people go on about size of fish tanks but i have a q?
Posted on Sep 11, 2008 under fish tanks |when u go to fish shops to buy tropical or cold water fish the tanks they have are very small and over crowded and u never know how long they have been in the tanks before u come to buying them.
so does it mean u can keep fish in smaller tanks or do they do it just so they can sell them.
no you cant keep them in smaller tanks my aquatic centre were i buy fish from has a huge filtration system in the back room that supplies over 30 tanks they are just a holding place where there kept until bought the only fish i have seen in bigger tanks at the aquatic shops are the discus and Oscars
March 10th, 2008 at 6:02 am
the tanks in fish stores are just holding tanks. you see dogs in kennels at pounds and rescue shelters, but you wouldn't keep them like that at home!
the tanks in fish stores have very heavy duty filtration meaning each tank effectively gets full water changes every day through a centralised system.
never base the stocking of a home tank on the stocking of a holding tank at a fish store!
References :
March 10th, 2008 at 6:04 am
no you cant keep them in smaller tanks my aquatic centre were i buy fish from has a huge filtration system in the back room that supplies over 30 tanks they are just a holding place where there kept until bought the only fish i have seen in bigger tanks at the aquatic shops are the discus and Oscars
References :
March 10th, 2008 at 6:07 am
They are holding tanks only
References :
March 10th, 2008 at 6:08 am
Well, I would never base my tank on what happens at a store. They are overcrowding the tanks. It is important to remember, though, that the fish are not in there permanently (hopefully). In addition, the fish sold at fish stores are very often juveniles, so they haven't yet reached their full growth, so they could be temporarily housed in a smaller tank (probably not what the store is doing, but smaller than they'd normally need). Try not to overcrowd your tank.
References :
March 10th, 2008 at 6:13 am
I think you can keep a fish in a smaller aquarium if it has decent room to swim, like I love fish but come one it's a fish lol if you clean their environment and keep them happy then I think it's alright , also if the fish grow up knowning nothing other then a small habitat I don't think it would matter if you kept it in a small tank because it wasn't used to anything else.
References :
March 10th, 2008 at 6:23 am
Accually Cat, Lots of folks keep their dogs pinned up 95% of the time. Its not a practic that I do, but it is done and the dogs are healthy.
There are several reason why pet stores get away with over stocking their tanks. As Cat stated filtration plays a big part in it. Also if you notice many stores don't put much in the the way of decor in their tanks. This prohibits fish from making territories so you don't get as much agression. Often large amounts of fish are added to a tank at the same time. This overwhelms the fish which helps to keep them less agressive. But in the long run all of these tanks are under a lot of stress. And they do loose a lot of fish on account of that.
PK
References :
March 10th, 2008 at 6:32 am
I only see those types of tanks at like Petco or PetSmart, neither of which I would buy anything living at!
References :
March 10th, 2008 at 6:39 am
missy d…. you see those in ALL petstores…. there is only so much space available…. supply and demand
References :
March 10th, 2008 at 6:49 am
Most stores that sell fish overcroud their tank. They get away with it because most have very good filter systems and they are there temporarily. That is part of the reason fish are stressed before you even buy the fish.
Some fish are ok in a smaller tank - but not in the numbers at the fish store. Kept there permanantly, the fish would be really stressed & might die prematurely.
The stores are also trying to offer as many fish as possible in the least space possible. The set up makes more money that way.
Some pet stores have a tank set up for display (my favorite local fish store does). There is a big difference between the display tank and the tanks they sell from.
References :
March 10th, 2008 at 8:09 am
fish stores alot of them over stock them. They do it so people have more variety to choose from and they make more money. Some even lie to the customer telling them the wrong ideas as to how many they can aquire for say like a ten gallon tank. But I have been to these pet stores like walmart one being still stuck in my head. Have you seen what horrible death goes on in these places? They over crowd tanks like 5 or 10 gallon tanks with 30 to 40 fish or MORE. I come a few days later and there are so many floating on the bottom and the top and attached to the filter vent its not even funny and none of their clerks care either NOT EVEN THE MANAGER. So I know the ones around where I live but I also know that some over stock on certain breeds they tend to sell alot of. Either way you look at it its not right but they do it to sell more I believe one of the other things is it takes so long for them to be shipped in also. I have noticed that if they are having a hard time with shipping they will order an exessive amount of fish just to last until the next time I think maybe they are afraid of running out and mad customers. Petco being one Walmart I dont think really cares but if you overstock your tank believe me you will have dead or sick fish either way you look at it its not healthy….
References :
March 10th, 2008 at 9:07 am
A lot of aquatics stores buy in bulk, which means they make a saving and make a good profit from the fish they have bought.
This means they get very over stocked tanks, not like the store i use to work in where we had facilities out of the customers eye to hold new fish that had just come in without overcrowding. These fish were treated for journey stress and bacterial infections 3 days at least before thinking about transferring to the shop tanks. If the tanks were too full and beyond the correct capacity them the fish were not put out for sale.We have had a lot more successful problem free sales through this way of working.
Overcrowding is not good for the fish, it is stressful, causes infection to pass from fish to fish and a lot of the time the fish die by the time they get home.
As with any animal you should buy the largest habitat possible for you fish. It is very unhealthy to keep the fish in a goldfish bowl of v'small heated tank as they get stressed a lot more and always end up with illnesses and die. Would you like to be stuck in a 5ft x 5ft room for the rest of your life?? you'd go mental. It's the same for the fish.
References :
aquatics keeper and certifed in aquatics and petcare/store management
March 10th, 2008 at 11:59 am
yes its done to sell both the fish and tanks the rule in a aquarium is 12 square inches of water surface area [not capacity] to every inch of fully grown fish not including the caudal fin
References :
March 10th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
I totally agree with you on this point!
The "expert's" are always telling you not to over-stock you're tank yet the pet stores from which you buy the fish are!
It shouldn't matter if it has extra filtration of water or it's a holding ground until the fish are sold,…they are still cramped in a small space's during this period!
That's why most fish you buy end-up dieing when you get them home and put them in a suitable sized tank with space,..cause they are used to smaller environments and lots of stress in the pet stores!
It just shows they don't really care about the fish's welfare,…just there profit margin's and the sound of there till register ringing!
Totally shameless,…the lot of them!
References :