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Do you feel bad about returning fish?

5K views 15 replies 14 participants last post by  Kibblemania1414 
#1 ·
I recently started with keeping fish (and then discovered planted tanks which is my main interest now). The problem is I was inpatient and wanted to get started quickly which meant I got some fish I didn't really want in the first place.

As I was new to the hobby my local fish shop recommended me to buy Cherry Barbs. They are sweet and fun to look at but not at all the type of fish I wanted to keep. I also bought 3 Siamese Algae Eaters that now grown quite a lot larger than I thought they would. (I also got 4 Cory's and 4 Oto's which I love)

I'm now thinking about returning the fish to the shop (they don't mind me taking them back to them). With the new tank don't want to rush into buying fish just because I can introduce them quickly, instead I want to let the tank mature and then pick the kind of fish that fits with my new tank, the plants etc.

But I feel bad about returning them, the stress that it will put them under and for them to suddenly be back in a chaotic horrible shop tank.

Do you ever return fish, if you do, do you feel bad about taking them back?
 
#5 ·
I sell or trade fish and plants back to my LFS and it really is up to you as only you know the LFS your dealing with. I have went out of my way to sell through the old LFS without them handling the fish because of the shoddy conditions.
The new owner keeps his tanks clean and doesn't over stock excessively.

I don't think there are many that have not been talked into the wrong fish when first starting out. It's better to return them than lose interest and kill then with neglect which in talking with others who have dabbled in the hobby have ended up doing.

So your just putting them up for re-adoption.
 
#7 ·
I have an LFS that I really like. I have no issues at all returning fish- I did so just a few months ago before I moved (I wanted to reduce the bioloads in my tanks to help reduce the risks of tank crashes due to breakdown/reassembly). I also took back some non-plant-friendly fish when i converted one of my tanks to planted a few years back.

It's not something I do on a regular basis, and I do buy fish with the intent of providing for them through their entire life, but I also take a somewhat pragmatic approach with.

If I had an active local fish club I think swapping/selling fish there would be ideal.
 
#8 ·
I don't really feel all that bad when doing this. That said, I'm far more likely to give them away or trade them than to return them. I've got 9 pepper cats I want to get rid of at the moment (got larger than I expected and they bully the bettas). I'll probably put them up as a ROAK on my local plant forum. If nobody wants them, I'll hit craigslist. If I still have, then it's back to the LFS they go.
 
#14 ·
I've got 9 pepper cats I want to get rid of at the moment (got larger than I expected and they bully the bettas).
As in peppered cories?
Just curious, I've been wanting some, but my 40g isnt quite up and running yet.



But yeah, I had a betta that just wan't working out with the others in my sorority. I felt bad about getting her out of my heated water and back to the chilly store, but I didn't want to ship her around, and wanted to keep the numbers the same, so I traded her in for another female. Still feel inds bad, but I didn't see here last time so hopefully someone with a brain bought her.
 
#10 ·
I do feel pretty bad. Almost cried when i gave my BGK Fish, he was 6 inches or bigger and was eating my smaller fish so i had to donate it to my LFS. Turns out one of the employees there adopted him because it looked really healthy. That made me feel better :p
 
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