Rethinking standard practice: 8 years, no testing, no disease.
- Thread starter vain
- Start date
We're more concerned about water quality results!
I brought up lighting due to your previous comments, thx
I brought up lighting due to your previous comments, thx
Water testing-- at this point I don't normally test very often, I'm confident enough in what goes on in my tanks, and it's zero ammonia, zero nitrite, low nitrates, and pH settling at 7.4 after big water changes (well water out of the tap at 6.4-.6.6). Occasionally I'll add Seachem pH and ammonia monitors to the tank, normally when I've changed something significant or for some other reason I want to keep an eye on things for a while. As a sanity check I test nitrates now and then (they're low). I was testing pH with each water change when I used to alter chemistry for the sake of higher pH fish (or, before that and decades ago, when I did low pH blackwater tanks), But I wouldn't be without test kits, because at any sign of trouble the first thing I do is test the water to know what's going on and (presumably) eliminate water conditions as the issue. For me that's fundamental.
Otherwise, I come from a perspective that sometimes what seems unconventional can work and if it works it works. It goes back to the 1970s when a friend left for college, left his tank for family to watch over and they never fed the fish or changed water, yet he came back in three years to find the tank had settled into its own little ecosystem, tons of algae but still had fish in it, apparently eating algae and fry (I forget what kind of fish in the tank). Doesn't mean I'd ever do that, but if someone does something different and it works for them that's fine by me, a centuries-long history of fishkeeping, most of it before modern equipment, has seen more than one method. What does annoy me are the guys (like Father Fish) who think they've reinvented the wheel and want to convert everyone else, making loud claims like YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG! or STOP DOING WATER CHANGES! No I'm not doing it wrong, it's worked quite well for decades, my personal criteria being having long lived fish, plenty of breeding success when that's been the goal, and very rarely ever dealing with health issues.
Otherwise, I come from a perspective that sometimes what seems unconventional can work and if it works it works. It goes back to the 1970s when a friend left for college, left his tank for family to watch over and they never fed the fish or changed water, yet he came back in three years to find the tank had settled into its own little ecosystem, tons of algae but still had fish in it, apparently eating algae and fry (I forget what kind of fish in the tank). Doesn't mean I'd ever do that, but if someone does something different and it works for them that's fine by me, a centuries-long history of fishkeeping, most of it before modern equipment, has seen more than one method. What does annoy me are the guys (like Father Fish) who think they've reinvented the wheel and want to convert everyone else, making loud claims like YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG! or STOP DOING WATER CHANGES! No I'm not doing it wrong, it's worked quite well for decades, my personal criteria being having long lived fish, plenty of breeding success when that's been the goal, and very rarely ever dealing with health issues.
Exactly that , yeah sure my methods are unconventional but I've had breeding success in this tank using my methods with both convict cichlids ( the second phase of this tank) and the angels at the start of the year, my plants although 5 weeks old are propagating ,and there isn't a single mark on the fish
Just noticed you're from my neck of the woods...good old sunny blighty!
Rather than livestream your testing on the site I might drive up in person to make sure there's no cheating
And if you turn out to be some old dude with a beard who goes by the name of father fish I might just drown you in your own tank!
That dude has caused quite a stink on here in the past.
Rather than livestream your testing on the site I might drive up in person to make sure there's no cheating
And if you turn out to be some old dude with a beard who goes by the name of father fish I might just drown you in your own tank!
That dude has caused quite a stink on here in the past.
I'll be honest I'm 34 year old , I've been keeping fish since I was 16 , and I do have a beard but that's a personal choice. A bald head and no beard doesn't look right on meJust noticed you're from my neck of the woods...good old sunny blighty!
Rather than livestream your testing on the site I might drive up in person to make sure there's no cheating
And if you turn out to be some old dude with a beard who goes by the name of father fish I might just drown you in your own tank!
That dude has caused quite a stink on here in the past.
Mate,if you want to drive up to make sure there is no cheating be my guest.
Like I say I didn't even know who he was until he was mentioned in this thread , I don't follow aquatic YouTubers , my main hobbies include gaming and music
Last edited:
Good job on getting your son involved and finding something you guys can share together and learn together with. I love it when my kids ask questions about my tank and often try to teach them things about fish, nature, just feed the curiosity and the urge to learn about the world around us. But I do try to continually improve my habits as well. Not through expensive equipment or chemicals, but mostly through reading and watching and some trial and error, and learning from what works for others. Just because your tank isn't what others think is ideal doesn't mean it's not healthy and doing well, but just because your fish are alive and looking well doesn't prove the emvironment is good either. The water test will help you know where your conditions really are so you can continue as is or adjust them to the benefit of your fish and you and your sons enjoyment. It's ok to learn new things together.
I'm happy to hear the live plants are doing well, they will help pull some of the nitrates out of the water and keep your fish healthy. But pointing to healthy propagating plants isn't proof the water is healthy for fish because plants feed off of the nitrates that make water harmful for fish. Thats why old polluted tank water is perfect for gardens and houseplants. The live plants should also help reduce algae growth as they will use the nitrates that the algae feed off of.
I started without a mentor as well, and made several mistakes along the way. But I didn't know what I was doing in the beginning. Had I come on here and posted everything I did I'm sure I would have gotten blasted too, and probably been defensive. The important part is you have a nice tank, good scape, mature filtration and substrate, and living fish. Where it goes from here is all up to you. You can count the successes you've had and entrench yourself in your current methods, or continue to learn and grow and adjust things when you learn something new, also teaching your son how to adapt and grow as new information becomes available to you.
I'm happy to hear the live plants are doing well, they will help pull some of the nitrates out of the water and keep your fish healthy. But pointing to healthy propagating plants isn't proof the water is healthy for fish because plants feed off of the nitrates that make water harmful for fish. Thats why old polluted tank water is perfect for gardens and houseplants. The live plants should also help reduce algae growth as they will use the nitrates that the algae feed off of.
I started without a mentor as well, and made several mistakes along the way. But I didn't know what I was doing in the beginning. Had I come on here and posted everything I did I'm sure I would have gotten blasted too, and probably been defensive. The important part is you have a nice tank, good scape, mature filtration and substrate, and living fish. Where it goes from here is all up to you. You can count the successes you've had and entrench yourself in your current methods, or continue to learn and grow and adjust things when you learn something new, also teaching your son how to adapt and grow as new information becomes available to you.
3x cheap LED shoplights from Princess Auto: $60
1x piece of corrugated clear plastic cut into lids: $40
GFCI breaker in my panel to keep me safe: already there, always in use.
So...a hundred bucks Canadian, or about 50 (?) British pounds, to cover and illuminate an 8 foot tank; could've even saved 20 bucks by not buying that third light which I don't use anymore. The clear poly sheet has lots left over to make other lids as well. If you don't have a GFCI breaker, you can replace the wall outlet you use for the tank with a GFCI-protected receptacle for not much money.
A tank filled up to maximum volume, without any household electrical appliances inside of it and electrically safe: priceless!
Don't play the poor single parent card here; that chintzy set-up you have cobbled together doesn't belong in any house, and most especially not in a house with kids. Regardless of budget limitations, there would be a way to safely suspend the light above the tank out of harm's way, cover the tank with some cheap plastic, fill it up to help with dilution, and at least pretend to care about safety.
Last edited:
So your coming at someone who prioritizes there kids needs over something that is working as intended? If this is how you treat everyone who doesn't confine to the standard definition of a tank , then I think you need to take a good hard look at yourself.
And just to satisfy your need to be right and play along with your rules I've hijacked the light from the axolotl tank and yes it's zip tied
And just to satisfy your need to be right and play along with your rules I've hijacked the light from the axolotl tank and yes it's zip tied
I said: "Don't play the poor single parent card here; that chintzy set-up you have cobbled together doesn't belong in any house, and most especially not in a house with kids."
I am clearly stating that your priority should be a set-up that is safe, and it doesn't need to be elaborate or expensive. The lighting arrangement you've been defending to the death is a dangerous joke. I can't tell what you have going on now with this new one; it now seems as though you are attempting to improve upon the old one...not hard to do...while steadfastly defending that you were right all along.
Do whatever you want, I give up.
