Want to learn more about how fish stores should be quarantining fish: ruclips.net/video/FZfcbj3066o/видео.html Here is how to buy healthy fish: ruclips.net/video/_iig_6ObP8E/видео.html If you wan more info on some of the fish featured in this video take a look at these species profiles: Betta Care: ruclips.net/video/_st_6B96Tj0/видео.html Angelfish: ruclips.net/video/8WXFfoVs_CQ/видео.html Discus: ruclips.net/video/SR_09RUYq_o/видео.html Rummynose Tetra: ruclips.net/video/uV9eGH9y0PU/видео.html Neon Tetra: ruclips.net/video/FAtiM1gYFus/видео.html Bristlenose Pleco: ruclips.net/video/RRt_tjOKY84/видео.html Guppy: ruclips.net/video/0Lm7p21FJ7I/видео.html Molly: ruclips.net/video/SjnIyxB-mJ8/видео.html Do you want a subscription to the best fish magazine in the world? Check this out! www.amazonasmagazine.com/primetime Our new shirts can be found at: www.primetimeaquatics.com/merch Want to become a Prime Timer and see behind the scenes fish room videos? Consider becoming a member: ruclips.net/channel/UCYVN7EN0ALL6CE4U7NpMUTAjoin For the latest in the fish room check us out on Instagram primetime_aquatics If you want to see all the cool stuff Joanna does with other types of scapes check out her channel! ruclips.net/channel/UCPEZk1MpOTGiBVh6BtWjlRg
Great video Prime, I was expecting yet another obvious common pleco, Oscars, Red Taoil cat fish video. 1. I concur. 2. I concur. 3. I concur. 4.I concur, but would have had higher numbers on travel issues and keeping them alive. 5. Need to be bought 100% from private breeders that are really good. I concur again. 6. I concur, BUT MUCH HIGHER NUMBERS ON ALL! :-D 7. I concur, wilds are easier to keep. They are hardier. 8. I concur, I konow your proble, they breed them in saltwater because it is free from the sea. Then they slowly die, if you are lycky you get fry before all parants die. Always buy them private. 9. I concur and have an answer for you! I have a video about it. Neon Tetra Virus, I have finally found out how to keep them alive. That virus is untreatable. Watch my video if you want to know the truth. 10. I concur with all. Buy them private. Mollys same thing as with guppies.They are breeding them in sea water from the ocean, liver failure and tons of virus in them. Impressive video. Listen to Prime fishlovers, he is right and he is original with a top 10 for once!
I've kept Angels, Guppies, Neons, Rummynose, BN Plecos, Bettas, and Mollies from your list. Agree 100%. I get tired of youtube videos and online forums talking about how easy and hardy these fish are. They are, if you can keep them alive past two months.
Hmmmm , same time as the Nitrogen cycle is just about to move & groove and do it's thing....unless it's interrupted ~~~~ & that's just rude , after all that hard work and effort to make it a success and a few trips back and forth to the fish stores and other questionable places and now look at what is blooming in the world of the impatient Aquarist. THE END
@@stoneysscapes7544 My experience is from adding a few fish to well-cycled tanks, and I test for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates regularly. Please don't assume facts you don't know.
I guess it all depends on experience ive had nothing but success with rummynose tetras having adding them to a few tanks and never had any die from stress or within the first two months when death would be attributed to stress that based on my experiences i would not include them on this list, rummynose tetras and a few cory species are the few fish ive had nothing but good fortunes adding them to tanks and moving them from store to home
Pea puffers kinds uncommon cuz there popular and sell quick and I never had problems with them unless thy get aggressive and kill each other I had thst be4
From my limited experience this list is pretty accurate. I hate losing fish, but it happens. I’m getting better stock now and a better fishkeeper now, but it still happens.
Great video, knowledgeable without an agenda. Some of the other fish tubers are all about click bait, selling products thru thier videos or just drama. Ur just fish content
The thing with bettas and tumors is completely true. Not much you can do in terms of treatment my first koi betta didn’t have them but my current special buy betta does and they are even starting to spread to her body unfortunately. The only thing that’s working for me to keep them in check is by adding seachem stress guard. You can go as far as adding some seachem paraguard but again might not do much.
Definitely Agree about Molly's and Guppies. Both just great and popular fish. Both raised in Brackish water over seas in huge numbers and they simply don't do well state side unless you have pretty hard water. Even then it's a toss up unless you get baby's born in your tank.
Love seeing your fifty lowboy with the mollies. Probably one of my favorite tanks on YT. Great informative video. Although I would specify that discus water parameters are tied directly to where they're being bred now as opposed to always trying to match the low PH soft water of their wild habitat.
I’m getting them from Dan’s fish…bread by folks who keep them in the US and quarantined. They also, which is not scientific look happy. I love a lot of imported fish but hubby and I decided to only buy US tank bred.
Local bred guppies are the best. I also breed mollies and after 3 years I finally have them breeding after all the disease and deaths have died off by just getting a mix of black and marbled and sailfins. By doing this during the 3 year period they adjusted to Chicago water and the weak and disease died off and the mix and strong survived. My local aquarium shop was happy to get my overload because the ones coming in just did not survive for them.
This applies to shrimp as well. I bought 30 from a local guy here in the north suburbs of chicago and didn't lose a single one! I counted at least fifty babies after ~30-40 days. Some came berried.
Great video!! I feel a lot better about myself lol! I couldn’t figure out why I’ve lost some of these guys. I’ll add dwarf gouramis! Always something weird wrong with them!
thank you for this list. I haven't purchased neons in years because I've never had luck with them. And bettas haven't been a good choice for me, either. They will seem perfectly fine for a matter of 5-7 months, and then suddenly, they've expired too. It's too bad, especially about the bettas because I just love those guys! Take care out there in Chicagoland.
Agree with you on the Bettas. Especially that breeders are coming out with some amazing new colors and patterns. It's tough finding and getting a unique color\pattern one and then losing that awesomeness a few weeks or months later.
I am so happy Mollies are on this list. I’ve NEVER been able to keep them alive no matter how perfect the water conditions are. I also didn’t know about the “death wobble”. If I decide to try again, I’ll be watching for that.
Yes, I've had mixed success with mollies even with relatively hard water. When I see the wobble (or "shimmy") I know it's time to change some water, asap.
That is strange, I got my mollies from Petsmart, aside from 1 died, the rest just grew and die HARD! They can even live in a tank with no heater. I only added little salt at the begining, then slowly reduced it with every water change.
I had trouble keeping Ottocinclus allive i learned letting them acclimate longer and having a decent amount of wood/caves pieces in the tank does help em thrive
I love my little otos! I have tons of plants, so that might be why they don’t care to use the caves and hollow logs. They’ll flop right in the shrimp dish and wait for the food to fall on them ❤
I had a bristlenose pleco that lived for over 15 years! It was one of the last fish in the tank. Also had one single neon tetra(was a big one) that lived for 8-9 years. Blew my mind. One problem I had with some black molly was the females being very large and their spine would bend in a weird way? I used to keep fish in the 90's but with work and everything I stopped refreshing my tanks with new fish. Some of them would not make it very long while others would live for years and years. I also had problems with platys but I figured that was because of the water perimeters being off.
Very interesting video, i'm a big angelfish fan, and i've notice with years, a little bit like the bettas, alot of genetic problems. Overbreeding and poor conditions have become a real problem. I've notice alot of random issues popping as they grow. Now i'm extra careful from where i'm getting my fish. Thank you for talking about this matter
Agree especially the bristle nose! I bought a very small BN and only live 4min from my local pet store and it bellied up before I got home…went back and the replacement did the same thing! Third time was a charm but WOW never knew these little ones were so sensitive 😔
So basically, if you have local access to good quality fish, buy from an ethical fish store, hobbyist or club. Otherwise ship from a good quality ethical site, or further about it ( you have to say it in fake NY accent). I have just gotten back inti the hobby because my 18 y/o son wanted to fix up an old 20g we had. Binged this channel, The Secret History Living in your Aquarium and Aq. Co Op. I think we got a really good schooling (pun intended)from you guys. Thanks!!
I have a theory about what weakens baby discus. I believe it is being raised in sterile breeding conditions that weakens them. My fry are bred and raised in tanks with substrate, rocks, plants and mulm - NATURAL. I often observe the parents escorting their young to the driftwood, rocks or plants and their fry pecking at it. I believe that this gut loads the fry with bacteria they need to stay healthy. When we remove this we are taking away their access to vital bacteria's and probably a host of other things that they need or benefit from having access to. I believe this foraging makes them strong - I have NEVER had to worm any of my baby discus or treat them for disease. Have I lost some? yes, a handful, in th first 10 days where the smallest often do perish. Nor have I wormed my adults or had to treat them for disease. They have never shown any signs of worms.
You make amazing and helpful vids! Every time I search up a question about my fish tank and I see your videos I sigh in relief because I know I am in good hands! Thank you!
New to the hobby of just about 3 months. I have a 30 Gallon with Rasboras, Albino corydoras and a Betta and for me it's been those Albino corydoras. Idk why but I'm struggling to keep them alive. I either find them dead and stuck in-between plants or as of recent just found 2 of them just sitting on the bottom in open water dead with no signs of disease etc.
I've never been able to keep rummynose tetras alive. Last time I tried, I bought 12, and 11 of them died within a week. The lone survivor has been living with some candy cane tetras for a year.
Thanks for the help - I took 2 years setting up a 20 long for neon's and in 6 months they were all gone. I've been scared to try again. But with your information I will go slow and try one more time with some tweaking 💘
I kept discus, reef , al kinds of fish. Discus in my experience more difficult than a reef tank. I used to do 75% water changes every other day I had success but maintaince made it so unenjoyable.
i dont seem to have very much luck with corydoras trilineatus. 3 out of 4 of mine have just withered away, gotten a reddish hue and passed. parameters are fine though
*SORRY THIS IS LONG* I'd be interested to see a version of these videos about the most common illnesses. Highlighting the differences between bacterial vs fungal, how some illness lead into others, quarantine sick fish vs TREAT YOUR ENTIRE TANK NOW, medication and water changes, medications to use together and or salt baths treatment, rate of contagious-ness to other fish, and the cling of said disease on tank, survival of disease vs cull and euthanasia. To often I see posts stating BUT ALL THE OTHER FISH ARE FINE, or they think separating the sick fish in a breeder still in the same tank does something, or this fish looks like death so they did a water change. I can't stress enough how much I appreciate these videos and how often i got back to the profile vids. ♥️
I have had terrible luck with store bought guppies. One big box store and two local fish stores. None of them ever do well for me. Surprisingly platies were the same way for me. Bought 7 seemingly very healthy platies, only one made it past two weeks to live long term. No idea why. But I still have the one in my community, doing great.
There’s definitely some fish on here that I never really even thought of but now that you mention them, I completely agree. Like angelfish and rummynose specifically.
Great video! I can't keep a regular neon in my Michigan water to save my soul but Green Neons and the totally unbeatable Black Neons are from the multiverse!!! Thank you for the info!!
My local fish store here in Sweden breed his own Guppies at home and sell them at the store because they where dying in such high numbers when buying them from a breeder. But once he breed them himself in good conditions they where much more hardy fish. Also he says that Guppy are not good nano-tank fish despite being marketed as such. He recommends a minimum 20 gallon (90 Litre) tank for those and a minimum tank length of 80 cm (32"). He also recommends getting a good mixture between males and females because if you get it wrong the "bullies" of the group will cause a lot of stress in the tank. One more fish I would like to add to this list of fish that could be difficult to keep alive is Dwarf Gourami's. I had many of those die on me over the years.
It’s my personal opinion that no fish should be kept in a nano tank. All fish should have room to move. Even my bettas get a minimum of 5 gallons at the very least. I prefer 10.
One of the most important and informative videos fish keepers could watch! Scoring fish against several metrics was a great choice and adds so much important context to understanding and troubleshooting (if possible) the problems fishkeeper inevitably face. Also glad to see the partnership with amazonas, it is a good excuse to finally subscribe!
Thank God you shared this information. Also I am grateful for the workers in the fish stores because they do try to give me the assistance I need. Unfortunately, most of the time I know more about the fishes then they do and I am new to fish keeping. I’ve even helped them caught my own fish. I’ve never seen them quarantine the fishes and I have been present when new fishes came in. I’ve seen them acclimated the fishes to the water then put them in with the other fishes. The acclimation process is also usually done incorrectly. I pray the pet stores start doing things more careful. It will make fish buying less stressful.
I've got a rosetail betta that isn't much of a showstopper to look at with his basic blue & red colors but he's got such a fun, "macho" personality as he "struts" around his tank. He's very peaceful, gentle & curious when anyone sticks their hands in the tank, but his macho greeting dance is a lot of fun. His flaring movements are slow, subtle & intimidating - shark-like - the complete opposite of his macho dance.
From the list: - Angel fish: I suspect that the juveniles are cheap not only because they are easy to breed, but also because, like I’ve seen in my tanks, the juveniles are not easy to keep alive. From my experience, you can’t just get that small white long fin angel, put it in your establish community tank, and all will be well. They will be sensitive to any strong curent, when you do water changes you can't just pour lots of water at once, and if there is any problem in your tank, that little guy/guys will be the first to die. Also, I suspect that the recommendation to get 6 juveniles if you want at least a pair, has more to do with the fact that most would not make it to adulthood, that with just increasing the chances of getting different sexes. Guppy: At this point, I can say that I hate guppies. I lack tanks, so I let them colony breed. I hate calling the individuals with birth defects, I hate the mysterious diseases they get, even though no other fish in the tank have any problems, water parameters are fine, nitrates are zero, rummy nose have their “noses” red, etc. I hate the constant hunt for “fresh blood”, that affect any line you want to keep. So, at this point, I’m waiting for them to die of, and I will not buy another. They breed, but something always happen to the parents, the babies reach maturity, they breed, something happen to them, and so on. I should mention that my water has a PH of 7.4, hardness over 20 dGh, they should be fine, but nope. I’ve heard they do better if some salt is added to their water, but that is not an option for me, as I have corys and a colony of mistery snails. Dispite keeping fish for over 20 years, I guess I’m not experienced enough to keep guppies alive…
Great info, your natural born teaching style comes through in your videos. Prime Time and Small Scape videos should be mandatory when buying certain species at the pet store. Or at least write an 'in-store' buyers guide manual for unknowing families that come in and buy impulsively. Thanks
Thoughts on otocinclus? They seem to have a reputation for being delicate. I've kept them successfully but always tend to lose a few when introducing them to the tank. They seem to be hardy if they survive the first few weeks. I've read this is due to them being wild caught and/or issues with getting them to eat commercial fish food if you don't have enough algae and diatoms in your tank to support them.
I was hesitant to try otos, but after my beloved betta passed from old age, I dared not risk another betta for fear of my shrimp. I got 6 otos, and I lost the “runt” after about a month. The 5 survivors seem to be thriving. Got them from a reputable source, and they were already eating kelp wafers so I bought the same brand for them. Fingers crossed, cuz now I’m in love with them ❤
i’ve kept guppies for a few years and i highly recommend treating them all for internal parasites especially if you notice white stringy poop. also make sure to treat them twice in a row to kill the adults and the eggs that hatch about a week later. the entire process takes at least 2 weeks but you can keep treating for a 3rd week to be extra safe
Ive seen this issue so many times as well. In Canada, no dewormers are even sold in stores, you have to get them online or from a vet. Ive lost so many to worms, they just stop eating, get skinny and die :/ I ended up going and getting local endler guppies. I have some guppy babies that made it, and hoping to breed them to get a healthy line.
The frustrating thing is so many retailers were driven out of business by the big box stores, and high cost of shipping. So unless you live in a large city, your choice is either PetSmart, or Craigslist.
Thank you for doing this video. I have started off with 3 electric blue rams in my 29 gallon (1 male, 2 females). Since I got them in August, at separate times, my females randomly passed away, I have been trying to figure out why. My remaining male seems to be doing fantastic. Temp is stable at 82*, nitrates almost undetectable due to the amount of plants I have. They are on the same diet my reputable LFS uses for theirs. My city water PH sits around 8, I would rather not chase it as I would rather have it stable. That being said, I do have some ember and green neon tetras, red phantom tetras, otocinclus, sterbai cories, espei rasboras and I have had a very high success rate with all of them.
Chasing the pH only applies to when you have a 5-6 pH fish and you have it in, an at max, neutral pH. You cant use the "chasing the pH' excuse if youre that high. Youre not gonna have rams that live past a few months at 8 pH
I agree with a lot of these. I’ve had awful luck with guppies. Small plecos have also been an issue for me, although I have one now that I’ve had for close to a year.
My first betta died after just one week! The first days he did great but after some days he started to lie on the substrate and it looked like he had hard to swim. We tested the water and it was fine. And a week later after the betta died i got a new one that I have had for over an year now.
My redtail is AWESOME . And she is pretty easy to care for . But as you have said , she is happiest alone . We thought "lets get her some company" . We bought 2 Balas put them with her and she quickly ran one to death . We removed the remaining Bala and put it in the community tank and it is fine . Then Sharkisha was back to bieng happy . We put some snails with her for cleanup but otherwise we are just leaving her be .
Otocinclus. Bought 4, lost 3 in the first few weeks. If you don't have soft water, don't bother. As wild caught fish, they struggle to adapt. Also Cardinals. Bought 10, all got ich, got them through that, but 3 died subsequently.
I literally saw one of the fish RUclipsrs in one of the chicago Facebook groups giving a new fish keeper a hard time because she couldn't keep Petco guppies alive. His advice was basically she should buy 50 dollars in medicine or she's a fish abuser. My thought is It should not be on the average person to medicate fish and get them healthy, unless you buy it knowing that you will have to buy meds. This lady wanted to have fun with a healthy fish that she bought for probably 2.50 a piece. She ended up being berated by a RUclipsr and I bet she probably didn't even want to continue after that. I stepped in and tried to explain this to him. It just didn't seem fair to put that on the average customer. ⭐️⭐️⭐️If you sell fish they should be healthy.⭐️⭐️⭐️
I worked at Petland for a few years a long time ago and I had cared for and observed the fish long enough that after my research and talking to my boss I got two Tinfoil Barbs. She told me I would be fine to start them in a 20 gallon since they were so small and that I could size up as they grew or i could take my time with that because they wouldnt outgrow their environment. So these fish really ate everything I offered them including what i didnt which were the live plants in the tank, lol. I loved those fish. They grew to around 4.5 inches. I had gravel and a few little decorations but nothing that took up much space. These 2 fish, both of them, suddenly started acting as if they were trying to jump out of the tank but there was a covered lid on it. They gave no prior signs of affliction. Anyway, they continued to do this so i took the lid off because i didnt want them to hurt themselves and they jumped right out of the tank of course. I put them back in the tank and they continued the behavior with the lid on the tank and they both died. Literal suicide. I still dont understand why this happened and so far no one has been able to tell me other than tank size, which is my assumption. Though they didnt seem too large for their tank, im at a loss otherwise.
IMO one or the biggest problems is buying fish from a brick and morter store that actually does buy good fish and actually keeps them in their store in GREAT water. I've found the stores that have long established tanks and that do proper water changes and that do those water changes with RODI water have the biggest problems with customers complaining about their fish dying shortly after getting them home. Problem is, 99% of casual hobbyists don't themselves use RODI water, they just use regular ole tap water dosed with Prime, Safe or whatever and I'm sure the number is even higher for the amount of people who don't do regular water changes. That being said, the fish are coming home from the actual good quality fish store where they were kept in pristine condition with perfect PH etc etc, to a tank that has parameters WAYYYY off track from what they were used to and die shortly after. Another problem is most people have no clue how to properly acclimate their new fish to their new home. They do the " set the bag in the water until the temps equalize and then just dump the fish in the tank........WRONG!!!!!! Anyway, just my 2 cents on the subject.
This is a great video, on a subject I don't often see addressed, but I was surprised that otocinclus and dwarf gouramis didn't make the list. Otos would probably get a 1 for shipping and dwarf gouramis the same for genetics.
Apistogrammas have been impossible for me to keep alive. I've had cacatuoides (numorous times), borellii (twice), agassizii (few times) and breitbinden (once). The longest I've kept them alive for is about six months I think. All my other fish have been fine, breeding and everything.
A lot of small business fish stores in my area don’t even say hello when you walk in. You can get better service at the gas station. Obviously the prices are higher but I expect better service. Petco in my area always asks questions and the prices are lower
As someone who works in a petstore i tell almost everyone you can do everything right but sometimes guppies just die and i really think it helps ppl stay in the hobby and not loose motivation for fish keeping which can happen if your fish keep dying and you think its your fault, also our angels never make it not even long enough to be sold they always come in sick or super stressed which makes them more susceptible to disease and never ends well for them, in the summer our bettas have a good success rate but as the weather gets colder that goes down
Thank you for this. I got the prettiest Betta about 1.5 months ago, and I’m struggling with him so much. My last one was healthy and happy for the almost 3 year I had him. This one is losing scales around his face, and I’m not sure why. I have a sand bottom, real plants, and a foam filter. The tank is cycled, there’s no rocks or decorations in the tank, it’s just planted. What gives, little buddy?
Thank you for this! In the last year I have purchased bristlenose Pleco x 3, Molly x 6, Neon x 20, angel x 3(about quarter size). Lost 2 Molly, all 3 Pleco within a week, 5 neons, and 2 angels. Couldn't figure out why, not all the same tank. All were quarantined before and the plecos didn't even get out of the quarantine! Also purchased red eye balloon tetra, and a bunch of rasbora, otocinclus, Platy, rosy barb, loaches, tiger barbs, rainbow shark, corydoras, gourami... the list goes on. Agassizzi dwarf cichlid, yeah... only lost those on your list... We have 6 tanks and counting, and we lost just those fish in your list. Weird... I am feeling a little better now. My water is hard and fairly high ph... (8), but amonia & Nitrites are kept at zero, Nitrates are about 5ppm and once there, water change! I get very upset when I lose any, so at least I thank you for this! I want to eventually breed angels and Kribs, maybe even try Oscars in a few years once my babies get bigger, but I won't try if I can't keep a dang Molly alive!
Some of these fish I haven't had, but have heard are difficult to keep. Now I know why. I've had some of the others, and very much agree with your assessment. My water parameters are difficult to deal with: PH 8.2, water hardness that reads way off the scale. My method of buying fish is to buy twice as many as I want to keep. Between water parameters and the sometimes difficulty of quarantine meds, I expect to lose @ 50%. In some ways that's good because I end up with the strongest ones that are most adaptable. Managing to keep some rainbow fish for @ 2 years now, and cardinal tetras and white cloud minnows for @ 1 year. It's taken about 5 years of trial and error to get to this point. I think part of the success is a more mature tank and better water changes. Still learning, still trying to improve. 🙂
When I was a kid, we got most of our fish from Wal Mart, and they were fine. A few years later we bought from a local fish store, and they were EXCELLENT. We kept most of the fish on this list, and they were indestructible! Overbreeding has taken its toll, I think. Very sad
I was having trouble keeping guppies that I got from my local big box pet store. I tried everything & the only thing that worked (to the point that my guppies are overstocked in my tank thanks to guppies being guppies 😉) was bottled water. Regular bottled water (store brand) and then moving on to using live plants in my tank. I've kept guppies off and on since I was a kid & I've never had any breed so well, since I stopped using tap water with dechlorinator in it. 😅
I'm still super new to all this. But I was given some guppy hybrids from a guy when I bought some plants from him. They have been a lot of fun just not very colorful. But I think because he just let them breed however they are a lot healthier than being bred for looks.
I've been lucky apparently with my Betta. He's doing great. Along with two guppies and 2 Molly. I got them all from Petco. They are happy fish and doing great in my community... knock on wood
I mainly keep guppies and love my guppies. Started with all female til one gave birth to 3 females and 1 male. This 1 male led me to build another guppy tank. Tried to get him buddies and every male I bought died even though I had perfect parameters, quarantined, medicated etc. Just couldn't keep them alive. This video w/ the guppy section made me feel less guilty like the deaths were my fault 😔
I'm glad to see mollies on this list as high as they are. I simply can not keep them alive. They get the Death Wobble every time. However, as you eluded to, I have always bought them from the two big box stores.
rummynose and ich , holy cow! had 20 for a month liked the school got 10 more and wiped out , only the rummynose and my 3 mth old clown loaches. nothing else got a small school of rummynose rasboras instead. 55g tank.
I tired mollies many years ago. They always died. My bettas have lasted 2 years. My goldfish lived in a bowl back in the 1990's (didn't know any better) for 3 years. Then I had a goldfish who outgrew his tank in 2018 and went to live in a friend's fish pond. That fish is still alive. I probably bored you to tears with that information. 😂 Have a good day. Gina
This is pretty accurate list. I just lost my black molly after about 6 - 8 months or so. I still have the original porkchop Rasboras, and black skirted tetras and glow light tetras and it's almost been a year. The three mentioned above are some of the hardiest fish I have ever seen. My water parameters are perfect to. I test every week and it's frustrating when I lose fish and everything water wise is fine. Neon Tetras I agree with and Cherry barbs seem to die quick also or get stressed fast. I also think that Severums are very hardy also. They are like tanks and can survive Beginner mistakes. I appreciate this list thank you. Yes I want to keep angels but every time I have boughten them they don't last more than a day or 2. So It has turned me off of them for now. I have a pair of German blue rams in my 55 gal and they seem very healthy and very pretty. I also keep my water right around 80 degrees or around 79 or so. I also have a regular Ram and a EBA and a Golden Severum in the 55 gal as a grow out tank. The later 2 are going to move to my 90 gal with my Green Severum and my Female Jack Dempsey that I rescued from my LFS.
Want to learn more about how fish stores should be quarantining fish: ruclips.net/video/FZfcbj3066o/видео.html
Here is how to buy healthy fish: ruclips.net/video/_iig_6ObP8E/видео.html
If you wan more info on some of the fish featured in this video take a look at these species profiles:
Betta Care: ruclips.net/video/_st_6B96Tj0/видео.html
Angelfish: ruclips.net/video/8WXFfoVs_CQ/видео.html
Discus: ruclips.net/video/SR_09RUYq_o/видео.html
Rummynose Tetra: ruclips.net/video/uV9eGH9y0PU/видео.html
Neon Tetra: ruclips.net/video/FAtiM1gYFus/видео.html
Bristlenose Pleco: ruclips.net/video/RRt_tjOKY84/видео.html
Guppy: ruclips.net/video/0Lm7p21FJ7I/видео.html
Molly: ruclips.net/video/SjnIyxB-mJ8/видео.html
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Great video Prime, I was expecting yet another obvious common pleco, Oscars, Red Taoil cat fish video.
1. I concur.
2. I concur.
3. I concur.
4.I concur, but would have had higher numbers on travel issues and keeping them alive.
5. Need to be bought 100% from private breeders that are really good. I concur again.
6. I concur, BUT MUCH HIGHER NUMBERS ON ALL! :-D
7. I concur, wilds are easier to keep. They are hardier.
8. I concur, I konow your proble, they breed them in saltwater because it is free from the sea. Then they slowly die, if you are lycky you get fry before all parants die. Always buy them private.
9. I concur and have an answer for you! I have a video about it. Neon Tetra Virus, I have finally found out how to keep them alive. That virus is untreatable. Watch my video if you want to know the truth.
10. I concur with all. Buy them private. Mollys same thing as with guppies.They are breeding them in sea water from the ocean, liver failure and tons of virus in them.
Impressive video. Listen to Prime fishlovers, he is right and he is original with a top 10 for once!
20 minutes of background music 🎶 wow!
I've kept Angels, Guppies, Neons, Rummynose, BN Plecos, Bettas, and Mollies from your list. Agree 100%. I get tired of youtube videos and online forums talking about how easy and hardy these fish are. They are, if you can keep them alive past two months.
Hmmmm , same time as the Nitrogen cycle is just about to move & groove and do it's thing....unless it's interrupted ~~~~ & that's just rude , after all that hard work and effort to make it a success and a few trips back and forth to the fish stores and other questionable places and now look at what is blooming in the world of the impatient Aquarist. THE END
@@stoneysscapes7544 Neons are my bane, haven't had any luck with these at all even in well established aquariums.
@@stoneysscapes7544 My experience is from adding a few fish to well-cycled tanks, and I test for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates regularly. Please don't assume facts you don't know.
I guess it all depends on experience ive had nothing but success with rummynose tetras having adding them to a few tanks and never had any die from stress or within the first two months when death would be attributed to stress that based on my experiences i would not include them on this list, rummynose tetras and a few cory species are the few fish ive had nothing but good fortunes adding them to tanks and moving them from store to home
I did originally get 6 neon tetras from petsmart and must have just got lucky. My only problem with them is that they are a-holes.
Now do a top 10 uncommon fish that can be easy to keep alive.
It’s coming 😀
Rosy red minnows, weather loach, rainbow shiners.
Hillstream loach, ropefish
White cloud minnows and black neon Tera in my experience are bulletproof
Pea puffers kinds uncommon cuz there popular and sell quick and I never had problems with them unless thy get aggressive and kill each other I had thst be4
Glad your channel is appreciated. You have the heart of a teacher with no big alternative agenda.
From my limited experience this list is pretty accurate. I hate losing fish, but it happens. I’m getting better stock now and a better fishkeeper now, but it still happens.
YESSS. The list everyone needs to know. I've experienced this with bettas, guppies, and neon tetras.
Great video, knowledgeable without an agenda. Some of the other fish tubers are all about click bait, selling products thru thier videos or just drama. Ur just fish content
The thing with bettas and tumors is completely true. Not much you can do in terms of treatment my first koi betta didn’t have them but my current special buy betta does and they are even starting to spread to her body unfortunately. The only thing that’s working for me to keep them in check is by adding seachem stress guard. You can go as far as adding some seachem paraguard but again might not do much.
Be aware that StressGuard and ParaGuard are NOT to be used together, that a recipe for disaster.
Definitely Agree about Molly's and Guppies. Both just great and popular fish. Both raised in Brackish water over seas in huge numbers and they simply don't do well state side unless you have pretty hard water. Even then it's a toss up unless you get baby's born in your tank.
Love seeing your fifty lowboy with the mollies. Probably one of my favorite tanks on YT. Great informative video. Although I would specify that discus water parameters are tied directly to where they're being bred now as opposed to always trying to match the low PH soft water of their wild habitat.
Thank you!
I’m getting them from Dan’s fish…bread by folks who keep them in the US and quarantined. They also, which is not scientific look happy. I love a lot of imported fish but hubby and I decided to only buy US tank bred.
Local bred guppies are the best. I also breed mollies and after 3 years I finally have them breeding after all the disease and deaths have died off by just getting a mix of black and marbled and sailfins. By doing this during the 3 year period they adjusted to Chicago water and the weak and disease died off and the mix and strong survived. My local aquarium shop was happy to get my overload because the ones coming in just did not survive for them.
This applies to shrimp as well. I bought 30 from a local guy here in the north suburbs of chicago and didn't lose a single one! I counted at least fifty babies after ~30-40 days. Some came berried.
Great video!! I feel a lot better about myself lol! I couldn’t figure out why I’ve lost some of these guys. I’ll add dwarf gouramis! Always something weird wrong with them!
thank you for this list. I haven't purchased neons in years because I've never had luck with them. And bettas haven't been a good choice for me, either. They will seem perfectly fine for a matter of 5-7 months, and then suddenly, they've expired too. It's too bad, especially about the bettas because I just love those guys! Take care out there in Chicagoland.
Agree with you on the Bettas. Especially that breeders are coming out with some amazing new colors and patterns. It's tough finding and getting a unique color\pattern one and then losing that awesomeness a few weeks or months later.
I am so happy Mollies are on this list. I’ve NEVER been able to keep them alive no matter how perfect the water conditions are. I also didn’t know about the “death wobble”. If I decide to try again, I’ll be watching for that.
Yes, I've had mixed success with mollies even with relatively hard water. When I see the wobble (or "shimmy") I know it's time to change some water, asap.
That is strange, I got my mollies from Petsmart, aside from 1 died, the rest just grew and die HARD! They can even live in a tank with no heater. I only added little salt at the begining, then slowly reduced it with every water change.
I had trouble keeping Ottocinclus allive i learned letting them acclimate longer and having a decent amount of wood/caves pieces in the tank does help em thrive
I love my little otos! I have tons of plants, so that might be why they don’t care to use the caves and hollow logs. They’ll flop right in the shrimp dish and wait for the food to fall on them ❤
I had a bristlenose pleco that lived for over 15 years! It was one of the last fish in the tank. Also had one single neon tetra(was a big one) that lived for 8-9 years. Blew my mind. One problem I had with some black molly was the females being very large and their spine would bend in a weird way? I used to keep fish in the 90's but with work and everything I stopped refreshing my tanks with new fish. Some of them would not make it very long while others would live for years and years. I also had problems with platys but I figured that was because of the water perimeters being off.
Very interesting video, i'm a big angelfish fan, and i've notice with years, a little bit like the bettas, alot of genetic problems. Overbreeding and poor conditions have become a real problem. I've notice alot of random issues popping as they grow. Now i'm extra careful from where i'm getting my fish. Thank you for talking about this matter
Agree especially the bristle nose! I bought a very small BN and only live 4min from my local pet store and it bellied up before I got home…went back and the replacement did the same thing! Third time was a charm but WOW never knew these little ones were so sensitive 😔
So basically, if you have local access to good quality fish, buy from an ethical fish store, hobbyist or club. Otherwise ship from a good quality ethical site, or further about it ( you have to say it in fake NY accent).
I have just gotten back inti the hobby because my 18 y/o son wanted to fix up an old 20g we had. Binged this channel, The Secret History Living in your Aquarium and Aq. Co Op. I think we got a really good schooling (pun intended)from you guys. Thanks!!
Yes!
I have a theory about what weakens baby discus. I believe it is being raised in sterile breeding conditions that weakens them. My fry are bred and raised in tanks with substrate, rocks, plants and mulm - NATURAL. I often observe the parents escorting their young to the driftwood, rocks or plants and their fry pecking at it. I believe that this gut loads the fry with bacteria they need to stay healthy. When we remove this we are taking away their access to vital bacteria's and probably a host of other things that they need or benefit from having access to. I believe this foraging makes them strong - I have NEVER had to worm any of my baby discus or treat them for disease. Have I lost some? yes, a handful, in th first 10 days where the smallest often do perish. Nor have I wormed my adults or had to treat them for disease. They have never shown any signs of worms.
You make amazing and helpful vids! Every time I search up a question about my fish tank and I see your videos I sigh in relief because I know I am in good hands! Thank you!
Thank you for being here!
New to the hobby of just about 3 months. I have a 30 Gallon with Rasboras, Albino corydoras and a Betta and for me it's been those Albino corydoras. Idk why but I'm struggling to keep them alive. I either find them dead and stuck in-between plants or as of recent just found 2 of them just sitting on the bottom in open water dead with no signs of disease etc.
I've never been able to keep rummynose tetras alive. Last time I tried, I bought 12, and 11 of them died within a week. The lone survivor has been living with some candy cane tetras for a year.
Thanks for the help - I took 2 years setting up a 20 long for neon's and in 6 months they were all gone. I've been scared to try again. But with your information I will go slow and try one more time with some tweaking 💘
I kept discus, reef , al kinds of fish. Discus in my experience more difficult than a reef tank. I used to do 75% water changes every other day I had success but maintaince made it so unenjoyable.
i dont seem to have very much luck with corydoras trilineatus. 3 out of 4 of mine have just withered away, gotten a reddish hue and passed. parameters are fine though
*SORRY THIS IS LONG*
I'd be interested to see a version of these videos about the most common illnesses. Highlighting the differences between bacterial vs fungal, how some illness lead into others, quarantine sick fish vs TREAT YOUR ENTIRE TANK NOW, medication and water changes, medications to use together and or salt baths treatment, rate of contagious-ness to other fish, and the cling of said disease on tank, survival of disease vs cull and euthanasia.
To often I see posts stating BUT ALL THE OTHER FISH ARE FINE, or they think separating the sick fish in a breeder still in the same tank does something, or this fish looks like death so they did a water change.
I can't stress enough how much I appreciate these videos and how often i got back to the profile vids. ♥️
A very thorough and informative video. Excellent!
I have had terrible luck with store bought guppies. One big box store and two local fish stores. None of them ever do well for me. Surprisingly platies were the same way for me. Bought 7 seemingly very healthy platies, only one made it past two weeks to live long term. No idea why. But I still have the one in my community, doing great.
There’s definitely some fish on here that I never really even thought of but now that you mention them, I completely agree. Like angelfish and rummynose specifically.
Great video! I can't keep a regular neon in my Michigan water to save my soul but Green Neons and the totally unbeatable Black Neons are from the multiverse!!! Thank you for the info!!
My local fish store here in Sweden breed his own Guppies at home and sell them at the store because they where dying in such high numbers when buying them from a breeder. But once he breed them himself in good conditions they where much more hardy fish. Also he says that Guppy are not good nano-tank fish despite being marketed as such. He recommends a minimum 20 gallon (90 Litre) tank for those and a minimum tank length of 80 cm (32"). He also recommends getting a good mixture between males and females because if you get it wrong the "bullies" of the group will cause a lot of stress in the tank. One more fish I would like to add to this list of fish that could be difficult to keep alive is Dwarf Gourami's. I had many of those die on me over the years.
It’s my personal opinion that no fish should be kept in a nano tank. All fish should have room to move. Even my bettas get a minimum of 5 gallons at the very least. I prefer 10.
Good list. You could probably add Dwarf Gouramis.
One of the most important and informative videos fish keepers could watch! Scoring fish against several metrics was a great choice and adds so much important context to understanding and troubleshooting (if possible) the problems fishkeeper inevitably face.
Also glad to see the partnership with amazonas, it is a good excuse to finally subscribe!
Thanks for being here!
Thank God you shared this information. Also I am grateful for the workers in the fish stores because they do try to give me the assistance I need. Unfortunately, most of the time I know more about the fishes then they do and I am new to fish keeping. I’ve even helped them caught my own fish. I’ve never seen them quarantine the fishes and I have been present when new fishes came in. I’ve seen them acclimated the fishes to the water then put them in with the other fishes. The acclimation process is also usually done incorrectly. I pray the pet stores start doing things more careful. It will make fish buying less stressful.
I've got a rosetail betta that isn't much of a showstopper to look at with his basic blue & red colors but he's got such a fun, "macho" personality as he "struts" around his tank.
He's very peaceful, gentle & curious when anyone sticks their hands in the tank, but his macho greeting dance is a lot of fun.
His flaring movements are slow, subtle & intimidating - shark-like - the complete opposite of his macho dance.
From the list:
- Angel fish: I suspect that the juveniles are cheap not only because they are easy to breed, but also because, like I’ve seen in my tanks, the juveniles are not easy to keep alive. From my experience, you can’t just get that small white long fin angel, put it in your establish community tank, and all will be well. They will be sensitive to any strong curent, when you do water changes you can't just pour lots of water at once, and if there is any problem in your tank, that little guy/guys will be the first to die. Also, I suspect that the recommendation to get 6 juveniles if you want at least a pair, has more to do with the fact that most would not make it to adulthood, that with just increasing the chances of getting different sexes.
Guppy: At this point, I can say that I hate guppies. I lack tanks, so I let them colony breed. I hate calling the individuals with birth defects, I hate the mysterious diseases they get, even though no other fish in the tank have any problems, water parameters are fine, nitrates are zero, rummy nose have their “noses” red, etc. I hate the constant hunt for “fresh blood”, that affect any line you want to keep. So, at this point, I’m waiting for them to die of, and I will not buy another. They breed, but something always happen to the parents, the babies reach maturity, they breed, something happen to them, and so on. I should mention that my water has a PH of 7.4, hardness over 20 dGh, they should be fine, but nope. I’ve heard they do better if some salt is added to their water, but that is not an option for me, as I have corys and a colony of mistery snails. Dispite keeping fish for over 20 years, I guess I’m not experienced enough to keep guppies alive…
Definitely no luck with Mollies or tetras for me but my guppies are going strong! I must have some hardy stock !
Great info, your natural born teaching style comes through in your videos. Prime Time and Small Scape videos should be mandatory when buying certain species at the pet store. Or at least write an 'in-store' buyers guide manual for unknowing families that come in and buy impulsively. Thanks
I find Platies and Sword Tails are pretty hardy. We have very hard water and they do ok in it.
Great topic for discussion, and the fish list was spot on!
I’m from the Milwaukee area and have never heard of the Fish Factory. Thank you for showing me a new place to visit with my wife and kids!
Worth a trip!
Thoughts on otocinclus? They seem to have a reputation for being delicate. I've kept them successfully but always tend to lose a few when introducing them to the tank. They seem to be hardy if they survive the first few weeks. I've read this is due to them being wild caught and/or issues with getting them to eat commercial fish food if you don't have enough algae and diatoms in your tank to support them.
Otos can be tough too!
I was hesitant to try otos, but after my beloved betta passed from old age, I dared not risk another betta for fear of my shrimp. I got 6 otos, and I lost the “runt” after about a month. The 5 survivors seem to be thriving. Got them from a reputable source, and they were already eating kelp wafers so I bought the same brand for them. Fingers crossed, cuz now I’m in love with them ❤
Good information,thank you 👍🏻
i’ve kept guppies for a few years and i highly recommend treating them all for internal parasites especially if you notice white stringy poop. also make sure to treat them twice in a row to kill the adults and the eggs that hatch about a week later. the entire process takes at least 2 weeks but you can keep treating for a 3rd week to be extra safe
Ive seen this issue so many times as well. In Canada, no dewormers are even sold in stores, you have to get them online or from a vet. Ive lost so many to worms, they just stop eating, get skinny and die :/ I ended up going and getting local endler guppies. I have some guppy babies that made it, and hoping to breed them to get a healthy line.
Good, informative video! Thanks!
Neon tetras are the only ones I have ever had issues with.
My experience tracks closely with your rankings, especially with guppies and neon tetras.
The frustrating thing is so many retailers were driven out of business by the big box stores, and high cost of shipping. So unless you live in a large city, your choice is either PetSmart, or Craigslist.
Thank you for doing this video. I have started off with 3 electric blue rams in my 29 gallon (1 male, 2 females). Since I got them in August, at separate times, my females randomly passed away, I have been trying to figure out why. My remaining male seems to be doing fantastic. Temp is stable at 82*, nitrates almost undetectable due to the amount of plants I have. They are on the same diet my reputable LFS uses for theirs. My city water PH sits around 8, I would rather not chase it as I would rather have it stable. That being said, I do have some ember and green neon tetras, red phantom tetras, otocinclus, sterbai cories, espei rasboras and I have had a very high success rate with all of them.
Chasing the pH only applies to when you have a 5-6 pH fish and you have it in, an at max, neutral pH. You cant use the "chasing the pH' excuse if youre that high. Youre not gonna have rams that live past a few months at 8 pH
I agree with a lot of these. I’ve had awful luck with guppies. Small plecos have also been an issue for me, although I have one now that I’ve had for close to a year.
My first betta died after just one week!
The first days he did great but after some days he started to lie on the substrate and it looked like he had hard to swim.
We tested the water and it was fine.
And a week later after the betta died i got a new one that I have had for over an year now.
Glad the new one is doing ok!
Thanks
What's up buddy love the vids and the live stream! Keep it up man!!!
My redtail is AWESOME . And she is pretty easy to care for . But as you have said , she is happiest alone . We thought "lets get her some company" . We bought 2 Balas put them with her and she quickly ran one to death . We removed the remaining Bala and put it in the community tank and it is fine . Then Sharkisha was back to bieng happy . We put some snails with her for cleanup but otherwise we are just leaving her be .
The number system confuses me. Though from your comments I gleaned the info you are sharing. I agree with most of what you said. Thanks for sharing.
The lower numbers are worse
Ughhh the electric blue jack 😂😂😂 I tried 3 times smh. They just start melting and falling apart, such a cool fish it’s a bummer
You’re not the only one
Very informative video! Watching from Philippines, one of the reason i keep Tiger barbs they are very hardy and easy to keep. ❤
Thank your for this kind of information. I have some of the issues, mostly bad genetics (Betta, Guppy, Cherry Shrimp).
Especially neons I Iost 90% to neon disease. But the last one is doing great.
Otocinclus. Bought 4, lost 3 in the first few weeks. If you don't have soft water, don't bother. As wild caught fish, they struggle to adapt. Also Cardinals. Bought 10, all got ich, got them through that, but 3 died subsequently.
Just joined as a Member. Great Videos. I've learned a ton.
Thanks for being here!
Guppies were a beginner fish. May be the 1st one. Nowadays they are not, but is still recommended for beginners!!! 😶🙄
Great video! Only other fish I would add to the list would be the dwarf gourami
I literally saw one of the fish RUclipsrs in one of the chicago Facebook groups giving a new fish keeper a hard time because she couldn't keep Petco guppies alive. His advice was basically she should buy 50 dollars in medicine or she's a fish abuser. My thought is It should not be on the average person to medicate fish and get them healthy, unless you buy it knowing that you will have to buy meds. This lady wanted to have fun with a healthy fish that she bought for probably 2.50 a piece. She ended up being berated by a RUclipsr and I bet she probably didn't even want to continue after that. I stepped in and tried to explain this to him. It just didn't seem fair to put that on the average customer.
⭐️⭐️⭐️If you sell fish they should be healthy.⭐️⭐️⭐️
That’s a really sad story.
This really helps because I'm getting a fish soon!☺️😄😃
Have fun!
You too!
I worked at Petland for a few years a long time ago and I had cared for and observed the fish long enough that after my research and talking to my boss I got two Tinfoil Barbs. She told me I would be fine to start them in a 20 gallon since they were so small and that I could size up as they grew or i could take my time with that because they wouldnt outgrow their environment. So these fish really ate everything I offered them including what i didnt which were the live plants in the tank, lol. I loved those fish. They grew to around 4.5 inches. I had gravel and a few little decorations but nothing that took up much space. These 2 fish, both of them, suddenly started acting as if they were trying to jump out of the tank but there was a covered lid on it. They gave no prior signs of affliction. Anyway, they continued to do this so i took the lid off because i didnt want them to hurt themselves and they jumped right out of the tank of course. I put them back in the tank and they continued the behavior with the lid on the tank and they both died. Literal suicide. I still dont understand why this happened and so far no one has been able to tell me other than tank size, which is my assumption. Though they didnt seem too large for their tank, im at a loss otherwise.
Thank you so much for this very very useful information!
IMO one or the biggest problems is buying fish from a brick and morter store that actually does buy good fish and actually keeps them in their store in GREAT water. I've found the stores that have long established tanks and that do proper water changes and that do those water changes with RODI water have the biggest problems with customers complaining about their fish dying shortly after getting them home. Problem is, 99% of casual hobbyists don't themselves use RODI water, they just use regular ole tap water dosed with Prime, Safe or whatever and I'm sure the number is even higher for the amount of people who don't do regular water changes. That being said, the fish are coming home from the actual good quality fish store where they were kept in pristine condition with perfect PH etc etc, to a tank that has parameters WAYYYY off track from what they were used to and die shortly after. Another problem is most people have no clue how to properly acclimate their new fish to their new home. They do the " set the bag in the water until the temps equalize and then just dump the fish in the tank........WRONG!!!!!!
Anyway, just my 2 cents on the subject.
This is a great video, on a subject I don't often see addressed, but I was surprised that otocinclus and dwarf gouramis didn't make the list. Otos would probably get a 1 for shipping and dwarf gouramis the same for genetics.
Otos were close!
Apistogrammas have been impossible for me to keep alive. I've had cacatuoides (numorous times), borellii (twice), agassizii (few times) and breitbinden (once). The longest I've kept them alive for is about six months I think. All my other fish have been fine, breeding and everything.
Those can be tough too
A lot of small business fish stores in my area don’t even say hello when you walk in. You can get better service at the gas station. Obviously the prices are higher but I expect better service. Petco in my area always asks questions and the prices are lower
Great Review. What Floating Plants are in the Guppy Tank?
I usually use hornwort but guppy grass works well too.
Yes the first one and the first comment ❤❤⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️❤❤
As someone who works in a petstore i tell almost everyone you can do everything right but sometimes guppies just die and i really think it helps ppl stay in the hobby and not loose motivation for fish keeping which can happen if your fish keep dying and you think its your fault, also our angels never make it not even long enough to be sold they always come in sick or super stressed which makes them more susceptible to disease and never ends well for them, in the summer our bettas have a good success rate but as the weather gets colder that goes down
Rewatching again. Outstanding overview
Thank you!
Thank you for this. I got the prettiest Betta about 1.5 months ago, and I’m struggling with him so much. My last one was healthy and happy for the almost 3 year I had him.
This one is losing scales around his face, and I’m not sure why. I have a sand bottom, real plants, and a foam filter. The tank is cycled, there’s no rocks or decorations in the tank, it’s just planted.
What gives, little buddy?
Hard to say for sure. Maybe some type of bacterial infection?
Thank you for this! In the last year I have purchased bristlenose Pleco x 3, Molly x 6, Neon x 20, angel x 3(about quarter size). Lost 2 Molly, all 3 Pleco within a week, 5 neons, and 2 angels. Couldn't figure out why, not all the same tank. All were quarantined before and the plecos didn't even get out of the quarantine!
Also purchased red eye balloon tetra, and a bunch of rasbora, otocinclus, Platy, rosy barb, loaches, tiger barbs, rainbow shark, corydoras, gourami... the list goes on. Agassizzi dwarf cichlid, yeah... only lost those on your list...
We have 6 tanks and counting, and we lost just those fish in your list. Weird...
I am feeling a little better now. My water is hard and fairly high ph... (8), but amonia & Nitrites are kept at zero, Nitrates are about 5ppm and once there, water change! I get very upset when I lose any, so at least I thank you for this! I want to eventually breed angels and Kribs, maybe even try Oscars in a few years once my babies get bigger, but I won't try if I can't keep a dang Molly alive!
Some of these fish I haven't had, but have heard are difficult to keep. Now I know why. I've had some of the others, and very much agree with your assessment. My water parameters are difficult to deal with: PH 8.2, water hardness that reads way off the scale. My method of buying fish is to buy twice as many as I want to keep. Between water parameters and the sometimes difficulty of quarantine meds, I expect to lose @ 50%. In some ways that's good because I end up with the strongest ones that are most adaptable. Managing to keep some rainbow fish for @ 2 years now, and cardinal tetras and white cloud minnows for @ 1 year. It's taken about 5 years of trial and error to get to this point. I think part of the success is a more mature tank and better water changes. Still learning, still trying to improve. 🙂
I had my most trouble with the different colored danio. The zebra danio always seems to do fine for me but not the rest of them.
This explains why Petco no longer sells rummy nose or ever has neons
When I was a kid, we got most of our fish from Wal Mart, and they were fine. A few years later we bought from a local fish store, and they were EXCELLENT. We kept most of the fish on this list, and they were indestructible! Overbreeding has taken its toll, I think. Very sad
How about this as a strategy for guppies? As soon as possible, crossbreed them with endler/guppy hybrids to add some hardiness to your stock.
Store bought guppies often don’t make it long enough to breed. I can’t get most of them to survive even a few weeks.
I was having trouble keeping guppies that I got from my local big box pet store. I tried everything & the only thing that worked (to the point that my guppies are overstocked in my tank thanks to guppies being guppies 😉) was bottled water. Regular bottled water (store brand) and then moving on to using live plants in my tank. I've kept guppies off and on since I was a kid & I've never had any breed so well, since I stopped using tap water with dechlorinator in it. 😅
Definitely agree with the molly. I've lost 6 of them and can't figure out why
I'm still super new to all this. But I was given some guppy hybrids from a guy when I bought some plants from him. They have been a lot of fun just not very colorful. But I think because he just let them breed however they are a lot healthier than being bred for looks.
Amazonas mag is the bomb! Thanks 👍.
I've been lucky apparently with my Betta. He's doing great. Along with two guppies and 2 Molly. I got them all from Petco. They are happy fish and doing great in my community... knock on wood
I mainly keep guppies and love my guppies. Started with all female til one gave birth to 3 females and 1 male. This 1 male led me to build another guppy tank. Tried to get him buddies and every male I bought died even though I had perfect parameters, quarantined, medicated etc. Just couldn't keep them alive. This video w/ the guppy section made me feel less guilty like the deaths were my fault 😔
I'm glad to see mollies on this list as high as they are. I simply can not keep them alive. They get the Death Wobble every time. However, as you eluded to, I have always bought them from the two big box stores.
Death wobble is horrible!
Good deal on the subscription, just grabbed mine off the link. Thanks!
Awesome to hear!
rummynose and ich , holy cow! had 20 for a month liked the school got 10 more and wiped out , only the rummynose and my 3 mth old clown loaches. nothing else got a small school of rummynose rasboras instead. 55g tank.
Sorry that happened!
For the tank I’m setting up in the Spring.
Someone said to me the other day, the prettier the fish, the more fragile they are. Seems like an easy way to categorise them. 😉
I've had problems with most of these fish. The biggest problem I found is I wasn't keeping the ph low enough. I won't even buy the blue neon anymore
Well,platys give you 94% of the Mollie/Guppie look and yet are incredibly easy to keep livebearers.
When I saw the topic, I immediately thought “neon tetras”
Yeah I bought 12 neons and less than 12 hours all of them were dead but the cory cats that were quarantine in the same tank thrived
I tired mollies many years ago. They always died. My bettas have lasted 2 years. My goldfish lived in a bowl back in the 1990's (didn't know any better) for 3 years. Then I had a goldfish who outgrew his tank in 2018 and went to live in a friend's fish pond. That fish is still alive. I probably bored you to tears with that information. 😂 Have a good day. Gina
I have very very hard water but surprisingly have never had an issue keeping neon tetras alive
This is pretty accurate list. I just lost my black molly after about 6 - 8 months or so. I still have the original porkchop Rasboras, and black skirted tetras and glow light tetras and it's almost been a year. The three mentioned above are some of the hardiest fish I have ever seen. My water parameters are perfect to. I test every week and it's frustrating when I lose fish and everything water wise is fine. Neon Tetras I agree with and Cherry barbs seem to die quick also or get stressed fast. I also think that Severums are very hardy also. They are like tanks and can survive Beginner mistakes. I appreciate this list thank you. Yes I want to keep angels but every time I have boughten them they don't last more than a day or 2. So It has turned me off of them for now. I have a pair of German blue rams in my 55 gal and they seem very healthy and very pretty. I also keep my water right around 80 degrees or around 79 or so. I also have a regular Ram and a EBA and a Golden Severum in the 55 gal as a grow out tank. The later 2 are going to move to my 90 gal with my Green Severum and my Female Jack Dempsey that I rescued from my LFS.
Sounds like you have everything dialed in. If you try angels again buy them larger. That may help.