So what are the biggest mistakes you’ve made in the hobby?
I’ve made numerous, to be honest, lol.
My first major mistake was buying an 8-inch iridescent shark for my 125-gallon pool pond. It didn’t eat, and after doing some research, I found out they need to be kept in groups. My idiocy knew no bounds, as I went ahead and purchased three more. My sharks were happy, eating, and swimming around just as I had hoped.
However, like all hobbyists, I felt the urge to add more fish. I increased my stock to a total of 11, including 4 silver dollars (SDs), 4 iridescent sharks (ID sharks), 1 oscar, 1 zebra tilapia, and 1 Raphael catfish.
Fast forward, I began to suffer losses. I came here asking for help, sharing my miserable story and problems, just to drown out the regret I felt.
Moving on, I set up a larger inflatable pool pond on my rooftop, happily placing my fish in it. I thought everything was going perfectly until one night, I found my fish all frozen in the water. Temperature—dang, I hadn’t thought about it! I quickly brought them inside, and thankfully, some survived.
After more thinking, I concluded that a bigger pond would solve my difficulties. I bought a 1,700-gallon pool, set it up, and put my fish in again. To make things worse, I asked for further stocking suggestions here and added a pacu and more fish to it.
Soon, the water turned green, and ammonia levels rose, highlighting my most stupid mistake—neglecting filtration.
Another “genius” idea popped into my head: an aquarium! I went to the LFS, bought the largest tank I could afford—a 45-gallon—and brought it home. I dumped all my stock into it, about 15 fish, including my pacu and ID sharks. Then, the inevitable happened: I lost my fish.
I couldn’t figure out what went wrong. My fish paid the price for my stupid, stupid mistakes, and I lost four SDs, one Buttikoferi cichlid, and one ID shark.
With that bioload gone, the remaining pacu, two ID sharks, and one Raphael catfish managed to survive. About four months later, the pacu grew huge, knocking against the tank walls and stopped eating. I then posted another thread, pretending to be my cousin, asking whether pacus could break a tank, just to avoid getting flamed by other members.
Once you guys told me it was most definitely NOT FINE, I set up my 1,700-gallon pond again and put the fish back in. I added an RTC, a snakehead, and a bichir. Soon after, the temperatures dropped, and I lost the RTC and the bichir. I was stressed, sad, worried, and frustrated.
At last, I thought through my problems and got a 500-gallon kiddie pool, the largest I could fit inside my room. This setup has been running for more than six months without any issues—no temperature, space, or filtration problems. Well, the space will be a problem in the near future when I eventually have to give away my RTC and maybe even the pacu.
So, this was the story of my most idiotic mistakes—actually, almost the entire history of my fishkeeping journey. However, since last year, I’ve matured, taking each step carefully and doing research before making decisions.
Still, I can’t forget my horrible past. I’m keen to hear about other members’ mistakes, so hopefully, I can drown out the terrible feeling I have about killing all those fish, a feeling that haunts me every night
EDIT: Just saw how long my ranting was lol
I’ve made numerous, to be honest, lol.
My first major mistake was buying an 8-inch iridescent shark for my 125-gallon pool pond. It didn’t eat, and after doing some research, I found out they need to be kept in groups. My idiocy knew no bounds, as I went ahead and purchased three more. My sharks were happy, eating, and swimming around just as I had hoped.
However, like all hobbyists, I felt the urge to add more fish. I increased my stock to a total of 11, including 4 silver dollars (SDs), 4 iridescent sharks (ID sharks), 1 oscar, 1 zebra tilapia, and 1 Raphael catfish.
Fast forward, I began to suffer losses. I came here asking for help, sharing my miserable story and problems, just to drown out the regret I felt.
Moving on, I set up a larger inflatable pool pond on my rooftop, happily placing my fish in it. I thought everything was going perfectly until one night, I found my fish all frozen in the water. Temperature—dang, I hadn’t thought about it! I quickly brought them inside, and thankfully, some survived.
After more thinking, I concluded that a bigger pond would solve my difficulties. I bought a 1,700-gallon pool, set it up, and put my fish in again. To make things worse, I asked for further stocking suggestions here and added a pacu and more fish to it.
Soon, the water turned green, and ammonia levels rose, highlighting my most stupid mistake—neglecting filtration.
Another “genius” idea popped into my head: an aquarium! I went to the LFS, bought the largest tank I could afford—a 45-gallon—and brought it home. I dumped all my stock into it, about 15 fish, including my pacu and ID sharks. Then, the inevitable happened: I lost my fish.
I couldn’t figure out what went wrong. My fish paid the price for my stupid, stupid mistakes, and I lost four SDs, one Buttikoferi cichlid, and one ID shark.
With that bioload gone, the remaining pacu, two ID sharks, and one Raphael catfish managed to survive. About four months later, the pacu grew huge, knocking against the tank walls and stopped eating. I then posted another thread, pretending to be my cousin, asking whether pacus could break a tank, just to avoid getting flamed by other members.
Once you guys told me it was most definitely NOT FINE, I set up my 1,700-gallon pond again and put the fish back in. I added an RTC, a snakehead, and a bichir. Soon after, the temperatures dropped, and I lost the RTC and the bichir. I was stressed, sad, worried, and frustrated.
At last, I thought through my problems and got a 500-gallon kiddie pool, the largest I could fit inside my room. This setup has been running for more than six months without any issues—no temperature, space, or filtration problems. Well, the space will be a problem in the near future when I eventually have to give away my RTC and maybe even the pacu.
So, this was the story of my most idiotic mistakes—actually, almost the entire history of my fishkeeping journey. However, since last year, I’ve matured, taking each step carefully and doing research before making decisions.
Still, I can’t forget my horrible past. I’m keen to hear about other members’ mistakes, so hopefully, I can drown out the terrible feeling I have about killing all those fish, a feeling that haunts me every night
EDIT: Just saw how long my ranting was lol
