Unpopular opinions?

[xsalomexx]

I just wanna know what are some of your guys unpopular opinions when it comes to fish.

 

[DoubleDutch]

That sometimes a sick fish is over a point of no return, treatment is useless and euthanising is the only real option.

 

[A201]

My unpopular opinion would be related to the use of antibiotics to treat aquarium fish.
"Don't do it". Antibiotics rarely cure fish & can completely devastate an aquarium environment.
Many countries have already banned antibiotics for aquarium use.

 

[jkkgron2]

That peas aren’t very effective for some carnivorous fish. Daphnia is better and more effective.

 

[Betta'sAnonymous]

My unpopular opinion is that if you need to treat finrot with anything other than water changes and i dian almond leaves it is probably due to severe neglect or complete lack of knowledge.

 

[mimo91088]

I love balloon mollies. And yes you can do goldfish in a 29 gallon. Some of my stocking combinations have been unorthodox as well.

 

[skar]

You can keep adf in large aquarium's.

 

[Betta'sAnonymous]

This one might make some heads spin: unpopular opinion, LFSs are not always the place to go.

 

[Leeman75]

Dwarf Gouramis are not always jerks.

 

[Cody]

This isn’t discounting proper/consistent tank maintenance but 40ppm nitrates is not going to instantly cause a fish to die.

Parameter chasing. I think people get super caught up on fish needing exact water parameters as in the wild. I think some of these farm/tank raised fish are so far removed that their adaptability and ability to thrive is understated. Again this is within reason like above.

 

[MacZ]

Low stocking density with few species and adequate numbers is often the better choice.

 

[Fishcat]

There’s nothing wrong with some visible algae. It’s just a less-formal plant.

 

[DoubleDutch]

Got another one : In my opinion one shouldn't keep certain (social) fish single cause of their "territorial / agressive" behaviour. It is a "human sollution" cause we can't provide enough space for more.

 

[Betta'sAnonymous]

Unpopular fish(and all other aspects of life)opinion: no matter what you do, even if you do everything perfect, nature ALWAYS going to get her way.

 

[Redshark1]

Some say a shoal is six fish. But in nature the same fish shoals in hundreds or even thousands of individuals.

0.25 ammonia is fine. Ammonia is a natural occuring compound that is vital for life. It is found everywhere in nature in small doses because when any organic material breaks down ammonia is produced.

 

[Cody]

Some say a shoal is six fish. But in nature the same fish shoals in hundreds or even thousands of individuals.

0.25 ammonia is fine. Ammonia is a natural occuring compound that is vital for life. It is found everywhere in nature in small doses because when any organic material breaks down ammonia is produced.

I think about the ammonia thing too. I see a lot we tell people that the API test will falsely read .25, which I’m sure is possible for as it is just a cheap chemistry set. But as you said you would almost always expect some trace since there is always food, waste, plants, etc Breaking down.

 

[FishBoy101]

I just wanna know what are some of your guys unpopular opinions when it comes to fish.

The louder the filter, the better. I love the water noise

 

[ForceTen]

That cycling takes weeks and months. It does, but there are other options to waiting and testing.

 

[Leilio]

Don't keep the tank too clean, let the mulm accumulate, and establish a mini-ecosystem within the tank itself with various microorganisms and plants.

 

[xsalomexx]

That cycling takes weeks and months. It does, but there are other options to waiting and testing.

tell me more please

Don't keep the tank too clean, let the mulm accumulate, and establish a mini-ecosystem within the tank itself with various microorganisms and plants.

Could you please elaborate? i like the sound of this

 

[AvalancheDave]

Could you please elaborate? i like the sound of this

It's a recipe for infection.

 

[Leilio]

Could you please elaborate? i like the sound of this

Here is a link explaining the deep sand bed for freshwater. I am by no means saying that it is necessary or right. I have a 20-gallon cycling right now where I have kind of a deep sand bed. I seeded the aquarium with blackworms and added botanicals to feed the infusoria in the tank. Basically a deep sand bed with blackworms and snails that can turn over the substrate so the mulm can go down into the deeper layer to turn into nutrients for the plants. You can add a soil underlayer to the sand bed. The most important thing is to add tons of rooted plants. I am not saying it is right, but it is an idea that I have in mind and currently experimenting with right now.
Edit: Here is a link from the tannin aquatics explaining their idea of mulm.

 

[babykitten]

This isn’t discounting proper/consistent tank maintenance but 40ppm nitrates is not going to instantly cause a fish to die.

Parameter chasing. I think people get super caught up on fish needing exact water parameters as in the wild. I think some of these farm/tank raised fish are so far removed that their adaptability and ability to thrive is understated. Again this is within reason like above.

My fish have lived at 30-40 ppm for as long as ive been keeping fish. They still do good

 

[Chalupacabra]

1 tank is enough...

...just kidding!

Part of me wishes I wasn’t, though.

 

[Demeter]

Culling fish that are healthy but unlikely to be sold/rehomed because they are ugly/deformed. I have a culling machine, he's an axolotl named Lemonade and he gets all the rejects.

Very few of the fish I breed I end up keeping, I want to enjoy breeding them and improving their color/pattern but not get stuck with the lesser quality fish, particularly bettas and OB peacocks. If a certain fish can't be sold/given away I'd rather put it to good use than let it sit in a holding/growout tank the rest of its life.

 

[ForceTen]

tell me more please

There are products on the market like "Prime Stability" that allow introduction of fish almost immediately.
In fact the instructions on the Stability bottle call for a week of treating the water, but allow for fish right away.
My LFS is an old man who has run the place for more than 40 years. He told me waiting for a natural cycle was not required and even told me he would replace any fish I bought that did not make it.

 

[Fisch]

tell me more please

That the tank should be cycled, and some people just don't want to accept that their tank is not cycled...

 

[Pfrozen]

Tannins are great but not a substitution for water changes. By the time you wait for IAL to start decomposing you could have done a 50% water change every day for 3 days. I've found it's more effective to use a Blackwater extract or make my own when my fish are sick and just add it every day with clean water

Heres another one: I haven't cleaned my sponge filter once yet! It's been probably close to a month since I put it in. My shrimp are always all over it eating detritus and plant matter so why take away their buffet if my parameters are fine?

 

[mattgirl]

Don't keep the tank too clean, let the mulm accumulate, and establish a mini-ecosystem within the tank itself with various microorganisms and plants.

I do agree with this up to a point. Keep the water fresh and clean. The substrate, decor and tank walls not so much. Let a little but not too much "stuff" accumulate on those things. Some folks don't have the time or inclination but big weekly water changes are the secret to keeping a healthy tank.

 

[WrenFeenix]

I’ve found that my tanks tend to defy all conventions. I MUST keep my tanks spotless or my fish start getting sick, daily water changes can help but don’t solve problems so I usually have to resort to some medication, and normally get good results with said med.
I really wish there was a marine vet within a reasonable distance tho. I don’t like gambling.

I’d say that goldfish can be kept with tropical fish as long as there’s adequate aeration and they can’t fit the other fish in their mouths.

My tanks are also set up to be easy to maintain, not look nice. I don’t really care much for how aesthetically pleasing they are. OH SNAP, I HAVE NO TASTE

 

[AvalancheDave]

Heres another one: I haven't cleaned my sponge filter once yet! It's been probably close to a month since I put it in. My shrimp are always all over it eating detritus and plant matter so why take away their buffet if my parameters are fine?

We only measure a few parameters. There are three major nutrient cycles: nitrogen, phosphorous, and carbon. Aquarists really only measure nitrogen. Dissolved organic carbon is much more dangerous than nitrate.

 

[Frank the Fish guy]

Bottles of things to add to the aquarium to solve problem, are mainly created by marketing people who know how to tap into people's inherent laziness, fear of losing their fish, and disposable income. The result is even often harm to the fish and lost money for the aquarist. But the seller really does not care. He is rewarded by how many bottles he sells through his mastery of the flawed human decision making process in an unregulated industry. There will always be another beginner to exploit.

Learning how the chemistry really works takes a long time, and results in a skilled aquarist who needs few additives, and thus make less money for the sellers.

With this in mind, most of the aquarium industry is therefore set up to exploit amateurs and beginners.

 

[Pfrozen]

We only measure a few parameters. There are three major nutrient cycles: nitrogen, phosphorous, and carbon. Aquarists really only measure nitrogen. Dissolved organic carbon is much more dangerous than nitrate.

Can you elaborate a bit for me? Sounds important

 

[WrenFeenix]

Bottles of things to add to the aquarium to solve problem, are mainly created by marketing people who know how to tap into people's inherent laziness, fear of losing their fish, and disposable income. The result is even often harm to the fish and lost money for the aquarist. But the seller really does not care. He is rewarded by how many bottles he sells through his mastery of the flawed human decision making process in an unregulated industry. There will always be another beginner to exploit.

Learning how the chemistry really works takes a long time, and results in a skilled aquarist who needs few additives, and thus make less money for the sellers.

With this in mind, most of the aquarium industry is therefore set up to exploit amateurs and beginners.

As a former pet store sales associate, I completely agree. Many customers have asked me if there's a chemical they can add that will get rid of 160ppm nitrates without having to do water changes. Then there's the reluctance when I say the best option is to change the water. It's not that tall of an order for a 10 gallon.
I also hate those bottles because they cause way more problems than they solve. Stress Zyme is a big problem because people constantly confuse it with a cycling bacterial supplement for some reason. General Cure too, because that's an astoundingly bad name for an anti-parasitic medication.

Pro tip: I earned my keep by up-selling better products, not selling customers more junk they didn't need. That's where the real money is.

 

[Redshark1]

I think about the ammonia thing too. I see a lot we tell people that the API test will falsely read .25, which I’m sure is possible for as it is just a cheap chemistry set. But as you said you would almost always expect some trace since there is always food, waste, plants, etc Breaking down.

Yes and fish produce it 24/7 so there will always be some to test as it makes its way to the filter. A greater or lesser amount depending on the stocking.

I wouldn't underestimate how much ammonia my six foot-long Clown Loaches produce, one of which equates to 10,000 Neon Tetras (according to on internet source LOL!).

tell me more please

If you plant up an aquarium but do not add any fish, leave it six weeks and it will be cycled ready for fish. Test this to confirm.

Its just that most people will not wait six weeks.

There’s nothing wrong with some visible algae. It’s just a less-formal plant.

In many waterbodies such as some rivers and streams algae is the only plant present.

That cycling takes weeks and months. It does, but there are other options to waiting and testing.

Move over substrate and filter to a new tank. Instant cycle. I do this every year when I take the fish home from school for the summer vacation period.

Or have two filters per tank and move only one. Or add another filter temporarily to mature it in the established aquarium and then move it.

The louder the filter, the better. I love the water noise

It is likely to be adding beneficial oxygen too.

Unpopular fish(and all other aspects of life)opinion: no matter what you do, even if you do everything perfect, nature ALWAYS going to get her way.

We don't know everything and cannot predict everything in this hobby. There will always be surprises waiting for us.

Low stocking density with few species and adequate numbers is often the better choice.

Yes, and I recommend focusing on one species without compromising it to fit in with other species.

 

[MacZ]

Yes, and I recommend focusing on one species without compromising it to fit in with other species.

That's basically my signature.

 

[wishuponafish]

Fish-in cycling isn't animal cruelty (if done right).

 

[mattgirl]

Yes and fish produce it 24/7 so there will always be some to test as it makes its way to the filter. A greater or lesser amount depending on the stocking.

Totally agree. This is why I tell folks water changes will not remove all of the ammonia. There will always be some.

If you plant up an aquarium but do not add any fish, leave it six weeks and it will be cycled ready for fish. Test this to confirm.

Are you saying a tank will cycle without an ammonia source and once fish are added there will be no spikes?

 

[John58ford]

My (sometimes) unpopular opinions:
1. (My)Tanks are for fish, not plants and the fish don't eat fertilizer so don't dump it in there. Grow what your fish and water can grow without supplementation. See number 2. If you clean it too much you will never produce enough nitrogen by-product or the critters to break down and convert the good stuff. Conversely, if you go lazy on your water changes your calcium and other macro nutrients will be unstable. You can find something that will grow in almost anything, but if the water is unstable you may not find what you're looking for.

2. There are 2 kinds of tank (in my fish room). The ones designed to be clean, and the ones designed to run dirty. Planted tanks will need allot of help to stay balanced in the beginning but if treated correctly as they mature: a mix of the filtration, micro fauna/biome and planting/plant removal. will handle the cleaning. "Mulm" will be eaten and converted by the billions of pets from microscopic up to snail size you don't know you have or need. Monitoring water (including nitrate, phosphate, gh/kh and some others) and changing water as required will keep it all in balance. (My) bare bottom tanks are water changed so often you might not think the fish are real, and the nitrogen cycle is negligible in them.

3. There is not infact a thing that is a no water change tank. Though you can get a tank to grow and mature and be amazing possibly for a year or two with only top off and supplementation, eventually the tank will need to be reset. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, I think of it as art(that I lack the skill for). But the people looking specifically at the fact water is not drained (but rather evaporates at a balanced rate to the stocking of life, plant and supplement) are often looking at it as "easy" but infact need to realize the true work that goes into such tanks. These tanks are not for lazy fish keepers.

4. There is no such thing as a "pest" snail, more often the fish feeder is the pest themselves. The smaller adult snails are often the best way to keep tight spaces and details in a tank clean. What will keep the fish happier: a tiny snail cleaning the gunk off the "zen bridge" ornament someone gave you that you hide behind a plant, or your giant arm and a tooth brush displacing 3 gallons of water making tidal waves. If your "pest" snail population booms any time other than their initial introduction and clean up, you must realize they have found a new food source or you are being heavy handed. If one post today is "ermagawd so many snails/snail eggs" and an hour later "guppy is hiding and I can't find it" or "how much do you feed your pleco" you might have a causation/correlation situation.

5. You don't need to act exclusively on any one version of any ones "how to"(including mine). Everyone wants something different. We start with different goals, parameters, target breeds etc. Just because I use gifted fish tank "decorations" for target practice or my children's toy tubs doesn't mean you shouldn't buy that sunken battleship decoration you like. Just because I like nano sumps and so and so likes canister but this guy likes sponge doesn't mean you shouldn't try one of the newer less expensive electric submersible box filters with a venturi to kill all the birds at once if you want to. Come ask for advice when you want it, but it's your tank.

6. Other than dechlorinator, you likely don't need those chemicals and meds they sold you. If you are on a well you don't need that either. Yes, I have some meds in my cabinet; I also necropsy any fish large enough to verify the presence of what I want to treat for using a couple different microscopes and *some* bacterial culturing. I have treated without slide scrapes one time, and even though I was treating for one of the most common illnesses, I was treating the wrong one. Many dollars and a ton of stress later I finally got a fish fresh enough to scrape and found it was a not so common bacteria, and not in-fact ich... Myself and several others that have studied informally had all looked in on the live subjects and I also uploaded multiple photos, but in the end, we were wrong. See number 5 for more treatment advice and philosophy. Chemical wise, unpopular opinion 6.1, if it takes more than dechlorinator and maybe a bare minimum and easily accessible macro nutrient package to support the fish you want to keep, consider different fish. If you can't support any fish, maybe take up gardening or buy a bird/reptile/anything that literally isn't fighting nature. If you need to do an emergency flush and you can't support life you have put yourself and your pets in a bad stressful situation.

7. *All* my fellow fishlore brothers and sisters are in fact actually well intentioned. No matter how much it seems like one is trying to be louder than another. Just looking at the names above me: yes that brand is deceptive, no that filter doesn't exist(currently), ceramic is easier to seed a tank with than sponge... I could go on about all of our vocal opinions and scientific*ish* experimentation/research and honestly, I'm proud of everyone here. Even when we are dead wrong, we either want to help, or have the humility to ask in the first place. Reading this one you may think this is in fact a popular opinion, but please remember this one next time you disagree with another member about something you know, that they may just know differently (see number 5). You may have had this thought yourself about my most controversial *opinions*.

 

[MomeWrath]

Mine: Buying a sick betta from a big box store that will use the profit to purchase more sick fish does not qualify as a "rescue."
Rescuing is when you go to your little cousin's house/coworker's desk/church office and there is a half-rotten betta lying in the bottom of a half-gallon tank in a quart of yellow water and taking it home and giving it the care it needs.

 

[FinalFins]

I think it is better to keep fish in an environment closer to where they naturally inhibit rather than chuck them into a high tech fancy aquascaped setup.

 

[AcornTheBetta]

This one might make some heads spin: unpopular opinion, LFSs are not always the place to go.

I agree. Sometimes its cheaper to go to Petco.

CO2 and planted tank substrate are not needed to make a very nice planted tank.

 

[mattgirl]

To be perfectly honest I think we put way too much stress on having a perfectly cycled tank even when all we are going to have in the tank is a single Betta. As long as we are willing to do water changes as necessary it really doesn't matter if the tank never cycles. Cycling a tiny tank is mainly for us. We can go longer between water changes if there is enough bacteria to remove all the ammonia our water pets produce.

 

[Cooperman411]

I didn't know drip-acclimating was even a thing until a couple of years ago. I got lucky didn't have any deaths that I could attribute to water shock. Now I temp acclimate and then I replace 1/4-1/2 cup of bag-water with tank water water over the course of an hour or two. My LFS uses treated local tap and is nearby so I assume our water parameters are pretty similar anyway. (I know for their fancy/more delicate fish they use RO water but I don't buy those. I know my limits!)

There are products on the market like "Prime Stability" that allow introduction of fish almost immediately.
In fact the instructions on the Stability bottle call for a week of treating the water, but allow for fish right away.
My LFS is an old man who has run the place for more than 40 years. He told me waiting for a natural cycle was not required and even told me he would replace any fish I bought that did not make it.

I used to use Bio Spira when it was sold in the refrigerator only. Also have used Tetra SafeStart Plus. I usually had the aquarium up and running for a few weeks to a month (the last time it was a month, planted). Anyway, it worked fine each time. Tested at 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites right away and stayed that way. You do get a gnarly biofilm on the top of the tank for a week but the water smells clean and testing is all good.

 

[Magnus919]

Undergravel filters are undervalued.

 

[Dippiedee]

1. Angel fish are boring

2. Parents shouldnt buy fish (or any pet) for their child (under 10s). You can only take care of an animal when you're at least capable of taking care of yourself. Teaching children 'responsibility' at the expense of a living creature is wrong.

 

[julifhy]

1. A 2.5 gallon is a good size for certain bettas (specifically, long finned bettas who are not able to swim as much).

2. Fish bowls are not bad (as long as they’re 5+ gallons, properly stocked, cycled, and have a filter and heater ofc and imo should have live plants).

3. Glofish bettas are not healthy and glofish are unethical (I’m not talking about the people who keep glofish in a proper tank setups. I’m talking about the company).

2. Parents shouldnt buy fish (or any pet) for their child (under 10s). You can only take care of an animal when you're at least capable of taking care of yourself. Teaching children 'responsibility' at the expense of a living creature is wrong.

Yes!! IMO this shouldn’t even be an unpopular opinion. It should be common sense lol.

 

[JamieLu]

My unpopular opinion is that if you need to treat finrot with anything other than water changes and indian almond leaves it is probably due to severe neglect or complete lack of knowledge.

i ill have to strongly disagree with this one

 

[ValkyrieLips]

I'm not sure if this is an unpopular opinion because I'm so new, but I prefer to feed my betta slightly larger pieces of food (but not so big he has to spit it out) than a bunch of really small pieces. This is the reason I have the s/m cichlid bug bits formula vs the betta one. The betta formula's granule size is SO small I'd have to feed him like 5-6 "pieces" per feeding vs 2-3 of the cichlid bug bites.

 

[JamieLu]

I'm not sure if this is an unpopular opinion because I'm so new, but I prefer to feed my betta slightly larger pieces of food (but not so big he has to spit it out) than a bunch of really small pieces. This is the reason I have the s/m cichlid bug bits formula vs the betta one. The betta formula's granule size is SO small I'd have to feed him like 5-6 "pieces" per feeding vs 2-3 of the cichlid bug bites.

Totally agree! Im not a fan of how small the betta bug bites are