warning- rant- read at your own risk

[ashleynicole]

This is a rant and I just have to put it out there. I am so sick of people saying they don't have time or can not afford something when they are asking for advice on this forum. If you don't have time to do water changes, or don't have time to do research, then you shouldn't have fish, or any pet for that matter, because taking on the responsibility of caring for a living organism requires dedication, responsibility, and time.

I get it, the economy is rough, we are all on budgets. But before you decide to set up an aquarium, make sure that you know how much it is going to cost and if you can not accommodate that then you have no business taking the lives of these animals in your hands! When I found this 29 gallon on the side of the road, I snatched it up and put it in my garage. Then I did some budgeting and research and decided I what I wanted to spend and made sure that I stayed under that budget. I got my API test kit, Prime, sand substrate, A glass hood, lights, stand, and plants all for around $200 bucks. Yes that is a lot of money for some people, but as I said, I made my budget and I stayed in it. Bottom line, if you can't afford the hobby then save your money, invest it, put it in a savings account or a mutual fund or something, and consider waiting until you can afford to do it the right way.

My final rant is grammar. Come on people, most computers now a days have spell check. It is important that you type as clearly as possible so that the people on here can understand what we are reading and be able to help you. When you don't type full words or use punctuation, it becomes very difficult to understand and it is hard for us to help you. I am not an English major, but effort is what counts here. Type out the full words, use punctuation to the best of your ability, and try to be as clear as possible.

Alright, I am done now, sorry again if I offended anyone, but I was a member of this forum years ago and it seems like people use to respect the opinions of the people on the board and since I have joined again, All I see is people bucking and arguing with any advice they get, complaining that they can't afford proper equipment, and typing in completely incoherent words and sentences.

Have a good night everyone, I hope to stick around and help as many people as possible as long as this post doesn't make any of the moderaters kick me off

 

[epiphysis]

+1 for the spelling. English is by far not my first language, but I make an effort.

And as for not affording certain thing, you can do some diy searching. Found loads of things that cost next to nothing. All it takes are some time and thinking out of the box.

 

[Terrance]

I'm bad because I think people who don't use decent grammar are not very smart.

I love hearing rants!

 

[jwh0818]

++++++1. I definitely agree and as for spelling. If your on the aa app then it comes with the correct way to spell almost everything. My best bet is laziness. I would definitely say, don't ask for advice if your gonna disagree/complain about it.

 

[KatieJ]

I completely agree on both points. It irks me to no end that someone casually looking for a little bit of entertainment would purchase an animal - yes, a living, breathing animal - and treat it as a decoration that can be disposed of in a few months. Goldfish in bowls, bettas in vases... the companies that promote this stuff as well as some fish stores actually sicken me more than the people who rush into this hobby thinking they won't need to do any research or spend a lot of money. The companies/stores sell this stuff to people, deliberately knowing that they're promoting care ignorance at the expense of the animals' well being. It's inhuman.
There are laws out there against deliberately harming animals - why are fish any different?
People - if you're going to delve into a hobby involving chemistry, live animals, and biology, you need to do your research and be prepared to spend more than 30 bucks on a cute little betta 'kit'.


And about the grammar... yeah. H0w tHe [moderator edit] 4r W3 sUpPOseDD 2 n0 wat Ur 4sK1NG 4 H3LP aBOuT 1f y0U k33P t4Lk1Ng Li3K D1sss lolol11!11?????11?1111?\

[SIZE=-1](Cookies if you could actually read that. XDD)[/SIZE]

 

[jwh0818]

And about the grammar... yeah. H0w tHe [moderator edit] 4r W3 sUpPOseDD 2 n0 wat Ur 4sK1NG 4 H3LP aBOuT 1f y0U k33P t4Lk1Ng Li3K D1sss lolol11!11?????11?1111?\

(Cookies if you could actually read that. XDD)

I can read it for the most part

 

[steez]

Your post is totally understandable.

The only argument I would add is that some people are told the completely wrong advice. For example; someone walks into Petco, sees the "Fish Specialist" that recommends an array of fish for a 20g tank, and to wait 24hrs to put them in. WHY would this person who was told by a supposed "specialist" think that they were getting lied to? I understand personal research, but I think people for the most part have had bad information, notice their fish aren't thriving and THEN search for information on the web. (just playing devil's advocate here..)


Anyways... the grammar / spelling thing is SO true. I can't stand reading someones post where it is about 6 sentences without a single period, comma or anything. It's so hard to read and give any sort of advice.

 

[Tigroscr]

Well unfortunately this happens to a lot of animals, I belong to a local animal rescue group and have rescued a lot of unwanted animals whether it be fish,dogs,guinea pigs,chinchillas,rabbits and cats! Luckily most of them I foster until I find good homes. But it's sad to see how many people there are that don't do the proper research before getting an animal and don't realize the upkeep, food, vaccinations, etc can be rather expensive!! If more people out there would do their research there would be a lot less unwanted, neglected mistreated, animals and fish!!!!

 

[xfactor6699]

I would have to agree with this thread for the most part.....but the one problem I have is that some of the people that are on this thread are young. One person that I helped the other day was complaining that they have been trying to get their parents to buy the right things for their tank but wouldn't. We have to remember this is an open blog and we attract all ages and races, not everyone is old enough or even from the U.S. so we have to work together and try and help out who we can. If a person don't want your advice just quit talking to them.

 

[NoMoreGoldFish]

Y U so angry 'bout grammar? ლ(ಠ益ಠ)ლ

 

[ocean]

I would have to agree with this thread for the most part.....but the one problem I have is that some of the people that are on this thread are young. One person that I helped the other day was complaining that they have been trying to get their parents to buy the right things for their tank but wouldn't. We have to remember this is an open blog and we attract all ages and races, not everyone is old enough or even from the U.S. so we have to work together and try and help out who we can. If a person don't want your advice just quit talking to them.

So right! Getting mad or angry at the younger crowd isn't going to keep them in this hobby. Yes some of them still will grossly overstock their tanks, ect. I gave a 10 gal away to a co-workers son because they are short on funds and the kid was thrilled with the tank. He's 10 years old and no's next to nothing about fish keeping. Of course he is going to believe someone from a LFS! I'm sure his first thought is not getting on the computer looking for a site like this. When I and my sibblings were growing up we learned from our parents the caring of a pet, the right way...if a person isn't taught and shown how to care for a pet properly more than likely they won't in later years.

 

[MonsterfishGuy]

Is there a way to put a automatic corrector on the Iphone app??

Because on the Iphone itself, when you are french the corrector is in french to...

I'm in the same oponion for fish but for language, without corrector and on an Iphone with this small keyboard, i understand that sometimes theres some errors!

But for youth that just cut word and put abbreviation i agree!

 

[Ausfish]

So right! Getting mad or angry at the younger crowd isn't going to keep them in this hobby. Yes some of them still will grossly overstock their tanks, ect. I gave a 10 gal away to a co-workers son because they are short on funds and the kid was thrilled with the tank. He's 10 years old and no's next to nothing about fish keeping. Of course he is going to believe someone from a LFS! I'm sure his first thought is not getting on the computer looking for a site like this. When I and my sibblings were growing up we learned from our parents the caring of a pet, the right way...if a person isn't taught and shown how to care for a pet properly more than likely they won't in later years.

You're talking about minors and they have parents for a reason. It's the same as getting your daughter/son a pony or dog for Christmas that then either lives in the garage or is abandoned by February.
Anyone that treats animals like things should be considered a criminal and treated as such and in a kid's case that's the parents that are liable, as bad as it sounds!

I mean come on, I take a 900 page book to the lfs every time I go there...

 

[MonsterfishGuy]

You're talking about minors and they have parents for a reason. It's the same as getting your daughter/son a pony or dog for Christmas that then either lives in the garage or is abandoned by February.
Anyone that treats animals like things should be considered a criminal and treated as such and in a kid's case that's the parents that are liable, as bad as it sounds!

I mean come on, I take a 900 page book to the lfs every time I go there...

Oh yeah!!!

100% with that!!

Animals did'nt choose anything so if you cannot do the right thing for them don't adopt any!!!!

 

[chagoi]

I have had fish for over 40 years. Yes my spelling and punctuation are bad. Sorry some have been offended by it. BYE

 

[jmpgop]

I guess I really haven't seen the grammar problems you guys are speaking of.

Is that really the issue?

People come here because they have discovered that they don't know what they are doing and they want help, but sometimes there is a lot of confusion. OR they came here and then discovered that they may have a problem and they want help.

And also, there is never just one answer to every problem. That is obvious.

I was one of those people who was clueless about cycling a tank before putting fish in it. I didn't get the info of plopping the fish in after 24 hours of running from a young kid at a big box chain, but a reputable independent fish store that has been in business for 30+ years.

That is even more concerning. (and actually the young girl at our local big box is more educated than this guy who has been in biz for 30 years - she's been very helpful...)

Being that I own holistic pet boutiques and am quite focused on knowing and understanding how to handle and feed dogs and cats properly - and educating regarding proper (mammal) pet care, I was inclined to trust another independent pet store w/o question. I came here to share my interest in my new pets (fish) with others and discovered that *holy cow*, I never realized that my tanks would require this much care. IMHO almost as much care as my kitties and dogs do! And anyone I asked personally who has tanks, didn't know what I have discovered here either. I have friends and family who have tanks and no one told me about the *cycle*, or about the cleaning, or about the sensitivities of certain fish, or that some are more dirty than others - and this fish needs this kind of environment that is specific to its needs... etc.

And also too, I have 6 books now on aquariums. There is conflicting information from book to book on fish, tank set up, cleaning, etc. It can be confusing to the new fish keeper as well as to the experienced.

AND there is conflicting information on this site from many people.

I am figuring that something tweaked the thread starter off over a period of time to encourage the rant.

Regardless, some people were (are) just clueless when coming here. If they are coming here for help, they are trying to do something to make their tank(s) better.

Help them or not - they are here for a reason and that IS to help their fish.

That is how I look at my customers. They're trying. Regardless of their means or ability, they're trying to do the best they can with what they have.

Janelle

PS - I did spell check. Should be good.

 

[LyndaB]

ashleynicole, great post.

I don't really have anything to add to it. You hit my personal faves.

 

[ocean]

What happened to being tolerant and repectful of your peers....no matter what their age is? I'm not going to add fuel to the fire but everyone needs to lighten up!! I happen to like AA and it's been very helpful, but now having seconds thought about it.

 

[ashleynicole]

ashleynicole, great post.

I don't really have anything to add to it. You hit my personal faves.

ROFL, I really started something here. I will have to read the rest of the responses when I get home, but it is nice to know that I am not alone in these thoughts. I think this is a good thread to vent those feelings.

 

[Johny]

I have to agree with jmpgop... We come here (online) looking for help and find a lot of opinions and a lot of angry people.

I also started out rather clueless when I got my first tank, and I DID do research before getting it. My wife and I do research before any major purchase. We found lots and lots of information online that supported the idea that keeping fish is easy, cheap and nearly maintenance free. Then we got the fish. Tank looked good when we brought it home (we bought a used established tank from a local classifieds ad). We continued to do research, and stumbled upon forums. I have never been treated so badly in my life as I was by the first fish forum I joined.

Not too long after we got the tank, and found the forum, my wife had a couple medical emergencies. We are students and live on a fixed budget. The medical emergencies drained all we had left, and we had to live off charity for three months till the next set of student loans. During that time I was told multiple times what a horrible person I was for not owning a proper test kit. I personally find the idea that I should place the well being of my fish over that of my wife offensive and ridiculous. And yes I let those people know what my situation was. They didn't care.

I also find it funny that each online forum/community has their personal favorite equipment or setup that is "the only way to go". I appreciate seeing people who ask the question "why?". Certainly if you are going to ask a question, you should have an open mind and listen to the answer. We should just make sure that when we answer we don't expect people to follow our advice blindly. Give people reasons they can relate to and understand and they will be a lot more likely to follow the advice given.

I am sure this has been as much of a ramble as anything. I probably shouldn't be typing this early in the morning (didn't sleep much last night). I agree that people have a personal responsibility for the animals they keep, and that they should be ready and willing to take care of them. I also think we need to keep things in perspective.