Fish that should come with WARNING stickers

[theotheragentm]

That is a huge Gourami.

I saw Clown Loaches at PetSmart and the sign said they get to 7" long. I immediately told the salesperson that this was incorrect and that it needed to be corrected and people need to be warned. I'd post the pictures I have of the sign, but my computer took a dive and I can't offload the pictures yet.

 

[Hyrules]

Clown Loaches are very hard to keep alive from my experience. They are very sensible to changes. this should be a warning sticker on the aquarium. Dont buy me if you are still cycling or just cycled an aquarium or you are a total noob to the domain.

 

[theotheragentm]

Clown Loaches are very hard to keep alive from my experience. They are very sensible to changes. this should be a warning sticker on the aquarium. Dont buy me if you are still cycling or just cycled an aquarium or you are a total noob to the domain.

Unfortunately, people don't like to be told what to do. Also, there is always that rare case, where a fish is kept without filtering, and the fish lives. Then they say, "My friend kept a fish without needing to do all that stuff." I agree though. All fish stores should be required to hand out a pamphlet.

 

[coldmachineUK]

All fish stores should be required to hand out a pamphlet.

Then in that case all customers should be required to buy a book about fish first.
It's as broad as it's long: customers should quit placing the blame for an ill-educated purchase on the store. They're both equally culpable and equally responsible. I'll be the first to criticise LFS and the general lack of knowledge I've experienced first-hand in some, but I hate seeing all this 'LFS bashing' when it boils down to people failing to read up about the responsibilities of owning a pet whether it's aquatic or not.

 

[hc8719]

All fish stores should be required to hand out a pamphlet.

Then in that case all customers should be required to buy a book about fish first.

while we fantasize about fish laws, buying a book doesnt mean they have to read it, why not put them through a fish keeping lecture, so they have to learn.

its like PETA and KFC, people hear what goes on to chickens at KFC, but they dont stop because "but the chickens just taste so darn good" or the more likely response "its just a chicken"

fish laws, sadly wont be pasted, unless they actually hurt people or enviroments (fw rays). when 10 non-aquarist see a full grown arrowana in a 55 gallon aquarium, 5 think "the tanks bigger than a fish", and think nothing of the fact that it would be like locked in a closet. the other 5 say "so what? its just a fish"

 

[mobiusnu]

I never said that NO fish should be in a 30 gal. We are all entitled to our opinions. You have yours and I have mine.

But some opinions actually are better than others. Never forget that. We're not talking about preferences in this case. It's an empirical question at hand.

 

[hc8719]

I never said that NO fish should be in a 30 gal. We are all entitled to our opinions. You have yours and I have mine.

But some opinions actually are better than others. Never forget that.

but this "better" opinion is only as good as any one person gives it value for

 

[Blazeherd2306]

I see a lot of Managuense cichlids sold at my LFS store as Jaguar cichlids, and I definitely think customers should be warned of them. They are arguably the most aggressive fish in the aquarium trade and they get very big too.

Beautiful, but extremely nasty-tempered.

 

[Reefmonkey]

Lake Malawi Cichlids- 55 gal MINIMUM. They are not suitable for small tanks even if you follow the 1" per gal guideline.

Really this isn't true. With fish like oscars, knifefish, pacus, etc. there's no way it can be denied that these fish are too large for smaller tanks, but to say that all Lake Malawi species, of which there are hundreds, are unsuitable for anything smaller than a 55G is really a blanket statement and untrue.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com has many experts there and provides articles and 'cookie cutters' for smaller tank sizes down to 20G or so. We're not talking 10G acceptability for most Malawi cichlids, and it'd be great if everyone kept fish in large spacious tanks but to say '55G minimum' will misdirect and misguide people who may be looking at keeping them.

Here is a great link to a tank-of-the-month which is 30G and holds 16 Pseudotropheus Saulosi: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/tanks/displaytank.php?style=1&tank=2205
I myself have successfully kept this fish in a group size of 7 with 1 syno multipunctatus, 2 syno petricola and 1 BN gold marble plec in a 36G, and I am not alone in this experience. There are other fish, such as yellow labs - a great fish for people starting out keeping Malawi mbuna - which also do not need a '55G minimum'.

Here are species profiles for Lake Malawi:

Mbuna
Haps
Peacocks

I agree. Successfully kept Africans in a 20 gal for years, just had to pick the species carefully, and lightly stock.

Have had a 55 for the last 3-4 years, and I'll admit it is better.

 

[Reefmonkey]

I'm not for a ban on fish, but think certain fish, a LFS should ask about your tank before selling to you. Some fish I have seen too often sold to beginners with 10 gallon setups:

F8 Puffers (mean and need brackish)
Plecos
Bumblebee gobies (hard to feed)
Chinese algae eaters

 

[jbarr]

You know, isn't the UK banning big fish? It's an article in AFM I think... Why haven't I read that?

 

[Burks]

You know, isn't the UK banning big fish? It's an article in AFM I think... Why haven't I read that?

It's a pretty good article. I enjoyed reading it.

There have been some really good suggestions of fish not for the "newby" fish keeper here.

 

[coldmachineUK]

UK as in United Kingdom? Not heard anything on a ban being implemented here. No mention on the BBC News website (or archives), nor in Practical Fishkeeping (probably our biggest mag over here).
I found mention of this: http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=1067
But other than that, it doesnt look like a ban is being imposed at all. Don't know where AFM got their info, but if you've got a link then I'd love to take a look.

 

[Kohan Bros.]

ok...
snakeheads are illegal in the us but... most species stay in a range small enough for tanks that arnt huge. all the immatuity happens is when oriental markets use to sell snakeheads as food for there asian costomer( its considered good luck to eat them) and they couldnt sell them so theyd throw them in ponds and theyd still be living. can live for a very long time if kept damp. please to not blame irresonsible fishkeepers for any problems with snakeheads getting big or getting banned because that was not the hobbyest fault.
someone mentioned jags as a fish that need a warning label. if u want a broad label dont mix various specious of sa cichilds in small tanks. they can do plenty well in a 75 for a long time. i started with a breading pair of 3iners and 2years later only had to use a divder once after a spawn and theyve been together for over 3yrs still not even close to the 10in mark
fw rays arent going endagered because of over harvasting for aquariums there habitat is destroyed everyday. so yes there are laws against there exportation on some species in specific areas.
pirahna give me a break. sure u cant put them with other fish but thats why most of the immature hobbyest would buy one. p's can be kept in 55 a shoal of 3 comforably. and besides the fact that most hobbyest dont know the fish and will buy pacu instead of a piranha which is even worse thing and causeing a lot of problems with the laws of states that have banned the fish.
rember its yours and your only job to educate yourself about the fish. and most people that buy apleco for a 10would do it even if the guy told him not to why because he wants the fish and the store owner wants a sale. the kid could probly see the large 10in ones in other tanks and falled to see the connection. just my thoughts but if you think warning labels are needed for fish and especially some of the fish you mentioned and why im sry but you need to learn more about the fish.

 

[Blazeherd2306]

I said Jags should have warning labels because do you honestly think that a first time fishkeeper is going to keep one in a 75 gallon? No, they buy them because they are "cool".

Thus, they should have warning labels that state, "Jaguar Cichlids are extremely aggressive, grow very large, and should have their own tanks."

 

[coldmachineUK]

The onus is on the customer, not the store as I keep saying. Provided the fish are correctly labelled then it's up to the person buying them to think and act responsibly. I wouldn't buy a pedigree cat or dog without knowing what it's requirements would be, and people shouldn't do the same with fish either. People should stop expecting everyone else to do the hard work for them in life.

The OATA puts out this poster:
http://www.ornamentalfish.org/common/acrobat/impulse poster.pdf

I think it sums up the message fairly well.

 

[Burks]

That's true Coldmachine but often the workers give horrible advice.

An example being I was at Petsmart looking to pick up a few Otos. A couple was there asking about the Bala Sharks. The employee responded "They'll be fine in a 10g for at least five years". They promptly bought three of them.

In that example it's both the workers and customers fault. One for giving wrong information and the other for not researching the fish (and actually believing anything said at Petsmart).

 

[coldmachineUK]

That's true Coldmachine but often the workers give horrible advice.

An example being I was at Petsmart looking to pick up a few Otos. A couple was there asking about the Bala Sharks. The employee responded "They'll be fine in a 10g for at least five years". They promptly bought three of them.

In that example it's both the workers and customers fault. One for giving wrong information and the other for not researching the fish (and actually believing anything said at Petsmart).

Oh, for sure absolutely. I used to be at the mercy of intentionally misleading advice before I had the Internet, so I understand what that's like.
The customer should research and ask questions before (impulse) buying, and the LFS then becomes responsible for ensuring any questions are answered correctly. It's only then that the LFS becomes culpable in my opinion. And the worst advice is bad advice. Employees should just say "actually, I'm not sure but I tell you what, I will find out for you" or "I don't know personally but I can tell you where to look to find out" etc.
At the same time, I also firmly believe that LFS should not be stocking things (plants, livestock or equipment) if they don't know anything about it.
Under these circumstances, for certain, the LFS is responsible.
My point about buying responsibly (i.e. the onus being on the customer) is in response to the argument "well, no-one told me otherwise".

 

[travis74]

As much as I agree with the ideals posted, more responsibility from both consumer and retailer, I also believe the unfortunate truth from my pov is that these mistakes/misinformation drive this hobby tho most likely not intentionaly. When mistakes are made we have to spend more money fixing them. How many of us rightly or wrongly just jumped into this hobby? How did we learn? By taking the iniative and finding the information when we needed it. Kudos to those who plan/research their tanks ahead of time, but sadly they are not the economic force behind the hobby.

I think it has already been stated, but BGK should come with big flashing sign...

 

[jbarr]

What's so bad about BGKs? Besides their size and electrical brain-waves or what have you. Wait, how big do BGKs get?