"The bridge ahead is washed out!"

[Tannin Aquatics]

What a tired old cinematic cliche, huh? However, it's useful in today's discussion...

Okay, at the bit of sounding just a bit negative today, I'm pondering on a few things that have been on my mind lately about the aquarium hobby.

There are a lot of articles, blogs, and tips on how to succeed at this-or-that aspect of the hobby, which is awesome. But those of us who have been in the hobby and industry for a while have seen a lot of, for want of a better term- the "dark side" of the aquarium hobby. We've seen all kinds of hobbyists, businesses, and ideas come and go. And after a while, you get a distinct feeling that you know what works and what doesn't. You can see when the train is headed for the washed-out bridge, or the ship is steering into the rocks, if you will.

Today, in the hope that we can all learn about what does NOT work, I give you ____ ways to fail in the aquarium hobby. (This is really less geared towards YOU- the more advanced aquarist, or the LFS person- and geared more towards creating a discussion track for you to run with when dealing with someone who is completely new to the hobby, and perhaps...a bit misled.)

It's kind of our job, as advanced hobbyists, industry types, and good stewards of the aquarium world to look at the absurdity of some of this stuff, so that we can prevent others from making these horrible mistakes! Here are my top 5. No doubt you have more, but it's a start!

1) Jump in without doing research. Yeah, seriously. The aquarium hobby as we know it has only been around for like 100 years or so. The tenants of basic aquarium husbandry are still wide open to dismiss. Examples? Well, don't worry about mixing fishes from different environmental conditions together. Calling your an aquarium a "community tank" somehow negates all of the potential downsides of mixing incompatible fishes! Or, how  about this one: Fishes will "grow to the size of their aquarium" and "adapt' just fine to smaller tanks! "I'll get a larger tank down the line." (If I had a dollar for every time I heard THAT one...)

 

2) Believing that this or that product will relieve you of the need to obey basic aquarium husbandry principles. Yeah, really! If you use this additive or employ this filter media, there is no need for water changes. Ever! Feeding this food will prevent fish disease. Or, using this electronic controller means you'll never have to monitor water chemistry again! Just spending the money on ____________ automatically grants you an exemption from the "aquarium gods" and gives you special status whereby you can dismiss all of the "rules" and achieve success with minimal attention and effort. "I read on internet about this guy who..." Ughh.

3) Accelerating the timeline when establishing a new aquarium. Hey, the kids want to see fish in by tonight for the party. "I'll start with just a few fish: Like, a dozen Neons, six Tiger Barbs, a few "Algae Eaters" (gotta have those)..." We've all seen and heard the various claims out there: Todays modern filters, additives, and gadgets will help you succeed despite having any knowledge of what you're doing! The nitrogen cycle is "instantly established" and your aquarium can achieve biological balance in a day with this stuff!" Regrettably, marketing hyperbole when taken out of context can give a newbie the completely wrong impression of the capabilities and applications for a product.

4) Continuing at full speed even when stuff is going wrong and animals are dying. I've seen this a lot on the "reef" side of the trade: A customer will buy a bunch of livestock, experience horrific losses (generally due to a complete disregard-intentional or otherwise- for the lack of an established nitrogen cycle), conclude without real research that the losses were due to "bad fish", and then continue to the next LFS, online vendor, breeder, etc. and grab another bunch of animals to replace the ones that died. After the second inevitable disaster ensues, some call "uncle" and either quit or make the effort to figure out why. Those who persist, continue to kill fish, buy and misapply products and equipment to solve the "problem", and typically leave the hobby soon after, concluding that "quality control" in the industry makes it impossible to succeed.

5) Don't share your experiences. Really. There is nothing anyone else can learn from you. Or, you've figured out this information after years of triumph and tragedy, so you're not just gonna give it away! It's "proprietary" in nature, and others should learn the way you did. Be grumpy, and lock yourself and your secrets in your fish room, away from the "unworthy" denizens of the larger aquarium world.

Okay, I've just scratched the surface here. There are probably thousands of ways to fail in the aquarium hobby, and I've touched on just a few. The real important takeaway here is for those of us in a position to help to see the signs, and know what to do.

I think it's imperative that we encourage anyone who enters this hobby to do the research before they leap into things. Honestly, even someone coming into your shop completely green, but eager to drop money, should leave with little more than information, or a book at least, before they purchase anything. Really. 

A half hour of indoctrination in the LFS is just that- a half hour of indoctrination. It takes much more for the beginner to grasp what's really going on. And yeah, it seems "fantasy land" to take on this attitude when the internet beckons and competition is fierce, but I ask you: Wouldn't you rather send someone home with information first, and gain a long-term customer, than to just grab the quick and easy sale? Don't you think that someone who is successful in the hobby because you took the time to work with them will refer their friends to you? I do.

Don't always solve problems with "products." I think that many aquarium problems are created by very basic mistakes, and that simply throwing money on the problem isn't really a solution. Rather, it's a "band aid." Take the time to explain to the newbie just what it was that caused the issue in the first place, and how to prevent it. Knowing the cause, effects, and preventative/corrective measures to take is far better than simply buying this-or-that product as a "solution."

Preach patience to any new hobbyist. Get them to understand just how things work in an aquarium, and why things are done a certain way. Explain to them that aquariums, being natural systems, are affected by the same laws of nature as occur in the wild, and that grasping stuff like the nitrogen cycle, fish compatibility, environmental requirements, etc. will give them a greater understanding of what's going on, and how to recognize for themselves in the future when something is going wrong- or right! It's a better long term strategy, IMHO.

Above all, encourage sharing of information at all levels in the hobby. With the internet, there has never been a better time to learn about the hobby. To keep information that can help others accomplish things and solve problems in the hobby isn't just uncool- it's a tragedy that can have far-reaching consequences, especially in this era where the hobby and industry face mounting external pressures from ill-informed "environmentalists" and other "nature advocates", who would just assume lump aquarists in with loggers, oil producers, and blast fishermen. The hobby is ours to share, protect, preserve, and to pass on to our children.

So in conclusion, we should all learn to recognize the signs of a hobbyist who's headed in the wrong direction- not just because it's the honorable thing to do for them, but because of the greater good in the hobby that is served when we take the time to prevent them from failing.

Until next time, I leave you with that thought.

Stay focused. Stay concerned.

And stay wet!

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

[Soothing Shrimp]

With that article, you've summed up our forum.

[Tannin Aquatics]

4 minutes ago, Soothing Shrimp said:

With that article, you've summed up our forum.

Love the learning, man. It's what it's all about!

-Scott

[Jadenlea]

and then there are people like my dad, who set up an aquarium with the cheapest equipment you can get, overstocked it  on the day he set it up, (Cycle? they are fish!)  had so many guppies having babies  that if you moved a piece of moss  it would look like a baby fish explosion and never once did a water change and no fish EVER died.   Well, Im sure some babies did and one beta but for the most part, everything lived.     And the most amazing thing.... I had a tank of death and removed 3 shrimp that I was worried had bacterial infections.   I am incapable of just killing them so I dropped them in his  Tank of Toxic Horrors.  Oh and i forgot the part about when he added water to the tank, he just added tap, chlorine and all

I had done everything right with this tank. ( my tank, not his)  The best equipment, water testing weekly, all kinds of expensive products , sought advice on this and other forums but just couldn't keep the shrimp alive.  

MONTHS later.. when I finally couldnt take it anymore I talked my dad in to letting me dismantle  his tank (everything to the garbage because it was to disgusting to clean)   Those three shrimp that I removed from my pristine, do everything right and agonize over it and yet everyshimp eventually died  tank,  were alive, kicking and happy.     Never mind that they should have died of toxicity alone, but the tank was filled with predators.    They all lived!  

Makes no sense

[fishface]

I'm still amazed at all the people who have NO common sense, nada, zero, zilch.  And people who haven't a clue how to do any research.  Oh well, we can't all be brilliant   I agree with Soothing Shrimp tho - this forum is great, good information, helpful and nice people!

 

[Pescador]

I have been trying to help someone on another forum and I am slowly getting through I think, but it is often hard.  They were asking for help because their shrimp are dying.  Heavily planted tank, lots of fish, high temp, high TDS, High GH and KH, high nitrates, adding ferts, using tap water, the list goes on.  They are setting up a new shrimp only tank...  But still will not use remineralized  RO/DI water, which I believe to be the number one most important factor to success as it is the only way to assure the very best parameters. 

I feel a moral obligation to help and I feel everyone who decides to keep a pet has a moral obligation not just to keep their pets alive but to provide the very best conditions to allow them to thrive!

 

[Tannin Aquatics]

5 hours ago, Shrimpworks said:

Hey two questions...  Where do you get these awesome pictures from?  Are these all taken by you?  Hey, I've bred most of what you've shown here image wise w/o any fancy stuff.  Likewise, if the bridge is washed out simply build another or fly over it man!

Some of the pics in my blogs I take, many are provided by others for my use (with permissions). With me being "legendary" among my friends for taking lousy pics, everyone is all to eager for me to use theirs, lol. Jeff Senske of ADG took the amazing tank pic in this piece, others are from various other fish geeks. I love the "fly over" thoughts!

-Scott

[Tannin Aquatics]

5 hours ago, Pescador said:

I have been trying to help someone on another forum and I am slowly getting through I think, but it is often hard.  They were asking for help because their shrimp are dying.  Heavily planted tank, lots of fish, high temp, high TDS, High GH and KH, high nitrates, adding ferts, using tap water, the list goes on.  They are setting up a new shrimp only tank...  But still will not use remineralized  RO/DI water, which I believe to be the number one most important factor to success as it is the only way to assure the very best parameters. 

I feel a moral obligation to help and I feel everyone who decides to keep a pet has a moral obligation not just to keep their pets alive but to provide the very best conditions to allow them to thrive!

 

I agree...Important to help, but there is a point where you have to let someone who refuses to heed good advice continuously, go. Eventually, they'll either figure out what you said is correct, or simply remove themselves from the game...sucks, but sometimes its for the best, IMHO...

[Pescador]

I have a 70 gallon high tech planted tank sitting in my living room as beautiful as can be complements of a friend at work who set up a Reef tank.  Would not listen to me in regards to the lighting, thought he could get away without a chiller in Southern California, purchased a canister filter against my recommendations.  Then to top it all off after adding live rock and hundreds or dollars  in corals he purchases an eel then follows it up with a lion fish and a trigger.

Needless to say it did not go well and as you said he learned a hard lesson and I benefitted by getting all his equipment.  Still I would have preferred him to be a successful hobbyist.  Our hobby has taken a lot of hard hits over the years and received some much deserved black eyes by collectors over harvesting and using poison, distributors not having the right equipmet, LFS only interested in making a quick buck and hobbyists not willing to take the time to really understand what they are getting into.  I just had someone tell me it is OK if I lose some fish and shrimp, I am learning and I have the money to buy more...  This kind of none caring attitude in the aquarium trade needs to stop, would anyone say the same thing about a cat or dog?

 

 

 

 

 

[Tannin Aquatics]

7 hours ago, Pescador said:

I have a 70 gallon high tech planted tank sitting in my living room as beautiful as can be complements of a friend at work who set up a Reef tank.  Would not listen to me in regards to the lighting, thought he could get away without a chiller in Southern California, purchased a canister filter against my recommendations.  Then to top it all off after adding live rock and hundreds or dollars  in corals he purchases an eel then follows it up with a lion fish and a trigger.

Needless to say it did not go well and as you said he learned a hard lesson and I benefitted by getting all his equipment.  Still I would have preferred him to be a successful hobbyist.  Our hobby has taken a lot of hard hits over the years and received some much deserved black eyes by collectors over harvesting and using poison, distributors not having the right equipmet, LFS only interested in making a quick buck and hobbyists not willing to take the time to really understand what they are getting into.  I just had someone tell me it is OK if I lose some fish and shrimp, I am learning and I have the money to buy more...  This kind of none caring attitude in the aquarium trade needs to stop, would anyone say the same thing about a cat or dog?

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortuantely, as you mention, it's a sad fact that many people seem to view fishes and other aquatic life as "expendable", as if they are some sort of commodity or consumable...I think a lot of vendors agree that they'd rather have an educated buyer that researches and learns something before he/sh dumps $$$, only to lose everything and then get out of the hobby; nonetheless, there are still a lot of others that take a "get the money NOW" view, which serves no one in the long run, including themselves. Where it gets complicated is when we decide in our minds to "let someone go" and just not spend anymore time with them when they repeatedly fail to heed the correct advice that is freely given to them, only to keep trying the wrong thing over and over. Yuck.