What's something you do that people would hate you for on the internet?

Title says it all - what's something you do in your aquarium hobby that you'd get a lot of hate for? None of us are perfect, and I guarantee we all have at least a few bad habits.

I'll start.

1) I use test strips 9 times out of 10. I own a ton of liquid kits too, but I have 9 tanks set up, so liquid testing each one takes a lot of time. So unless I'm needing super accurate readings or I'm testing for something like copper, I choose test strips.

2) I don't temperature match my water change water. At least, not to the degree like I see so many people do online. If it's less than a 50% water change, I just dip my finger into the bucket and into the tank - if it feels close, it's good enough.

3) I'm convinced that most of us are better off managing disease than eradicating disease. This is a big thing in saltwater tanks, but I don't think I've seen the discussion on freshwater forums. Basically, most parasites (and some bacterial/fungal infections) can be fought off by the fish's immune system, and assuming the fish is healthy enough, can be kept at bay for a long time. But the fish almost never completely defeats the parasite - it's still there, just in very small numbers. If we're talking about ich, for example, that means that we may never see spots (or we may only see a spot every now and then), but it's living in the gills of the fish. The parasite doesn't begin to overwhelm the fish until it's sufficiently stressed - a second illness, bad tank parameters, being netted, or just old age can cause the immune system to weaken and then you see a million spots on the fish. I'm all for eradicating the disease if possible (if you can see it), but treating EVERY fish you encounter with harsh meds like Ich-X (or copper in saltwater) is very aggressive and will probably have at least some long-term effects on some fish. So, for most of us, I'd say we're better off observing the fish, and if everyone looks healthy, assume that they are. The only time I might be hesitant to do that is if they're going in with fish that can't be treated easily - puffers, scaleless fish, stuff like that. And, of course, in saltwater, it's a little tougher to treat parasites like this, so again, YMMV. I know for a fact that I've got a tank with ich in it, but they're all damsels and clownfish, so I've never seen the current fish exhibiting symptoms. A good diet and a light touch (no huge rescapes) keeps them healthy, even though they definitely have ich. Quarantining is still important - if you put a fish into your tank with velvet or some other fast-moving disease, you'll probably wipe out your tank.

 

She cycled it. We don't have to be watching the numbers to cycle a tank. Add fish, do water changes as needed and the tank will cycle (bacteria will grow) whether we are watching the numbers or not.

Yes. What she did was cycling but she didn't even know what it was.

I should have said she never intentionally cycled it.

 

Sometimes I clean my filter out under tap water. It's well water so it shouldn't be that big of a deal.

 

All yours .

Thank you so much!
I'll order next week when they (hopefully) lift a lot of the lockdown rules. Picture will be posted as soon as I get it.

 

Also, my own unpopular idea that I will get a lot of hate for is not using quarantine. Not only do I not want to have a barren tank taking up space, but I generally have a good idea if the fish are healthy or not by looking at the store tanks. I look at every tank and the health of all their fish and not just the one the fish I want is being kept in as well and I have not had any fish deaths from illness in a long time.

Since we are posting things lots of folks won't agree with I will admit I don't quarantine either. One day it may come back to bite me but in all the years I've been in this hobby I've never introduced a disease to my tanks. To be perfectly honest I have to think it is because I acclimate new fish to my tanks and keep the water in the tanks as fresh as I can by changing out at least half the water in them each week. Fresh clean water is the number one thing we can do for our fish to keep them healthy.

I did quarantine one group of fish last year but only to give them time to get a bit bigger before putting them in the main tank. They were tiny blood fin tetras. Once I felt sure they were big enough not to get eaten I moved them over to their new home.

 

Does anyone else sniff their aquariums?

I always do that for some reason. My aquarium doesn't really smell bad but it smells like an aquarium if that makes sense..

 

As to quarantine: 10+ years ago I never did it. But with most of our fish now coming from wholesalers and the basement breeder basically gone for me I quarantine. We’ve had the angelfish plague the discus plague the neon plague and various other bad things bred at these warehouses and shipped to stores regularly that I have to protect what I have. Look at the zebra mussel problem! Wholesalers just don’t care! A month in qt will tell you if you’ve got a problem. And a month in qt gives the fish a month to unstress from all its traveling and adjust to your water and start eating food. Most fish don’t eat from the moment shipped till you put them in your tank.

 

I am a terrible fishkeeper, I rarely test my water. But my fish are healthy. I do a serious deep clean/gravel vac weekly water change of 60% I haven't cleaned 2 of my filters in 9 months.....? Maybe longer. I over feed, everyday. I ignore PH and Hardness. Because I cant fix them and dont want to poison my fish with chemicals. I sometime forget to turn off their lights. I only shop at petco/ smart. I do live in MT, no other options. And the worst sin of all..... I performed genocide on my pet mystery snails. I murdered hundreds apon hundreds of them when a few sacks were really well hidden. I did find homes for several hundred snails. Gold, blue and jade. but yeah, I'd do it again. OH and I sniff my aquarium too.

 

Since we are posting things lots of folks won't agree with I will admit I don't quarantine either. One day it may come back to bite me but in all the years I've been in this hobby I've never introduced a disease to my tanks. To be perfectly honest I have to think it is because I acclimate new fish to my tanks and keep the water in the tanks as fresh as I can by changing out at least half the water in them each week. Fresh clean water is the number one thing we can do for our fish to keep them healthy.

I did quarantine one group of fish last year but only to give them time to get a bit bigger before putting them in the main tank. They were tiny blood fin tetras. Once I felt sure they were big enough not to get eaten I moved them over to their new home.

Same here, I have not quarantined, but the two shops I buy from do quarantine their fish before selling them, I always check that all fish look healthy, and I prefer to buy fish they have had in for a while (Except for the Laetacaras that I had to snap up quickly). I do appreciate that there is always a risk in not quarantining but so far all my fish have been healthy. Fingers crossed...

If I was getting discus I would probably quarantine, unless they were going to a tank with no other fish. In a way i think its more stressful to put them for a month in a small tank then catch them and move them again.

 

Same here, I have not quarantined, but the two shops I buy from do quarantine their fish before selling them, I always check that all fish look healthy, and I prefer to buy fish they have had in for a while (Except for the Laetacaras that I had to snap up quickly). I do appreciate that there is always a risk in not quarantining but so far all my fish have been healthy. Fingers crossed...

If I was getting discus I would probably quarantine, unless they were going to a tank with no other fish. In a way i think its more stressful to put them for a month in a small tank then catch them and move them again.

I agree on the stress on the fish, but I am really selfish in regards to quarantine as the stress for me in case of disease, and stress on my fish in case of medication treatment outweigh the stress of quarantine

 

Ok well I think I may have a few. First off there are no rules in fish keeping!! It a hobby always was and will be!
The rule you need 6 of this or 6 of that was made by the wholesaler! Great for business!! Sells fish and meds! Yes after people by 6 of this and that and throw them into there 10 gal : hey you need meds cause there all sick . Next you need a bigger tank . Wholesalers!!! This all started with the internet!!
YES you CAN keep 2 corys in a fish tank!! Humans are happy fish are fish . I was once called cruel and inhuman by some prominent people here for pushing that .
Always change water and if you think it’s a problem add salt.
Fish meds as a last result.
If your trying to do a water change free fish tank keep lizards .

I agree with every point wholeheartedly so you will get no grief from me. I cringe each time I read one HAS TO HAVE at least 6 of a species for the fish to be happy. I normally don't say anything because it wouldn't do any good. It has been said so often it has become fact for some. Some corys may be more active with more than one and with just one we won't get babies but we don't have to have a specific number for them to thrive. I love corys so the more the merrier for me.

Really?!?! I had no idea! So that was all started by rumor? Do you think there is any truth to tetras preferring larger groups? I am asking this purely out of curiosity, I respect anything you guys say, more than what I think. As you guys have countless years of experience and I only have 5.


Just a random note, I once had just one neon tetra, and it would always hide. Was that caused by something else? This is legitimate. Not trying to get in a fight, I just don't believe anything I hear without solid reasons.

 

-I keep some of my tanks FILLED with algae - it keeps the nitrates at 0!

-I use sponge filters in most of my tanks, almost 0 flow and doesn't pick up the mulm but it keeps the ammonia and nitrite at 0.

-I let malaysian trumpet snails breed to the point they are the substrate, I like how they keep the tanks clean.

-I feed vinegar eels/brine shrimp without straining out the vinegar/salt water

 

Just a random note, I once had just one neon tetra, and it would always hide. Was that caused by something else? This is legitimate. Not trying to get in a fight, I just don't believe anything I hear without solid reasons.

Could have been caused by something else but schooling fish generally feel more secure with more of their own kind.
Herding animals in herds.
Safety in numbers, all that fun stuff.

I will always recommend people get more than one if it's a schooler for that reason.
Is 6 the magic number? I dunno. haha

Like that saying, when running from danger. You don't have to be the fastest, just faster than the slowest person.

 

Lol it’s like this. If your new to the hobby and just want 2 tetras that’s ok. 2 corys that’s ok. Can they live by themselves? Yes. Most people when they move to bigger tanks like them in groups. Fish school for safety. I’ve had many tetras. I usually buy 10 at a time. They school till they fell safe in the tank. Than there just swimming around. Only real schooling fish I’ve had are rummie noses and fork tail rainbows. Every thing else once settled stop schooling. As for cories the only time mine get together is for food.

 

Really?!?! I had no idea! So that was all started by rumor? Do you think there is any truth to tetras preferring larger groups? I am asking this purely out of curiosity, I respect anything you guys say, more than what I think. As you guys have countless years of experience and I only have 5.


Just a random note, I once had just one neon tetra, and it would always hide. Was that caused by something else? This is legitimate. Not trying to get in a fight, I just don't believe anything I hear without solid reasons.

In my humble opinion 6 is just a number that happens to have stuck. Folks really get concerned when all but one or two of a shoal of fish die off. They fear the fish will get lonely. Through the years that has happened to me. If I don't want to continue keeping that particular species of fish I just let that one or two live out their lives. Quite often they live for several more years. Often well beyond what their normal life span happens to be.

I have to wonder if it was something other than being alone that kept your neon hidden. I find although I am down to 5 of them now even when I had 18 of them all of them spend their time hiding in the plants. They don't appreciate bright lights. They are a lot more active as the sun is going down in my tank.

 

I will always recommend people get more than one if it's a schooler for that reason.
Is 6 the magic number? I dunno. haha

Correcting myself here.
Not always but generally. Of course there are other considerations, tank size, compatability with other tank mates, that sort of thing.

 

I have 2 Red eyes and 1 Von Rio that I swear are vampires! They have been by themselves for at least a year and are fine.

 

I think the main thing is that there are no absolutes in the hobby - if you have 5 of a schooling fish, they won't necessarily be any worse off than they would be if you had 6, and they wouldn't necessarily be any better of with 12, either. There are so many factors that vary from an individual fish's temperament to tank size and water parameters that it's impossible to give absolutes to basically anything. I think a lot of people understand that.

I only get annoyed whenever there's someone (or a bunch of someones...) on a forum or group that just regurgitate and enforce whatever number they heard when they got into the hobby. "Oh, you only have 4 neons? Those things are gonna die! Go buy more, murderer!"

Or, when people shove advice down each other's throats. I remember being a kid on here back in the early 2010's and saving up money for a little 2.5 gallon tank with a DIY CO2 system for a betta. It was filtered, heated, planted, I had a legitimate test kit, and I thought it was sweet. Then, I come on here, and people freaked out because it was a 2.5 instead of a 5. Not everyone, but a good amount. Of course, Fishlore was a little different in 2010 (the whole internet was...), but it was pretty discouraging.

 

There's another unpopular thing I think is ok
2.5 for a betta. (Personally I'd do a 5 but if a 2.5 is what ya got, then go for it)

 

There's another unpopular thing I think is ok
2.5 for a betta. (Personally I'd do a 5 but if a 2.5 is what ya got, then go for it)

Bigger is better! But 2.5, to me, is just fine. Especially for a long-finned male.

 

There's another unpopular thing I think is ok
2.5 for a betta. (Personally I'd do a 5 but if a 2.5 is what ya got, then go for it)

I started with a 3 gallon tank for a Betta. It was heated, filtered, and planted. I did a 50 percent water change each week and parameters where always good.

I think if your going to use a tank that size, the longer ones are a better choice. Gives the fish more room to swim.

 

Really?!?! I had no idea! So that was all started by rumor? Do you think there is any truth to tetras preferring larger groups? I am asking this purely out of curiosity, I respect anything you guys say, more than what I think. As you guys have countless years of experience and I only have 5.


Just a random note, I once had just one neon tetra, and it would always hide. Was that caused by something else? This is legitimate. Not trying to get in a fight, I just don't believe anything I hear without solid reasons.

I think that's sorta real, I have heard that they school when kept in larger numbers, and they feel more secure, saftey in numbers.

 

There are a few things I think some of my fellow fish folk might raise and eyebrow at:

• I vary rarely test my water.
• I rarely QT my fish.
• I don't QT/dip my plants, not even the plants I pull right out of the wild.
• I don't boil/treat the hardscape materials I find in the wild.

 

I have also kept dwindling groups of schooling fish. In general I think that keeping a single fish is cruel and keeping only a few is less than ideal. In nature a fish that is separated from its school will search until it finds another to join but in the familiar environment of a fish tank that it’s been in for a long time it’s less likely to feel insecure over the loss of its tankmates. I do think though that you should start with 5 or 6 at a minimum.

 

Being brutally honest. Kind of coming off rude and aggressive

 

There are a few things I think some of my fellow fish folk might raise and eyebrow at:

• I vary rarely test my water.
• I rarely QT my fish.
• I don't QT/dip my plants, not even the plants I pull right out of the wild.
• I don't boil/treat the hardscape materials I find in the wild.

So, a question. I am in Minnesota (USA), are there any plants I can put in my aquarium from outside. I know we have a bunch of water lily and hornwort in are lake and stream near the house that are accessible.

 

So, a question. I am in Minnesota (USA), are there any plants I can put in my aquarium from outside. I know we have a bunch of water lily and hornwort in are lake and stream near the house that are accessible.

I'd just try a bunch of stuff. Worst comes to worst, it doesn't work out and it dies off. I'd say it's pretty unlikely you're gonna bring in any diseases off of a plant. Bugs, maybe, but that is what it is.

Just make sure to follow collection laws (if applicable), and don't put anything BACK into the stream/lake after it's been in your tank!

 

Could have been caused by something else but schooling fish generally feel more secure with more of their own kind.
Herding animals in herds.
Safety in numbers, all that fun stuff.

I will always recommend people get more than one if it's a schooler for that reason.
Is 6 the magic number? I dunno. haha

Like that saying, when running from danger. You don't have to be the fastest, just faster than the slowest person.View attachment 793227

This is why i trip people when practicing from running from a zombie horde, or bears!

 

I'm the fat guy... We all know what happens to the fat guy.

 

"Oh, you only have 4 neons? Those things are gonna die! Go buy more, murderer!"

Yeah it was regurgitated whenever I have said it. But tbh I looked into them not needing schools and could not find a single thing that says they can thrive without a school. Not saying your wrong, I think y'all are right actually.

 

So, a question. I am in Minnesota (USA), are there any plants I can put in my aquarium from outside. I know we have a bunch of water lily and hornwort in are lake and stream near the house that are accessible.

Sure, there are a bunch of plants (even in northern states) that grow well in aquariums. I once lived in PA and had a heavily planted tank where all the plants came from a pond near my house. Honestly, it's fun to search for your own plants and learn about your local habitats. Just make sure it's legal. Some places have laws against collecting certain species or from certain locations.

 

Yeah it was regurgitated whenever I have said it. But tbh I looked into them not needing schools and could not find a single thing that says they can thrive without a school. Not saying your wrong, I think y'all are right actually.

I think they do best in large numbers - I've got a single neon in a QT tank right now that I can't wait to get more friends for. I think it'll be happier. But he's been alone for months, and is fat and healthy. He follows the white clouds around the tank.

I just think that people trying to say that "YOU NEED 6!" is pretty ridiculous. Fish don't count, at least not like we're thinking.

I mean one thing to think about too is that most fish are "schooling" to some extent at some part of their life in the wild. From what I understand, angelfish mostly school in the Amazon, unless it's breeding season - but you don't see people cursing each other because they're keeping 1 or 2 angels in a tank, because (contrary to their name) angels are kinda evil during breeding time. Food for thought.

 

Different species vary quite a lot too. I have 12 rosy (? Not quite sure which exact species they are...) tetras in a 150 gallon tank and they always stay more or less together, not exactly schooling but always in a loose group. The neons are usually in their own group as well but do sometimes strike out alone. On the other hand the emperor tetras are everywhere, they really never get together, while the pencifish (of the fish I have) are the ones that really school the most. I have six angelfish and they are usually grouped fairly close together. Once I moved some neons (8) to a tank which, at the time didn’t have any other fish in and they become very nervous and were always hiding. A little later I moved 7 pencilfish to that tank and immediately the neons were much more confident. When I later moved the neons to the big tank, that already had other tetras there, they were never nervous. So yes, safety in numbers even if not necessarily the same species. Supposedly having tetras in largish groups helps to avoid fin nipping too.

 

I guess the six is based on simple human thought processes, when it comes to numbers.
"3 is one less than seems good, so let's do 4 and while we're at it, there is still room for 2 more."
Or alternatively "half a dozen". Or "a handful +1 for good measure".

My guess is the half dozen. Most likely.

 

I guess the six is based on simple human thought processes, when it comes to numbers.
"3 is one less than seems good, so let's do 4 and while we're at it, there is still room for 2 more."
Or alternatively "half a dozen". Or "a handful +1 for good measure".

My guess is the half dozen. Most likely.

Maybe on forums like this it's mostly a replication of the advice given on all the fish profile websites. This one, taken from SF, is pretty much the norm:

"Always buy a group of at least 6 of these, preferably 10 or more. It is a shoaling species by nature, and will fare much better when in the company of its own kind".

 

Maybe on forums like this it's mostly a replication of the advice given on all the fish profile websites. This one, taken from SF, is pretty much the norm:

"Always buy a group of at least 6 of these, preferably 10 or more. It is a shoaling species by nature, and will fare much better when in the company of its own kind".

I was looking for the origin, how people even started to use the number 6.
I guess we all can agree: The bigger the group the better, depending on tanksize of course. So if you can fit in 10, do 10 and not 2. Simple as that.

 

- I openly despise people that anthropomorphise their fish.

I agree with everything here, but (don't hate me) I have, on occasion, anthropomorphized my fish. Not to a huge degree, and never in a way that is harmful to the fish, but I have called a select few fish my "babies" maybe 3 or 4 times. It's usually just when I'm super depressed or sleep deprived lol.

 

I don't test very often, nor do I change water very much. I can get away with this mostly because my tanks are heavily planted and mostly only have 1 fish in each of them. Conditions remain very stable and clean as a result.

I'm keeping a scarlet badis in a planted 3gallon biorb bowl. I wouldn't keep it there if it had a harem, but it's hard to find females.

I feed my pea puffer snails from the outdoors. Granted, "outdoors" means a patio pond in this case, but still.

 

I add cooler water and let the heater warm it up, I think variance in temperature is only natural. I also standby the circle of life method for fry instead of specifically raising each one, and I added fish prior to the cycle completing because they were too cute to leave at the LFS (on my hundredth visit, although I definitely did my research beforehand). I'm okay not knowing everything and learning as I go. The internet has too many scare tactics for beginners. Lastly, I do name my fish, Spaghetti and Leaves had their names chosen way prior to actually getting them, hence the name on here. haha

Thank you for posting this thread!! As a beginner, it's refreshing to see we aren't all perfect and there's no one way, but several good ways.

 

Title says it all - what's something you do in your aquarium hobby that you'd get a lot of hate for? None of us are perfect, and I guarantee we all have at least a few bad habits.

I'll start.

1) I use test strips 9 times out of 10. I own a ton of liquid kits too, but I have 9 tanks set up, so liquid testing each one takes a lot of time. So unless I'm needing super accurate readings or I'm testing for something like copper, I choose test strips.

2) I don't temperature match my water change water. At least, not to the degree like I see so many people do online. If it's less than a 50% water change, I just dip my finger into the bucket and into the tank - if it feels close, it's good enough.

3) I'm convinced that most of us are better off managing disease than eradicating disease. This is a big thing in saltwater tanks, but I don't think I've seen the discussion on freshwater forums. Basically, most parasites (and some bacterial/fungal infections) can be fought off by the fish's immune system, and assuming the fish is healthy enough, can be kept at bay for a long time. But the fish almost never completely defeats the parasite - it's still there, just in very small numbers. If we're talking about ich, for example, that means that we may never see spots (or we may only see a spot every now and then), but it's living in the gills of the fish. The parasite doesn't begin to overwhelm the fish until it's sufficiently stressed - a second illness, bad tank parameters, being netted, or just old age can cause the immune system to weaken and then you see a million spots on the fish. I'm all for eradicating the disease if possible (if you can see it), but treating EVERY fish you encounter with harsh meds like Ich-X (or copper in saltwater) is very aggressive and will probably have at least some long-term effects on some fish. So, for most of us, I'd say we're better off observing the fish, and if everyone looks healthy, assume that they are. The only time I might be hesitant to do that is if they're going in with fish that can't be treated easily - puffers, scaleless fish, stuff like that. And, of course, in saltwater, it's a little tougher to treat parasites like this, so again, YMMV. I know for a fact that I've got a tank with ich in it, but they're all damsels and clownfish, so I've never seen the current fish exhibiting symptoms. A good diet and a light touch (no huge rescapes) keeps them healthy, even though they definitely have ich. Quarantining is still important - if you put a fish into your tank with velvet or some other fast-moving disease, you'll probably wipe out your tank.

1. I've never altered or buffered my p.h
2.I over feed.
3.i have multiple bottom dwellers in both my tanks,of same a different species.
4.i have multiple rainbow sharks in one tank,1 male,5 female
5. I do not check water that often and only change water when p.h drops.
6.i like algae...I kind of let it run rampant until i cant see through the front,the sides are heavy with it.

 

I add cooler water and let the heater warm it up, I think variance in temperature is only natural. I also standby the circle of life method for fry instead of specifically raising each one, and I added fish prior to the cycle completing because they were too cute to leave at the LFS (on my hundredth visit, although I definitely did my research beforehand). I'm okay not knowing everything and learning as I go. The internet has too many scare tactics for beginners. Lastly, I do name my fish, Spaghetti and Leaves had their names chosen way prior to actually getting them, hence the name on here. haha

Thank you for posting this thread!! As a beginner, it's refreshing to see we aren't all perfect and there's no one way, but several good ways.

I've never heard anyone not liking fish namers!
My female bettas are: Donatella, Aiza, Nerissa, Tabitha, Una, Luna, Star, Lady, and Cookies. I have 3 new girls being shipped our tomorrow, but they haven't been named yet.

My male bettas are: Kumar, Anookum, Blue, Smauge, and Strider.

My corydoras Catfish are: Barbie, Barb, Barble, Barbel, Mr. Barbel, and Barle.