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Hi everybody,

I'm a producer for an emmy-award winning company. I'm currently working on a show about pet fishes and aquariums. The show would probably be some kind of travel show, with a host (who is also a fish expert) traveling around the country to meet aquarium owners and simply talk to them about their aquarium and their fishes.

The goal is to have great footage of those aquariums and fishes! I've found that it's impossible to find, on TV or on the Internet, good quality videos. Except for amateur stuff on youtube, there's almost nothing!
We'd also provide advice and information about all kind of fishes, how to take care of them and of your tank, etc, etc.

I'm posting here to you to get some advice! I haven't been into the hobby for a long time, and you guys obviously know a lot. What do you think of such a show? Would you watch it?

Right now we're thinking of putting it online, for free! We'd advertise in different websites and/or magazines, hobbyist could just click and watch whenever they want.

Do you think there could be some enthusiasm for our show? Once again, I want to point out that we want to make a really good quality-show. Great equipment (probably HD), great experts, really interesting content.

I'd really appreciate any advice you guys have. As I said, we're just preparing for the show now, and I want to make sure we'll reach the right people, and, well, that it will be interesting for everybody!

So let's start a discussion on this! I'm open to any comment and ideas!

Thanks!
Ben.

Sounds like a great idea.

I would suggest that your show informs its younger viewers that an aquarium is a commitment and that its inhabitants should be given every environmental and care requirement that the owner would give to any other household pet.

Sorry to start off with this but I shudder everytime I go into a busy aquarium store and hear bad advice given or even worse, the 'I wanna nemo fish!' kids (how many clownfish have died as a result of that movie).

Also, as well as profile sheets on particular species (Im sure you may be considdering putting them in during the show) I would like to see a list of compatable fishes.

If this will be a travel show, would it be possible to show aquarium species in their natural environments?

I would really love to see a show such as this. Im not sure how long this thread would last as you seem to also mention you will be making a website that would be in competition with this one.

I probably wouldn't watch it to be honest. Fishkeepers are a diverse group and what is going to appeal to one is going to bore the rest to tears. We are also 'always right' irregardless of how wrong we are, so the information included will always upset a large number of people.

It would have to be of a higher level of info or thought provoking questions and filled with weird and engaging people to keep my interest.

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

First off, I have to say I'm a bit skeptical about the veracity of your claims. It seems like 90% of the time around the internet when someone offers something really special like aquariums in HD, they're just pulling chains. Not to put a nail through your balloon, I've just been around the web long enough to think twice before getting my hopes up. That said, even if I knew for sure this was a pipe dream, I happen to be the kind of person who likes to tell you what I'd want something to be like IF it actually would happen, so...

Secondly, something you might look into for what kind of content to have on the show is a magazine: Tropical Fish Hobbyist (TFH). With a wide range of topics, this magazine seems to have a pretty universal appeal among hobbyists. Some things you could pull the ideas for from the magazine: feature fish species, invert species, etc. for each episode; Q&A sessions with an expert (if you need an expert, try finding presidents or other officers of large aquarium clubs...); topical segments on things like water gardening or reefs; or special focuses (foci?) on things like keeping small aquaria (10 gallons and under), setting up an aquarium, THE NITROGEN CYCLE (something EVERY person who wants to set up an aquarium should have clearly explained to them!!!), nanoreefs, collecting trips, etc... there's an infinite number of topics you could cover! Also, testing different products to see what's best (ala America's Test Kitchen, Consumer Reports) would be a valuable use of our time!

The good thing about the aquarium hobby as a topic for a show is that it's a topic that is constantly growing and changing. That's why I love getting TFH every month, and why I keep my back issues. There aren't repeats - it's nearly impossible to waste time by covering the same topic twice. Every new filtration technique, fish species discovery, aquascape design style, or genre (eg. nanoreef, picotope, "monster fish" etc.) that comes into the hobby can be explored in great depth. That's also why once someone's a hobbyist, we're pretty much in it for the long haul - there's always something new to try, be it breeding, plants, marine, tiny tanks, huge tanks, exotic species, or making new strains of very domestic species like livebearers, it's pretty tough to get bored.

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It'd either have to be something really simple for beginners, or something really advanced for everyone else.

It'd be nice to have something to link new hobbyists to to use as a reference for basic fishkeeping problems/questions, but it probably wouldn't get many hits, as new hobbyists generally don't come to the internet for ideas.

On the flipside, advanced hobbyists could use something like this as a resource, too. Talks with Anthony Calfo, and the like could be featured, as well as info on cool/rare critters.

I dunno...

(Btw, I hope you checked with Adam before you posted this...)

I don't know, maybe a show like this could work, but what network. I have Sat. TV have you all seen some of the stuff they have on now. So, if this is a real plan than, I think the question wasn't what problems you see: but if you think it would work. I would hope that you include all areas of the his hobby. Planted, theme tanks, beginners, interviews with top people, breeding. Yes, everyone has there own way of doing or thinking how thing works, but there are alot of things that a just that way.

Maybe, this is a young guy daydreaming about sucess or maybe it for real.... either way.... if people are more informed about aquarium care and fish care and the fish themselves....than how can that be a bad thing... So, I say go for it but do it right. If your company looking for an ideal man, just let me know LOL

Djrichie
"So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish" Douglas Adams

Thanks so much to all of your for your answers. Your suggestions (and doubts) are really interesting!

We're still working on what content will be in the show exactly. I'm assuming from what you guys said that just showing fishes swimming around in nice tanks won't be enough, right?

I appreciate your suggestions to offer expert advice, but would you watch a show that would be just a kind of "meet and greet the hobbyist"? you know "hi, I'm Fred, this is my tank. I really like to... and ...".

It's funny in a way, since there is nothing out there right now, our possibilities are endless!

But let's keep the ideas flowing, I'm really liking this.

Ben.

Hmm, "Tank Tours" would be interesting. My local reef club does those (as a group that goes house-to-house, not in video, though), and they're fairly interesting (at least with the nice tanks). Average run-of-the-mill tanks would be rather boring, but some of the really nice setups that people have would definitely be worth watching.

What company are you with, by the way?

FYI, most of us who've been keeping fish for any length of time have more than one tank (here I have three tanks, a paludarium, and a pond! Plenty of hobbyists have considerably more tanks than that. So instead of "this is my tank" you may end up with a tour of the house and various tanks...

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Indeed. Most of us have one "Showcase" tank that's bigger or better than the others, though. Example: On the last 'tank tour' I went on, the guy had over 40 tanks in his house (most of them were 100 gal+). Though all of his tanks were nice, his 480 gal reef was incredible, and his new 600 gal in progress looked very promising. Most of the tour focused on those two tanks, as well as his ray and octopus tanks... the rest of the tour was basically "Woah, check out that 210 gal malawi tank! Dude, there's a piranha tank/scrap bucket in the middle of the kitchen table!"... it was pretty schweet.

His tour also focused partly on modifications that had to be done to the house to accommodate the tanks (steel I beams in the floor instead of 2x4's, HVAC, water/sewer, insulation, etc). That could also be another idea for the show...

Well despite the fact you've probably gone around to multiple sites and posted the same thing, and the fact that I imagine a "real" company should probably work by hiring a team to brainstorm ideas rather than having someone post a topic in random forums, it doesn't really make much difference to me whether this is successful or not, so I'll shoot a few ideas out.

It is really difficult to appeal to everyone. However, this partially makes the idea of internet clips better; rather than trying to make 30 minute clips that you try to make everyone enjoy, you can make multiple 10 minute clips for different audiences. Might work a lot better this way.

There is one thing that many aquarists want to see, as far as I'm concerned, and that is to see the fish in their native habitats. The best type of program that would hold an advanced aquarist's attention would be one such as Amazon Abyss, that shows the natural coloration, size, and behaviors their fish have. Many aquarists strive to replicate the natural habitats that fish live in, and data on plant life, substrate, water movement, shade, water quality, cohabiting species, and all that would make a very interesting show for aquarists who wish to provide the best natural habitat for their fishes. Also, such a show has no attraction to people whose goal is to maintain rather artificial set-ups. However, if you want a show about aquarists for aquarists it's quite different.

On one level, a show about aquariums is going to require some basic information for beginning aquarists. A show like this helps to attract new fishkeepers to the hobby, but in doing so a responsibility to simultaneously teaching them the basics is pertinent. Now the trouble is whether or not this basic info should be included in EVERY episode, or should you concentrate basic information in just few episodes. With the webcast it might be easier to separate them. More advanced aquarists like myself are not going to watch videos targeted at beginners, and if every episode talks to beginners than my interest isn't going to be held for long.

If I were going to watch an aquarium and hobbyist featured on a show, the aquariums would have to look very professional. Take a walk through a public aquarium, and imagine if you had a mini-version in your home; some people effectively do this, and that's who you should be looking for. I would not watch a show for very long if they were going to talk about someone's tank with blue and pink gravel with plastic skulls and models. Not professional.

Plus, we want to see something that we don't normally see. Each hobbyist and aquarium has to have at least ONE thing that makes them special. They don't have to be the only person doing it, but well darn it would help if they were the only person doing it, haha. Track down some of these guys and I might be interested:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_1700g_tank_1.php
http://groups.msn.com/thesharkpool
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8952

The above guys are special in the fact that they have huge aquariums. But another example might be a breeder of a specific specific uncommon type of fish, such as the Banggai Cardinalfish or Veilfinned Neon Tetra. If you have people that aren't exactly special or spectacular you will run into the problem of being repetitive. There has to be something that makes this one person (and thus the one episode) stand out.

I'd also be curious to know who your host is and if I've heard of him/her. Most of the "experts" among the fishkeeping world I know have certain specificities, such as Heok Hee Ng and Julian Dignall in catfishes, Takashi Amano and Karen Randall in aquascaping, and Robert Fenner and Scott Michael in marine. Even an expert is going to get things wrong if it's not something they're normally familiar with.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

For good quality photography of naturalistic planted environments you may want to check out http://www.aquaticquotient.com (or the FishProfiles.com photo gallery), there is a great base of world known fish enthusiasts, including Mr. H. Histrovic of bulgaria.

I'd like to see a 'fish tanks of the rich and famous' sort of thing too. I'd love to sticky beak at what the upper class have in their homes.

Also, such a show has no attraction to people whose goal is to maintain rather artificial set-ups.

Not necessarily. If it was taken to the nth degree and people who did not seek to emulate the environment were not made to feel inferior then there is a lot that even Joe Bloggs with the silk plants and skulls can gain from such a thing.

And there is nothing wrong with silk plants and skulls if they are done well. If there was a piece in the mix on how to best mimic nature with fakes or novelty aquaria where the person had paid strict attention to detail (think show tanks with hand-build hardscaping etc, not just cheap and cheerful) then I'd be interested in that too.

Ideally I'd want to see things that were not too far out of reach but at the same time, were things I would be unlikely to put the time and money into doing myself.

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Not necessarily. If it was taken to the nth degree and people who did not seek to emulate the environment were not made to feel inferior then there is a lot that even Joe Bloggs with the silk plants and skulls can gain from such a thing.

And there is nothing wrong with silk plants and skulls if they are done well. If there was a piece in the mix on how to best mimic nature with fakes or novelty aquaria where the person had paid strict attention to detail (think show tanks with hand-build hardscaping etc, not just cheap and cheerful) then I'd be interested in that too.

Perhaps I am mistaken in saying that they would have no interest in it, but someone who is into keeping flowerhorns in a bare tank would not have the direct interest that someone with a Panaque or a BGK and is trying to set up a biotope aquarium has to seeing their fish in Amazon Abyss.

I suppose there's nothing wrong with skulls and plastic plants themselves, but there is in the implied lack of care that just some random beginner has in picking up these types of decorations and putting them in the tank willy-nilly. This lack of professionalism or lack of even an attractive set-up in the first place does not make for an interesting aquarium set-up. But of course, there are people who use natural elements such as wood and plants from a single habitat and still don't have a good looking aquarium either. Either way, a higher level should be achieved if the aquarium is to be the focus. If someone takes the time and effort to pull together a work of art in aquarium form, then that'd be an interesting piece indeed, whether the formations are real or fake.

There is the flip side to extreme attention to the tank and decor in which the fish are the focus, in which case situations such as breeding tanks where the tanks are mostly bare would be okay. Interestingly enough, I'm not seeing too much middle ground, as it seems to me in the middle is what just about everyone does and it might be hard to find "special" people among those who do their best to pay some/little attention to aquascape and some/most attention to their common fish without breeding them and find their own balance.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

To each their own. I would be happy just to see the variety in tanks. Sometimes it can be an inspiration to make layour changes in my aquarium.

I would likely watch some individual shows, but not others, depending on each show's focus. I do think I would be a viewer. Another episode, or series of episodes, following fish from capture to to the store would be very interesting too.

Best of luck.

I think you all are thinking of this being a show about viewing tanks..... will thats what the mags are for, and alot of adverts, and a few articles. why can it have a section for the beginners, a section on equipemnet and maintenace of the equipment. Tank designs planted and plastic stuff..... education..... you could feature a tank every week, maybe DIY projects ie..... backgrounds, CO2 systems etc..... If I want to look at nice tanks I just turn my head and look at the ones I have not that I don't emjoy others work, but hey 30 mins to an hour on BOB nice tank would be boring after 10 mins. Now show me what and how Bob made that tank now you got a show. What would be nice is suggested before a section on eviroment mimic. Anyway, you slice it people in this hobbies come from so many back grounds it will be very hard to please everyone or even a majority of the people.



Djrichie
"So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish" Douglas Adams

I mention wanting to see high quality tanks, but not just for seeing the high quality tank itself, which might hold my attention for maybe a couple minutes tops. I flipped through the Top 27 ADA 2007 aquascaping contest winners in a half an hour, give or take 15 minutes, despite these setups having creative concepts and extraordinary execution. I do expect the aquarist to personally talk about the ideas and process that went into the formation of a beautiful aquascape, but I assumed this because fishfanforfun comments that the host will be talking to aquarium owners.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Ok heres my two cents. I would watch the show and probably pretty regularly. But again Not to often if all it was was this week its BObs tank and nothing more than video of his fish swimming around. For the beginners have a Beginners corner and do one segment on setting up and maintaining a ten gallon tank. but aim the majority of the show on medium grade fish keeping with a DIY segment, the beginers corner, and a segment on advanced topics. I also would like to see "Bobs tank" as well so have a segment where you visit run of the mill people and see their tanks. Maybe bring along an expert with you to give advice to the run of the mill guys and gals out there. I for one would be very delighted to have you guys show up at my house and see my tanks and get any advice I can get. BTW this is an open invite to you to do just this.

mts.gif" border="0"> I vote do you?
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