My thoughts on why a kid shouldn't build a monster tank (things to consider)

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
"RARE & EXOTIC Species of all sizes" is why i'm here... the people here often have hands on experiance with species most people have never even heard of.. be they small or large.... I am a firm believer being a MFKer isnt just about the larger then life set-ups but the passion behind those set-ups as well.

but to tie it all together on topic.. some people like myself are also in a situation atm in life where its compleately and utterly impracticall to house and maintain a 500+ set-up... with all the fixins if you will. Could I go out an buy one? yes, but then the house my husband and I have been painstakingly saveing for would take that much longer to buy. I don't have a monster tank atm because i'm not dumb enough to buy one atm. But i would like to think all my years being here i've learned enough from other people with the same interests/passion in fishkeeping to successfully build/buy/operate such set-ups.. and if it never comes to pass, should i have my dreams squished because others are snobs? no offense Pacu mom but I always thought of you as a decent person, but are you really as shallow/selfish/elitist as your post comes off as? because iir you where at one point where where many are when they first come here... no clue what you had gotten yourself into.. but caring for the fish you picked up as the living breathing creatures they are. It's called paying it forward.. In your vast knowledge of Pacu which much i'm wagering you learned here it wouldn't give you one iota of self satisfaction to be able to help just 1 person properly take care of their Pacu? =(

Bderick67 is spot on 200% and then some....
 
pacu mom said:
This is from the Welcome Page to Monster Fish Keepers:


"Welcome to Monster Fish Keepers

The members of this forum have come together to share our knowledge and experiences of fish keeping. We want to answer your questions, offer advice and fill the galleries with pictures of the fish we have all grown to love.

We are a unique community of Fish Keepers who seriously take our hobby to extremes and the NEXT level. The majority of our fish collections include RARE & EXOTIC Species of all sizes, BIG FISH with BIG APPETITES and BIG TANKS. It's not easy for most people or other "regular" fish keepers to understand why we maintain this type of collection and spare no expense on this fascinating hobby."



My observation is that people who do not take the hobby to extremes/the next level, or who do not have big fish with big apetites and big tanks, and/or do not spare "no expense" are the ones who define MFK as being about passion. So by their own definition, they just have more "passion" than "regular" fish keepers. What gets even more confusing to me, is that all the members on Aquaria Central seem very enthusiastic and passionate about their fishkeeping too, and many of them have gorgeous, beautiful tanks. So why are they not all on MFK with the rest of us? If it's all about passion, there should just be one forum, not two. That said, I am a member of AC, but don't spend a lot of time there, because there is not a lot of discussion about Hammerhead pumps, large sump setups, flow rates of large UV sterilizers, etc. I frequent MFK because there are members with big tanks. Their threads on their setups and equipment have been invaluable to me. I have learned much from these members--enough that I can chart my own course now in the big tank realm. Let's face it, there is a tremendous difference from a tank than can be maintained with HOBS or two canister filters, versus a tank where you deal with bulkheads, enough PVC pipe and fittings that you could open your own hardware store, different pumps, etc.

I'm on MFK because I want to see the set ups of aldiaz33, doviiman, STREETLIGHTZ, johnptc, bigrich545, VLDesign, neoprodigy, and others with large tanks. Personally, I'm not interested in threads on "My New Ten Gallon Tank", because I'm not going to glean any useful information, and even if they have a sole pacu in the tank, I'm not going to waste my time informing them that they will be needing a bigger tank. I'm on MFK because I am interested in next level and big. Don't know how passionate I am.
Click to expand...

Makes it sound like you believe people shouldn't join MFK unless they have a big tank, they should just go to AC? I don't believe you fell this way, just the way you come off.

BTW a "big" or "monster tank sized" tank is a matter of perception and restricted by physical, financial and intellectual limitations. Limitations that can be overcome by passion and desire. It would be hard for me to believe you, pacu mom, have no passion with the tank you are building for those fish of yours.
 
We all represent the same hobby, therefor we should all support eachother from a 5gal to a 1000gal it doesnt matter.

I think this article is intended for a specific person on here who is rellavent atm in a few threads, ambition and intelligence has no age or boundries

#1 S. Vettel
 
I do not believe that MFK is about everyone having a "monster fish" in general. That would be boring as all get out. I personally think a lot of people miss out on a lot of cool creatures because that dont get 4 feet long and want to eat you whole. A lot of neat knowledge slips through the cracks,
 
It's interesting how people can read the same comment and interpret it so differently. I took Pacumom's comments to mean that MFK has more of the information and experiences that are relevant to her journey of setting up her big tank. I didn't interpret it as a jab at anyone. I have borrowed (aka stolen) a bunch of ideas from members of this site, although generally speaking, I think I have more in common with the people on Aquaria Central, especially when it comes to the ethics of fishkeeping, such as appropriate stocking levels and minimum tank size requirements for certain species of fish. But if I'm doing research on equipment for a large setup, I'm on MFK not AC.

The sense of entitlement that a lot of people on MFK have that you can buy any species of fish regardless of your resources is really offputting to me. As was mentioned, buying a fish that grows to the size of a medium or large sized dog is a huge committment. Pacumom is walking the walk. She is one of the few people that is actually following through with the ubiquitous "I will upgrade" lip service. I've seen hundreds of threads with ignorant people (kids and adults alike) saying they plan to upgrade once their Pacu, Red Tail Cat, Arapaima, GATF, (insert name of any huge fish here) gets bigger. These people typically have no clue what's involved in setting up and maintaining a tank that large. How many 1,000G+ tanks are there on this site? I can think of maybe 5, yet every day there is a new "meet my new baby monster" thread...the math just doesn't add up- so many Monster Fish Keepers, so few monster fish tanks. I typically have a hard time keeping my mouth shut, but more recently I have taken the approach of asking about their plans to upgrade. If they respond at all, it's usually pretty clear that they have no clue what they would be getting themselves into. It's the sense of entitlement that a lot of people on MFK have when it comes to keeping big fish that has me browsing AC more and more. I feel there is more respect for these creatures we are keeping for our entertainment and more of a desire to do right by them on AC than on MFK.

Instead of this being a long pointless rant, I think I have an idea. Wait...yeah, I have an idea: why does this website not have a forum dedicated to big tanks? Call it a 300G+ forum? "A forum for people interested in keeping large tanks. This forum is dedicated to water volumes of 300 gallons and larger." This would make it a lot easier to find info on setting up and maintaining big tanks required to keep Monster Fish. If this already exists, can someone point me to it? :)
 
Aquariums is the only hobby I have kept over a year since I stopped playing with toys. I have 5 aquariums ranging from 20-70 gallons but I might sell some of my small aquarium and get a big one. I clean my aquariums every week. I also take care if my sisters 75 gallon aquarium with a RES.
 
Aldiaz I'm not sure about a section or sub forum for bigger tanks but someone did start a thread for those who have tanks of 300 and bigger.I was wondering why you suggested the 300 gallon size as opposed to maybe 500 gallons?


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
I agree 100%.

It is almost impossible to keep monster sized fish unless you are a homeowner. Most of these fish require ponds. I am currently renting and I am growing out a bunch of desirable sa cichlids which I know I won't be able to hold when full grown. I think a big part of keeping big fish is either 1. Getting a fish that can be sold easily or 2. Having the means and space to expand.

It sucks because I have the space and money for a 300/400g tank, but the apartment floor doesn't have the strength.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom