It's Not Fair

[Hidr 4,961]

My boss/friend has a 50 gallon tank for the past couple years. It started out with five goldfish. Yesterday she had three still. She rarely if ever does water changes. Does not even have any prime or anything like that. She just tops off and feeds a couple times a week.

She wanted a BN pleco so I ordered some. (She paid and I get to keep some of them.) But don't want to put them into her tank till I took some test and they are bigger.

Sure enough Nitrates are off the chart. Over 200 at the very least. All I did was top the tank off. Cause the water was so so low. About 18 gallons was added. Didn't even bother with the rest of the test it is my kits and just know it is all off since that one is so bad.

An entire goldfish went missing. Nothing anywhere. Nothing on the floor nothing in the tank just gone. She saw it last night but this morning it was gone.

I still did a small water change today. Didn't bother to test but well in the morning. Planning anouther water change for Thrusday.

Is it mean I don't want to get stuck doing water changes on this tank. She has one common and one fantail left. She would be better of with a tropical tank. She use to have mollies, guppies and stuff (before she moved) in a 30 gallon she had running for years and also little to no water changes. They kept her with plenty of fish by having babies.

How is even one fish still alive in that poison?

Wander if I should offer to take them? Or just leave them were they are and after I get the tank straight do a water change every couple weeks? I just don't want to be roped into taking care of yet anouther tank. And if something else goes wrong, she well I am sure, claim it is cause of the water changes. But when I take her a BN no way it can live in that since it is not use to bad water. But she did pay for them so I have to take her at least one. She did want to wait till they can be sexed that well be 8 to 9 months from now. So who knows.... Guess I well worry about that when I get there.

But really how does a fish live in that? They are healthy except for the one that went missing last night. (BTW no lid so I think it jumped.)

Not large fish but large enough that they are not stunted.

[Cynders 0]

This sounds exactly like my dad's tropical tank. He does the same exact thing, it really isn't fair. I guess they just slowly got used to the poison, fresh clean water would probably put the poor things into shock

I would maybe take them and then find a home for them elsewhere if you can find a pond. It's just really sad when that happens.

[Iheartfishies1172 0]

Try to entice her into the excitement of picking out a bunch of new fish for a tropical tank?

Maybe fish that are a little more low maintenance than goldies?

Offer to take the goldfish off her hands so she can move on to the new fish and be the hero?

Short of fishnapping, it may be the only way to avoid setting a precedent that winds up with your butt cleaning HER tank.

And oh yes, people do blame problems on the water changes! Granted, fresh water is probably a shock to the system, but the damage was done long before you came to the rescue!

This is why I don't talk to my friends about my fish very often. I get feed back like "I've got a couple of goldies and some kois in my 20 gallon tank!" and I'm left there, between a rock in a hard place. The anxiety I get over the situation is palpable! I could chew out everyone around me or save some fish.

It's so hard to find a happy medium, isn't it?

Whatever you do, I wish you the best of luck.

Edited August 10, 2010 by Iheartfishies1172

[CatfishSoup 11]

uugh i hate it when people have big tanks and then cant maintain it. worst thing is, some people might go from a bowl, to t a massive tank...UGH

[johann_pond 39]

It has always amazed me how some tanks are just so neglected and yet the poor fish survive. Can you imagine how much the would strive in a well maintained tank!!

[togojeff 0]

I have an aunt who has a 20 gallon tank with 30...yes 30!!! goldies and a chinese algae eater living in it.

I've told here several times that it's against all the rules but she just scoffs at me.

She also rarely does water changes.

Thing is she has had this tank for about 7 months and hasn't lost a fish. Go figure

Edited August 13, 2010 by togojeff

[kukana d 57]

I have an aunt who has a 20 gallon tank with 30...yes 30!!! goldies and a chinese algae eater living in it.

I've told here several times that it's against all the rules but she just scoffs at me.

She also rarely does water changes.

Thing is she has had this tank for about 7 months and hasn't lost a fish. Go figure

I cannot imagine any fish species would possibly be able to survive that,much less goldfish

[Hidr 4,961]

Well doing anouther water change today. I just can't stand it. So once I get it straighted out then maybe once a month? Since she rarely feeds them I think that may work.

Oh and btw she must have a worm hole in that tank. The missing fish showed up. I turned everything upside down looking for that fish. She got out her spot light and looked for that fish. Around 9 oclock that night it was just there. lol

[shellbell4ever 1,381]

I have a girlfriend who still lives back in pa who claims her 10 goldfish in her 10 gallon are all doing just fine :0 I have shown her pic's of my babies and how big the get and to no avail she swears hers are just fine I can only imagine as she has no pic's up???wonder why??and always avoids the subject

[Hidr 4,961]

It just seems so wrong. I work and work to keep my tanks up. She does nothing and her fish live. However I bet if she tried to add a fish it would die in no time cause it won't be use to living in poison.