FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I'd like to start a discussion on the subjects of tank size, and schooling. First of all, tank size. There are quite a few people(some with good experience to back it up)giving responses when asked the proper tank size for a particular fish(or school of fish); and rightfully so. Tank size has a lot to do with what fish you can get.

Unless you plan, ahead of time, to upgrade. This is where I come to my point....some people are fanatical about tank size. If you get a....oh, let's say a Goldfish....and proceed to put it in anything less than a 20 gallon(20 gallons per Fancy, Comets get long), some people immediately jump on the fishkeeper's behind. Now, we all know that people buy these fish knowing that if one dies, they're pretty cheap to replace(ie., using fish bowls), disregarding the health and welfare of the fish. I believe this is because some people do not think they are the same as a cat or dog....if a fish dies, "who cares"? But the 'newbie' shouldn't be automatically grouped into the 'uncaring fishkeeper' category; as I've said before, this can drive people away from the hobby...people who could later become advocates for proper fishkeeping.

Now onto schooling. One of the things I hear all the time when someone buys a particular fish is "...those are schooling fish". It's even(to their credit)printed on all the labels at Wal-Mart. But I feel that some people are only repeating what's on the label, without any experience to draw from. For example, the Peppered Cory. Yes, the label says "keep in a school of 5 or more"; but that is an unrealistic number in a 10 gallon(unless it is a species only/Cory tank)tank. It has been my experience, from monitering a group of 3...to a school of 9, that they don't act any 'happier' in a "school of 5 or more". They all either sit next to each other, or search for food(I am not condoning extended keeping of a single Cory).

There are general rules of thumb to follow when it comes to fishkeeping. For example, the 1 inch per gallon rule. There is a difference between 5 inches of Fantail Goldie, and 5 inches of Neon Tetras. It's not necessarily the size of the fish, it's the ammonia output(in both waste and respiration). But for beginners it is(like many other rules)a good guide to follow, until you do your homework.

Fishkeeping is an excellent hobby. FishProfiles is an excellent website/tool, and the members are very caring and well-meaning people. However, sometimes(only a few), people have talked down to others(possibly without realizing it). The unfortunate thing is that some people have thinner skins than others, and may not have stuck around for the information/insight that they needed. This may not matter to some people, but it matters to me. For me, this hobby was a way(as I've told some)to calm down after coming home from Iraq. I care a great deal about my aquatic pets, expecially George and Bob. George is still here because of the honest advice from a member(Babelfish), he was suffering from advanced Fin/Tail Rot(it had infected his gills).

I'm just asking people to use the profiles as a guide, not gospel. Not everyone will become a responsible fishkeeper; but, with some help from everyone here, some will. Happy Holidays all!

-Keith



http://www.ozarkgames.com

great article keith! I agree that many times people on the forum give some advice that may seem hostile or degrading at times, even possibly be without recognizing that they are talking down to others. I think it's important, especially when talking to newbies, that we all had to start somewhere and we've ALL made mistakes. It's important to be patient with people.
Thanks for the reminder
Jen

Well said Keith lets hope the newbees see this and learn.

Keithgh

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
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I agree that some people may talk down towards newbies, but "hostile" is a stretch. Everybody should be treated with respect though, unless the newbies are unable to heed sound advice, and blatantly disregard what anybody tells them. I have seen that happen a few times too.

This hobby is also a good way for me to calm down from my school related stress. Even water changes help me focus my mind away from the books.


Was this supposed to be a discussion on tank size and schooling, or a discussion on how people discuss tank size and schooling?

In any case, the only true form of learning is experience. Even if you follow someone's advice and it works well, you now know something that works...experience. When I was having a rough time with the basic cycle, I learned through experience that 7 angel fish and two common plecs can't all live in a 20GH. May they rest in peace (except for the two angels that are still somehow alive).

I kept fish only for a few months before finding this site, but I read everything before asking a million questions. This site has a wealth of knowledge outside the forums that most people don't even see. Also, a good tactic is to re-direct members asking pretty common questions to the literature on the site or on another site. This avoids the down-talking or disregard by the poster.

---

Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Hostile is a stretch? Well, I guess that is to the posters opinion, but it seems some people on here have a "chunk of fish poo clogging up their rear filter" if you catch my drift. Keith, good article!

Great article Keith
You (we) should be encouraging more people to join the wonderful world of fish keeping. I might only have 10 posts to my name, but I kept fish for years before a 6 year absense. Meg_the_fish asked some valid questions on another forum the other day and someone shot her down. She was about to make a mistake, but the way she was "helped" was in the incorrect way. If we all behave and play nice , then I (we) can learn more and more about the wonderful world of fish keeping.
Cheers


Last edited by philipv at 14-Dec-2004 06:45

I agree, but just to let all of you know, you can always report threads to the mods. At the bottom of each post, there is a link that says "report post". Just click on the link and tell us what you think is wrong with the thread or who is posting something wrong. These pms will go out to all the mods, so the next one online can see if any action needs to be taken. Like deleting posts, and/or editing them for content problems, ect. We have hundreds to thousands of posts to scan through each day, and sometimes we miss things while doing so. As well, sometimes we get busy in life as well, and just don't have the time to scan through all the posts. So any help is greatly appreacieated.

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