drewzero1 Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 When things are hard to find, need to be ordered online, or just plain unavailable. I've spent a lot of time and effort going around to local stores trying to find the fish, plants, and snails I'd like to keep. A lot of times I've just had to wait and see if they ever get something in because shipping has seemed like too much of a hassle, especially with live animals and plants. Also, nothing can ever stay the same very long. A few months ago I was very happy with my main tank, but since then some plants grew more and other plants died back, I lost some favorite fish and snails, and I ended up doing a heavy cleaning and trimming. Now it looks too sparse, but it won't stay like that for long either. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeD Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 It's really the stores for me. The local chain stores have improved a bit, but they are what they are. The nearest LFS to me is decent, I like them, the fish are healthy, but they mark things up and so far they won't take any fish for trade. The next nearest LFS is considered the top LFS in the area, but I have yet to come across an employee who seems cut out for retail at all. I believe the last time I was in there I finally met the owner, and that was refreshing. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sumplkrum Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 (edited) On 3/29/2022 at 2:05 PM, Karen B. said: Let’s just all vent and share what upsets us or bothers us the most in this hobby. The implied need to have so much stuff and added cost. I remember growing goldfish in a garden pond when we were kids. They would freeze over in winter and come back to life in spring. We barely ever fed them because they ate all the bugs and stuff in the garden. There was almost no care and we had a colony that grew, bred, and lived in a thriving environment. My uncle had killifish colonies that he raised in dark tanks with no air, no water changes, and minimum attention. Watching guys on youtube breeding guppy strains in Thailand in half-cut milk jugs and a puddle of water. Then I look at how much stuff I have now (bins of junk), how much money I spend each month, and laugh. 😅 Edited March 30, 2022 by sumplkrum 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuzzDaddy21 Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 Well crap I shouldn`t go on a rant but when I got back into the hobby last November I looked to YouTube and unfortunately listened to so-called experts. (I didn`t find ACO until after I setup tanks.) I soon realized that that these so-called experts were only concerned about money and nothing else, now I only listen to two people, ACO being the first, I feel Cory as a genuine care of the hobby and giving us the best information and products available for the hobby. (Not just about money.) I hope I have said that right. Not everybody knows everything about this hobby or how to make things work, we are all different and have different styles, what works for one might not work for others. I have seen some great information on this forum, some stuff I do wonder about, but I`m not afraid to try something new. I don't have a lot of tanks and I`m not very good on maintenance but I`m trying to be better. Other than the box stores, there is one local LFS and I try to go there first. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drewzero1 Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 Yeah, I love my LFS and try to support them when I can, but it's hard to justify paying twice as much for some of the hard goods. Getting fish from them is usually an easy choice though, despite costing a dollar or two more per fish than the chain stores. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwcarlson Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 (edited) On 3/29/2022 at 5:50 PM, Ken Burke said: me too! Except the other way around…..I reproduce way too fast for me…. Same here. I bought six adults right before Christmas. It would not surprise me at all to learn that I have 100 or even 200 in the 37 gallon community tank they're in now. They're freaking everywhere. It would be kind of rare to see more than three when I had the six of them in the 10 gallon. Now there's regularly 30+ visible all over the tank doing what they do. Super hard water here, so maybe that's the key? As far as my main frustration, I think it would be the lack of technology entering the market with any reliable options. And what is there is expensive. I was in the hobby as a teen and into my early 20s. And took about 15 years off having a ten gallon every now and again over those years. I guess I expected it to be more different. The fact that there's not some widget that you can dump an ounce of water in and have it spit out your parameters is kind of wild to me. How is there not a reliable pH probe that doesn't cost $300 and take a day to calibrate? But I suppose there's not necessarily a lot of money in that. edit to add: don't get me wrong, there is some better tech now. Lights are SO much better and some of those have lots of fancy features like my Fluval 2.0. But most tech seems to be driven simply to cost more not necessarily make the hobby better or do the job they do better. Filters are a good example of that. Heater tech is also head scratchingly pretty much the same as it was. But I suppose there are some good heat control options now that do a decent job. So maybe the main complaint is the testing/water chemistry front. I envision a system that constantly monitors my water and sends me a text message when my temp drops below some level or when my flow on a filter drops to zero. Edited March 30, 2022 by jwcarlson 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sal Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 1. troubleshooting fish illness, and treating... though I have gotten better with practice. 2. ALGAE. effing ALGAE. I know it's fine most of the time, but it annoys my deep OCD cleaning needs. 3. When my angelfish fight and are dweebs to each other. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siett88 Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 -I'd say people who don't take advice (even after asking for it). "How many angelfish can I have in my 10 gal?" "That's not a suitable fish for that size tank. Here's some alternatives." "I really wanted angels so I got 10. Fix my aggression/disease/overstocking problems!" -Unsolicited advice, as well. "Look at my aquascape I'm very proud of!" "OMG, you have a betta, that is perfectly healthy and loving life, in a 5 gal?!? Upgrade to a 20 gal you monstrous abuser!" 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 On 3/29/2022 at 1:05 PM, Karen B. said: Like a fish suddenly passing out, for no reason…. Like many others have said, this is it for me. I posted here about a month ago about sudden mass losses to my long-established and stable tank... fish and inverts, but EVERY. LAST. TEST. looked fine. To this day, my 20g long still only has 5x neon tetra in it for fear of killing more animal life. It is one thing to suffer a negative outcome due to a mistake that you can identify and learn from, but it feels like a absolute loss when you suffer a "defeat" and learn nothing from it. Lame. On a brighter note, my cherry shrimp tank had babies! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrencher_Scott Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 (edited) On 3/29/2022 at 8:09 PM, modified lung said: Yes. #CaliforniaLivin oh, must be an old house and the others are 2 prongs?? I'm in Ca too but I have lots of 3 prongs. lol Edited March 30, 2022 by Wrencher_Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 On 3/29/2022 at 6:50 PM, modified lung said: The power outlet are always in the worst possible place. 🤣 Home designers and architectural schools should be more aware of our needs! On 3/29/2022 at 2:35 PM, lefty o said: cherry shrimp are the bane of my existance. can keep them alive, have even had some berried, never once a shrimplet. Tell me about it! I have slightly more success, but I’m just barely able to keep a stable population. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 (edited) The things that irk me the most is two things: 1. The standards people (generally non-fish people) have aren't the same for fish as they are for other pets - dogs, cats, birds, etc. These other types of pets are put on substantially higher pedestals. 2. Glass bowls are still legally allowed to be sold in pet stores. Edited March 31, 2022 by Jeff 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 On 3/29/2022 at 2:43 PM, Patrick_G said: In Germany you can buy cycled media at a LFS (as seen on one of Cory’s videos). If we had that option in other countries it would really help beginners! Cory did a video from another country. They had real plants in their tanks at the pet store (in real substrate I believe - don't quote me though :)). It's crazy how far behind we are as a country when it comes to fish. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 On 3/30/2022 at 10:31 AM, Jeff said: Cory did a video from another country. They had real plants in their tanks at the pet store (in real substrate I believe - don't quote me though :)). It's crazy how far behind we are as a country when it comes to fish. I think that’s the same video I’m thinking of. pre cycled media Choose the plant you want in the display then buy it based on the number Fertilizer selection 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen B. Posted March 30, 2022 Author Share Posted March 30, 2022 Oh, another thing! when I fail at what is advised for beginners … LIKE JAVA FERNS!!!! 😡😖 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katherine Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 On 3/30/2022 at 1:02 PM, Karen B. said: when I fail at what is advised for beginners … Me with zebra danios. 🤦 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sumplkrum Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 On 3/30/2022 at 2:02 PM, Karen B. said: Oh, another thing! when I fail at what is advised for beginners … LIKE JAVA FERNS!!!! 😡😖 Do you have other plants? Java Fern is a slow grower. A lot of other plants will make use of the nutrients in the water and outgrow it. I have fairly heavily-planted tanks and Java Fern doesn't do much more than hang-on even though everything else is thriving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SupersoNick95 Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 Waiting a week for 5 shell dwellers from a reputable seller and then having 4 dead on arrival. If I have to pay for the $55 shipping for replacements I’ll probably decline. It’s really frustrating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pedrofisk Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 What bothers me is the dearth of quality locally owned aquarium stores anymore. They still exist of course just not in the quantities they used to. They've gotten driven out of business by the big box stores and by amazon. I can't state any statistics but I think it may also be the fault of the declining popularity of the hobby in the US, at least as a share of the retail market. I live in a huge city and I only know of three really good stores, none of which are close to me at all. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 On 3/30/2022 at 2:34 PM, pedrofisk said: What bothers me is the dearth of quality locally owned aquarium stores anymore. They still exist of course just not in the quantities they used to. They've gotten driven out of business by the big box stores and by amazon. I can't state any statistics but I think it may also be the fault of the declining popularity of the hobby in the US, at least as a share of the retail market. I live in a huge city and I only know of three really good stores, none of which are close to me at all. i have to agree with this. 20-25 years ago id take a saturday or sunday once a month and spend the day hitting 15-20 fish stores. now there are only a few. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 @Patrick_G that's the vid I was talking about. Good minds think alike! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intuos Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 Can only speak for my area of the UK, but that feeling of same old same old when it comes to selection of fish available. Don't get me wrong I know that lfs have to be able to sell them, but would be nice to have a bit more variety. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drewzero1 Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 The time it takes to fill a bucket of water from the tap... feels like forever sometimes! 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Burke Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 @lefty ou wound me. 😭😢😭 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 On 3/30/2022 at 5:26 PM, Ken Burke said: @lefty ou wound me. 😭😢😭 i must admit, best food i ever ate in the service was at Clark air base. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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