Was there ever a time where you were so discouraged that you almost wanted to quit?

[Camogirl28]

The title says it all, was there ever a time you wanted to quite fish keeping because you were discouraged. Also what about making really hard moral discussions like keeping a fish even if it was harassing the whole tank or getting rid of it. I would never quite fish keeping but I have had some very discouraging times this month. So please tell you stories I would love to hear them.

 

[severum mama]

Sure, I think we all have times that we want to quit. Sometimes I think it is a matter of getting overwhelmed for folks like myself that have many tanks, or for folks that are new to the hobby and have trouble getting their first tank established. Many, many people quit when they are new to the hobby. If you stick with it long enough, you will start to see your luck turn around... and once you get your tank/tanks established, it's really quite rewarding.

A quarantine tank can help you to avoid many frustrating situations.

 

[threnjen]

My newly established and stocked 90g system got columnaris which is an absolutely awful and insidious disease. $200 later I have *maybe* brought it under control in the main tank.

Almost all of my favorite fish, my cories, have died. The rest live in a quarantine tank and I can probably never put them back in the main tank (they are the carriers who brought in the disease, so I can never know they will be well). One of them still dies every few days.

While I was treating the 90g I was sure that even after all I invested, all of my new fish were going to die and I just wouldn't be able to keep at it. The first few cories that died, I cried and cried.

We work so hard to make everything perfect and then here comes one infected fish to mess it all up.
I was super discouraged, but I'm bouncing back. Eventually you'll overcome your frustrations and feel good about it again.

I did have to take some fish back that were bullies, but I don't miss them.

 

[BLUEaquarium06]

Hahaha one of my snapping turtles gave me stitches hahaha I hate him but I love him, it was my fault anyway, but i didn't

 

[BLUEaquarium06]

Hahaha one of my snapping turtles gave me stitches hahaha I hate him but I love him, it was my fault anyway, but i didn't

I didn't finish that haha clean his tank for awhile after that.... Until it got really really bad....

 

[Cynic]

When my 155G leaked.

 

[teagybear]

Especially now, just starting a new tank... Being frustrated at just having so many questions and no one right answer..

 

[twiddlemuffin]

When I got a convict, it was killing everything else off quickly and I couldn't figure it out lol

 

[threnjen]

When my 155G leaked.

omg... I would die. What happened? What did you do?

 

[threnjen]

Especially now, just starting a new tank... Being frustrated at just having so many questions and no one right answer..

Have you got a thread? Link me. Or PM me.

 

[bettaowner]

My macropodus ocellaris went on a killing spree and killed my koi angel.

 

[Cynic]

omg... I would die. What happened? What did you do?

Came home to all my fish dead bar one stupidly tough Bristlenose.

Not much I could do but was devastated and still miss my clown loaches and silver dollars

Tank was revealed and is back up
and running though after about 6 months of being out of action

 

[Scottyhorse]

Oh yes. More then a few, too.

 

[Masha]

Totally.
Just yesterday, in fact. I was just feeling all smug that my tank is set up, cycled, and running without any problems for a few months and then I lost my three favourite peppered corys in a week. I have no idea what went wrong, which is the thing that bugs me most. But I think the combination of the tank being new, and me being a beginner just means my fish are more at risk

Hopefully as time goes by I'll get better at this and there will be fewer problems.

 

[Toad]

Columnaris. Wiped all but two fish from my 30g betta sorority plus a few other things in there. Mind you this was my second (failed) attempt at a sorority (first was a mix of disease knocking my stock number out of whack and being too broke to fix them), and all the bettas had been a birthday gift from my boyfriend.

I had a guppy and my diehard BN make it out, the BN is still kicking and that guppy's genes are still kicking in the stock I have now

There was the time I came home to the blizzard of fish food in my tank after vacation, lost the baby fire mouth that took me almost a week to finally find something it would eat and almost all my cories ( had an over zealous uncle feeding them).

The convict that did nothing but literally shove itself in a hole in the driftwood all day, only to come out and murder (but not eat!) the danios I got as dither fish so it would feel safe to come out...

The pictus who killed (but again did not eat!) the guppies I gave it, and who beat the ever lovin crap out of my once gregarious BN. The BN had never been the same since btw. It's been 11 years!!

The platy from hell that persistently tried to eat the eyes off of my ADFs in my one attempt at a 'traditional' tropical fish setup.

So yeah, the sad times happens.

 

[Alan79]

I came home from holidays once to find out that 3 comets 2 zebra Danios, and a black telescope goldfish had all died overnight while i was away. I had saved 3 of them after a yr 12 prank where they placed 4 fish in water jugs on the table where the teachers sat in the dining hall. I had also lost a Siamese fighter that i rescued previously. The 6 fish had been in that tank for about 3-6 years. Sister offered to replace them but i left the tank empty for a few months before restarting with 3 more Comets. 1 of them is still swimming today and gets a bigger tank today or tomorrow.

 

[Delapool]

The fish you lose when you have gotten attached to them and it just goes on while you try to get the tank disease free.

But the good days are just around the corner