Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: If you are easily offended by sheer honesty, or you think me having my own opinions is "being negative", then this is not the place for you, and I suggest you leave and head elsewhere. I call a spade a spade, and I don't sugarcoat anything.

Sunday, May 13, 2018

Fish Species I Love But Will Never Own Again

Just like birds, I've never seen a fish I didn't love. I've had many species over the years since I began this hobby in 1985. My goal in fact is to have owned every species of small tropical fish at least once before I pass. It's an item on my bucket list. But there are some species I've owned before, and decided I will never own again, even now that I am getting another aquarium going. They are usually for reasons that I am not compatible with that species, or they are too aggressive for a community tank. Anyway, here are some species of fish that I do love, but will never own again.


Goldfish (Carassius auratus)
This is the ultimate children's pet. But I've always had nothing but bad luck with goldfish. Even if I take great care of the water, proper feedings, water changes, and all that good stuff, I've never been able to keep a goldfish for longer than 2 weeks. Later, I found out the reason, they need a tank of at least 40 gallons. They don't last long in those little fish bowls.


Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare)
These are simply gorgeous relatives of cichlids. I have owned a couple of angelfish way back in my early days of fishkeeping. But they are also quite aggressive. They nip the fins of other smaller fish, and even will eat small fish. Since I prefer smaller fish over bigger fish, I'd get rid of the angelfish before I would get rid of my tetras.


Pygmy Pea Puffer (Carinotetraodon travancoricus)
These are the smallest of the puffer fish. I absolutely adore them, ever since I first saw them in 2005. But don't let their small size fool you into thinking they are peaceful fish. They are no bigger than your thumbnail, but they are monsters! I had some back in 2006, and they completely stripped one of my serpae tetras of his fins! I had to put the poor tetra to sleep and move the puffers out of my community tank.


Tiger Barb (Puntius tetrazona)
These are gorgeous barbs, with some nice colors. I owned some back in my early days of fishkeeping. They are not very large, but like the puffers, they are fin-nippers. They need to be kept in schools, much like tetras. But they also need large tanks. Even then, I wouldn't trust them with small tetras.


Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus)
Loaches are basically bottom-feeders and not aggressive. Clown loaches are the biggest of the loaches and also among the most colorful. However, I would never keep one again simply because of their sheer size. If you plan to keep one of these guys, it's best to keep them in a 75-gallon or larger.

Well, those are all I can think of now. I might add more later on. I just can't think of anymore fish that I would never own that I haven't had before. When it comes to animals, I don't really like saying "never". Because my taste in animals changes like every year I've noticed. Especially now that I am getting older.

No comments: