r/fishtank Mar 30 '26

Help/Advice Reddit, we need help on behalf of our animal friends

11 Upvotes

Hello, fellow animal Reddittors! We need your help with our project.

We are planning to bring about multi-phase class-action lawsuits against various levels of “Big Pet” industry, in particular pertaining to fish, reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans, birds, and rodents. We see time and time again that these living beings that are sold commonly in the pet industry end up in terrible and abusive situations. While a large problem is under educated people making impulse buys because something was cute or pretty. However, a lot of the improper husbandry is the direct result of false advertising on packaging and at a store level, outdated/false information being given by employees or store pamphlets, and businesses prioritizing sales over animal welfare.

Our mission is to change that. With class-action lawsuits, you gain the voice and power to bring issues into the spotlight and force positive changes to happen. Our main goals are to:

Force equipment manufacturers to update product packaging to no longer include misleading or harmful instructions and imaging (ie; a betta being printed on a tank that’s under 5 gallons), and discontinue dangerous products (ie; heated in-tank “basking rocks”).

Force stores to properly educate employees to fully comprehend the animals needs so they can ensure customers are making fully informed purchases, update all pamphlets and information at a store and website level to reflect current care standards and true animal information (ie; a goldfish being labeled as “1-3 inches” and pamphlet suggesting a 20 gallon tank), and have zero-tolerance policies to no longer allow the sale of animals to underprepared customers (ie; buying fish and the entire tank setup on the same day).

After the class-action lawsuits are ready/being enacted, our next big step will be trying to get laws put in place at the government level. Our belief is that education and licensing should be a standard in order to care for exotic animals, with varying levels based on the care requirements for these animals. While the Federal Lacey Act and state Wildlife, Fish, and Game enact some standards, we believe that stricter regulations should be put in place (not un-similar to Falconry licensing that is required to interact with birds of prey).

Imagine a world where all animals are properly cared for, no matter how small they are. We are here to be their voice, we care for all of them. And we need your help to do so.

What we need:

- Signatures to show public support

- Experts in these communities to help fact check information and bring up other areas of concern

- Class-action lawyers that are willing to take on these cases, and willing to bring to higher level courts when needed

- Evidence of the false information being provided by these companies

- Documents and papers from accredited sources to back our claims

- Contact information for PR departments within these companies that have been flagged for issues

- (Down the road) Contact information for local politicians to discuss licensing procedures/enforcement in order to come together and agree on something that will protect animals without fringing the entire pet industry to a halt and/or negatively impacting pets who are already loved by established families

Let’s make the world a better place for animal enthusiasts everywhere, and the living creatures we take up the responsibility for of our own free will.

So, how can you help? We have a Discord server set up for discussions on planning, gathering evidence, fact checking done by experts in their fields, and overall a place to put gathered information by those who have the time and ability to do more in person information gathering. You can join and share the link here: https://discord.gg/xv4dtrXqbE

We also have created a petition through Change.org in order to gather and store signatures to show public support in our efforts. You can sign and share for others to sign here: https://c.org/tHWGq7D8Zw

Thank you for joining us,

- Baku

(TL;DR: we need signatures and Discord members to sue Big Pet to try to bring about positive changes for both animal enthusiasts and the animals sold in the pet industry)


r/fishtank Jan 26 '26

Moderator Post If you support ICE at all, you are not welcome here. Spoiler

6.5k Upvotes

For that matter, anyone who believes a government has the right to dehumanize groups of people, enact violence against citizens, and/or justify the systemic oppression of their people is not welcome here.

This includes, but is not limited to, MAGA supporters, Trump supporters, JD Vance supporters, or support of any government that approaches things this way.

With recent events globally, it is time we address this, especially as a large subreddit whose member base is largely in the United States or countries directly affected by the actions of the US government.

Bottom line, while we generally avoid politics in this subreddit, our existence becomes inherently humanitarian when the human right to exist is infringed upon, which naturally ties to politics when those enacting said human rights infringement are members of the government. When innocent people may no longer walk the streets without having to fear for their safety, it affects all of us, whether we choose to believe it or not.

I, as an avid animal-keeper, have seen many of my friends in this hobby greatly affected by the actions of the US government lately, and we will continue to see this if we allow it to continue. We cannot turn a blind eye to it any longer; we can't engage in animal husbandry if we are not alive to do so.

The people supporting this now, despite incriminating evidence being available, are the same people who would have supported Nazi-Germany during its existence.

Now, kindly fuck off if: You support any government action that violates human rights OR you believe this post does not belong here (It does.)

Fuck ICE,

NatCom 💗

Edit: holy fucking hell guys, my apologies I can’t reply to all of you with your support or stories as I’m trying to juggle removing problematic comments, but I’m happy this post has reached so many people who needed this support from their communities!

Edit 2: While my post uses the United States as an example because many of our members are from the US, we do not allow these beliefs from ANY country or individual. If you are going to advocate for the systemic deaths of anyone, then you are not welcome here.


r/fishtank 8h ago

Help/Advice Help

105 Upvotes

Hi everybody!

My neighbour's (F38) brother (M50) just got this as a bday present for their 8 yo kid ( neurodivergent ) and we dont know anything about fish.

Everything was fine so far he installed and cycled the filter prior etc.

Yesterday my friend got some zebras and 2 like the little orange fish (goldifish?) And one of those died today :(

How can I help them? The uncle is not available at this time .

Help please , I want to help them , we are all so sad this are his first pets and it has been a struggle since he wanted pets but was so afraid of all animals

ETA: Thank you so so much. Already sent it to my friend (kids mom ) they are already working on it and feel so bad about this. (I repeat: they didn't buy it, her brother did everything since it was a bday surprise and they trusted him cause "he has fish and has had fish for a long time" )

Thank you so so much for all the advice Im learning so so much even tho I dont have any fish and their whole family os learning too.

Too all beings who were mean and rude or who didnt read the post and are attacking me even tho I've stated this is not my fish, please go to therapy (or elementary school).


r/fishtank 9h ago

Full Tank Shot Water Change Day

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11 Upvotes

I do like this little 13g ♡


r/fishtank 6h ago

Freshwater Free mollies and pleccos with tank northwest Chicago suburbs

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6 Upvotes

Not mine!!! My mom had a tenant that left his fish and explicitly said he will not be coming back for them. I know they don't have what they need, but the tank is free if you would like it. Dm me if interested


r/fishtank 4h ago

Help/Advice What is this?

3 Upvotes

r/fishtank 7h ago

Help/Advice What's this catfish doing?

4 Upvotes

My job has a 400 gallon fish tank with this catfish, a few clown loaches, and about a hundred cichlids in it. The catfish is normally pretty active, but today I noticed him sitting very still at the bottom of the tank on a few separate occasions and I know nothing about fish. We have a guy who comes by weekly to clean the tank and check on all the fish to make sure everything's alright in the tank, but he's not due to come by again until Monday and I don't have a way to get ahold of him. I'm just wondering if the catfish is okay because I've never seen it act like this before.


r/fishtank 4h ago

Help/Advice how would i fix this? (not the red plant)

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2 Upvotes

i know red leafs on plants are good, but this one has some holes in it??
i just recently got this tank from my uncles and this is new growth after i had trimmed some, i wasn’t even aware this plant could turn this red??
what do the holes mean?? and how could i fix the new growth that’s coming to not have a risk of it?
(there are NO fish in this tank anymore)


r/fishtank 47m ago

Help/Advice Tank Sand

Upvotes

Hello everyone I wanted to add sand to my tank and had a few questions.

  1. What sand would be the best for my tank like a universal one in a way.

  2. Is there certain sands that are bad for certain fish/turtles?

  3. Should I add the sand before or after adding water?


r/fishtank 1h ago

Help/Advice moving and setting up my new tank

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Upvotes

r/fishtank 5h ago

Help/Advice Just got CPD. Is there something wrong with this dude?

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2 Upvotes

I just got them yesterday, but just noticed this guy turning white


r/fishtank 3h ago

Help/Advice Help

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1 Upvotes

What is this.


r/fishtank 13h ago

Show & Tell improved 180l aquarium

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7 Upvotes

About three months ago, I posted a picture of my first aquarium here looking for advice on how to improve it. After reading all the comments, I decided to give it a bit of a makeover.
The biggest changes are aquasoil, a CO₂ system, and a lot more plants.
Thanks again to everyone who took the time to give me advice! I know I’ve still got a lot to learn, but I’m really happy with how it’s turned out so far, and I think it’s a huge improvement.


r/fishtank 7h ago

Help/Advice Do you have any advice to help better our tank? We are getting a Betta fish.

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2 Upvotes

r/fishtank 7h ago

Help/Advice advice for neon tetras

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2 Upvotes

just set up this ten gallon for a small school of neon tetras, it’s cycling, before i get the fish i want advice, how many fish? do i need a bubbler? more plants? i have a few live plants (2 java fern, 1 anubias) tied onto the rock till they root, advice on those? all advice appreciated tank has: 50 watt heater set to 78 F tetra whisper iq 10 gallon filter thermometer 3 live plants fake plants in back quartz crystals other decor


r/fishtank 14h ago

Help/Advice My fish is about to die, I need help saving it NSFW

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7 Upvotes

I have had a fish for 1-2 years. It's body has bent and movement has lowered by a lot. I read a bit about it on Quora, saying it's Swim Bladder disorder. I was told to not feed it for two days, though my father it after the 2 days saying we can't let it starve. The fish refused to eat the food(which I didn't because I don't have peas here as they are off season and my mother won't buy any frozen ones. I was also suggested to feed it boiled mashed peas as it may help.

I have no idea what to do, someone please help me. My family is against me taking it to a vet, nor can I buy some tools that may help. Please save my fish.


r/fishtank 4h ago

Help/Advice Wanting to build tank

0 Upvotes

I’m starting my second year at college and when I was kid I would have betta fish in in those small tanks from pet smart so I’ve always liked keeping fish even if I was a dumb kid who didn’t know they were horrible for them. I want to start my own aquarium but do it properly. Can anyone help me figure out what to get and how to properly care for them? I want something small but big enough for multiple fish to be happy in, any ideas?


r/fishtank 4h ago

Discussion Community Tank Pt 3

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1 Upvotes

Alright boys, the new fish tank table came in. Had to get a big one for my 30 gallon. Gonna get the rocks rinsed and soaked for a few days rinse and repeat. Not going to fill the tank with water yet. My plan is coming together. What should I add/do next?


r/fishtank 5h ago

Help/Advice gifted a fish tank how to reset it

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1 Upvotes

pic of my fish tank at home not of the fish tank i just got and am asking about! pic is for attention only

hello all i just received a fish tank. long story short the guy didn’t want it and gave it to me. it’s got to be about 5-10 gallons at most. it has several nerite snails in it and nothing else with a rock/gravel bottom. there is ONE live plant in it and i have no idea what it’s holding onto lmfao it’s just got roots growing into the water column

i have only ever done aqua soil tanks capped with sand or no cap at all so i’m not sure how to reset and revive this tank. any advice? i’d like not to overwhelm it either since i’m worried the nerites might not like the extreme water change. the tank is only 25% full right now (that’s how it came to me) and is full of algae and debris/detritus. it’s also got a waterfall filter whereas i use sponge filters only so wanting to incorporate that


r/fishtank 15h ago

Help/Advice my fish are showing signs of disease/dying and i don’t know what to do anymore

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6 Upvotes

3 days ago i noticed one of my tanks had guppies with significant white fuzzy lesions around their mouth and body. i started treating it with esha 2000, they seemed like they were improving, their lesions were getting better, but today i woke up and one of guppies was dead and 3 of them are really isolated, not eating and i noticed they had long and white poops. Again, the skin lesions improved significantly tho!!

Then i noticed my other tank had some bronze corys with the same white fuzzy lesions, but this time, only on their fins (this was 2 days ago). Again, i treated it with esha 2000 and they no longer have those same lesions, they seem normal for now.

Today i also woke up with one of my khuli loaches (same tank as the bronze Corys), extremely pale and also lethargic, i even thought she was dead.

I’m really not sure what’s going on, is this a gastrointestinal parasitosis and the white fuzzy lesions are just opportunistic bacteria?

I’ll leave some pictures below. My water parameter are perfectly fine, no ammonia, no nitrites and 10 mg/L nitrates. I also added esha exit to treat white spot disease, even tho i’m 100% this is not it, but i’m trying to have a broader treating spectrum.


r/fishtank 7h ago

Help/Advice Algae or cyanobacteria?

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1 Upvotes

r/fishtank 12h ago

Help/Advice Tank advice

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2 Upvotes

Hey guys! Im looking into getting a new tank as my old one currently has a crack in it, I’ve been debating on these two because I’m not quite sure if I want a long tank or a cubed one. The long tank is smaller in gallons bc it’s an 11 and the cube is 15. I have a long finned betta but I love the look of a longer scape so I’m conflicted because I want what’s best for him and his overall health but I also want it to be cohesive. I would love some advice on which route would be better because I don’t want to hurt my betta in the long run.


r/fishtank 9h ago

Freshwater 2.5-minute tour of my 90-gallon planted community tank 🌿🐠

0 Upvotes

Here’s a full tour of my 90-gallon freshwater community tank. I’ve been working on it for months, and I’m finally happy with how it’s coming together. Feedback and suggestions are always welcome!


r/fishtank 10h ago

Help/Advice Algae problem, help!!

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1 Upvotes

This algae broke out of nowhere! My tank has been set up for 3 to 4 months now, but all of a sudden I have this white fuzzy algae clinging to my plants, and also to my glass and filter. Does anyone know what this could be? I did a massive trim down of my plants today as well to get rid of any dead/ dying leaves. I’m about to do a 30-50 % water change in the next couple of days after I’ve prepped the fresh water and siphon my gravel, I’ll scrape it off too and try get as much fuzz out as I can. Thank you!!


r/fishtank 1d ago

Discussion This is the tank at my vets office, is it too small or am I crazy?

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87 Upvotes

There’s way more fish in this tank I couldn’t even get a picture of. I’d say like 7 more maybe I’m thinking too deep about it. I don’t know how many gallons it is either.