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I'm running out of things to learn about aquariums
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I feel you may be overlooking a bit of information.
Aquariums are a combination of two elements- science and art.
There is simply too much information out there that you can't really learn by reading. The hobby is about reading yes, but are you in the aquarium hobby to read books about it, or here for the fish?
Sometimes watching them, feeding different foods, changing school size, just slight variations in what you do to control their life can have major impacts.
It is the little things that add up
Aquariums are a combination of two elements- science and art.
There is simply too much information out there that you can't really learn by reading. The hobby is about reading yes, but are you in the aquarium hobby to read books about it, or here for the fish?
Sometimes watching them, feeding different foods, changing school size, just slight variations in what you do to control their life can have major impacts.
It is the little things that add up
OP
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I'm part of the hobby for the fish but I rather enjoy reading about the biological and chemical chemistry in a fish tank and it provides a good read from time to time and I'm starting to run out of plants and animals to researchI feel you may be overlooking a bit of information.
Aquariums are a combination of two elements- science and art.
There is simply too much information out there that you can't really learn by reading. The hobby is about reading yes, but are you in the aquarium hobby to read books about it, or here for the fish?
Sometimes watching them, feeding different foods, changing school size, just slight variations in what you do to control their life can have major impacts.
It is the little things that add up
OP
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OP
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OP
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Ok well I've basically memorized every single care and breeding requirements for the guppy, CPD, bristlenose pleco, cherry shrimp, cardinal tetras, honey and dwarf gouramis, and the nerite and assassin snail
I know how to modify all the water parameters by better means than just medication
And I know about all the common illnesses like ich and how to cure them
I know how to take care of cryptocoryne wendtii, anubias, java,flame, and Taiwan moss, jungle vals, hydrocotyles Japan, and hygrophilia corymbosa
Also please excuse any Grammer or spelling mistakes as I'm writing this at 1:48 at night
I know how to modify all the water parameters by better means than just medication
And I know about all the common illnesses like ich and how to cure them
I know how to take care of cryptocoryne wendtii, anubias, java,flame, and Taiwan moss, jungle vals, hydrocotyles Japan, and hygrophilia corymbosa
Also please excuse any Grammer or spelling mistakes as I'm writing this at 1:48 at night
That's not an answer I would expect from somebody who has been through with everything.
There are over 4000 species of freshwater fish alone that have been kept in Aquariums at some point, over 800 that are regularly available (and be it once a year due to seasons) and over 400 standard species that are bred in fish farms. Combining the time before (a decade) and after (3rd year) my aquarium hiatus I count maybe 150 species I have kept myself or experience with via friends and family. There are whole groups I have no personal experience with either because they were not available back then or I never had an interest in them.
So... going by your list, there is A LOT you can learn about still.
What are you talking about? Except O2-levels medication usually have no influence on parameters.
But while we're at it: What's water parameters and what's water quality? Know the difference?
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OP
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Have you successfully kept and bred the species you mentioned. Do you male your own micro and macro ferts for the plants, have you propagated them and got them flower. Have you grown 2nd or
3rd generation plants from seed.
What about your tank and stand are they DIY, the same can be asked about your lights, filter and substrate.
What live food cultures do you keep.
You have the many different types of salt and freshwater tanks.
3rd generation plants from seed.
What about your tank and stand are they DIY, the same can be asked about your lights, filter and substrate.
What live food cultures do you keep.
You have the many different types of salt and freshwater tanks.
OP
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Also I have a high pH hard water tank I'm well aware of the huge quantity of fish available to me unfortunately I can't really change those parameters because my town uses a lot of calcium in the water which jumps the pH and hardness
Jeez everybody calm down this thread almost seems aggressive right now I was just asking for a few interesting topics to read about not a all out questioning, I'm well aware that I'm definitely not a expert but I would consider myself a intermediate so chill out everyone
OP
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OP
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A better explanation of my current predicament is that I have a 26 gallon aquarium with a school of guppies and CPDs a bristlenose and 2 honey gouramis and unfortunately I don't have the space to fit more tanks so that I can experiment with different fish and I posted this thread in order to see if there were plants, parasites, invertebrates that I may have over looked
I know but I just don't have the money to keep paying for the natural lowering methods like peat pelletsYou actually can, using the right means. You know a possibility?
I also want to make clear: I'm not being aggressive, but you basically set a challenge and I'm up for it today.
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Now you misunderstood very much: You don't have to experiment or learn everything by doing. There is a whole lot you can read up on. The approach is quite odd and undirected. It's one thing to research just by typing a keyword in a search engine. It's another to learn what sources are trustworthy and what are not. And definitely it's best to have read at least one or two books and a handful of articles that were not published on a website sponsored by a manufacturer, because many of those are among the first few hits on search engines.
It's 11:35 a.m.
It's 11:35 a.m.
OP
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Last question: Are there any fish that perhaps anybody could recommend that can tolerate a high pH,GH, and KH
OP
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Information and topics are endless trust me. People spend half their lives studying topics like animal behaviour for example. I spent a year on a single topic relating to fish and only scratched the surface.
Behaviour, chemistry, biology, physics, Construction/DIY, ART. Fish keeping literally has it all.
You can literally try to recreate a planets worth of mini ecosystems with thousands of potential plants and animals....
The amount of information you think you need to know depends on your understanding and definition of fish keeping..... Fish keeping is life (42).!!
Behaviour, chemistry, biology, physics, Construction/DIY, ART. Fish keeping literally has it all.
You can literally try to recreate a planets worth of mini ecosystems with thousands of potential plants and animals....
The amount of information you think you need to know depends on your understanding and definition of fish keeping..... Fish keeping is life (42).!!
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Have you read “Ecology of the Planted Aqyarium” by Diana Walstad? Terrific reading whether you want to set up a Walstad style tank or not.
Currently I’m reading “Aquascaping” by the co-founder of the UK Aquatic Plant Society, George Farmer.
Some notable websites that I like include Seriously Fish and Loaches online. I’m a loach lover and realize you don’t have their preferred water chemistry but they are an interesting family of fish to learn about.
Currently I’m reading “Aquascaping” by the co-founder of the UK Aquatic Plant Society, George Farmer.
Some notable websites that I like include Seriously Fish and Loaches online. I’m a loach lover and realize you don’t have their preferred water chemistry but they are an interesting family of fish to learn about.
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Lol come on!! You asked for this! Maybe not intensionally but your did kinda say you know it all!!
. Ps I’m still reading this thread!Ok I’ve caught up
. Well things changed. I was going to suggest getting a flowerhorn and doing hands on research on them. They do seem to be getting popular. And for such an expensive fish not many know how to care for them. Also they like hard water. But need a 75g tank. Next it’s never good to play with ph it’s best to work with your tap ph. Many fish adjust to hard water. Most books reference the fish by where they’re caught. But you must now take into account that most fish now are bred in warehouses in much different water. Fish have adapted.
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C'mon people, he is just asking for an interesting read. He ran out of random reading material. Hard to suggest from top of the head though. My reading is driven by my need, unless, like you, I run into something interesting. And lately I find myself reading more about home improvement than fish, because I need to do something about the floor for the purpose of fishkeeping.
Going by that the OP hasn't got any fish suitable for their water except the guppies. But love your suggestions for books and websites.
And yes, 86 ssinit , the about 400 species I mentioned bred in farms are more adaptable, still not the worst idea to keep fish in what they are adapted to by nature.
And always keep in mind: softwater -> hard water works great, hardwater -> soft water usually doesn't. This is the mechanism that makes your statement even possible.
I hope you are not being serious. I started keeping fish 60 years ago. I have learned a lot over those years, but I still have not come close to learning everything there is to know. I learn something new nearly every time I visit this forum. Thus, I would venture to say there is nothing you understand "completely" and there are numerous topics you have not yet learned. Just start clicking on threads.
If you do understand things as well as you think you do, I would think that you would be sharing that knowledge with others. You have a relatively small number of posts and reactions. Thus, if you want to learn more, get more involved in the forum.
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The top 3 things have found fun to research and do.
1. Definitely look into saltwater aquariums. Super interesting and cool.
2. Another thing to look into would breeding bettas (not as in doing it yourself but making a nest, eggs, spawning, fry etc..
It is absolutely amazing. (The dads will catch and spit the babies into the nest for days for jyst one cool thing)
3. Have you looked into doing\how to do a black water tank? That might be fun.
1. Definitely look into saltwater aquariums. Super interesting and cool.
2. Another thing to look into would breeding bettas (not as in doing it yourself but making a nest, eggs, spawning, fry etc..
It is absolutely amazing. (The dads will catch and spit the babies into the nest for days for jyst one cool thing)
3. Have you looked into doing\how to do a black water tank? That might be fun.
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Imma get a little philosophical here. Our lives are each defined by the decisions made in the past. We start out with a set of decisions made for us, and have the option of changing things as much as we are able as we go. The trick is to identify the decision we want to change in order to have the desired affect on the daily experience of our lives.
For aquariums this usually boils down to water chemistry. For freshwater ph/kh/gh is pretty stable once setup, for saltwater you have all these little things in the tank constantly eating calcium and changing your parameters. Which makes it more challenging but the science is basically the same.
If you are ok just reading, as mentioned, breeding fish is usually the next natural step after learning to keep them. Breeding usually requires water parameters very close to what the animal would expect genetically. Also as mentioned, saltwater is another natural progression.
That said, I am hearing you also express a bit of frustration with not being able to try stuff out. I hear this, personally if I can’t DO something, why LEARN about it? I am also hearing you express a desire for a certain .. thriftiness. If this is correct, saltwater is not for you. Saltwater is a stupid expensive hobby.
If you want to explore further by trying stuff out, two recommendations:
- Save for a bare bones four stage RO/DI, for a 29g you should be able to make clean water for a year or two with one membrane and DI cartridge.
- Be prepared to tear down your first tank, and put your fully grown and local water acclimated fishes up for adoption. Some fish stores accept donations.
If you do go the RO/DI route, please remember to get one for fishes, only four stages. The fifth and sixth stages for drinking water actually remineralize the water to different parameters than what you’ll want to target a specific biome. Same issue with “purified” water meant for drinking when used in aquariums. “Purified” water sold for human consumption has been remineralized to taste good for us humans. Not fish.
You would need to remineralize clean four stage RO/DI water to your specific parameters using something like shrimp salts. One jar of shrimp salts treats A LOT of water, especially if you do an ecosystem tank with few water changes!
For aquariums this usually boils down to water chemistry. For freshwater ph/kh/gh is pretty stable once setup, for saltwater you have all these little things in the tank constantly eating calcium and changing your parameters. Which makes it more challenging but the science is basically the same.
If you are ok just reading, as mentioned, breeding fish is usually the next natural step after learning to keep them. Breeding usually requires water parameters very close to what the animal would expect genetically. Also as mentioned, saltwater is another natural progression.
That said, I am hearing you also express a bit of frustration with not being able to try stuff out. I hear this, personally if I can’t DO something, why LEARN about it? I am also hearing you express a desire for a certain .. thriftiness. If this is correct, saltwater is not for you. Saltwater is a stupid expensive hobby.
If you want to explore further by trying stuff out, two recommendations:
- Save for a bare bones four stage RO/DI, for a 29g you should be able to make clean water for a year or two with one membrane and DI cartridge.
- Be prepared to tear down your first tank, and put your fully grown and local water acclimated fishes up for adoption. Some fish stores accept donations.
If you do go the RO/DI route, please remember to get one for fishes, only four stages. The fifth and sixth stages for drinking water actually remineralize the water to different parameters than what you’ll want to target a specific biome. Same issue with “purified” water meant for drinking when used in aquariums. “Purified” water sold for human consumption has been remineralized to taste good for us humans. Not fish.
You would need to remineralize clean four stage RO/DI water to your specific parameters using something like shrimp salts. One jar of shrimp salts treats A LOT of water, especially if you do an ecosystem tank with few water changes!
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If you want to experience something new for real cheap go buy yourself a long handle net at the local supermarket for like $10-15, a bucket with a lid, and a fishing license. Go down to the local river and start catching little fish and see what they are.
Where I am from I collected darters and I found them to be super fascinating, but I didn't have the means to care for them, so I let them go from where I got them. Where I am now there is another species of darter I want to go collect, along with dither fish I haven't id'd either. Talk to your science teachers and see if you can get ahold of a dichotmous key for your local area.
It's called field biology, where you don't really need something to research specifically, but rather can research anything around you. You'd be amazed how many different things there are around.
Where I am from I collected darters and I found them to be super fascinating, but I didn't have the means to care for them, so I let them go from where I got them. Where I am now there is another species of darter I want to go collect, along with dither fish I haven't id'd either. Talk to your science teachers and see if you can get ahold of a dichotmous key for your local area.
It's called field biology, where you don't really need something to research specifically, but rather can research anything around you. You'd be amazed how many different things there are around.
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I felt kind of the same way back in 08 after almost a decade of fishkeeping and breeding (though it was furthest from the truth).
My advice if you still have the desire/passion, go to saltwater…or brackish. It’s like a whole new world. I still had tons to learn when I left salt and corals behind.
Eventually I came back to fresh as mistakes are not devastatingly as costly compared to salt. And the hobby changed quite a bit since then and continues to do so.
I added the whole aquascaping aspect this time and I’m still learning but am having fun. I am going to get into breeding again.
That is why I chose my name, always consider myself a ‘novice’ there is just so much to learn. If you look you’ll always find a new topic.
My advice if you still have the desire/passion, go to saltwater…or brackish. It’s like a whole new world. I still had tons to learn when I left salt and corals behind.
Eventually I came back to fresh as mistakes are not devastatingly as costly compared to salt. And the hobby changed quite a bit since then and continues to do so.
I added the whole aquascaping aspect this time and I’m still learning but am having fun. I am going to get into breeding again.
That is why I chose my name, always consider myself a ‘novice’ there is just so much to learn. If you look you’ll always find a new topic.
After 40 years of keeping freshwater fish, I decided to try my hand at saltwater. I loved the challenges of keeping colorful fish, corals, anemones, clams, starfish, crabs, etc. After about 15 years, I went back to freshwater. It was great while it lasted, but maintaining reef tanks is expensive and requires more work that I wanted to put into it. Unlike fresh water tanks that do just fine on their own when you go away for a week, saltwater tanks require more attention. It made it difficult to go on vacation.
I do not like losing $5 tetras, but when I lost a queen angelfish that I had purchased for $100 and kept for about 10 years, I was heartbroken. Saltwater fish have a lot of personality, so they are pets in which you become invested emotionally as well as financially. Once I lost that beautiful fish, I lost much of the enthusiasm I had for saltwater tanks.
M
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Could you elaborate on some of the important and interesting stuff that hasn't stood the test of time? I picked up the hobby in the early 90s and kept successfully a planted community aquarium for a couple years before life got into the way, and I abandoned the hobby until recently. The above mentioned aquarium was set up after having digested one book which I fail to remember its title. The second book on the topic of aquaria I am still reading is Walstad's book.
Thanks for taking your time to get me up to speed.
I don't have the time to really elaborate (as then we would be still sitting here in a week or two) , just paraphrased: Opinions about tank sizes, water parameters and other requirements for a lot of fish have been fluctuating over decades and differently in different countries. So e.g. when looking in the Mergus books that are basically a collection of fish profiles done between the early 1990s and 2000s, is in dire need of updating, as many numbers in those books are seen as inappropriate today. They list far smaller tank sizes than are accepted as ideal today and don't take into account domestic strains, hybrids and decades of farm breeding.
Other topics that have gone through developments are tank cycling, filter types and food composition.
A lot of that outdated information is still around and an everlasting source of misunderstandings and disagreements, especially when people that haven't evolved with the hobby and still do everything the same way they did it in the 80s and share their knowledge with beginners this can lead to fatal misconceptions. Not saying the old ways are all obsolete, there is a lot that has been done very correct for decades and still works. As this seems very controversial and some older hobbyists feel personally attacked when those topics come up I won't get into more details.
And just FYI, my decade of (excessive!) fishkeeping was from 1992/93 until 2002/3 then I was in hiatus until a few years ago. It was a lot I had to catch up with, while I was shocked how much stuff I already found animal cruelty in the nineties has become even worse in some countries in recent years.
M
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If I could pick a topic for more elaboration, how have things evolved in terms of tank cycling?
Second topic of interest: if you only could pick one flake or pellet food for the regular suspects of tropical fish, which one have you had the best experience with?
I don't know if things really have changed in this department, but it seems to me the nano-tank and high tech craze, if there is such, wasn't anything I was aware of in the 90s.
Sorry, that's neither the topic of this thread (and thread hijacking is frowned upon here), nor am I willing to chew through the past 25 years of developments. Also I'll be off to an appointment soon and have plans for the next few days.
That I can confirm. The choice of small tanks has risen, high-tech got more affordable and people have developed a preference for rather buying a gadget or something from a bottle to "fix" things in their tank instead of acquireing the knowledge to look for the causes of that problem. Even when asking for help many people only shoot recommendations for products (or even animals, I loathe the idea of "clean-up crews"), instead of taking the time to look closer at a problem.
Also I'll be off to an appointment soon and have plans for the next few days.That I can confirm. The choice of small tanks has risen, high-tech got more affordable and people have developed a preference for rather buying a gadget or something from a bottle to "fix" things in their tank instead of acquireing the knowledge to look for the causes of that problem. Even when asking for help many people only shoot recommendations for products (or even animals, I loathe the idea of "clean-up crews"), instead of taking the time to look closer at a problem.
M
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