I Need Feed Back !!!!

[barrera23]

I got a few questions that I would like to ask you EXPERIANCED aquarium keepers that DO NOT WORK AT THE LOCAL FISH STORE !
These questions are to show a friend that thinks these factors do not matter when keeping healthy and L IVE fish in the aquarium.
1) Is it or is it not your responsibility to buy healthy fish ??? Or should you just blame the guy who sells you the fish for all of your fish dying?????
2) Is it true that if you over populate a fish tank the water quality could become very dirty and release disease in your aquarium???
3) Should you buy fish without knowing what kind of fish they get along with ????
4) Should you know what a fishes diet is before you try to feed him ???? For instance should you try to feed a Trigger Plankton cubes or a Angel Krill ????/
5) Should you mix Agressive fish with non agressive fish ????
6) Before doing a water change shouldent you let the salt water cure for at least 24 hours ????
7) Is it safe to buy fish that are sick and only been medicated for less then 5 days?
8) Should you add fish to your main show tank without putting them in QT tank ????
9) If you medicate your fish and they stop showing symptoms of sickness is it safe to immediatly add new fish ?????
10) What would you say is the ideal amount of medium to large fish to put in a 100 g tank and the same question for a 55 g tank???
I know this is alot of questions but replys would be extreamly appriciated

 

[tangman99]

I'll bite even though most of these are common sense and god help your friend if you really have to convince him/her.
1) Is it or is it not your responsibility to buy healthy fish ??? Or should you just blame the guy who sells you the fish for all of your fish dying?????
I think it is both. Obviously you need to know what to look for in the obvious areas of inspecting a fish, but somethings you can't see or know about. It is the lfs' responsibility to provide the best environment to ensure his fish stay as healthy as possible.
2) Is it true that if you over populate a fish tank the water quality could become very dirty and release disease in your aquarium???
Yes
3) Should you buy fish without knowing what kind of fish they get along with ????
No.
4) Should you know what a fishes diet is before you try to feed him ???? For instance should you try to feed a Trigger Plankton cubes or a Angel Krill ????/
Yes
5) Should you mix Agressive fish with non agressive fish ????
You can if you know what you are doing. There are some non agressive fish that do fine with aggressive fish.
6) Before doing a water change shouldent you let the salt water cure for at least 24 hours ????
Most will say yes here, but I have never done this. I only use Instant Ocean salt and I mix it and use it within 30 minutes. IO says you can use it instantly and I have been doing this for over 4 years and have never had a problem after a water change. I'm not saying it's the proper way, but I do it all the time.
7) Is it safe to buy fish that are sick and only been medicated for less then 5 days?
I would never buy a fish if I new it had been sick at all, but that's just me. Chances are you aren't going to know.
8) Should you add fish to your main show tank without putting them in QT tank ????
Again, the proper answer in No, but I've never had a QT tank and do add them directly. I have been lucky in this area and know that I should not do it. However, my friend does QT all of his fish and sometimes it does not work. It will be fine in the QT tank and as soon as it hits his main tank it gets stressed and get ick. You never know how a fish in going to react until he gets in with his new neighbors.
9) If you medicate your fish and they stop showing symptoms of sickness is it safe to immediatly add new fish ?????
No.
10) What would you say is the ideal amount of medium to large fish to put in a 100 g tank and the same question for a 55 g tank???
Depends on several things. Type of filtration, number of water changes you are willing to do, kind of fish ...
That's my .02

 

[barrera23]

Thanks for the feed back. I am trying to give my friend advice but he seems to think all of his problems are the guy who sold him the fish and not the actions he takes while keeping his fish. He doesnt want to addmit that some of the things he does to his fish are the couse of them dying.

 

[tangman99]

Well you know what they say about a fool and their money ... The sad part is that fish have to pay the ultimate price for our stupidity.
Have your friend read the boards and do some searches on the questions you are asking. That should provide enough information to help. If that does not convince him, then your friend should probably find a new hobby like stamp collecting. You don't have to worry about overpopulating a stamp book or isolation a new stamp before adding it to the book.

 

[lesa]

Send him this way we will straighten him out

 

[richard rendos]

1) I agree it is both's responsibility, but you have to make the ultimate decision.
2) No, dirty water will not "release" disease. It may cause stress on your fish and result in poor health which leads to disease.
3) No. Research before buying anything...fish, inverts, corals, etc.
4) Again...research, research, research.
5) Base this on a fish by fish basis.
6) I would say that you need to mix, not cure, the water and aerate for 24 hours. Curing sounds like the water is sitting still...mixing and aerating is the thing you want to do.
7) ditto...I would not buy a fish that had been sick, unless the fish had been treated and I watched it for at least a month to ensure the disease is completely gone.
8) QT...yes, everyone should use them.
9) No...observe the treated fish for at least a month after the last sign of disease and/or stress.
10) ditto again...depends on lots of factors...filtration, exact type of fish (tangs are not as dirty as triggers or lions), and frequency of water changes, etc.
Hope this helps.

 

[tangman99]

Originally posted by Richard Rendos
2) No, dirty water will not "release" disease. It may cause stress on your fish and result in poor health which leads to disease.
Yeah, this is what I ultimately meant. The result could lead to disease.

 

[cb]

As was stated before most of these are common sense.

 

[barrera23]

I try and I try to tell this guy these things but he thinks I just dont want him to have nice fish (dead fish after a few weeks). He thinks fish are all the same...If they have water and food then they should live. He recently put a Niger Trigger to start a tank after the water was put in less then three days before. The fish is still alive after two weeks thank god. But because he did this and the fish hasnt died he now thinks he is MARINE BIOLIGIST ! He also head it is good to soak your fishes food in garlic if the fish ich so instead of buying the medicine he fed his fish pieces of a cut head of Garlic.......can I get some ffed back on this
Thanks for your replies

 

[cb]

Lucky Fish!

 

[nacl-man]

Something regarding LFS responsibility was posted a few months back, someone had bought a critter that was known to be posionous and it totally destroyed the tank. It sparked quite a flurry of responses.
IMO (this applies in regards to your friend) it is always the end-users fault. The LFS can not possibly know your exact set-up, only you can. Therefore, only you can make educated decisions regarding your tank. If you don't take the time to learn then you will make some serious mistakes and kill more than a few critters.
However, there is no excuse for totally inaccurate information given out on behalf of the LFS (i.e - that critter is not posionous, when it is). For beginners starting out it is important that the people running/working at those stores should know at least the basics about water chemistry and tank set-ups in order to help you get started. After that I'm afraid we all need to do our own research (thankfully there is this board).
Just my two cents. Take it or leave it
Cheers!