Understocked / Overstocked

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
AcsFoolMike;5019645;5019645 said:
Telling them what they can do and what they should be doing are two completely different things. Just because keeping 3 Os in a 90 is better than keeping 3 in a 55 still doesn't make it the right thing to do for the fish's long term health. Of course, you could keep the nitrates down with a large amount of water changes, but as previously stated, this is not the only thing to take into account when deciding if a certain stock is proper for a certain tank size. Will most of these people still do what they are going to do regardless? Of course, but that doesn't mean we should stop giving them the best information...can only hope that maybe it will sink in.
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Like I already stated, these people aren't making a proposal...they are already in the situation.

Not everyone has the $$ to upgrade and make their mistakes right and I don't agree that your giving best information....your giving your opinion and what you personally would do because:

A...you had a bad experience (your GT jumping to his death, get lids yet?)

or

B...you heard someone else say it

:D

:)
 
"You know it is true.....so don't discourage these people...help them out with some of your knowledge and tell them if you are going to keep 3 Os in a 90 gallon, then these things are a must...water changes, good filtration, don't over feed, check water parameters, etc...."

Only problem with the above is if you're going to overstock a tank, then water changes, filtration and feeding strategies kind of goes without saying....

It's not that some folks around here are trying to be discouraging at all. Some of us are simply looking at the well being of the fish first and the posters feelings second. I could personally care less if I hurt someones feelings by telling them that the animals quality of life will be compromised if they make bad choices. It's the animal I care about.....

But yes, if you must overstock a tank, in order to keep a fish "alive" you must keep water parameters in check. Growth will be stunted by lack of space and limited food and the fish will not be happy, but it can be done. Not my idea of a cool tank, but I've been an understocker most of my life. Just my opinion of course.
 
RajaRojoDiablo;5019677; said:
Like I already stated, these people aren't making a proposal...they are already in the situation.

Not everyone has the $$ to upgrade and make their mistakes right and I don't agree that your giving best information....your giving your opinion and what you personally would do because:

A...you had a bad experience (your GT jumping to his death, get lids yet?)

or

B...you heard someone else say it

:D

:)
Click to expand...


There was a lid on the GT tank, thank you for your concern though. If people do not have the money to properly house a fish then they should either find a fish that they do have the money to properly house or opt not to keep fish. All of these "experts" on here ARE speaking from personal experiences that they've had throughout their years of fish keeping and are trying to educate based upon the "bad experiences" that they've encountered to help others. Some people do not want to be told that they can't do what they've been doing, I understand that, and in many of those cases there will be someone who informs them how to optimize their current situation. However, the person who informs them that what they're doing isn't ideal is also a necessary factor in my eyes.
 
I beleive the main reason people ask these questions is to fit in. It seems as though some use this site as some type of social network and feel if they go against the grain, they will lose their status. As far as the overstocked thing goes, I have seen on this site more than once a known member with a high post count boast about their overstocked tank and get praised for it while a new member got flamed for it.

Regardless, the person asking the question has to see their tank everyday, not these so called "monsterfishkeepers". So the ultimate decision is up to you as what you want to see in your tank because you have to live with the decision and the results from your decision.
 
Many people do not already have the fish when they ask the questions... i know when i ask questions about this sorta thing i am 99.999% of the time just researching and bouncing ideas off of people here because the people here are more than likely better fish keepers than me and might know something or suggest something that helps me...

Of course if they suggest something that I am opposed to, i have the right to do it anyway (as long as it doesn't risk the fish's health) but they should still tell people... many noobs just don't know any better and they never will know better if they're not told...
 
The only other thing I could add, is never look at the number of posts or how long someone has been a member as a gauge of their ability to give sound advice or their status as a respected member, this is something that is earned not accumulated. We must also remember this is a public forum and there is no screening process as to someone’s qualifications to dispense advice. You could have joined MFK on day one and posted 10,000 times in the media section saying “nice fish”; does that qualify as an “expert”? It doesn’t take a long time on here to figure out who knows what they are talking about and who doesn’t.

Ultimately advice given here or anywhere else for that matter can be taken or ignored at the discretion of the recipient. I personally would not advocate, as an example 3 Oscars in a 90 gallon tank and would try to explain why it is not advisable. Do I know the ultimate fate of the two Oscars that will be removed? No I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I will not try to educate people as to what is the best possible way to care for their fish, not only considering the long term quality of life for the fish they keep but also the long term enjoyment of the hobby for those keeping them. I don’t know that 50% daily or every other day water changes is that much fun for anyone let alone the average hobbyist that just wants an aquarium in the house to enjoy looking at. With that much work it’s a good chance all 3 fish will get tossed or neglected. If asked what can be done in the mean time I’ll tell them but I will not encourage it as a viable alternative.

As far as over stocking goes, I don’t. There are other members here that do some of these guys have automatic drip systems and or very large sumps and over filter the tanks utilizing large areas of bio-filtration to handle the load on the system. The ones I know are not hauling 5 gallon buckets of water through the kitchen like the average Joe might get stuck doing.

This is my opinion on the subject which you are more than welcome to ignore.
 
RajaRojoDiablo;5019677; said:
Like I already stated, these people aren't making a proposal...they are already in the situation.

Not everyone has the $$ to upgrade and make their mistakes right and I don't agree that your giving best information....your giving your opinion and what you personally would do because:

A...you had a bad experience (your GT jumping to his death, get lids yet?)

or

B...you heard someone else say it

:D

:)
Click to expand...

That's not necessarily true. Some people do research on the internet, can't find exactly what they're looking for, or find someone that's already done want they *want* to do (but haven't because they're unsure), so they come here and post threads asking for help, or suggestions.

However, answers to threads such as those seem to be lacking responses - I expect because those that are here to supposedly "help" forget that not all of us have the same experience they do, nor do we have the time to search over 5000 threads for an answer. Instead, they think we're being irresponsible, lazy, or what have you, so we just move off, and try once again to find out own answers.

The threads that do get answers don't seem to have their actual questions answered, but instead get cookie cutter answers about water quality.

Don't get offended.. That's just my take, having tried to get information from a total of 3 boards.

I may know not to put an Aro in my 125 gallon tank, no matter how badly I want one, but I don't know what size oscar is good to put with a Dempsey, Firemouth, and Convict all 3" or smaller to allow for the least amount of fatality while growing in my tank....

Sorry if I've offended anyone.
 
You haven't offended me, neither has Aquanero.

Aqua has missed my point and I don't feel like wasting any more energy trying to break it down to his level.
 
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