Why do people buy fish, with so little knowledge about them?

1. 69

   thebeast02posted 12 years ago

   Why do people buy fish, with so little knowledge about them?
   
   I have been seeing many hubs lately, including my own, about how to educate newcomers to the fish-keeping hobby. I realize we only reach a small audience but it does make you think, why is it that so many people enter this hobby with little to no preparation? Most people wouldn't take in a dog or cat without reading SOMETHING about how to care for them, yet this happens all the time with fish. Why do you think this is?

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2. 63

   Web Gazelleposted 12 years ago

   Many people don't have any idea of what it takes to keep a home aquarium. They see a nice one at a friends house or at a relatives and think that if they have one then it probably isn't too hard. This is especially true with Goldfish and Bettas.
   
   It is sad but it often takes loosing a first fish or group of fish for a person to decide they need to know more about the hobby before keeping fish. Yet even more sad is when losing the first fish or or group of fish turns someone off of the hobby instead of inspiring them to get educated and try again.
   
   I own several websites relating to keeping a home aquarium with the single goal of helping others get educated on what it takes to keep fish as pets. I hope that my websites can help people become better fish keepers and help more people to fully enjoy the hobby.

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3. 0

   Indigitalposted 12 years ago

   Well for starters, I had fish and we clean and fed them, that pretty much kept them alive for quite a while - we then gave them to my grandparents for a few months. These were goldfish though, I don't really think it requires training.
   
   I know my neighbour has a large tank of fish and has took pride in taking care of them, he's also got a parrot and dog with no expert knowledge on the animals. I don't think it takes much knowledge to keep a dog happy, or a cat for that matter.

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4. 69

   thebeast02posted 12 years ago

   In response to Indigital... I think the biggest issue with fish are the water parameters. Most people have no idea about the nitrogen cycle nor doing water changes. These are probably the two most important things, besides general fish compatibility and growth sizes, that someone should know when starting a new aquarium.

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