marchmaxima
Aquarium Advice Addict
Several times now, I have heard of, or witness things that other fish-keepers do that should (by all accounts) spell disaster yet don't. Often these situations come from fish-keepers who have no clue why they do things a particular way, or the potential ramifications, but what they do appears to work for them against everything you know to be true.
I thought I'd start a thread so we can share these unbelievable situations that make you go "Hmmmmm, if I did that, it's be an unmitigated disaster!"
I'll start.
At my Mum & Dad's there is a super-large aquarium with 4 goldies in it on the veranda. It's a little under 10 foot long and 3 foot wide (I think). the last time Mum did a water change was 1980. She just grabs the hose and "fills er up". Dad puts in Melafix on an irregular regular basis cos "it said on the label it was good for them". Once the rocks get covered in Algae, Mum will take them out, and put them in the garden "where the sun bleaches them". She'll then take the rocks that were swapped out last time from their spot in the garden and puts them straight into the tank. The substrate never gets vaccumed. PWCs are not existent. All this, and the fish don't show signs of any stress are thrive
Most are close to 10 years old now.
Mum has also kept fish in the past. One of my first memories are of Angels in that same tank when the tank was in the hallway of the house. I have questioned Mum on her knowledge of fish-keeping. She has no knowledge on cycling, no knowledge on water params and the only testing kit she has ever used is a PH test kit + PH up and down added as required. Yet she claims she's never ever had problems and her fish always seemed very happy and lived for years. She has never had a problem, so she thinks that what she is doing obviously is okay. She appears to be right.
There is a woman at work here in her 60s who keeps 5 goldfish in a 10g tank at home. They've been there for 3 years. She's never tested the tank and feeds them every few days. She's also never touched the filter which from what she says is one of those corner jobbies with carbon and floss with an air tube. "I dont know about any of that" she says when I enquired whether she had heard about potential issues re keeping that many golds in her tank and the importance of water testing. By all accounts these fish should be dead!
Anyone else have any sort of similar story?
I thought I'd start a thread so we can share these unbelievable situations that make you go "Hmmmmm, if I did that, it's be an unmitigated disaster!"
I'll start.
At my Mum & Dad's there is a super-large aquarium with 4 goldies in it on the veranda. It's a little under 10 foot long and 3 foot wide (I think). the last time Mum did a water change was 1980. She just grabs the hose and "fills er up". Dad puts in Melafix on an irregular regular basis cos "it said on the label it was good for them". Once the rocks get covered in Algae, Mum will take them out, and put them in the garden "where the sun bleaches them". She'll then take the rocks that were swapped out last time from their spot in the garden and puts them straight into the tank. The substrate never gets vaccumed. PWCs are not existent. All this, and the fish don't show signs of any stress are thrive
Most are close to 10 years old now.Mum has also kept fish in the past. One of my first memories are of Angels in that same tank when the tank was in the hallway of the house. I have questioned Mum on her knowledge of fish-keeping. She has no knowledge on cycling, no knowledge on water params and the only testing kit she has ever used is a PH test kit + PH up and down added as required. Yet she claims she's never ever had problems and her fish always seemed very happy and lived for years. She has never had a problem, so she thinks that what she is doing obviously is okay. She appears to be right.
There is a woman at work here in her 60s who keeps 5 goldfish in a 10g tank at home. They've been there for 3 years. She's never tested the tank and feeds them every few days. She's also never touched the filter which from what she says is one of those corner jobbies with carbon and floss with an air tube. "I dont know about any of that" she says when I enquired whether she had heard about potential issues re keeping that many golds in her tank and the importance of water testing. By all accounts these fish should be dead!
Anyone else have any sort of similar story?
