Some thoughts from someone new to the hobby

Firstly wow , what an awesome 6 weeks , as I near my first fish in my aquarium I cant help but thank all of you for donations , advice and guidance!

Getting into this hobby is a steep learning curve and manufacturers do not make it easier , but thankfully YouTube does !

Some of my gripes with the hobby:
>under 5 gallon tanks being advertised with big fish on it (Pretty much everyone hates this not just a new hobbyist perspective)
>Filters being poorly translated from Chinese to English (this isn't an issue when you know what you're doing as a fish keeper but for a newbie I don't know the filter types well enough yet so I don't know exactly what the filter does when the sentences are incoherent) - this is an issue that is something beyond us South Africans fixing and I understand this ...
>Websites having different information on fish species .. one website told me a specific fish species can only be kept at a max of 26C and another saying they can survive up to 30C .. like which is it XD ? (Aquarium co-ops video on hill stream loaches is a good example of how fish that are captive bred are way different to the wild caught ones - which should be specified on the websites if its referring to wild species)

things we can change in our local hobby :
>Petshops listing their livestock stock on the website or Facebook , doesn't even have to be pictures can just be writing. Even if they're updating what is coming into the store is fine , its frustrating having to call up and email multiple fish shops to find out what they have. It would honestly boost the sales of the shops and is a small time investment.
>Mark ups : Obviously as someone with a business degree mark ups are an essential part of business , but some stores are charging double for a filter I could order from somewhere like rebel pets (use them as bench mark). I understand that not everyone can afford to run an online store and have a warehouse to store products but surely petshop owners are wondering why they have so much equipment just sitting on the shelf.

Some positives:
>The community : I mean despite online global fish communities , the local scene is also extensive from breeder groups to forums such as this one. Its nice to see such a diverse group of people coming together to share the hobby and help one another with advice , fish and donations.

>Online stores: As a child I grew up with many postal packages being stolen but as couriers have become more affordable we see a wide variety of online stores growing and popping up. I salute all online fish stores , having received multiple packages within 2-3 days from Joburg is such an awesome feeling to see that e-commerce is thriving but specifically in the petstore industry.

>Breeders: I love the fact that so many have taken to breeding , as someone who has a strong passion for climate change and conservation its great to see many exotic fish being bred locally when their habitat is being destroyed in other countries. Additionally more affordable fish is also an awesome byproduct.

Thanks for listening to my 2 cents. Im sure many of you who have been here for a while probably share quite a few of the issues I have and I know being a newbie Im sure I have more hills to climb as I get into fish keeping further. I hope this community continues to thrive !

 

To add to this. I got my first fish tank I think 2014 or 2013 and since then I can say with certainty its always (or 99.9%) better to buy fish from a fellow hobbyist or active breeds in the community. Please I am not shooting down some of the excellent online stores we see investing time and effort in to keeping fish in the right environment.

This is the only hobby I always return to when I have difficult times in my life or when I stress I do find my fish tank calming me.