Who Gives A Fish Forums

A lot of fish change appearance as they age, some start plain and develop colors, while others are cute when young but lose their charm as they grow. There are those that end up in the wrong hands, like average fish owners who can't handle them, and they probably shouldn't have been bought in the first place. Some species, like common plecos, can get quite large. I have a couple fish I wish I never bought - a pair of flying foxes I picked up without doing my research from the local shop. They were tiny when I got them, but they don't get along, so the smaller one hides most of the time. They started out with some color, but now they're just a dull, muddy color. When they were small, they'd eat a bit of algae, but the bigger one's a pig - he chases everyone away at feeding time and eats until he's stuffed.

What about your fish buying mistakes? Did you end up with fish that were too big, too ugly, or too aggressive?

I had a pretty bad experience with barbs, not that I have anything against them, just that I didn't do my research. I got a couple of rosy barbs and a few tiger barbs, they were really cool and active, but I made the mistake of keeping them with my angelfish in a 65 liter tank. They ended up killing one of my angelfish, which was a real shame.

Cichlids have been a learning experience for me, particularly with their growth in tanks. Rich foods can be a curse - I've seen some misshapen and obese fish that just don't live long. As for fish that become ugly with age or due to poor care, I think of clown loaches. They're prone to outgrowing their tanks and that leads to all sorts of health issues that are just heartbreaking to see.

Honestly, I've been pretty lucky, never had a fish I regret buying. I went through that phase where you just want every fish you see, but what I did regret was not being able to give them the space they needed. I always wanted a bigger aquarium, but parents, spouses, or finances always got in the way. My Oscars and Jack Dempseys had to be rehomed because of it - it's crazy how fast an Oscar can outgrow a 20 high. Luckily, I had someone who wanted them.

Every fish has its own unique charm, and I enjoy watching them all. Well, almost all - piranhas still unnerve me, especially the big ones. I've had piranhas before, but I think I'll leave them alone from now on.

My first fish were piranhas, we had a typical 10-gallon family tank back in the early 70s, but when I set up my own tank, I went straight for the piranhas. I could get little red bellies the size of a dime for a quarter at the local Montgomery Wards store. My first 55-gallon tank ended up with too many big ones - my dad's buddy ran the local boy's ranch and they had a tank that needed a new home, so I inherited 4 or 5, 8-10 inch red belly piranhas. We raised meat birds at the time, so I fed them chicken livers, which no one else wanted.

As I got deeper into fish-keeping, I tried a multi-species piranha tank. I don't recall all the varieties I had, but I do remember a few. I had a Black Piranha, supposedly banned from import due to some bacteria in their teeth that caused gangrene or some such infection. I also had a pair of Wimple Piranhas - mine were more gold-speckled and looked more like angel fish than piranhas. If I recall correctly, the Black Piranha ate the Wimples and ended up killing everyone else in the tank - it was a bad fish.

I've been reading up on piranhas online, and apparently, the Red Belly's are considered more aggressive nowadays. But the Black Piranhas are the real champions when it comes to bite power - more than crocs, killer whales, or sharks.

I've been thinking, it's a blessing we humans don't lose our charm with age, or I'd be in trouble. Thirty years on, my wife might be wondering what she got herself into. Guess I should be on the lookout for a large net and an open bathroom door, just saying.

I had Red Belly Piranha's twice, and both times I ended up with just one left. One would vanish, and the next time I'd find just the head - I guess the remaining one was the alpha. My dad had an aquarium when he was a kid, back in the late 20s to early 30s, and he was always eager to encourage my interest in aquariums. My first tank was a 5-gallon, and I came home from school one day to find it all set up with my guppies already in it. Same with my first 20-high - came home from school and there it was, all set up with my first three piranhas. I fed them beef heart and chicken giblets, and the occasional live goldfish - but I always felt bad about that, and left the room after the first time, couldn't bear to watch. When my dad found out, he gave me a good scolding and told me he better not catch me doing that again.

Another tank disaster was a red breasted piranha, in a small 10-gallon setup back in the 80's. I paired it with what they called Hong Kong eels, which seemed like an oddity even back then. The piranha was about 5 inches long, and the eel, which lived in a skull decoration, was a whopping 14-16 inches. It was an unusual symbiosis - the piranha would eat, and the eel would emerge to clean up the leftovers.

One fateful night, I came home late to find the tank had turned blood red, the eel was gone, and the piranha was bloated. That was enough for me; I think that was my last piranha. I've been back into the hobby for a while now, and I've yet to see Hong Kong eels listed anywhere. They were truly snake-like, with no noticeable dorsal fin - an unusual creature that's left a lasting impression on me.

Got me curious, what was that Hong Kong eel anyway. Spent some time browsing the web, but nothing seems to match under that name. Did stumble upon the Monopterus albus, also known as the Asian swamp eel. But I'm pretty sure the head was different, more like a reed fish if I recall correctly.

I'd say my biggest fishkeeping mistake was rescaping my tank. I had all these buckets and bowls set up and cycled for the fish, but I only had one heater in the main tank. I moved all the fish, added some new ones, fed them, and thought everything was fine. I went to bed feeling pretty proud of how the tank looked. But the next morning, my favorite swordtail was just a husk on the floor, and all my corydoras and harlequin rasboras were dead. I'm guessing it was because I forgot to put the heater in. I was really upset about it, and I was only 12 at the time, so I didn't really know what I was doing.