catch it. Sadly for moggy the Oscar decides that this is the appropriate time to re-arrange the gravel by doing a power dive. Down goes the fish, up comes the water, splash goes the cat then out the door and up the nearest tree! The gardener obligingly gets the ladder, rescues the cat and returns it to the house. The cat sees the fish, then out the door and up the nearest tree. The gardener obligingly.......the cat sees the fish...... This happens FIVE times before the vet is called to tranquillise moggy and the irate phone call is made.

A true tale, I saw the offending Oscar in the shop, his tank gravel tidily banked up in one front corner of the tank. S/He was a beauty.

[crazedpuffer]

Nice stories Manutius!!

[Jase]

those are funny!