# Most Atrocious Stock List



## JerseyGiant88 (Jun 17, 2009)

So i was curious to know what everyone thought was the most atrocious stock list you had ever heard of. i think my first ever group may take the cake but i am interested in hearing of any others.

i first got into the hobby through a "friend" who got me interested in cichlids. since he was working at Petco at the time, i assumed he knew what he was talking about and so i never bothered to do any other resaerch. anyway, he convinced me that the following stock list was ok for my 30 gallon:

2 Jack Dempseys (1 m, 1 f)
3 Metriaclima Callainos (all m)
1 Melanchromis Auratus (m)
2 Oscars
4 Tiger Barbs
2 Bala Sharks
2 Rainbow Sharks

my male JD ate all of the sharks and a bunch of the barbs and my auratus made quick work of the oscars (they were still small juvies) and 2 of the callainos. after seeing the carnage i finally did some research, figured out i was way overcrowded and got a bigger tank and rehoused everything.

thinking back i have no clue how i could ever have thought that all of those fish could go together in one tank but you live and learn i guess. anyway, i want to know if anyone has ever heard of anything that can top that?


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## alexrex20 (Aug 26, 2005)

my neighbor put a small clown trigger in a 10gal tank


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## salukicichlids (Apr 16, 2009)

I'm sure there are many examples that can top that. There doesn't really seem to be a lot of good advice out in the stores. For people who are looking to get into the hobby I would think that would make things harder. Most of the little tad bit of information I know is from reading articles on here and enjoying at looking at pictures of peoples fish and tanks etc.

I was in walmart the other day and someone was buying 5 Oscars for a 20 gallon tank. So I asked him if he knew how big they could get. Told him he should do some looking on the internet. I stop by the fish section at walmart about anytime I go.

In the end it is all one big learning experience, but you can try and do it the best you can a decent way.

My first tank after only possessing some goldfish as a kid was a ten gallon I received for my birthday. But I didn't really do any research about cycling or anything. I was told let the tank run for a while and it will be ok. So tank ran for 2 weeks with no fish inside. Went a week with 3 tiger barbs. Then someone gave me some Africans to put in the tank. Needless to say they didn't make it.


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## aji1217 (Aug 22, 2009)

dunno if this counts or not, but when I got my cichlids, the tank they were in was a 15-20G hex, about 4/5 full...

Was stocked with-

1x6" syno
1x8" pleco
1x6" pleco
1x acei
1x yellow lab
1x auratus
2x skunk loaches
and 25+ convicts.

Was an empty tank aside from the fish and the single powerhead used to keep them alive.

Talk about neglect. I took all the non convicts and two of the smaller convicts. all of them living in MUCH better conditions than they were...

Sad to say I am almost positive the guy let the rest of them die on his porch (yes he had them sitting outside, with no heater, and I can tell you, at that time my in-ground pond was 60 degrees....)


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## hbeth82 (Jul 1, 2009)

The last description is the worst I've heard of - how can someone look at that tank and not think that it was unhealthy for the fish! The general consensus (encouraged by most chain pet stores) is that the average size of the fish doesn't matter because it will grow to fit the tank, so a few young bala sharks would do great in a 20 gal (as I was informed by a PetCo employee).

By similar logic, you can keep an infant at the same size if you only feed him every couple of days. . .


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## BIG BWALZ (Feb 28, 2008)

I was at a large, common chain store and I overheard/saw a fella loading up on what he described as "some of every color you got of african cichlids I like them because I hear they are real mean" to stock his hang on the wall, approx 1.5 gallon tank, he said it was like 18"x24" and maybe 2" front to back. Admittedly, the guy had no idea what he was doing and said he just bought the "tank". The clueless store employee happily bagged him up about $100 of juvie mbunas/peacocks at about 5$ per fish. I couldn't let the lady get employee of the week like that so I had to jump in, told the guy the deal, how his tank had basically no footprint, and what he could expect by adding the auratus, kenyis, johannis, red zebras, elec blue peacocks etc. to that kind of a setup and he laughed and said he didn't care. He was a wealthy, obnoxious fella that simply said they were for entertainment, to look at, and if they died or killed each other it would be fun to watch and he would just get more if his stock got too thin. I was sad for the rest of the day after meeting that idiot. He probably stuffed 15 juvies in the hang on the wall Betta style tank. He might as well have used them as bait, I bet the bass in all the lakes nearby would love them also geez!! The brand-spankin newbie and the Chain FS employee also "informed" me"that fish only grow to appropriate size to occupy the tank they are placed in." I thought about it for a second, shook my head in disgust, then decided not to continue arguing with people like that and left. Some people!!


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## Electrophyste (Aug 5, 2009)

i dont think this story is that bad but
when i forst started with africains, i had bought a 18 gallon half hex tank and like 70 dollars of lava rock which pritty much filled it, then had 2, 3 inch sinaglis bichirs, 3 inch marble and gold stripe pleco,2 jack dempseys, 4 brundi fronts, 3 electric blue hap, 2 kenyi, 2 vanesttus, 2 longners, 2 species 44 and 2 crimon tide , all africains were 2 inches, i did have a rena xp1 and a smaller aqua clear on it though, then i inhareted a 30 gallon with 5 aci crosses and put all the otheres in there.. that was trouble, the biggest aci killed all the smaller acis then moved and bought a bigger tnk for them, now i dont even have any of the original fish, i dont even have africains anymore lol.


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## demsnlabs (Feb 20, 2013)

i think most fish stores, chain or momnpop, will tell you anything you want to hear as long as you pay before you walk out the door


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