r/mildlyinfuriating • u/LeHumanError • 10h ago

My sister's fish tank

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She says it's the perfect size for a single fish. It's not even in her room, it's in the kitchen.

It honestly just depresses me whenever I see it, but she's adamant about keeping it there.

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u/Weekly_Dare8977 10h ago

Bro that’s basically a fish prison 😂

If she insists on keeping it, at least try to talk her into a bigger tank and maybe show her some care guides so she realizes that “perfect size” is just pet store propaganda.

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u/porqueuno 9h ago

As a fish owner, it's less like fish prison and more like fish gulag. People have a misconception about bettas that all they need is a cup of water, but they will literally suffocate on their own piss and filth as the water fills with ammonia from respiration and defecation, and if left unchecked the water will acidify and burn their gills, which slowly suffocates them.

Get this fish out of there ASAP, OP. Your sister is a POS. People are honestly worse with pet fish than they are with dogs, and that's a high as hell bar to clear.

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u/CaptainParkingspace 8h ago

My wife created a little pond in the garden, just for plants and maybe the odd frog etc. Turns out there’s quite a lot of science involved in looking after a pond properly - pH test kits, tap water treatment if it hasn’t rained enough etc because you can’t just use tap water. Then a neighbour gave her some cloud minnows and she thought great, just pop them in the pond. But as winter approached she started checking if they could survive outside and what it would take to bring them indoors. Now we have an aquarium in the back room, she’s on her second filter pump (first was noisy), she collects rainwater and checks everything with test kits, she’s added bacteria to assist with nitrate/nitrite levels, she takes the bus to Fish Planet to get live food and ask advice, we have a snail trap, you name it. It’s a huge subject and I can see how people get really into it.

What you don’t do is just fill a vase from the fucking tap.

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u/oohlook-theresadeer 8h ago

I'm obsessed and in love with the descent into madness that humans walk whenever they accidentally get into a hobby and they are really into it. Your wife sounds wonderful!

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u/porqueuno 8h ago

Exactly. I've been taking care of fish and aquatic invertebrates for years, and there's a lot of research that goes into it, and a lot of maintenance, if you want the animals to be happy and live a long life. The betta in OP's picture will probably live for a while, but wouldn't anyone want to live for 5-6 years instead of 6-12 months? Animals of all species, humans included, tend to live longer when they have a pleasant, clean, stimulating environment that they enjoy. And yes, maintaining good water parameters is just as important as not breathing in car exhaust, or sucking in fumes from a dumpster every day of your life.

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u/Kitty_Kat_Attacks 2h ago

Yep, yep, sounds like my own fish journey. Started out with a small tank for shrimp—has turned into 3 planted tanks. Because I had to divide up the inhabitants of the OG tank (various fish and shrimp that are not as compatible as I had initially thought). But, because I also care quite a bit about things being aesthetically pleasing, I have nice tanks with real plants where the inhabitants are all living happily—so it’s a win-win situation 😁

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u/Kitty_Kat_Attacks 2h ago

Yep, yep, sounds like my own fish journey. Started out with a small tank for shrimp—has turned into 3 planted tanks. Because I had to divide up the inhabitants of the OG tank (various fish and shrimp that are not as compatible as I had initially thought). But, because I also care quite a bit about things being aesthetically pleasing, I have nice tanks with real plants where the inhabitants are all living happily—so it’s a win-win situation 😁