Do TV series like "Tanked" have a responsibility?

I'm certain that many using these forums have, over the years, seen many changes in fishkeeping. Not least, for those of us who have done it for decades, the increased reliance on a variety of additives and chemicals.

There is also well documented cases on this forum and else where of how bad advice can be when first getting into the fishkeeping pastime. And this is not only from the shops.

I shall use the TV series "Tanked" as an example. Its a very popular series, opens up fishkeeping in all its glory. But does that same popularity also cause problems for new fishkeepers?

You see Wayde & Brett visit the client, measure up the aquarium, have the aquarium built, installed and packed with fish...not just saltwater but freshwater too...immediately. Now those of us who have been fishkeeping for several years knows and understands there is an awful lot tween installing an aquarium and actually putting the fish in it.

But that is never made clear. It looks easy, fast and everything goes perfectly everytime.

I have yet to see an episode where they deal with algae blooms, dead or dying fish, fish disease, cycling, stocking appropriate fish species mixing...on one episode they had a freshwater aquarium in a vetinarian's office that mixed Barbs with Axolotl which is so wrong...but they did it.

I am interested in your opinions on this cos it really annoys me that programmes like "Tanked" that could so easily be more towards teaching how to do things right and to be more explanitory are, infact, adding to the bad advice often given by the shops.

TV series like this have such a huge audience and many first time fishkeepers see those beautiful aquariums, see how easy it looks, try to copy it and then fall over in the early stages with cycle issues, fish dying, wrongly mixed species etc

So...do TV programmes about fishkeeping have as much responsibility as the shops in giving poor or misleading advice to new fishkeepers?

 

I’ve seen episodes where they make some pretty unnatural tanks. I’m pretty sure they once made a drum kit into a glass aquarium. This might have been on another show or not, IDK.

I think it’s important to advise customers that they can’t always have what they want. Often they will ask for fish that are incompatible without knowing better and, although it may be a bit harsh to tell them no, you should tell them no.

I agree that behind the scenes there are problems with some of the tanks right after they are set up.

 

Very important topic you bring up here.

I only watched few episodes and some clips of that show years ago, and I was sick after quite little material. There have been very few tanks that I liked and would give my approval to.

There is another fish related TV show (and spin-offs) on the same channel (Animal Planet, right?) that people should rather watch and that although fish are superficially and obviously HURT in that show, and that is River Monsters.

Although Jeremy Wade fishes with hooks, he educates about the fish, their biotopes and environment and the fact how endangered many of these fish and their biotopes are. His shows Dark Waters and especially Mighty Rivers put more emphasis on this.

I have to do some stuff right now, but I will definitely post something more detailed later.

 

I love watching River Monsters. Maybe I’ll have to keep watching it again. I notice that sometimes Jeremy catches fish you find in the hobby too.

With Tanked I often see people who seem to have little experience request keeping very demanding fish and setups, likely convinced that they’ll be fine because Tanked set it up. Fish aren’t just decorations!

 

The Tanked guys should get the price for worst acting and programmaking.

There is NOTHING educational in their "show".

I am especialy worried when they visit the wholesaler (awesome to watch) and simply buy fish (often rare / delicate / wildcaught saltwater fish) to "throw" in.

"owwww wow amazing" isn't amazing, it simply is unresponsible to me.

I admire their skills how they produce some of their tanks though. They'd stick to that and shouldn't act nor make strange unrealistic tanks

Jeremy indeed is the other way around and though "fishing" educates and is worried about preservation / understanding of fish etc....

 

I love watching River Monsters. Maybe I’ll have to keep watching it again. I notice that sometimes Jeremy catches fish you find in the hobby too.

With Tanked I often see people who seem to have little experience request keeping very demanding fish and setups, likely convinced that they’ll be fine because Tanked set it up. Fish aren’t just decorations!

One aspect of Tanked that is not clear is that these aquariums that are supplied by the firm are usually serviced by external companies on care contracts and not by the aquarium owners themselves. So that again makes it look far too easy to own and look after any aquarium regardless of type. And your earlier comment regarding the drumkit aquariums, that was on Tanked, along with the vending machine aquarium...and even a mixing desk aquarium for a DJ with flashing lights and Glofish

Maybe I am just a grumpy old fart but its a missed opportunity to educate people

 

I guess they had a different set of objectives and succeeded. I don't approve, but people are different.

I saw an episode of Jeremy Wade where a Bull Shark was hooked and towed his boat backwards for three and a half miles up river (if I remember correctly) and when it was unhooked it was exhausted and could not swim away again. I wonder if it survived, it would have been stressed for hours trying to escape. That stopped me watching that show.

I personally don't like angling and think that fish should be treated like other animals, but I don't hate people for thinking differently.

I used to be more idealist but it doesn't serve you well to be like that.

Think I'm trying to say, without regulation by the nanny state there will be a range of choice and we each sit on a certain point in the range.

 

I saw an episode of Jeremy Wade where a Bull Shark was hooked and towed his boat backwards for three and a half miles up river (if I remember correctly) and when it was unhooked it was exhausted and could not swim away again. I wonder if it survived, it would have been stressed for hours trying to escape. That stopped me watching that show.

Yes, one of the occurences on that show I also found hard to watch, though if I remember correctly he caught bullsharks for a scientific project in South Africa, and while yes the fish was likely exhausted in the end the chances are high it made it. I have seen worse in nature documentaries following research teams actually. In comparison to what happends out on the seas day by day this scene was nothing to worry about.

The episode with the goliath tigerfish is to my knowledge the only one where the fish evidently did not survive, although at least it was eaten afterwards, I would be really angry if the fish died and didn't even serve a purpose in death and just had gotten thrown back.

Anyhow, back to Tanked, I fully agree with DoubleDutch, that these guys should have sticked to building the tanks and neither stock nor maintain them AND would have made it clear that they are not doing the maintenance themselves.

Also the tendency for fake decorations and plastic corals is sad. Even without using real coral there are so many more options to do a good looking tank without settling on plastic.

 

I love watchinh Tanked for the amusement. But as a serious aquarist myself, I do have some remarks about how fish are put in those tanks.
I am amazed about the themes they try to put in a tank. I'm totally no theme guy when it comes to fishtanks. Why would you theme a fishtank? To me a fishtank should be a natural looking biotope for the fish. But that's me... I do respect others that do theme there tank. For it's a personal preference of course.
And yes, it's very clear that most of the clients seem to have no knowledge or even a lack of knowledge to maintain such tanks. But that doesn't stop me from watching the show.
And they tend to put more fish in one tank than you'd normally do. And with most tanks of them, you need to be tall or use a ladder to get those fish something to eat.

 

MacZ brings up another point in regard to the decor used on the aquariums in "Tanked"

The process from visiting the client, measuring up, manufacturing and installing the aquarium is obviously not quick to complete. But at the same time the use of artificial coral...I have only seen one episode where live coral was used....does seem hard to understand given that the firm themselves have acclimatic aquariums "out back" for the fish to prepare themselves for life in the client aquarium, so would it be that impossible to seed and grow living coral too?

I have not seen the angling series mentioned, but I did see the Tanked episode where fish from local rivers and estuaries were caught to go into a display aquarium, and it really looked very overstocked (to me anyway) and a very long way from being a "natural" recreation. The only angling series I have seen is the one by Robson Green, who at least catches fish to be eaten rather than to have a selfie with or for research.

DoubleDutch mentioned the behind the scenes wholesalers. I have to cringe when I see that tbh. Seeing such beautiful fish stuck into tiny boxes waiting to be picked by clients....as with the Betta cups....its just not right. There should be a much more humane way to do it. Even farm bred fish stuck in a box is still so inhumane to me, its something you would never get away with doing to another animal, so why fish?

I wish programmes like "Tanked" and the angling programmes showed more behind the scenes, when things go wrong, be more educational.

As has been said already, many of the aquariums made are incredible....but others just annoy me for their cruelty such as loud noise and flashing lights on the DJ aquarium and drumkit.

 

I watched one episode when it first started, I soon realised it was done for Entertainment not education & haven’t watched another.

 

I watched one episode when it first started, I soon realised it was done for Entertainment not education & haven’t watched another.

Same here. I watched one episode where they did a tank for a vets practice in the shape of a dog kennel, where a dog could use it as an actual kennel. ‘Interesting’ design, but completely impractical from a maintenance point of view. Its all in the name of entertainment, nothing more. Ive purposely not watched it again as i would just find myself being critical of stocking, design etc.

As dedicated hobbyists, we see through to the real world issues but to the casual viewer which the show will aim to appeal to, they wont see that and will just be in awe at the funky tanks and the pretty fish. The danger of course is that it creates a false impression of the hobby.

and as has been pointed out, river monsters is brilliant. Im not a fishing fan by any stretch but who doesnt like to see jeremy wade wrestling an arapaima?

 

Nothing entertaining to the masses (yes, the m is always silent) or sexy about the cycle and proper fish maintenance.

 

Nothing entertaining to the masses (yes, the m is always silent) or sexy about the cycle and proper fish maintenance.

Totally.

On next week’s episode, we’ll find out if dave’s tank has fully cycled, will jane’s bacterial bloom ever go away, and will mike’s heater ever reach 25 and keep it there? Tune in next week to find out!

doesnt quite have a ring to it does it?

 

Totally.

On next week’s episode, we’ll find out if dave’s tank has fully cycled, will jane’s bacterial bloom ever go away, and will mike’s heater ever reach 25 and keep it there? Tune in next week to find out!

doesnt quite have a ring to it does it?

Considering how popular keeping fish has become, "Tanked" seems to have been a missed opportunity doesn't it?

 

I agree with most the comments here. I watched a few episodes of Tanked when it first was shown on TV over here in the Netherlands. I felt sickened. I couldn't watch it after that. Those poor fish! Overcrowding, too-bright lights, sometimes flashing and in crazy colors, noise, and lots of spectators who probably tap on the tank walls!

I was told that many of the fish die within days after filming. It really has nothing to do with responsible aquaristics. It's all about entertainment and often rich, spoiled "celebrities" or others who want to have their moment on-screen. The acting by the presenters is awful and over-the-top. I just hate it all!

I'm a retired designer and am still in contact with colleagues. I know about the plastics used (friends work with them for other purposes) and they are said to be fish-safe, but personally, I'm for natural materials when possible.

 

I agree with most the comments here. I watched a few episodes of Tanked when it first was shown on TV over here in the Netherlands. I felt sickened. I couldn't watch it after that. Those poor fish! Overcrowding, too-bright lights, sometimes flashing and in crazy colors, noise, and lots of spectators who probably tap on the tank walls!

I was told that many of the fish die within days after filming. It really has nothing to do with responsible aquaristics. It's all about entertainment and often rich, spoiled "celebrities" or others who want to have their moment on-screen. The acting by the presenters is awful and over-the-top. I just hate it all!

I'm a retired designer and am still in contact with colleagues. I know about the plastics used (friends work with them for other purposes) and they are said to be fish-safe, but personally, I'm for natural materials when possible.

Sometimes I think my tanks are bad and could do with some improvement here and there. At least my fish were lucky enough to not end up on Tanked!

 

I always thought they cycled it before adding the fish but just didn’t show it. Like in a HGTV show when they build a house they make the show into 30 minutes not 8 months

 

Since ATM also manufacture a variety of additives for both fresh and saltwater aquariums.....has the programme made anyone want to try them...has anyone tried them even without the programme endorsement?

I always thought they cycled it before adding the fish but just didn’t show it. Like in a HGTV show when they build a house they make the show into 30 minutes not 8 months

It would be interesting to see how many people have watched the series and thought how easy it must be to keep fish...and, on the back of what they have seen on the series gone out, bought an aquarium, put the fish straight in and then had the inevitable happen?

 

I have watched some home improvement TV shows that show useful tips for homeowners trying to maintain and improve their own home. Shows like Tanked may be entertaining or motivating, but they are not designed to be instructional.

I have watched a couple of episodes over the years, but not to learn anything about fishkeeping.

 

Totally.

On next week’s episode, we’ll find out if dave’s tank has fully cycled, will jane’s bacterial bloom ever go away, and will mike’s heater ever reach 25 and keep it there? Tune in next week to find out!

doesnt quite have a ring to it does it?

But they could totally turn it into a drama/soap opera series lol!
Next week, will Jenny have a breakdown before she figures out why only her guppies are dying?
Or will Tim’s wife divorce him after he brings home the new 75 g?

 

But they could totally turn it into a drama/soap opera series lol!
Next week, will Jenny have a breakdown before she figures out why only her guppies are dying?
Or will Tim’s wife divorce him after he brings home the new 75 g?

Now that would be a show everyone would watch and could relate to. Reality tv meets fishkeeping - why has no one pitched this before???

 

But they could totally turn it into a drama/soap opera series lol!
Next week, will Jenny have a breakdown before she figures out why only her guppies are dying?
Or will Tim’s wife divorce him after he brings home the new 75 g?

MrsP shocked after she found these creatures in her tank! (Spoiler: detritus worms)

 

Scandal! Fred's male guppies are fighting AGAIN! Can they sort it out? Or will he need to separate them? find out next week on (insert witty fish soap opera name here)

 

I've gotta be honest: I love Tanked, but ONLY to look at the beautiful fish. I watch entire episodes of the bad acting just for the five minutes they're choosing fish for the tanks.

I am upset to see Agnes keep a betta in a bowl behind her desk. I do think they need to educate more on what it takes to maintain an aquarium. They do mention a bit about cycling when they're adding the pre-cycled salt water and sand with BB, but again, how does it hold up with a brand new filter?

On another note, a tank was done in a restaurant in the town I grew up and went to school in... but the restaurant didn't last (couldn't keep up with the publicity Tanked brought them) and shut down within six months. What happened to that fishtank and the fish?

I do believe they are very knowledgable about fish (except for some of the occurences mentioned above), especially sharks, but the purpose of their show is for entertainment. Not education. I, personally, have learned a lot about heating, stand structures, tank weight, glass/acrylic thickness per volume, etc... and I think that's just as important as the things the other shows teach about the actual fish.

Maybe I'm an optimist, but I can't imagine that people who have an office and houses filled with fish tanks know nothing about fish well-being. It's just not the focus of their show, unfortunately.

I will start watching those other shows, though. I watched a David Attenborough documentary on Netflix last weekend about freshwater fish and was so excited to see segments on cichlids, bettas, and other very popular freshwater fish. It's so good to see what these fish are like in the wild!

 

I spose the biggest issue I have with Tanked is that they don't explain enough about the setting up and the maintenance afterwards of any aquarium.

Each programme shows an external company, obviously local to the client, that is contracted to do the "aftershow" maintenance and care for as long as the aquarium is in place, but this arrangement is never actually confirmed or denied. I also wonder if indeed the aquariums are actually bought by the clients or if they are rented with the local firm's care package - here in the UK it is very common for companies and individuals to rent aquariums that include the full care and maintenance for a set amount of time. It is not made clear what happens once the cameras are all put away.

Case in point with the aquarium mentioned by bcsay720 ...what happened to the aquarium and fish? It would be good to know that everything was rehomed safely.

I guess the way that these aquariums are built, installed and filled just makes it look so easy...too easy...along with ill informed shop staff at the big chains, people see Tanked, love the look of an aquarium, decide to go buy one at their local chain store along with lots of different fish, chuck it all together....just as they have seen countless times on Tanked....and then it all goes horribly wrong. Maybe Tanked should do a few pitfalls and basic set up type programmes so that people realise that it isn't as easy or troublefree as they make it look.

 

Like most reality television shows there is nothing "real" about them. They should give a disclaimer at the beginning "this is purely for entertainment purposes, please don't try this at home." Personally I think animal care ought to be a required subject at school. 10 weeks each for fin, fur and feather and the final term should be rotation at rescue shelters caring for them.

 

Honestly, this happens with any "build" show. For example, my husband and I build and paint cars. All those build shows that make a restoration look like an easy weekend job give most customers a false idea of how things actually work. No your rust bucket classic does not get a full frame off restoration in a weekend for peanuts. Same with this Tanked show. They just show the fun stuff, what is entertaining, not the mundane process behind it. Which is crazy misleading. It wouldn't be that hard to put in a disclaimer in the beginning saying tanks need cycled, maintained, etc. and that most of these tanks will get serviced by 3rd party companies.

 

I will start watching those other shows, though. I watched a David Attenborough documentary on Netflix last weekend about freshwater fish and was so excited to see segments on cichlids, bettas, and other very popular freshwater fish. It's so good to see what these fish are like in the wild!

Yes! And that one is available for free on Youtube. Hearing Attenborough say only a few sentences about Lake Tanganyika was so pleasing. The betta sequence was partially obviously filmed in an aquarium.
Little background knowledge: A lot of underwater sequences that were shot for BBC documentaries over the years, narrated by Attenborough, were done in aquariums. When you watch one of them just look closely. They shot them perfectly so that most people wouldn't notice.

just as they have seen countless times on Tanked....and then it all goes horribly wrong.

Just as seen by us countless times on Fishlore...

I think acknowleding that this show and company do this for entertainment does not absolve them from their responsibility to make clear that it looks much easier in the show than it actually is. Other reality TV shows have had disclaimers like "Everything done by professionals... results may vary... don't try this at home... no animals were harmed..." (And that I know without having watched many ever.)
Haven't seen anything like that on Tanked and that's the main issue for most of us, isn't it?

 

I wonder how many fish either die in transit or after installation on Tanked?

There is no way that all of their aquariums are 100% perfect 100% of the time surely?

 

Honestly, this happens with any "build" show. For example, my husband and I build and paint cars. All those build shows that make a restoration look like an easy weekend job give most customers a false idea of how things actually work. No your rust bucket classic does not get a full frame off restoration in a weekend for peanuts. Same with this Tanked show. They just show the fun stuff, what is entertaining, not the mundane process behind it. Which is crazy misleading. It wouldn't be that hard to put in a disclaimer in the beginning saying tanks need cycled, maintained, etc. and that most of these tanks will get serviced by 3rd party companies.

So this just popped into my head from way back when, prompted by the reference to car builds - remember the time they put a fish tank in a car on **** my ride???

 

I'm not a fan of Tanked. The typical neon plastic decor designed manufactured & used by ATM, is IMO, comparable to the decor available at Petsmart. Very unappealing to me.
It annoys me that the prices of the enormous acrylic tanks purchased by the rich & famous customers are never revealed.
Another annoyance is too much attention towards the marine side of the hobby. I'd venture to say that the overwhelming majority of fishkeepers, worldwide, are into freshwater species.
Speaking from experience, the salty side of the hobby is far more difficult & takes a more advanced keeper.
It seems most of ATM's customers are very wealthy fishkeeper rookies.
Paying a private company to take care of ones fish tank is unrealistic for most. It would be interesting to learn the expense of such a contract.

 

I'm not a fan of Tanked. The typical neon plastic decor designed manufactured & used by ATM, is IMO, comparable to the decor available at Petsmart. Very unappealing to me.
It annoys me that the prices of the enormous acrylic tanks purchased by the rich & famous customers are never revealed.
Another annoyance is too much attention towards the marine side of the hobby. I'd venture to say that the overwhelming majority of fishkeepers, worldwide, are into freshwater species.
Speaking from experience, the salty side of the hobby is far more difficult & takes a more advanced keeper.
It seems most of ATM's customers are very wealthy fishkeeper rookies.
Paying a private company to take care of ones fish tank is unrealistic for most. It would be interesting to learn the expense of such a contract.

An example of such a set up...

Aquarium Rental | Fish Tank Hire | Office Aquariums | Aqua Rentals | Yorkshire | Wakefield

 

An example of such a set up...

Aquarium Rental | Fish Tank Hire | Office Aquariums | Aqua Rentals | Yorkshire | Wakefield

Their website literally says this:

“Aqua Rentals’ knowledge and experience of aquatic displays has allowed us to rent our fish tanks and aquariums to a diverse range of UK organisations to suit various environments.”

Knowledge would tell not to keep goldfish in that setup.

 

Their website literally says this:

“Aqua Rentals’ knowledge and experience of aquatic displays has allowed us to rent our fish tanks and aquariums to a diverse range of UK organisations to suit various environments.”

And at 40 quid a month all inclusive is actually not that bad

 

And at 40 quid a month all inclusive is actually not that bad

It is cost-effective lol, but I wouldn’t keep goldfish in there. I wonder what fish could actually be kept in there given the dimensions. At least they can swap out the stocking.

 

My initial though about the show is that it just going to be ugly dumb tanks that amuse people with more money than sense. This thread confirms my thoughts about the show. It's not about the fish it about a fancy decoration that looks cool to someone. Glad I have never watched an episode!

 

It is cost-effective lol, but I wouldn’t keep goldfish in there. I wonder what fish could actually be kept in there given the dimensions. At least they can swap out the stocking.

That is a very basic aquarium, I agree

This one offers more though, including bespoke

Our Aquariums - Aqualease

It is obviously a popular way to get your dream aquarium at a reasonable cost

It would be interesting to see what the mark up would be for a similar aquarium with ATM....mark up being higher due to being on a recognised TV company?

 

I was watching some episodes on YouTube since this thread was made to get a sense of the show. The tanks are very showy, but they are inconvenient.

That is a very basic aquarium, I agree

This one offers more though, including bespoke

Our Aquariums - Aqualease

It is obviously a popular way to get your dream aquarium at a reasonable cost

It would be interesting to see what the mark up would be for a similar aquarium with ATM....mark up being higher due to being on a recognised TV company?

That is a better aquarium rental. They offer a wider range of tanks. Being able to customise a tank sounds like fun and can be convenient, but I imagine that this would be abused by some clients.

 

Ooh! maybe we could do something like that on the YouTube channel some other members were thinking about!

Scandal! Fred's male guppies are fighting AGAIN! Can they sort it out? Or will he need to separate them? find out next week on (insert witty fish soap opera name here)

“As the Tank Turns”
pagoda So sorry to derail your thread!
I’ve not watched “Tanked” and after reading this, I don’t care to watch it. But thanks tor bringing it to our attention.

The owner of the nice, small LFS that I go to sets up tanks and maintains them in mainly commercial establishments like hospitals and restaurants. Two of his employees started a company targeting the private owner including vacation tank care. Looking at how the nice little shop is set up, I think I would hire them if need be.