What's the worst advice you received as a beginner?

[cory gang]

"Oh! For your betta, I would recommend this 0.5 gallon aquarium." A Petco employee once told me that, I ended up just buying a 10 gallon of Craigslist. Nice tank, I filled it to the brim with plants and my betta is doing great. (I purchased my betta from a reputable betta breeder in my area, I was just testing their knowledge.) :)

[ange]

It's possible to keep bettas in smaller tanks, but getting the stable parameters, heating/filtration properly done, and having enough stimulation is tricky. It's like trying to keep a Great Dane in an apartment.

[Dean’s Fishroom]

The baby 3" fire eel will do fine in my tank of several hundred neon tetras.


Well it did do just fine, 2 months later it was a 6" fire eel and there weren't any neon tetras left.....  😔

[pedrofisk]

Mine is very typical and too common which is bettas don't need filtration. Mine still did ok due to the consonant water changes I did but still. Wish I had a better story.

[AJE]

4 hours ago, Dean’s Fishroom said:

The baby 3" fire eel will do fine in my tank of several hundred neon tetras.


Well it did do just fine, 2 months later it was a 6" fire eel and there weren't any neon tetras left.....  😔

I mean, they were right. He did fine when he was 3''

 

[ADMWNDSR83]

I was told at a pet shop that no longer exists that a dime-sized marbled superveil angel would be a perfect addition to my dorm room in college... in a three gallon tank.  About 9-12 months later, when the bottom fin dragged on the gravel and the top fin was always out of the water, "Reggie" was donated to the science department, where they had a massive empty tank.

[Streetwise]

I can't believe the things I got away with as a youth with well water. I would sometimes do 100% water changes on my tanks with plastic plants, rinse my filters with hot water, plus all sorts of stuff with under gravel filters. If there had have been any chlorine or chloramine in my water, I probably wouldn't be in the hobby today.

This was pre-web, and I didn't have any books or magazines.

I can't remember any tips from those days of Madonna and GnR, but I was good at DIY carbon replacement for undergravel filters. 😉

Edited September 24, 2020 by Streetwise

[AJE]

2 hours ago, ADMWNDSR83 said:

I was told at a pet shop that no longer exists that a dime-sized marbled superveil angel would be a perfect addition to my dorm room in college... in a three gallon tank.  About 9-12 months later, when the bottom fin dragged on the gravel and the top fin was always out of the water, "Reggie" was donated to the science department, where they had a massive empty tank.

Was the top fin dry?

 

[Casey]

When I was a kid, my dad would tell us to empty our tanks and clean with soap and water all the decorations, gravel, and the tank.  I remember always going to pet smart to buy more fish.  I now know why...  (I have since educated my dad)

[ADMWNDSR83]

18 minutes ago, AJE said:

Was the top fin dry?

 

That was long ago, I'm not sure.

[SarayParay]

"Don't worry. Just put it in a bowl and feed it. It won't die." When we got our first betta fish and I asked how to take care of a fish. LOL Glad I went to YouTube. 

[Kat_Rigel]

3 hours ago, Casey said:

When I was a kid, my dad would tell us to empty our tanks and clean with soap and water all the decorations, gravel, and the tank.  I remember always going to pet smart to buy more fish.  I now know why...  (I have since educated my dad)

Same! But we never went and got more fish. I think my dad was tired of taking care of the tank... One big cleaning like this and all the fish were dead indeed!

[Kyle Knox]

That there’s no meds for hole in the head and that my only hope was to try beneficial bacteria for salt water and I bought it (it stunk up my room) it didn’t work, thought my last fish of 8+ years was dyeing he made it almost 2 years like that then I got my first smart phone(and access to the internet) a bunch of research later I learned all about the suspected cause but not how to cure it found some aquarium co-op videos bought the general cure and now it’s not spreading anymore and actually healed a decent amount (after having it that long I know it’s not gonna heal all the way) and his colors have been brighter than I’ve seen in a long time now we’re on 12+ years and counting and I’ve developed multi tank syndrome but in the end it’s all good

Edited September 24, 2020 by Kyle Knox
*stunk not sunk

[Zachary Brown]

Probably the worst advice i ever got was when i first got into the hobby and i was keeping 2 pea puffers. At the time, i wasn't the smartest but i will say i have learned my lesson. I asked a store employee what you could feed these guys and he gave me a container of cichlid gold. Probably my favortite food to feed my fish now, but not the best thing for pea pufferes.

[Kris]

Bettas can live in teeny tiny tanks.

[Rikostan]

On 9/21/2020 at 10:17 PM, Ken Burke said:

Fish only grow to fit the tank

Yup, that was mine too. It was the early 70s though, so while it's not an excuse, it was at least a little more understandable.

[Ken Burke]

3 hours ago, Rikostan said:

Yup, that was mine too. It was the early 70s though, so while it's not an excuse, it was at least a little more understandable.

70s, 80s, again in the 90s.  Heard it again not long ago🤨

[genuine_red]

You can put ANY fish in a community aquarium. Even one of each kind you want. Several suddenly missing fish, a few carcasses, and an African Butterfly fish that apparently launched itself from the topless tank and was found two weeks later flat and crispy under an area rug.

[Sliceofnature]

When i was a kid we had a common pleco that i just knew as a sucker fish. I was told that they just ate algae so i never fed him for years in a 20 gallon tank... He used to eat my snails by sucking them right out of the shell, now i know its because the poor thing was starving.

[Jeff]

You can cycle your tank with live fish.

[ADMWNDSR83]

3 hours ago, Ken Burke said:

70s, 80s, again in the 90s.  Heard it again not long ago🤨

My dad said those very words last weekend when I was explaining why I wasn't getting oscars for my 37 gallon!

[Ben Ellison]

Yes you can but you have to be careful a d very vigilant 

[Ben Ellison]

1 hour ago, igot2gats said:

You can cycle your tank with live fish.

Yes you can but you have to be careful and very vigilant 

[FriendlyLoach]

I have been told that betas don't need heaters

. 

[Casual aquatics]

5 hours ago, igot2gats said:

You can cycle your tank with live fish.

I’m guessing you ment to say can’t cause you definitely can cycle tank with fish lol