Hardest fish you've kept

[HausMaus]

For me its been guppies. Never lasted more than a couple if months. I have four fry, hoping they are the strongest for growing up in my little ecosystem.


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[brennae]

How much larger are the gold fish in compairson to the other fish? Lots of fish will canablize on smaller fish if the size differental is great.

I'd like to hear more about the dificulties of hillstreams they require a lot of water movement? Would they eat for you?

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[LayzorBeams]

Any fish from petco. They all die in qt. Not sure if this counts

Some Petco stores are crap to their animals (putting that very nicely) and dont know anything.

However, my local Petco actually has decent stock. They quarantine fish sometimes, and take out dead ones right away... They give decent advice as well, although it usually is stuff i already know.

But yeah, apparently you got unlucky with your major chain stores.


If money cant buy happiness, that why do I need a job? I mean, I should be getting these fish free, since I don't have to pay for happy...

 

[big b]

Yeah I meant any fish from MY petco. Some petcos are VERY good, but I unfortunately got a bad one :/.

 

[schpanky]

I saw something on youtube a while back about German Blue Rams. The guy said that the problem is the breeding farms they come from (it's all about bad breeding?). Anyone know about this?

 

[gemach7]

I saw something on youtube a while back about German Blue Rams. The guy said that the problem is the breeding farms they come from (it's all about bad breeding?). Anyone know about this?

Most of the GBR's in the trade are from breeding lines started in Thailand or shipped from there. These have very little genetic diversity and conditions they are bred in lead to high mortality rates. Also not unheard of for them to dye them as well leading to further health issues. Definitely a fish I would only get from a well reviewed breeder.


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[gemach7]

I'd like to hear more about the dificulties of hillstreams they require a lot of water movement? Would they eat for you?

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Are for the first few weeks but after that stopped. Was a cycled tank with power heads for added current. I did not have a TDS meter at the time, so this could have been my downfall here in trying to replicate their environment.


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[brennae]

Are for the first few weeks but after that stopped. Was a cycled tank with power heads for added current. I did not have a TDS meter at the time, so this could have been my downfall here in trying to replicate their environment.


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I'm glad I read this before I bothered to research them myself. I thought of setting up a tank for them at one time but it sounds like they would not be the right fish for me at all. Thanks for sharing

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[coralbandit]

I saw something on youtube a while back about German Blue Rams. The guy said that the problem is the breeding farms they come from (it's all about bad breeding?). Anyone know about this?

I know a little?
At this point in time many are holding to bad breeding and and poor lines being the culprit?
I tend to really believe GBR do BEST in a species only tank or one where they are dominant.
My first rams came from the Netherlands,
I mixed into them fish from Yunite(very respected breeder on west coast) after my first year breeding.
I am now on year 2+ of breeding GBR and YESTERDAY received new stock from an excellent source in Kansas!

Most of the GBR's in the trade are from breeding lines started in Thailand or shipped from there. These have very little genetic diversity and conditions they are bred in lead to high mortality rates. Also not unheard of for them to dye them as well leading to further health issues. Definitely a fish I would only get from a well reviewed breeder.


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Only time will tell if a well reviewed breeder really has the stuff!
I have no complaints on my 10 I got from yunite last year,but also can't say they are still with me as I keep several pairs in dorms together and move pairs around a lot.
I hope all I have sold are fine and long before I offered one GBR on this site my LFS said that they received not one complaint from customers who purchased my fish.
Does that mean they lasted longer then others??
I know one member here who lost one pretty quickly for what ever reason IMO.
It is a very fragile fish fish IMO.
I know how to keep a tank and fish going on minimal effort and can't help but feel these guys would still be first to go with any issue?

 

[PoppaRyno]

discus babies.... Definately the toughest thing ive encountered. Talk abt if ya look at it funny it starts to die. I swear.

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[LayzorBeams]

They are fragile fish but they aren't always...

Ive been very lucky, i had a male and female that i just... had, i guess, for awhile. There was an issue with the 75 in which the large Oscar had to go into the 29 where the Rams where. I moved them without acclimation to a 10 gallon that had a colder temp, by like 8 degrees. It wasn't optimal but i had to do it. Then they stayed a few nights in a 5 gallon bucket with nothing but a piece of pipe and an airstone. Then they were re-acclimated to the 29, and were fine. Then, when i brought them to the LfS, the guy just dropped them in the slightly warmer tank without acclimating, and i saw them there again a week later.

So yeah, i believe it is that mist of them don't come from solid genetics. I think i got lucky and had two that were tough. But i know that its not a normal trait for them...

Same with Discus though, lots of people say that a few decades ago they were tough as nails and now they are fragile... Thats what happens when a few companies but money over quality i guess...


If money cant buy happiness, that why do I need a job? I mean, I should be getting these fish free, since I don't have to pay for happy...

 

[Gillie]

I know how to keep a tank and fish going on minimal effort and can't help but feel these guys would still be first to go with any issue?

And therein lies the secret. I noticed a whole lot of people worry way too much about their parameters that they actually do more harm than good trying to correct half a ppm here and there. It was pounded into my head at an early age that consistency is key, and if I start doing this or that when it is unnecessary, then I'm causing undue stress which opens the door for illness and possible fish loss. My routine is pretty much just feed and water change(weekly), which is less stress all around and I have more time to enjoy the hobby instead of fretting over some unknown factor that may not even be there. Heck my test kit(used once) expired and I don't plan on buying another.

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[LayzorBeams]

And therein lies the secret. I noticed a whole lot of people worry way too much about their parameters that they actually do more harm than good trying to correct half a ppm here and there. It was pounded into my head at an early age that consistency is key, and if I start doing this or that when it is unnecessary, then I'm causing undue stress which opens the door for illness and possible fish loss. My routine is pretty much just feed and water change(weekly), which is less stress all around and I have more time to enjoy the hobby instead of fretting over some unknown factor that may not even be there. Heck my test kit(used once) expired and I don't plan on buying another.

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Huh. I like your approach better... I worry a bit more than i would like but less than others...

And I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who doesn't use a test-lit too often. I do occasionally but only for Nitrates and PH when I'm adding expensive fish.




If money cant buy happiness, that why do I need a job? I mean, I should be getting these fish free, since I don't have to pay for happy...

 

[Gillie]

Huh. I like your approach better... I worry a bit more than i would like but less than others...

And I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who doesn't use a test-lit too often. I do occasionally but only for Nitrates and PH when I'm adding expensive fish.




If money cant buy happiness, that why do I need a job? I mean, I should be getting these fish free, since I don't have to pay for happy...

If your acclimation game is on point, there's no need to worry about ph, which is moot anyway tds is where it's at and as far as nitrates go, when in doubt change it out.

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[LayzorBeams]

If your acclimation game is on point, there's no need to worry about ph, which is moot anyway tds is where it's at and as far as nitrates go, when in doubt change it out.

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Yep. Thats my usual process... But if im dropping half of a tenth of a grand on a fish, which is basically the mist i will be spending for awhile, i try to make sure i get it spot on... My LFS have garbage return policies!


If money cant buy happiness, that why do I need a job? I mean, I should be getting these fish free, since I don't have to pay for happy...

 

[Gillie]

Yep. Thats my usual process... But if im dropping half of a tenth of a grand on a fish, which is basically the mist i will be spending for awhile, i try to make sure i get it spot on... My LFS have garbage return policies!


If money cant buy happiness, that why do I need a job? I mean, I should be getting these fish free, since I don't have to pay for happy...

I can see the point in that case then, I have a couple stores here that are way too confident in their stock and offer minimum guarantee.

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[LayzorBeams]

Mine offer 2 days. And i cant have any other dish in the tank capable of killing them.

So anything in the 75 is not able to be returned if it died. And same with my Endlers


If money cant buy happiness, that why do I need a job? I mean, I should be getting these fish free, since I don't have to pay for happy...

 

[Dallascowboys16]

I rarely test as well. Actually almost never. I check nitrates every now and then to make sure my sensitive fish will be ok and that their are in the target range for my plants but other than that I don't test. Its over rated and a 10 gallon water change every week does the job for me.

 

[LayzorBeams]

I rarely test as well. Actually almost never. I check nitrates every now and then to make sure my sensitive fish will be ok and that their are in the target range for my plants but other than that I don't test. Its over rated and a 10 gallon water change every week does the job for me.

Most of my fish are pretty solid, Texas can live in temps of 62-82 and pretty much any PH that isn't extreme, and they aren't super prone to diseases based off of non-high-quality water either.

And yeah, WC are enough.


If money cant buy happiness, that why do I need a job? I mean, I should be getting these fish free, since I don't have to pay for happy...

 

[RedDevil83]

Texas are pretty tough

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