Put an end to some myths

[sostoudt]

i would have to disagree with that logic..... it's more of water quality because as a fish gets so big in a small tank the filters will most likely not be able to keep up with all the waste thus polluting the water a lot faster. It's like if you throw 50 goldfish in a 10 gallon tank u have to do a lot of water changes to maintain good water quality but if you throw it into like a 600 gallon pond you what do a 20 gallon water change every year?

read my earlier posts, the reply was to the fact if actual physical space was a factor.

 

[boldtogether]

I heard plecos esp. really big one can suck holes in acrylic tanks. And one guy told me that if you ever so slowly dilute the salinity in a marine environ. that you could make saltwater fish into freshwater fish. And Im not talking about brackish fish. Im talking like wrasses and gobies and triggers etc. even clown fish. Hmmmm...

 

[mgk]

I heard plecos esp. really big one can suck holes in acrylic tanks. And one guy told me that if you ever so slowly dilute the salinity in a marine environ. that you could make saltwater fish into freshwater fish. And Im not talking about brackish fish. Im talking like wrasses and gobies and triggers etc. even clown fish. Hmmmm...

i could see some plecos putting scratches in acrylics.

you can get down salinity pretty low with marine fish. but the long term opinion is its bad for there organs(kidneys i think). in the 80's i think there was a big push for no salt saltwater tanks, but im guessing since i dont see any now they dont work out

 

[TTTT]

And one guy told me that if you ever so slowly dilute the salinity in a marine environ. that you could make saltwater fish into freshwater fish. And Im not talking about brackish fish. Im talking like wrasses and gobies and triggers etc. even clown fish. Hmmmm...

It can be done, but it shortens the fishe's lifespan. I don't see why anyone would want to do that.

 

[jcardona1]

i think the "myth" about fish growing to their environment definitely has some truth to it. just look at the cichla that johnptc has. many well over 36". when the last time you saw a 3ft cichla in a 400-500g tank? NEVER. cichla wont reach their true potential in a small tank. but look what happens when theyre in the wild, or in a 10,000g tank like johns, they explode into monsters.

another example, koi. people keep them in tanks, small garden ponds etc and they wont reach their full potential. youll see many at 14-18"+. but when given massive, deep ponds, koi easily reach 36". just look at the monsters theyre breeding in japan. ive seen 40" koi in person, theyre impressive. wont see that in most people tiny garden ponds.

so yeah, i definitely think that it is true that fish grow to the size of their enclosure, even if they have great water quality

 

[pi-eyed]

so yeah, i definitely think that it is true that fish grow to the size of their enclosure, even if they have great water quality



Buy a 50 cent piece size red belly Pacu, and place it in a 10gallon aquarium---lol --- I did as a rookie years ago.

So in my personal experience goldfish can be stunted to there aquarium or bowl(4 example)---Not so 4 the pacu... Within 6 to 8 weeks after buying the pacu I was in the market 4 a 55gallon(still way too small to house a pacu)

 

[Egon]

Any other myths that need true answers?

These seem to be a very sensitive subject because most people don't think the below are "myths" so they are closed for discussion. I'm going to bring them back up again just to see what you guys think and have a reasonable discussion.

Myth 1) Tap water is bad for fish? Tap water needs to be treated?
I'm talking 10% to 20% weekly water changes with clean water coming out of your faucet straight into your fish tank at agreeable temperatures but nothing else. Can fish live, breed, grow, display great colors, and otherwise live happy lives with out treated water? Basically has anyone done a test with two identical set ups, one gets fresh tap water and one gets treated tap water?

Myth 2) Is styrofoam or some other soft material between a fish tank and stand necessary, does it even make sense? - personally I think it's worse and I would absolutely not recommend it, yet I see this suggested all the time. Almost like it's a given to use the stuff!
I have never used this method for my stands and I never had a tank crack. I have seen one very large glass tank (300+ gallons) crack and it was sitting on styrofoam. The guy said it cracked when he was filling it? I just don't think the styrofoam is a good idea. I want a strong, flat, firm surface and if I questioned the surface I wouldn't put a fish tank on it. If there's a concern at all I wouldn't just put foam on it and say "okay we are good" "the foam should over come any imperfections".

Myth 3) Feeding. Goldfish feeding and mice feeding seems to be bad? I understand JUST feeding one type of food is bad but a mouse once in a while cant be bad for the fish? Dumping a bunch of goldfish in there every once in a while can't hurt? I'm not talking about disease or parasites I'm talking more along the lines of diet and/or fat content.

So what do you guys think? Are these all facts and I'm crazy

 

[TTTT]

Basically has anyone done a test with two identical set ups, one gets fresh tap water and one gets treated tap water?

Thanks for the science fair idea. Seriously, I'm gonna do that next year.

 

[H]-[H]

Will a fish grow in a big tank given adequate amount of food but lack of a good filtration system?

 

[12 Volt Man]

depends. if the filtration can harbor enough bacteria to keep the ammonia and nitrites zero, then theoretically yes.

if the filters + substrate cannot keep a population going enough to keep the water quality in check then chances are the fish will have other health problems related to water quality and not grow well.