I need YOUR help (only you can save the world etc)!

[Walrii]

Okay, so for my birthday, I wanna go all out, live on the edge so to speak and enjoy life while I can!

So, I've decided that I wanna get a new pet. I've decided on either some type of fish (let's just say goldfish for now) or hermit crab(s) (likely 2 hermit crabs).

Which would you get / think I should get?

- The goldfish look cooler, always swimming around, nice colors etc, can put a light on them at night (hermit crabs are nocturnal somewhat, and need darkness at night)

- The hermit crabs would be easier to take care of (just dump the sand and replace, fish would need a temporary storage place etc)

- Don't need to worry about transporting hermit crabs / spilling water everywhere

- However, hermit crabs would also need a heating pad thingy (I can get one for $10)

Speak, please :P!

[Google]

[Albrtd3]

I own over 200 fish, I personally hate the idea of getting goldfish in the first place because although they are nice looking and easy to take care of. If you get a goldfish please for the love of god do not get another fish! Goldfish are extremly aggressive (although only twords other fish, so think of them as racist) and mean. If you want to go for beauty and such get a fighting fish. They may take a bit more work but are "prettier". The cost for owning a fish has some more stuff you have not accounted for yet. I own a big fish tank. If I recal its a 55 gallon or bigger, it is huge and with all my experience trust me I know what i'm talking about. You have to get a tank or little aquarium. They have 5 gallon beginner sets, (jesus, during the time of this post I have gotten 11 alerts saying that, "would you want to add this". I hate you adware! Im running a scan. Everytime it freezes) I recommend these begginer sets. It comes with the rocks, nice aquarium, the air bubler (I actually have no idea what its called but I know what it does. Get one otherwise your water will get deoxygenated and your fish will die, or have to come up for air, which increases stress level and you will have a very enraged fish, which will then commit suicide in about 1-3 days.(yes, they do have feelings and can commit suicide)). All fish require a bit of work so saying your going to keep a fish in a bowl and feed him is not it! I talked about stress up there.. You must clean the bowl and for this you need anywhere from 2-10 chemicals. It depends on what you have, but you only need 2 major chemicals, dechlorinator (known as chlor-out) and something to bring down the stress level of your fish or they can commit suicide out of stress or have a heart attack. (Its happened to me before) But, I lie to you not, I had goldfishes that I raised to be 10 years and They were huge! Unfortunatly there were two and one died. The other was misserable and hardly moved around too much for about a week and then attempted jumping out of the tank. One day he just died, from a heart attack or something. That story shows there feelings and how long they can last. We were poor back then and had a 10 gallon tank. Also, I know this might be basic never touch a fish or a fishbowl(inside or outside) with soap (windex or otherwise. No chemicals at all, unless its chlorout or stress reliever for the fish or something). If your not to grand on cleaning out a fish tank theres a way to put it off so you can do it once every two months. If your lucky and it stays clean you wont have to do it at all. Filters! They are lazyness best friend. Take out the filter once a week or month pur some water on it, make sure it looks nice and put that sucker in and your done! So all that stuff together will cost quite alot actually. But you can also get normal fish you have to feed and you can get other fish that will get rid of the algae. This is mandatory and is better than dropping in algae begon crap. Get a bottom feeder like a placostemus. Some will stay small or some will get as long as ours (1 foot and a half! yes!) it depends on care and enviornment. If the enviornment is huge livly, and you care for it alot it will grow so i wouldnt worry about size too much. Also, why settle for a fish at all?! There are many choices! Kray fish(they look like crabs) get lots of them and wacth them fight or move around they are cool! But you cant get other fish I wasnt told that when I first got them. It slaughtered 5 of my fish, so i gave it a taste of his own medicine and put him in a tank with a chinese fighting fish! Which one the kungfu warrior or the common thug with no friends? :D Note you also cant get a placostamus but you can get a snail, i recommend many to keep down the algae, as they are small. They still need the cleaning and the chemicals, too! Bambooshrimp is not as entertaining as the cray fish(the cray fish are very fun to watch, creative, funny, and intelligent.) but bambooshrimp is not agressive and changes up the fish aquarium, if you have an existing one.

I am talented in this field too but my passion lays with the water animals, not just fish. Well here are some reasons not to get them. Boring, hide allday, not as entertaining as cray fish. Do they do anything?!

So my vote here is fish (not goldfish!) and mostly crayfish. You can get one of you can get a couple. They will fight, sweet! Even if there is one left the last one is usually smart and entertaining anyway! They are not nocturnal so you can see it fooling around with stuff and having fun. So whats the matter?! GRAB THE CRAYFISH!!! Post screenies of your crayfish!

[ElyCyan]

The one that you wouldn't take to our dorm room. :-p

[Albrtd3]

I honestly do not understand that statement and I want crayfish to be on the poll now. Did you like my post? All the stories up there are 100% true.

[Kiara]

I chose hermit crabs. They have a bit more personality and they're cute. My little 5 year old cousins were able to take care of them. I have faith in you. ;)

[ElyCyan]

Kiara, you obviously didn't live with him for a couple of months. ;)

[Albrtd3]

Comeon! Crayfish!! Cray fish are better than those boring, nocturnal, you hardly see them. Crayfish are intelligent will fight! Even if there is 1 left the mess with stuff and try to create and have fun! They are much more interesting! Lets hear it! CRAY FISH!! CRAY FISH!! CRAY FISH!!!

[Sim9]

I chose both since they both sound good, and having little experience with either... ;)

The crab does sound like it might be a bit more interactive though. Fish are nice to look at, but kinda hard to interact with them. :(

[Walrii]

lol thanks for the post Al. :D I don't exactly know where they sell cray fish (kray?) around here, though I know they live in our streams etc. You can't beat free! Although, I won't be able to get a large enough tank for them, and I don't like the idea of having my pets fight eachother... :/

and Kiara, I'd like to thank you for the support. I can do it!

I think I'm gonna go with hermit crabs, they're winning on the poll AND clean up would be easier, since cleaning out gold fish tanks in a dorm room isn't the easiest thing to do (plus the problems with cholorinated water)...

[Sim9]

Walrii: awesome :) Did you ever get permission from your school to have... crabs?

[Amnistar]

I vote crabs!

[ElyCyan]

I guess I'm the only one voting for neither?

[darkfire]

holy s**t al you talk alot. Hermits are cool their like bums that move from shell to shell. Just like real bums that move from box to box

[Albrtd3]

lol thanks for the post Al. :D I don't exactly know where they sell cray fish (kray?) around here, though I know they live in our streams etc. You can't beat free! Although, I won't be able to get a large enough tank for them, and I don't like the idea of having my pets fight eachother... :/

and Kiara, I'd like to thank you for the support. I can do it!

I think I'm gonna go with hermit crabs, they're winning on the poll AND clean up would be easier, since cleaning out gold fish tanks in a dorm room isn't the easiest thing to do (plus the problems with cholorinated water)...

Then get 1 cray fish if you dont want a fight. Too big? The biggest one I have ever seen was 4 inches. You can get them at any normal fish store. That brings up another thing please do not get fish at wallmart or such, they are misfed, mis mixed, and they know nothing about fish. Go to petco or something. Every petco i've seen (15) has cray fish. They also live in normal water not salt water.

[Walrii]

Well, friday was my birthday, and for my birthday, my parents got me 2 hermit crabs (including a few hermit crab accessories / cage things) :D

Thanks for the input though everyone :)

[Sim9]

Sweet :)

Pictures! (video? :D)

[Amnistar]

congrats on the hermit crabs dude.

[neozf]

should of gotten a shark
they easy to feed, just throw someone in

[Walrii]

Here's the best picture I could take of them. The little one is behind the pink thing... buried... deep into the sand (he / she is going to or is molting [shedding exoskeleton and growing a new one]).

[Sim9]

Thanks for the picture :D

Strange environment... green sand... pink rocks... is this Earth? :P

[Walrii]

lol I didn't exact choose the decorations :)
The pink rock thing was from an old fish tank, and the choice of sand was from my parents.

They have glow in the dark sand! which would be really cool, although I wonder about how safe it is for hermit crabs... :) I wonder, if they ate it, would they glow (that would be awesome)

[Sim9]

That would be awesome, though as far as safety... I'm not sure :lol: