Urban legends...

[Raggamuffin]

Just curious how many of these you have busted that your friends or family bring up when they look at your tank. I have busted a couple and they are:

Giant clams we keep in our tanks produce baseball sized pearls.

That one almost had me on the floor but had to explain to them (after composing myself enough to speak) that the only place that happens is in cartoons.


Clown fish HAVE TO have an anemone.

This one is a pain in the rear end thanks to a certain movie we all know of...


All our fish come from the sea where they are taken from thier homes and trapped in ours.

Took a bit of convincing on my part but I only have 1 critter in my tank that has not been born and raised in captivity.... nothing else in there has ever seen the ocean!




Ok your turn! got any stories?

 

[Reef keeper]

I got asked one time if corals require salt water.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Since I run mainly fish-free reef tanks at school, I often get asked why I have nothing live in my aquariums.

Think that leads to some good discussion/learning?

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

I got asked if the rock outside is alive and of the dead skeletons can come to life again.

 

[FaviaFreak]

can I keep Nemo in a fishbowl? :squigglemouth:

 

[Gitsoe]

i was asked if I have to add soil to the grass(gsp)? haha

 

[-Logzor]

I was once asked if corals had legs.

 

[secretreefer]

oh: After a uncle sits in front of my tank for 10 mins i get asked........"so is this freshwater or saltwater and where did you get those plastic corals from?" DOH!@!!!!!!!

 

[Tabasco1]

I think my biggest pet (pun intended) peeve is when people say ... "yeah, fish only grow to the size of the aquarium they are kept in" :neutral:

 

[Raggamuffin]

Good one Tabasco1!!! I had completly forgotten that one, I have NO IDEA how many times I have talked a person out of a fish purchase at my LFS. There are 2 guys down there that will tell the customer the truth and refuse to sell them fish/corals that they are not ready for or don't have the right set up for. The other 8 that work the fish section on the other hand have no clue and sell whatever to whoever. I have gotten dirty looks from them before but the manager knows me lol he is one of the 2 good guys.

 

[bct15]

All anemone stings are painful. I've been asked several times how do I treat myself if stung by one of my anemones?

All sea urchins spines are like bee stingers and venomous. Again, when I had a pin cushion urchin, I was asked how do I move it and deal with the stings. I even had one person claim that the bristles in my hand after moving some rock was actually from my urchin not from some hidden worms.

 

[returnofsid]

All anemone stings are painful. I've been asked several times how do I treat myself if stung by one of my anemones?

All sea urchins spines are like bee stingers and venomous. Again, when I had a pin cushion urchin, I was asked how do I move it and deal with the stings. I even had one person claim that the bristles in my hand after moving some rock was actually from my urchin not from some hidden worms.

Did you explain that you urinate on yourself, when stung by an anemone LOL? It actually does work, but you'll get some funny looks, especially if you try to shake someone's hand, afterwards. Then you can go on to explain that this is the TRUE reason for the Buddy System, when SCUBA diving. It's in case one or the other gets stung, by a jelly fish, in an area they're unable to urinate on themselves on...lol.