other pet owners dumb?

defcon11

defcon11

Member
OK, I'm not saying that people who keep other pets are dumb, I was trying to find a way to get my idea across, fit it in, and get eyes.
I hope it worked.
But, do ya'll think that people who keep SWF are smarter than your average pet owner? I mean to be truly successful with this you really have to be on your game.
Checking water params, temp, Spec Grav and Sal. Getting the right food for your critters, providing the right amount of light for them, and keeping unwanted critters away also. Making WCs on a schedule and doing calculations (albeit easy ones).
I've raised different dogs my whole life. I love dogs, but I think they just don't require the type of attention a tank does. They both require the same ammount of care each week, but time with a dog is much different than time taking care of tanks.
Anyone can raise a cat, and I mean anyone. As long as you provide it a bowl with food, water, and a place to *ahem* they don't need anything else. They come for affection because they want it, not because they need it. It's not like how dogs need affection at least. Heck, you can just let a cat roam your yard and it can fend for itself, at least if you have enough property.
What do ya'll think?
 
mimzy

mimzy

Active Member
Originally Posted by jennythebugg
http:///forum/post/2770372
I have known some dumb swf owners and some really smart dog/cat people

+1 times a bajillion. I was a vet tech for 3years. don't talk to me about stupid pet owners. please. I had enough.
 
keebler

keebler

Member
As a vet, do you ever get people who drop their pets off with terrible problems and never pick them up. That to me is the worst thing a pet owner can do. At least they have the decency to fix the animal, though.
 
defcon11

defcon11

Member
I mean to be successful at the hobby. I'm not talking about the person who goes into their LFS and buys a trigger or imperial angel for their 10 gal nano, has it die, and then goes back to buy two more imperial angels the next day.
I'm talking about the person who has a stable tank and is able to keep their fish alive and thriving for years. If a dog or cat get sick, you take it to the vet. They make it better and tell you what you need to do to help the animal recover.
In a fish tank, you are the vet. You have to diagnose the problem, remedy it, then find the reason why it happened in the first place and remedy that.
 
defcon11

defcon11

Member
Originally Posted by Keebler
http:///forum/post/2770389
As a vet, do you ever get people who drop their pets off with terrible problems and never pick them up. That to me is the worst thing a pet owner can do. At least they have the decency to fix the animal, though.
how about the people who bought dalmations after the disney movie, couldn't keep them, and drop them off at the pound, or just drop them off on a street corner?
 
keebler

keebler

Member
Originally Posted by defcon11
http:///forum/post/2770417
how about the people who bought dalmations after the disney movie, couldn't keep them, and drop them off at the pound, or just drop them off on a street corner?
yeah, disney causes that problem after almost every movie involving animals. I feel that as long as the animals can be kept happy, it is okay. If you do it right, I think owning pets is a great thing. How is forming a symbiotic relationship between a dog any different from clowns and anemones?
 
coral keeper

coral keeper

Active Member
Originally Posted by Keebler
http:///forum/post/2770428
yeah, disney causes that problem after almost every movie involving animals. I feel that as long as the animals can be kept happy, it is okay. If you do it right, I think owning pets is a great thing. How is forming a symbiotic relationship between a dog any different from clowns and anemones?
Same problem happened with Finding Nemo. Every little kid wanted "Nemo".
 
keebler

keebler

Member
Originally Posted by Coral Keeper
http:///forum/post/2770443
Same problem happened with Finding Nemo. Every little kid wanted "Nemo".
And the parents thought, "fishkeeping, how hard could it be, we have some salt and some water at home, we just need the tank and the fish, right?"
 
sula

sula

Member
I don't think you can find any correlation between sw people being any smarter or dumber than any other group, there will always be both ends of the spectrum in any hobby, including pet ownership.
However, I do believe that the most successful people at this hobby as well as other hobbies are the ones who spend the time researching and learning and always seeking out new approaches to challenges. Which also happens to be my definition of "smart".
 
keebler

keebler

Member
Originally Posted by Sula
http:///forum/post/2770491
I don't think you can find any correlation between sw people being any smarter or dumber than any other group, there will always be both ends of the spectrum in any hobby, including pet ownership.
However, I do believe that the most successful people at this hobby as well as other hobbies are the ones who spend the time researching and learning and always seeking out new approaches to challenges. Which also happens to be my definition of "smart".

Saltwater is the ultimate pet hobby when it comes to difficulties. You are recreating a biome that is the opposite of the one you live in. Does that make swfish hobbyists smart, no. Most the people on this forum are however.
 
coral keeper

coral keeper

Active Member
Originally Posted by Keebler
http:///forum/post/2770499
Saltwater is the ultimate pet hobby when it comes to difficulties. You are recreating a biome that is the opposite of the one you live in. Does that make swfish hobbyists smart, no. Most the people on this forum are however.
+1
 
gmann1139

gmann1139

Active Member
I don't think that 'smarter' is the term to use. I think that to be succsessful at this hobby, you have to show a good level of commitment and diligence.
This hobby can be fairly depressing if you keep making mistakes. Its about researching ahead of time to avoid the mistakes, and keeping your tank in balance to prevent others.
 
reefkprz

reefkprz

Active Member
hmm. dont know if I would agree that other pet owners are dumb. sure dumb people own pets, dumb people have children too. so should we say all parents are dumb? no there are good and bad parents, pet owners employers emplyees. and so on. a blanket statement like that is just well.... dumb.
 
gliderjohn

gliderjohn

Member
I believe it does take alot more mental effort to keep up a successful tank than it does to raise cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, etc., etc.
This hobby involves a lot of knowledge of science and psysiology to maintain a healthy tank. To be a good aquarist, one needs not only to be able to devote time and energy to learning these things, but a desire to continue to do so.
We have three mastifs. We researched the breeds (we have an English, a Neopolatan, and a bull mastiff) before we got them. We took them to obedience classes, feed them the proper diets, and try to give them the attention they need. Not much more needs to be done with them. (They do give back alot of love!)
We have a cat. We just feed him and give him attention when he needs it.
I wouldn't say other pet owners are dumber, but it takes much more desire, dedication, commitment and willingness to learn and continue learning to be successful in this hobby.
But that's one of the things that makes this hobby interesting. Jeanheckle and I are continuously learning, discovering, experimenting with new things. And to me, that's the joy of this hobby. It doesn't get old.
 
keebler

keebler

Member
A lot of people get pets on impulse. The chances of being able to keep a puppy alive after an impulse buy is almost 100%, but to keep a saltwater pet after an impulse buy is almost 0%, if you don't know what you are doing.
 
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