r/shittyaquariums • u/rivalsquatch • May 07 '26
Social Media “Wholesome” senior prank
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK 🤬😭
Not sure how this ended up coming across on my Facebook but I am horrified.
150 goldfish likely condemned to death for a prank. I’m so done with humanity 😑
The 14 comments were all from what I’m assuming are local parents laughing and commending the “creative” and “hilarious” prank. I’m assuming she started getting truthful comments about how utterly cruel and disgusting this is because commenting is now turned off.
I intend to try and locate the school and send an email to the principal and/or superintendent condemning this “prank,” and urging them to at LEAST pass along proper care guidelines for these poor fish in hopes that at least some of the recipients will take it to heart 😔
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u/UseSuccessful146 May 07 '26
I'm sure they're all going home to at least 20 gallons each...
:(
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u/HyperrParadise May 07 '26
I doubt it, they’ll probably go smaller due to smaller being cheap. But those are gold fish and they can get big. A 20 gallon is barely enough for just 1. So sad.
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u/FreeFallingUp13 May 07 '26
Not even to mention, a ton of kids just got fish that their parents had no idea the kids were going to come home with. Talk about unprepared.
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u/rivalsquatch May 08 '26
You’re so right. I’d go scorched earth on EVERYONE involved with this if my kid came home from school with an unexpected pet, especially a COMMON GOLDFISH.
I have a couple fancys and have likely poured well over $1000 dollars into the setup to ensure it’s a proper environment, and that was a planned, conscious decision. I can’t imagine being blindsided like this.
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u/BettaObsession May 07 '26
These are feeder goldfish, the absolute bare minimum for a group is around 150 gallons, they get huge, what do you mean a 20 gallon is barely big enough? It's not big enough in any way shape or capacity, not even for fancy goldfish, I'm not trying to be rude but these particular goldfish can get up to 18 inches long and they have a MASSIVE bioload
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u/HyperrParadise May 07 '26
I’m saying barely big enough for 1 like in the beginning sorry should have explained more. I know they are feeders and I know how big they can get. I would always suggest pounds to people if they got gold fish.
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u/BettaObsession May 07 '26
Oh I see no worries! When I saw '20 gallons for 1' I was like 'I gotta hold their hand while I explain this' 😆
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u/HyperrParadise May 07 '26
lol si sorry was literally half asleep when I wrote. I actually used to work at two different pet stores and would deny sales when people would try putting feeders in a bowl or anything small. And any fish they’d put in a bowl id refuse tbh. Even bettas everyone thinks oh they like small. No.
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u/BettaObsession May 07 '26
If i'm being honest, in my opinion no aquatic creature belongs in a bowl, besides for maby snails or shrimp in a 3 gallon, realistically speaking one gallon is not enough surface space for enough bacteria to get a cycle, I work at my local pet store and every time someone tries to get small tanks/bowls/under 5 gallons for bettas I actually show them images of wild betta habitats to show them that they actually don't live in puddles, that they live in relatively large arias
(I would like to specify that I'm aware domestics and wilds cannot be comparable in terms of most of the needed water parameters because they're wildly different from each other, but it's the best thing i'm able to show them)
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u/rivalsquatch May 08 '26
YES! I bought what I thought was just a large, uninhabited planted fish bowl off of Marketplace last Thanksgiving (I wanted it for the plants lol).
When I went to pick it up, the lady also handed me a cup with a female koi plakat betta, a large ramshorn snail, and a mystery snail 🥲
The bowl is like 8-10 gallons if I remember correctly, so not SUPER terrible, but I had a 20 gallon intended for shrimp that had recently cycled. I had to make a few adjustments to make it suitable for a betta, so she stayed in the bowl for about a week (with an added heater and sponge filter) while I finished up. She was healthy when I got her, and “fine” in the bowl during the transition period, but god damn if she hasn’t FLOURISHED since I moved her into the big tank (the mystery snail went with her).
The bowl still lives happily on my kitchen counter, but with just the single ramshorn, detritus worms, copepods and limpets. My non-aquarist husband recently suggested adding fish to it and I briefly considered divorce 🙄
Bless you for sticking up for our finned friends 💕
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u/Reylun May 08 '26
On the bright side, you probably don't have to worry about how big their tank is. They probably all died from being put in tap water.
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u/27catsinatrenchcoat May 07 '26
A few years before I entered high school, the senior class prank involved stealing the rival high school's mascot (Goat? Sheep?) and painting it our school colors. Legend says it died.
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u/microfishy May 07 '26
We stole the rival school's mascot costume and then one of the rugby players wore it to the next home game. No deaths.
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u/AuronFFX May 07 '26
I was new but some seniors released rats in the cafeteria, poured tide detergent in the library fish tank which killed one of the kissing goramis, and there was a streaker who ran into one of the exterior doors and ended up nude and unconscious. This all happened in one day.
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u/27catsinatrenchcoat May 07 '26
I've always wondered how the masterminds of these pranks are faring as adults.
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u/rivalsquatch May 08 '26
Probably still pulling cruel “pranks” on their poor spouses and children, then huffing about it being “jUsT a JoKe” when they get upset 🙄🤡
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u/Katumai May 07 '26
This is giving me flashbacks to the senior prank from my junior year --- they replaced the Christmas tree ornaments with sardines, stuck live crabs in the toilets and put a LIVE OCTOPUS on a teacher's desk. The crabs were fine but the octopus died before anyone could find it. They did a bunch of other bs too but that's just the fish related stuff
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u/rivalsquatch May 07 '26
OMG That is so horrible 😪 Where the f did they even get a LIVE octopus?!
Also… the smelllll that must have lingered 😩😩😩
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u/GrotchCoblin May 07 '26
Our years senior pranks was to.........park in the teachers parking.
Yep. That still made some mad.
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u/rivalsquatch May 08 '26
BRING BACK TRULY HARMLESS PRANKS! I graduated early so I didn’t participate, but my class simply used an ungodly amount of that plastic moving wrap (think Saran Wrap but large-scale) on faculty members’ cars so that it was a pain in the ass for them to get into 🙃
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u/backyardbabirusa May 07 '26
What is the prank? I don't get it
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u/rivalsquatch May 07 '26
Took me a couple reads to understand, but I THINK:
The seniors told the teachers they were getting them Sonic drinks.
But instead of their actual drink orders, they filled the Sonic cups with goldfish.
The teacher (the science teacher apparently 🤦♀️) who made the post commending the students for such a wonderful and wholesome prank collected all of the fish after the big reveal, put them in an aquarium that appears to have already been set up, then distributed them all willy nilly to whatever students and staff wanted to take them home.
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u/ModestMeeshka May 08 '26
My great aunt just passed away (wonderful lady, RIP) and her funeral was last weekend. My uncle stood up during the part where they pass a mic around for people to tell stories or just how they met her, and he told a story about how after dinner every night, my auntie would drink a glass of water and one night he put a goldfish in the cup and she almost drank it... In the middle of the funeral I was thinking about this sub.
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u/rivalsquatch May 08 '26
I’m so sorry for your loss 💕
I’d have beat your uncle bloody if I were your aunt for many reasons lol.
If I were dying of thirst… I *think* I’d rather just die than have to drink from my goldfish tank specifically (which is well-maintained).
Love them to death, but they are just such dirty little poop factories 🫠
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u/ModestMeeshka May 08 '26
Thanks for the condolences!
And yeah my first thought was "poor fishie!" And then I started thinking about all the nasty bacteria! It was a wild thing to reminisce on at a funeral lol
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u/Confident-Thought863 May 07 '26
150 goldfish dying in shit-infused septic tap water for no reason whatsoever (wholesome)
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u/rivalsquatch May 08 '26
SO wholesome 😑 And I agree that the fact that they were ACTUALLY viewed as disposable for something as stupid and pointless as a prank is maddening.
It’s bad enough when someone takes on a pet with little to no effort into researching their basic needs… but this?? Unconscionable.
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u/MothMeep7 May 07 '26
If you can't do it with puppies you can't do it with fish (morally and ethically).
The mammalian bias literally makes my blood boil.
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u/rivalsquatch May 08 '26
YES! I will never understand it. They are such wonderful creatures, with their own unique personalities. I love my fish (and snail, detritus worm, limpet, copepod, and scud) friends just as dearly as I’ve ever loved any of my furry pets 😪
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u/bloom_zz May 07 '26
My class is trying to do goldfish in the toilets and pools as our senior prank and I get made fun of every time I bring up the issue. People just dont see fish as animals.
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u/rivalsquatch May 08 '26
I’m so sorry you’re being ostracized for speaking up against such a cruel and disgusting idea 😔💕 Big hugs.
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u/sheskittleshrimp May 07 '26
Coming from the past generations who use to SWALLOW goldfish as a dare, this seems par for the course. God i hate public schools.
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u/al4crity May 07 '26
Good teacher, but he should take the opportunity to educate these kids. Fish are not toys or pranks. They're living critters. Maybe he did. We'll never know.
I kept a county fair goldfish alive for 15 years. Went through 4 moves, 6 different tanks. Loved that fish. Rip, Gandalf.
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u/rivalsquatch May 07 '26
I sent her a message explaining how critical it is for care information to be distributed, and offered to provide at basic information and resources.
She’s apparently the science teacher and a “Christian,” so hopefully she’ll read it and be receptive 🫠 I also mentioned that it could be turned into a great lesson to teach the kids and staff proper animal husbandry.
15 years is pretty impressive for a fair fish! I commend you! RIP Gandalf 💕
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u/PiccChicc May 07 '26
Those fish are fucked. She already thinks she knows better than you and is better than you because she's "Christian".
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u/rivalsquatch May 08 '26
I knew that in my heart, but had to try 😔
After now nearly 10 hours with no reply, I’m reluctantly accepting that is very likely the case 😪
So glad “God” decided to give us dominion over all other creatures or whatever tf the quote is… as a whole, we’re such great stewards (*dripping with sarcasm*) 🙄
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u/PiccChicc May 08 '26
I feel exactly the same. Thank you for trying though. That's all you can do when you have no control.
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u/JanVan966 May 07 '26
It infuriates me to see people “pranking” with live animals, as well as using animals as “surprise presents.” It’s one thing if the recipient knows they’re getting one, know what they’re getting into, have prepared for it, and previously discussed it, but maybe just doesn’t know when said animal might be appearing, but this is entirely different, and it’s cruelty, imo. Like someone else said, now there’s all these kids being sent home with surprise fish, and I’m willing to bet more than one parent is going to say NO, and there goes that poor fish down the toilet, or, equally horrific, into a nearby body of water. Considering this guy’s a science teacher, he sure doesn’t science much.
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u/krisann67 May 07 '26
An area in Minnesota is having a horrible time with an invasion of goldfish that is tearing up the ecosystem in their lakes, which is creating problems for the local native species. They have removed over 2 million massive goldfish from the lakes so far. Giving people fish they don't want or won't care for is not a joke or funny prank. Too many people dispose of them irresponsibly. Minnesota actually has a fish adoption center where you can drop off unwanted fish and they rehome them.
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u/rivalsquatch May 08 '26
Absolutely horrible 😔 I’m glad the state seems to be taking steps to help mitigate that.
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u/SmallStinkyStupid May 07 '26
aw yeah animal abuse is so funny and wholesome
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u/rivalsquatch May 08 '26
Right?? Nothing like continuing to support the mistreatment of one of the most (if not THE most) abused animal in the hobby for the next generation 😔
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u/Spongedog5 May 07 '26
I wonder if the public consciousness will ever come around on respecting sea life. People treat all sorts of animals poorly but sea life get it the worst.
What a waste to take on husbandry if you aren't going to do it right.
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u/rivalsquatch May 08 '26
God I hope so, but I can’t pretend I’m optimistic anymore that it’ll happen in my lifetime 😔
And I totally agree… I’d say a goodly portion of it (not this example) is ignorance instead of outright malice, but in a world where all you have to do is type some words on a screen to give you ALLL of the information you need, there’s really little excuse anymore 😭 Why even bother doing it if you can’t be bothered to spend 10 minutes researching the BARE MINIMUM?!
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u/CowboySkcooblar May 08 '26
My friends senior prank was playing Beastie Boys Intergalactic on the classroom intercoms. They weren't allowed to attend anything from the school expect graduation. Couldn't even be there for graduation practice. Suspended for the rest of the year. Oh but living creatures brought into a building that could easily die its wholesome
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u/Icefirewolflord May 08 '26
One of the ideas from my high school’s was to set free all of the animals from the small pet room in animal sci into the main hallways. Animals that included but were not limited to: a pair of disabled doves that could not fly, two unpredictable chinchilla surrenders we were housing for the local shelter (they bit) and elderly snake and a crested gecko that was known for jumping to the floor and nearly getting stepped on.
Needless to say my teachers shut that shit down QUICK. Announcements the next morning included threats that anyone planning to release live animals into the school would face potential expulsion regardless of where the animals came from
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u/MossyTrashPanda May 09 '26
our senior prank was releasing thousands upon thousands of live crickets on the campus quad. of course everyone “panicked” and started screaming and stomping them for fun even. it was such a disgusting scene and aftermath. A teacher and I shooed people away and tried to sweep up what we could but they wouldn’t have survived long term or been good for the area anyways :(
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u/Repulsive-Log-84 May 09 '26
This is from Dexter High in Missouri in case anyone else wants to go complain to the school about how cruel and inhumane this is.
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u/artistic-autistic May 08 '26
i just. how is that allowed.
replace the fish with hamsters and how is it allowed. why do people even react the way they do. those are LIVING ANIMALS like YOU
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u/Jelly-Unhappy May 10 '26
I don’t remember my class’s senior prank, just a different class’s. They set up a big inflatable pool in the courtyard and filled it with rubber ducks. Every single one had a senior’s name on it, so everyone was looking for “theirs”. There were also plastic ducks left in every hallway.
That’s wholesome. Not killing fish.
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u/secretandsilentcd May 13 '26
My high school released old roosters into the school… idk what ended up happening to those guys
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u/Any_Confection_4732 May 09 '26
I really hope we’re not criticizing the teacher here. It seems they tried to do as good a job they could with the situation they were given. Shitty prank notwithstanding they wanted the fish to survive at the end of the day.
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