50 page essay, for a 29g, help...

[Idkitsathrowaway]

So my parents as I were talking abought the 29 im abought to get in the foreseeable future. they had 2 requirements:
1. maintain your current tank with no hiccups(ie. fish death, inlesses, or anything wrong, I got guppies, guppies have short lifespans)
2. write a 50 page essay(!!!) on maintenance of a 29, and abought it.

I think you can see my predicament... They wont let me use your opinions and help as a credible source(they think its internet mumbo jumbo), I just need some points to bring up aside from the basics like, cleaning, disease control, plantlife, stocking, whos paying for it(me), and the basics to maintain a larger tank.

50 pages is a LOT i need less obvious, more obscure topics to drive my point home! I need all the help I can get.( I cant have any .net)

 

[BruinAquatics]

Just baiscally go way to indepth about:
Fish Anatomy
Fish Evolution
(Each individual fish of yours).
Go super in depth about the nitrogen cycle
Go super in depth about plants and how they grow aquatically
Go super in depth about nutrients in fish tanks
Algae in fish tanks
Write a huge thing abt you matenince
Talk about diatoms and how they are one of the reasons life is like life today
Talk about Biotopes from around the world
Talk about city tap water and how it correlates with fish tanks
Talk about gh kh and ph
Talk about how equipment like heaters, filters, uv sterlizers, air pumps work
Talk about breeding fish
Talk about the fish cycle from embroyos to adults

Ok that's all i got.. for now lol

Good luck lol

 

[NevermindIgnoreMe]

You want an idea storm? Well, I guess you asked for it.

Tell them about the history of species you've kept, like where did this species come from? Why is it commonly kept in aquaria? Talk about bacteria, talk about how like a billion things can influence ph, talk about lighting and fertilizers and co2 in plant care, talk about invertebrates in aquaria, talk about calculating volume of aquaria.

 

[Zach72202]

Do you have a tank already? I mean, you could make the point to them that a the maintenance on a larger tank is actually easier than a smaller tank.

What really doesn't make sense to me is why they want an essay. What isn't clicking that a bigger fish tank is pretty much the same thing just bigger. Its like mowing a 10 acre lawn vs a 3 acre lawn. Same thing different size.

If it were me, I would make make a comeback with:
Please define the requirements and format.
Double Spaced? Would you like a works cited? How about a title page? Etc.
Then to top it off, I would say, if I gotta write this, you have to read it and I will sit there and make sure you do

If they still made you write it, I would at least in every paragraph make a comment about how the maintenance on any tank size is the same.

 

[NotSoAggressiveAquatics]

we’re they joking? You could get a decent amount of writing from talking about fish but just in the care of the tank itself is probably impossible

 

[Idkitsathrowaway]

Thank you! there are even a couple thing i did not even think to study up on(evolution and biotopes!) This was a HUGE help And i can't thank you enuff!!
I already asked abought what I needed (12 point font, and normal spacing, they don't care abought the work sited page, as long as it there)

and No they were not joking(step mom a layer so she expects to to write 50 cause she's had to write over 100 pages before) also they just can't seem to understand that is will be easer to maintain, they thinks it 3x the work cause its 3x the size of my current one! They still see me as a 9 year old who cant do anything so they wanna make sure I can.

 

[Cinabar]

I felt this post on a spiritual level. I will help you, friend. Let me gather resources for you. Also, I need to point out that 50 pages is absolutely ridiculous. My 50-page research paper took me over a year... I think they expect you to give up on it lol

Hope there's no time limit. As someone who has been required to write very long essays on obscure topics- let me give you some tips.

First: Set line spacing to double lol.
Second: Use lots of tables and charts. They fill up pages nicely and you can spend a lot of time analyzing and comparing data.
Third: Organize your topics beforehand. It will make your life so much easier.

Just by talking about the aquarium alone, not even stocking or care, you have:

- Glass (properties of glass, how it's made, glass vs acrylic, visual clarity, quality)
- Substrate (Sand, gravel, dirt, size, texture, color, benefits and downsides of each, fish preference for each)
-Filters (sponge, undergravel, HOB, canister, corner, benefits and downsides of each)
-Lighting: bro you can write a whole essay on this topic alone
-Water chemistry (pH, gH, Kh, various minerals and their roles in water)
-Temperature (compare brands and types of heaters, growth rate vs lifespan at different points, disease resistance, metabolism)

And that's what I thought of in 30 seconds. If you want an extensive list just say the word. I am good at being extremely thourough

 

[BruinAquatics]

I almost want to help you write it lol (i mean your parents will never know....)

 

[Idkitsathrowaway]

I felt this post on a spiritual level. I will help you, friend. Let me gather resources for you. Also, I need to point out that 50 pages is absolutely ridiculous. My 50-page research paper took me over a year... I think they expect you to give up on it lol

Hope there's no time limit. As someone who has been required to write very long essays on obscure topics- let me give you some tips.

First: Set line spacing to double lol.
Second: Use lots of tables and charts. They fill up pages nicely and you can spend a lot of time analyzing and comparing data.
Third: Organize your topics beforehand. It will make your life so much easier.

Just by talking about the aquarium alone, not even stocking or care, you have:

- Glass (properties of glass, how it's made, glass vs acrylic, visual clarity, quality)
- Substrate (Sand, gravel, dirt, size, texture, color, benefits and downsides of each, fish preference for each)
-Filters (sponge, undergravel, HOB, canister, corner, benefits and downsides of each)
-Lighting: bro you can write a whole essay on this topic alone
-Water chemistry (pH, gH, Kh, various minerals and their roles in water)
-Temperature (compare brands and types of heaters, growth rate vs lifespan at different points, disease resistance, metabolism)

And that's what I thought of in 30 seconds. If you want an extensive list just say the word. I am good at being extremely thourough

They expect me to get it done in like a month or 2(no real time limit, that's just what they expect of me)... crazy I know, I think they think ill drop it if they wait it out.

 

[Abby974]

You can probably find a lot on Google scholarly on the nitrogen cycle in different set ups. For plants and animals. That could be 10+ pages itself probably. Definitely with all of the pictures you could insert. Then do another 5-10 pages on chlorine and chloramine and how it affects fish and invertebrates. Another 5-10. Weekly water changes and studies showing the quality of an animal kept in fresh weekly water changed tanks vs the health of others and why it is important. Maybe 10 pages. Idk about that one. If you need reputable sources and research information Google scholarly will be your friend. It is great.

 

[Idkitsathrowaway]

oh. I wish they would let me insert photos... im limited to 1 every 3 pages and it cant be more than 5 lines long...
sources is not included in the essay it has to be seprate
Ill post the finished paper on here so you guise can check me on factuality, and i know its practically impossible,( i think the fastest paper I've done was a 3 page essay on the history of the human genome, WORST 4 HOURS OF TYPEING EVER!!!! not including a month of reacherh and S T R E C H I N G info!)

 

[Freshfishguy]

This is insane. I just finished my second year of law school and I think the longest paper I’ve ever had to write in my entire life was 15 pages lol. Please let us know if you are able to do this. You’ll be an absolute legend in my mind if so.

 

[Idkitsathrowaway]

oh dont worry, Ill get it done and even post it to you who wanna see it, it will take a min though, also i will be trying to convince my step mom(she claims to wrote 100 page essays in law school) to let me use double space and larger photos... wont be able to work on it this or next week (got school finials so she gave a week so I can to do that)
Im going to sleep so I wont be able to respond to post till the morning.

 

[Cinabar]

FISH QUARANTINE: CURRENT PRACTICES IN PUBLIC ZOOS AND AQUARIA is an interesting read if you need a source and more info about proper quarantine practices and medication effectiveness in aquariums. Here's the full pdf: hadfield2011.pdf

I've got a whole collection of fish related articles lol. If you need material to stretch your writing or fun obscure topics, I'm your gal. EDIT: wooooo got the well known badge!!

 

[LowConductivity]

OP cracks me up....but your parents aren’t wrong. Half of the internet posts I read about fish, are from people who’ve never had first hand experience, paraphrasing someone who may or may not have had the first hand experience their writing about. It’s like taking advice about rebuilding automatic transmissions from the grocery bagger.

 

[Magua]

First let me say...your parents are DIABOLICAL!! I both love them and fear them (as a parent of teenagers myself).

And second...while I’m still too new to this hobby to have meaningful input, the responses you’ve received so far are the exact reason I’m here on FL. You guys are freaking AWESOME!!

And finally...when you get this done, you will soooooo deserve this new tank!!!

 

[AIvinn]

Hi.

Have you tried negotiating with your parents to maybe shorten the amount of writing you have to do?

 

[EntirelyEm]

If you want to use any books you could use internet archive! all you have to do is use the keyword aquarium and a BUNCH of books will pop up! I used it while i was researching stuff I'd need to know and it was a lifesaver.
Heres a screenshot from just searching "aquarium"
You'd probably have to narrow down search results a bit more but it's still a really good resource to have if your parents "dont trust the internet" IMO

 

[Idkitsathrowaway]

omg THANKYOU SO MUCH!!! This will HELP!!! you guys didn't have to, but ya guys still did!!! Thankyou!!!

Oh, wrote this up a couple months ago out of boredom, gonna reuse info, sources are on a sheet of paper. I plan on having angels so I wrote this cause I've never had one and wanted a reference that I could be assured was accurate. Took about 2 days. I'm not use to putting photos on a google doc so it will look wonky.

Just remembered this, once i had to wright a 10 page book on the human liver, i had a partner , but we still had two weeks to do it. What I did was steal one of my Nana's old medical textbooks(she was a rn, she ALWAYS has them, and buys updated versions to keep up). our revenge was putting up the grossest and photos we could find!

 

[Dechi]

I think your parents have a good idea to have you write an essay to make sure you’re serious about this, but 50 pages is totally ridiculous. Nonetheless, I’m sure you‘ll succeed.

You’ve had great advice and I’d like to offer one more piece of advice : make sure to include a chapter about « fish diseases in the hobby vs the wild » or something like so. You ARE going to have deaths in your tank. Fish diseases are inevitable and a lot of times, deaths are not caused by the fish owner. The fish bought at the store were already sick or on the way to be. Poor breeding conditions, the stress of shipping and handling are all causes of death and impossible to predict.

The objective is that your parent understand this and do not blame you for deaths that occur in the tank.

You could also commit to measurable action items towards the health of your fish. You could record them in a journal and if deaths occur, then your parents would know it’s not your fault.

For exemple, you could commit to testing your water every week and doing a water change every week.

BUT, your parents also need to understand that mistakes are also inevitable and will happen. We’ve all done mistakes and deaths have happened because of it but we have learned from it.

I tried to get my kids interested in fish keeping but they showed very little interest. If my child had asked my for a fish tank, I would have been so happy ! Just to say I think you’re a great kid !

 

[Idkitsathrowaway]

i do keep a note book full of what happens in my tank,a parameter list so i can track the cycle, and a list of things to note. they dont understand that fish can be predisposed for things and it may not be my fault if they die.

 

[Magua]

Oh! Add charts and graphs...lots of them!!

 

[BruinAquatics]

On the topic of fish diseases talk about the actual medicine involved in treating every single type of fish disease you can think of. Also talk about the VHS virus in your tank that could provide for pretty good amount of pages lol.

Anyways for the medicine just talk about the chemical compounds of each medicine and how each medicine works to heal the fish. (For instance gram-negative bacteria can only be treated through gram negative antibiotics because blah blah....)

 

[Idkitsathrowaway]

Okay i will, but i need to learn what that is myself!

 

[jinjerJOSH22]

Hi, I wish you luck in your research.
I like this as an idea. Don't focus on the amount of pages, just make sure the content is what you are passionate about, fish keeping.

 

[abadexcuseforausername]

If you want to expand a section in the essay you can expand the list and maybe do a quick description of each fish(size, temperament, water parameters, and why they make bad tankmates) though you will have to do some research with each fish. But, this is a easy way to expand the information as the description will take up space on the page and there so many bad tankmates. Also, it will take a while to finish it all(because you have to type it all and do research) and it might be better to just do what works for you. Good luck on this btw.

 

[The_fishy]

I would also recommend using a bunch of research articles as sources instead of primarily quoting websites. It will add credibility, give you some more scientifically in-depth options to explore (genetics, development, reproduction, behavior, chemical processes etc), and provide statistical information.

 

[jmaldo]

You've gotten some "Good" advise. You were given an option with a goal, take it and do your best. The knowledge you will gain will be very useful if you continue with the hobby. Also, you may have a paper to use in the future.
Anything worth having is worth working hard to get it.

Good Luck!