When buying a used tank, do you keep the fish or give them away?

  • Since we tend to see a lot of tanks still in their current running state sold online - when you are given the fish without a choice, do you give them away to a store or keep them if they fit the setup’s requirements?



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  • I think it really depends, if the fish is going to fit the tank (which in many cases from someone else isn’t the case), or can go with the theme I was planning, I would keep it. Otherwise I tend to just either try to sell them off or give it to a local store for free if they can take care of it.

  • This sort of thing is never a welcome surprise, and I try to ask about it in order to avoid it happening. But when it does, I keep them if at all possible. Otherwise, I keep a couple of smaller spare tanks around to accommodate them until I can relocate them.

  • This is not a situation I have dealt with, but I would like to think I would keep them, rather than getting rid of them! I can understand why people do take them to pet stores, though, the tank might have had a different setup in mind and now suddenly here are a multitude of fish you hadn't planned for. It can be harsh!

  • I always keep the alternative tank just in case if I need to make use of it in some of such circumstances. I make sure to avoid used tank with fish in it. I usually get them empty in that case. I hope that in near future I may have to work with tanks which require less maintenance as well.

  • It really does depend for me, if the fish fit in the tank and they seem happy in the tank then I will keep them rather than move them to sell them as I feel moving them just for the sake of moving them doesn't do them any favors. I would always look into if there were fish coming with the sale of a tank though and enquire what fish they were before buying the tank so that I didn't run into the issue where I would need to possibly move them and sell them.

  • When buying a used tank, it's not uncommon to find that the previous owner has left their fish behind. So, what do you do with them? Fogerty12 makes a good point that having extra tanks can be useful in this situation. However, for those of us who don't have spare tanks lying around, giving the fish away to a local pet store might be the best option. On the other hand, if you have the space and the fish are a good fit for your current setup, keeping them might be a viable option. Ultimately, it comes down to what you feel comfortable with and what's best for the overall health and well-being of the fish.

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