Annoying things ppl say about your tank

[Jon Fishman]

The common one, not that many people see my tank, is “why don’t you have more fish/are you going to get more fish”


Also the utter “astonishment” at the magnitude of scope and scale of my “huge” fish-tank......... it’s a 75g. haha.

I get pumped like Reebok when I see my porcelain and emerald crabs....... so I totally get where these other people are coming from!


Most of the questions are posed by the friends of my 9 and 11 y/o kids...... and they answer their friends’ questions so I don’t have to.


Edit: I have had more than one conversation with co-workers/acquaintances where they feel the need to tell me how they struggled/worked/crashed a freshwater aquarium and how they heard saltwater was even harder...... I always gently probe them for my own amusement and more often than not, it is “we used these drops” and are fish kept dying, etc. and rarely did changing ANY water ever occur to them. Usually they say something about how they bought an expensive filter when I ask about water changes.

I wouldn’t want to discourage anyone though....... before 2019 I never had a fresh or saltwater tank....... never had a fish-bowl!

Most of the questions people ask me aren’t that dumb...... but most of the time the answer is “I don’t know”

Doing my homework and coming here to ask dumb questions of my own has become a full-time job.

 

[Claire Austin]

What? You mean sea horses are REAL??!?

 

[Mariette]

The ones I get seem to be a common theme, in order;

* Put a big **** shark in there
* How much did it cost
* Can you put goldfish in there
* Do you ever worry about it falling through the floor (not a dumb question, a very valid one in my case)

my brother bless him gave me a pack of freshwater plastic plants for xmas a few years back, they'll look great next to that one (pointing at a dallas acro)

I’m cringing reading your list

 

[joeyamador]

1.When people at the lfs claim outrageous results but have no proof. "Oh I forgot to take a picture"
2.when I get reminded how much time I spend on my tank but my g.f sleeps in till 11 everyday... lol
3. When people find the 1 negative thing to say about your tank. "Oh that's ugly with that scratch"... quit looking at the back.. (diamond goby made a rock collapse and scratched back glass)

 

[Grahamstyle77]

We have a friend that comes over and out of all the fish and coral in the tank her favorite part and literally the only thing she looks for are the asterina starfish. She can't get enough of them and is mad if she can't find any. Tells me I need more of those.

 

[ZipAdeeZoa]

It's really hard to annoy me with questions. It is possible but it takes a lot...

I've been involved with pet stores for 5 years as a volunteer and about 4-5 years as an employee so you have to have really thick skin... especially in the reptile/fish department. Personally the questions that bother me are the ones that are unasked. Someone asking me a question means that they are taking the initiative to learn about something and I always appreciate that.

I can tell you the kind of people that annoy me faster than others are the ones who can't be wrong. they simply aren't willing to entertain the fact that they made a mistake, know less about something than some one half their age or that our understanding of how things should be done constantly changes as science and technology make new breakthroughs.

If you ever think you know enough about something you've admitted defeat. No matter how simple the question, the fact that someones asking it means they understand theres always more to learn and that they are willing to do so. To me that makes it all worth it

 

[Ferrell]

I just don’t have guests. That solves that. My daughter and grandkids love to ask questions look at the corals

 

[luckylepgw]

Running a 55g w no sump. Just canister filter. Upgrading to 110g w sump. Empty for now. Mom sees the sump. Stares at me in bewilderment: don’t you have enough tanks? Why do you need one in a cabinet under another one?!? Bahahahah

Hahaha, sounds like my ol lady...

 

[luckylepgw]

Same when I try to explain why i don't have all the tanks I want...Yeah, my BF of 10 years limits me to one tank and one dog...

My gf of 7 years tried to limit my tanks, i told her she knows where the door is [emoji12] [emoji12] [emoji12]

 

[Whispers]

Where do you put the fish when you clean the tank?

Sand blew away from the front of my tank in to a bare bottom perfect semi circle friends wife says that’s an awesome ice skating rink

Can’t even make this stuff up

 

[luckylepgw]

Love seeing kids get into the tank.

My 2yo loves our tank. Every morning i get to clean his hand and face smudges off the glass[emoji23]

 

[HawaiianReef]

When Im cycling a new tank and people ask, "where's the fish?"
I can't resist answering, "what fish? It's a wet rock aquarium".

 

[Signalhead]

Every time my wife say: Hey bud your amoeba is dying!!!!! No babe I just finish feeding her. And its not an amoeba is an anemone......

 

[xjiang7]

“I only know two ppl keep reef tanks, the other is a millionaire”

 

[Jim Fox]

Are those corals real?
Did you get those corals from the ocean?

My wife's friend asked me "so, which ones are the fake ones..." I said none and she just looked at me like I was lying lol.

 

[Dom]

I used to be one of those people. Through questions like that, my interest in reef keeping took root. And now look at me! LOL

 

[Mariette]

My gf of 7 years tried to limit my tanks, i told her she knows where the door is [emoji12] [emoji12] [emoji12]

We had a beta tank, a qt, and a 55g. My husband suggested we had too many. So we decided to upgrade the 55 to a 110. BAHAHAHA

 

[Mariette]

When Im cycling a new tank and people ask, "where's the fish?"
I can't resist answering, "what fish? It's a wet rock aquarium".

That’s hilarious

 

[Neo Jeo]

Great topic! lol

Are those fake plants?
I want to get a tank also! "they can't even take care of a hamster"
Why don't you have more fish? "I have 16 in a 120g"
You just put salt in it? " I have a sps demanding tank"

Then I show them under the tank. 98% say O NO! I'm not dealing with that!

 

[robmiller2]

My mother in law loves my tail spot blenny, but no matter how many times I tell her its always going to be the "snake fish". lol