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.

 

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.

This was refreshing the read. As a newbie, i am also learning as I go, even trying to read about everything before hand, there's always something that pops up along the way... inevitable.

After an initial experience online, I am hesitant to go into details sometimes because of these scare tactics and don't want to get shamed. For example, I legit thought my tank was cycled so I added the fish, turns out I am now doing a fish in cycle, but I've been on top of water changes every day if need be, since I'm testing twice a day...so yeah, learning! Was hesitant to ask for specific help since I couldn't take my fish out (already had others in the qt at the time) or "give them back" (I'm pretty sure my lfs would laugh in my face if i asked them to hold my fish for me...)

 

4.i have multiple rainbow sharks in one tank,1 male,5 female

No hate, but how did you pull that off? I've always been told that just *one* rainbow shark requires 50 gallons and that they're really mean even then. Do you just have a huge tank? Or is it like how fish stores stop aggression with cichlids by crowding them enough to make territorialism difficult?

 

No hate, but how did you pull that off? I've always been told that just *one* rainbow shark requires 50 gallons and that they're really mean even then. Do you just have a huge tank? Or is it like how fish stores stop aggression with cichlids by crowding them enough to make territorialism difficult?

Generally 5-10 in a 400+ liter is appropriate for them. A single specimen in a small tank is bound to become aggressive and territorial.

 

No hate, but how did you pull that off? I've always been told that just *one* rainbow shark requires 50 gallons and that they're really mean even then. Do you just have a huge tank? Or is it like how fish stores stop aggression with cichlids by crowding them enough to make territorialism difficult?

I read and read and read about the rainbow sharks a lot after I got told I could keep 1 in a 29 gallon....then I learned the aggression spread and all that but how I did it was kind of like "a pack of lions" I guess????, the one male and the other 5 female,threw in some tetras and snails to distract them from one another they were all too busy chasing tetras for the first day or so.
I made caves and caves and caves out of terra cotta pots and shelves out of shale and rocks. Plenty of hiding spots for all,vals and pothos for coverage of plants in the tank but the biggest thing I found while reading is they see colors..and it's a threat to them, so in This tank the substrate on the left is white sand substrate and the right side is florescent bright bright gravel...between that and i think only the 1 male rest female and the caves....that's how I did it. It was a but of luck but a lot of gearing this tank basically for them.
Its 55 gallons,I'm not stunting them on purpose but I know I am at this point and am looking for a 75 gallon or 100 gallon to move the whole set up to sooner than later.
If you like I'll shoot a video on my youtube channel and post the link here so you can see it.
I just recently added a clown knife fish as well which was nice becuase he is the same size as the male rainbow shark so even further the male has calmed...and is now courting one of the mid sized females..they say breeding rainbows is almost impossible but I bet if I buffer p.h down to 7. From 8.2 and get them in the bigger tank I could breed them...only time and money will tell hahaha.

Generally 5-10 in a 400+ liter is appropriate for them. A single specimen in a small tank is bound to become aggressive and territorial.

I had the rainbow and a bala shark and an angel in 29 gallons....so dumb,thanks petco haha, the rainbow male is my last original fish from when I started this like 2 or 3 years ago

 

thanks petco

Indeed...

I hope you find a bigger tank soon. For breeding: Lowering hardness and pH will definitely be helpful, but it seems it works similarly to clown loaches, meaning they can only be bred using hormones.

 

I don't clean my filters, or replace media. I have some canister filters that have been running un-opened for years. I only clean filters when there is a reduction in flow or the media has completely deteriorated.

 

I read and read and read about the rainbow sharks a lot after I got told I could keep 1 in a 29 gallon....then I learned the aggression spread and all that but how I did it was kind of like "a pack of lions" I guess????, the one male and the other 5 female,threw in some tetras and snails to distract them from one another they were all too busy chasing tetras for the first day or so.
I made caves and caves and caves out of terra cotta pots and shelves out of shale and rocks. Plenty of hiding spots for all,vals and pothos for coverage of plants in the tank but the biggest thing I found while reading is they see colors..and it's a threat to them, so in This tank the substrate on the left is white sand substrate and the right side is florescent bright bright gravel...between that and i think only the 1 male rest female and the caves....that's how I did it. It was a but of luck but a lot of gearing this tank basically for them.
Its 55 gallons,I'm not stunting them on purpose but I know I am at this point and am looking for a 75 gallon or 100 gallon to move the whole set up to sooner than later.
If you like I'll shoot a video on my youtube channel and post the link here so you can see it.
I just recently added a clown knife fish as well which was nice becuase he is the same size as the male rainbow shark so even further the male has calmed...and is now courting one of the mid sized females..they say breeding rainbows is almost impossible but I bet if I buffer p.h down to 7. From 8.2 and get them in the bigger tank I could breed them...only time and money will tell hahaha.

I had the rainbow and a bala shark and an angel in 29 gallons....so dumb,thanks petco haha, the rainbow male is my last original fish from when I started this like 2 or 3 years ago

A vid would be great. I've always wanted to keep some of those sharks properly even though they're way out of my nano range right now. Long term goal.

 

I don't clean my filters, or replace media. I have some canister filters that have been running un-opened for years. I only clean filters when there is a reduction in flow or the media has completely deteriorated.

How do you know when the media is deteriorated if you dont open them?

 

How do you know when the media is deteriorated if you dont open them?

Maybe an increase or reduction of flow?
I was curious about that as well

 

How do you know when the media is deteriorated if you dont open them?

Low flow

Basically, a proper filter can 'digest' the organic matter because of the bio film colony growing on the media. If the media collapses then you have less biofilm and less digestion going on. The organic matter then backs up the filter and the flow goes down.

Over the years I have learned to use media that does not deteriorate. But I still sometimes open a filter and find an older piece of media that needs to be replaced with something that does not deteriorate.

If you ever see a gelatinous shiny grey goo on your media, that is the biofilm and should not be disturbed. So I want it growing on a media that does not deteriorate.

 

hehehe... I like to be notorious here on the forum for these:

- I put fish/animal needs before plant needs, so if someone gives advice for better plant growth at the expense of animal life quality I advise against it. I myself rather let a plant melt and disintegrate than stressing out fish.
...
- I rather advise to put a "dead fish swimming" down than nuke a whole tank/spend hundreds of bucks for meds that might not work to safe 1 fish.
....

^^ agree. it’s a fish tank first, the plants are *for* the fish!

Edit#2: Oh and I get headaches when people think they have to raise every little fry they find. No you don't.

^^^ I hear you. You’re right, and I see this with people wanting to buy hatching eggs for their broody chicken(s) b/c “she wants to be a mom”
No, she doesn’t. She’s just following her instincts. If you don’t want chicks, DON’T HATCH CHICKS!!! You can convince the hen to stop brooding green crab apples if you want.

But then I’m also the one who has to make herself *not* transplant every heathy zinnia and sunflower volunteer that comes up in the yard, sooo...

 

Low flow

Basically, a proper filter can 'digest' the organic matter because of the bio film colony growing on the media. If the media collapses then you have less biofilm and less digestion going on. The organic matter then backs up the filter and the flow goes down.

Over the years I have learned to use media that does not deteriorate. But I still sometimes open a filter and find an older piece of media that needs to be replaced with something that does not deteriorate.

If you ever see a gelatinous shiny grey goo on your media, that is the biofilm and should not be disturbed. So I want it growing on a media that does not deteriorate.

Ah crud,that gelatinous mass was over some of my media as well but misconstrued it as algae because the tanks outside and the media box is exposed to sunlight...I peeled some of it off...whoops.

 

Hey everyone, Let's stick to the spirit of the topic that was intended.

This is what I do that is not popular opinion, not what someone else does or does not do that you don't like.

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 have an 8 gallon Biorb that I purchased as a 'repackage' aka a return. It was new but box damaged. I saved 75.00 on it. I love it. Go on, hate on me. stupid silly plastic or silk plants, but water changes are so easy with it.

I have a 16 gallon biorb cube - repackaged as well that I got at 1/3 rd cost. Not set up yet, it'll be a few months as I'm going to start my floor replacement next month ( finally, about 16 months late!)

My silver dollar fish (4) are still in the 36 gallon and happy. My upside catfish is still in his tank and happy.

my 55 gallon - (their upgrade tank - purchased last July) is still boxed up. It has the stand and top canopy with it, lol.

I love my fish and enjoy them.

This website forum has taught me nearly EVERYTHING these past 2 years and I thank you all for it. but yeah, I'm flawed and still learning.

 

I have an 8 gallon Biorb that I purchased as a 'repackage' aka a return. It was new but box damaged. I saved 75.00 on it. I love it. Go on, hate on me. stupid silly plastic or silk plants, but water changes are so easy with it.

Honestly, no hate. While I think Biorbs are very limited in terms of what you can do with them and are ridiculously overpriced, they can look quite beautiful when done right and add a nice bit of variety to any aquarium collection. I definitely would never buy one at full price, though... I bought my own biorb because it came with an established colony of 2 dozen cherry shrimp for free.

 

This was such a great thread to read! I feel so much better now.

The only thing I can add is that I think small goldfish in a small tank are fine - I liked keeping mine small, they kind of gross me out when they get big.

 

This was such a great thread to read! I feel so much better now.

The only thing I can add is that I think small goldfish in a small tank are fine - I liked keeping mine small, they kind of gross me out when they get big.

You may be onto something. I was looking into some of the oldest goldfish on record recently. Here's a couple of them: It's o-fish-al! Fred and George steal world's oldest goldfish crown from 38-year-old Splash - Mirror Online, BBC News | UK | Oldest goldfish has his chips . These goldfish were 40+ years old and kept in bowls or small (looks between 5-10 gallon in the picture) tanks their whole lives. If anything, this just makes me think we are sometimes too quick to pass judgment on how others keep their fish.

 

You may be onto something. I was looking into some of the oldest goldfish on record recently. Here's a couple of them: It's o-fish-al! Fred and George steal world's oldest goldfish crown from 38-year-old Splash - Mirror Online, BBC News | UK | Oldest goldfish has his chips . These goldfish were 40+ years old and kept in bowls or small (looks between 5-10 gallon in the picture) tanks their whole lives. If anything, this just makes me think we are sometimes too quick to pass judgment on how others keep their fish.

I do agree that most of the time we're far too quick to pass judgement on others.

However, IMO, "longevity" and "quality of life" are two very different things. If you've got a fish that lives 40 years but does so in a tiny tank with, I imagine, very little to do, I'd consider that fish to have still had a bad life.

 

I do agree that most of the time we're far too quick to pass judgement on others.

However, IMO, "longevity" and "quality of life" are two very different things. If you've got a fish that lives 40 years but does so in a tiny tank with, I imagine, very little to do, I'd consider that fish to have still had a bad life.

THIS! People say this all the time about bettas. “My betta lived six years in his half gallon bowl!” Doesn’t mean it was happy

 

I do agree that most of the time we're far too quick to pass judgement on others.

However, IMO, "longevity" and "quality of life" are two very different things. If you've got a fish that lives 40 years but does so in a tiny tank with, I imagine, very little to do, I'd consider that fish to have still had a bad life.

THIS! People say this all the time about bettas. “My betta lived six years in his half gallon bowl!” Doesn’t mean it was happy

I don't want to get this thread off track too far. But, perhaps you could add this to the things some folks online might hate me for:

I don't think anyone knows what it feels like to be a fish. Does it feel like anything? Are they conscience? I suppose this is as much philosophical as biological. Don't get me wrong. I love my fish. And, I try to keep them as best I can. But, if a fish lives a long time, I think it must be at least a bit healthy. And, I sort of use health and happiness interchangeably (perhaps lazily) when I'm talking about my fishes. But, how can we know if a fish is truly happy. I would submit that we can't.

 

I don't want to get this thread off track too far. But, perhaps you could add this to the things some folks online might hate me for:

I don't think anyone knows what it feels like to be a fish. Does it feel like anything? Are they conscience? I suppose this is as much philosophical as biological. Don't get me wrong. I love my fish. And, I try to keep them as best I can. But, if a fish lives a long time, I think it must be at least a bit healthy. And, I sort of use health and happiness interchangeably when I'm talking about my fishes. But, how can we know if a fish is truly happy. I would submit that we can't.

I'm not saying that the 38 year-old goldfish wasn't healthy. I'm saying it probably didn't live a good life. You can be perfectly healthy and still live a bad life - now, I don't know if I would say fish can feel "happy" the way we think of it, but I'd imagine that any animal would be "happier" if they could swim around and interact with the environment.

But, look at it this way. We know that fish can feel pain and different levels of discomfort. Small tanks are simply less stable and more prone to ammonia spikes and parameter swings. I'd imagine ammonia burn to be fairly painful, and temperature swings to be fairly uncomfortable, even for a goldfish. In my mind, there's no way a fish that big can live in a tank that small without causing some water quality issues. You could do a flow-through system connected to a larger tank, but that's not what was done.

 

I'll agree fishbowls or tiny tanks aren't good for goldies - but the extreme doesn't prove the rule. I just reject the seemingly accepted wisdom that they NEED to be homed in a 100 gallon tanks so they can grow to maximize size.

For me that meant a 10 Gallon with 3 or 4 goldies was fine (the common kind, not those weird deformed ones! ).

 

I'll agree fishbowls or tiny tanks aren't good for goldies - but the extreme doesn't prove the rule. I just reject the seemingly accepted wisdom that they NEED to be homed in a 100 gallon tanks so they can grow to maximize size.

For me that meant a 10 Gallon with 3 or 4 goldies was fine (the common kind, not those weird deformed ones! ).

I'll have to strongly disagree with this one - but hey, that's what this thread is for.

 

I'm not saying that the 38 year-old goldfish wasn't healthy. I'm saying it probably didn't live a good life. You can be perfectly healthy and still live a bad life - now, I don't know if I would say fish can feel "happy" the way we think of it, but I'd imagine that any animal would be "happier" if they could swim around and interact with the environment.

In theory, yes I agree with this, but with the caveat that it’s very hard to keep an animal healthy in a stressful environment.
Especially for small critters, “not stressed, healthy, calm, exhibiting natural behavior” = happy, IMO.
So if an animal is healthy long term, and acting normally, it’s reasonable to say it is happy.
That doesn’t mean it couldn’t be *happier* in an even better living condition, but if it has never experienced better, it has no frame of reference ( like we humans do) to compare its existence to a theoretical better one.

I’m not saying a gallon bowl is a suitable home for a goldfish, just philosophizing on the definition of “happy”.

 

Hey guys, interesting discussion on tap water and filter media but let's get this thread back on topic.

Aready asked for this thread to stay on topic. Closing it up now. It's unfortunate it has gone so far off the spirit of which it was intended as described in the first post.