Your thoughts on fish Youtubers like Paul Cuffaro, Catch Em All Fishing, and Nick Bingo?

[SalviniCichlidFan]

Admittedly, I read just the last two or three pages, didn't plow through the whole thread. I've seen the occasional video by these types, some are better than others, but I don't follow any of these guys, once in a while I might learn something but most are less experienced than I am in the first place and a waste of my time.

What I enjoy most and learn the most from are on-location, underwater habitat videos-- species that are social or not so much, species that are found together, what their environments look like, including variability from one location to another: color of water, how much current, low water vs. flood stage, rocky, sandy, clear, murky, clean bottom vs a lot of detritus, etc. Get a feel for what they do in the wild and get things 'right' in your own tank and you might enjoy something roughly resembling their natural behavior and interaction, which I find aesthetically pleasing-- or get that some of the time, not when they're all dancing at you in the morning waiting to be fed.

...That said, there are some really nice tank videos out there-- aquascape, certain species, etc.

yeah we all got to admit that our aquascaping is inferior to what nature really looks like. most of us don't aquascape so our fish tanks don't like natural. some of us aquascape based on symmetry and perfect ratios which really isn't how nature works. then there are some who make these beautiful and brightly green aquascaped tanks, but in nature fish's habitats don't look that "beautiful and brightly green" if u know what I mean

 

[neutrino]

yeah we all got to admit that our aquascaping is inferior to what nature really looks like. most of us don't aquascape so our fish tanks don't like natural. some of us aquascape based on symmetry and perfect ratios which really isn't how nature works. then there are some who make these beautiful and brightly green aquascaped tanks, but in nature fish's habitats don't look that "beautiful and brightly green" if u know what I mean

Or how often are wild waterways crystal clear? Some are, or some are part of the time, but just as often they're not. Crystal clear water does make a nice display, though.

 

[FESHMAN]

yeah we all got to admit that our aquascaping is inferior to what nature really looks like. most of us don't aquascape so our fish tanks don't like natural. some of us aquascape based on symmetry and perfect ratios which really isn't how nature works. then there are some who make these beautiful and brightly green aquascaped tanks, but in nature fish's habitats don't look that "beautiful and brightly green" if u know what I mean

I think each have their own merits. Aquascaping have turned into more of an art with its own standards, while nature is more random and "chaotic". While I'm not sure if one is more inferior to the other, I think each of them achieve a certain goal.

Or how often are wild waterways crystal clear? Some are, or some are part of the time, but just as often they're not. Crystal clear water does make a nice display, though.

Exactly, if you want to go 100% natural you wont be able to see 90% of the fish we keep

 

[GatorGarBoiii]

The thing about Paul Cuffaro is that he seems like he wants to learn stuff. But when he puts a Delhezi in an outdoor pond with Pacu, Largeemouth Bass, and other monsters, it crosses the line. All vids of catch em all make me wanna throw up. I just checked, and I was actually SUBBED to him. Monster Mike is Bi-ch. Paul just recently built a 4000 gallon above ground pond that is freaking awesome looking, but is stocked with tons of things; overcrowded. He also "swims" with his fish. He is like "I showered previously to this". Im like "WELL WHAT ABOUT DEODERANT AND YOUR GUCCI COLOGNE!!!".

yeah but he’s not just straight up abusing fish on purpose like bass fishing production and gotta catch em all and rawr seem like a bit of a dumb### too

 

[GatorGarBoiii]

guys i know this is old but you guys should check out robs aquatics, he’s a great guy

 

[HUKIT]

guys i know this is old but you guys should check out robs aquatics, he’s a great guy

Judging by his thumbnails and video titles his channel is directed at children.

 

[Conchonius]

I think there's an innate conflict between what makes one a good YouTuber and what makes one a good animal keeper.

A good content creator must constantly produce fresh and exciting content, to keep up with the short attention spans of modern media audience. If your "content" is fish, that means buying increasingly larger, rarer and more expensive specimens... but once bought, these don't just go away. They must be cared for alongside all the other animals you've acquired. This is unlike, say, video game YouTubers, who can always play a new game without having to feed and clean every title they previously played.

As such, the more popular "FishTubers" (as well as the related reptile hobbyists) must keep getting new animals and tanks to feed the attentions of their viewers, the maintenance requirements of these animals increase exponentially, and they eventually have to either cut corners or get rid of some of their stock behind the scenes. Even someone like MD Fish Tanks or Serpa Design, who seem to be committed to do right by their pets, can only manage it by having content creation become their full-time job.

I think the best fish YouTubers are people who keep a diary to track the progress and behaviors of their fish, like Viktor and Fish Story or the lady who runs Freshwater Ichthyology, instead of chasing the next exciting thing. Next to them are places like Aquarium Co-Op or Predatory Fins, who avoid the fish accumulation death trap because they're a business and don't keep the animals they showcase.