Tanked question

[Bichir Bro]

It's just a tv show. I doubt it has done nearly the damage of thousands of tiny goldfish given away at state fairs. I'd like to see them have a bit more education involved, but that's not what they are selling. I do disagree with the TV aquarium they gave that kid, but who knows what they told him behind the scenes. Maybe they told him he needed to find an old 50" DLP they could shell and rebuild for him .

That could be true. We only see what the producers want us to see. We have no clue what goes on behind the scenes. It's a cool show that I still like to watch because a lot of their tanks are really cool.

 

[Krissycakes]

How hard is it for them to say that the tank is currently overstocked, and the massive amounts of fish are just for show.

★ Not hard, but it's boring for the people who don't own tanks and just watch the show. Any aquarium enthusiast would do research or question the show. But it is just a show.

But fish are at risk be it in the wild or a tank

★If the predator came from the wild, it should stay in the wild. No one should have to take from the ocean. There are breeders. I could care less about big fish born in captivity. They know what to expect.

There filtration systems are very high end be it FW or sw probably double what they need so I would say what looks over stocked to us isn't for the filtration they have

★ I understand that they use quality filters. And do not care what they put in the tanks. But my argument is about wild sharks.

What you also need to take into account is most of the tanks are in public places which need a high volume of fish to keep people interested

★True, that's all fishtanks are meant for when publicly displayed. I personally love planted tanks.

If you look at shop tanks that we buy our fish from you could say they are all packed with fish for sale

★ I have never questioned petstores about their stocking. I know they are packed.

I'm not saying tanked or fish tank kings are perfect as I have seen Francis on fish tank kings id fish wrong in the past but it is a tv show after all for our entertainment and you know for sure tanked will have a dripping pipe or some kind of problem before the show even starts it would be boring tv if everything went smooth

★ I mainly watch the show to laugh at the cast. Understanding what they do is something else.

 

[flitabout]

I have to say I have seen this show many times and I love to see what they do with these tanks. They are all very original. But I also have to say that watching how they stock doesn't really trip my trigger. I think it's like anything else you see on tv you have to take it with a grain of salt.

 

[Krissycakes]

I have to say I have seen this show many times and I love to see what they do with these tanks. They are all very original. But I also have to say that watching how they stock doesn't really trip my trigger. I think it's like anything else you see on tv you have to take it with a grain of salt.

So true. I mostly watch it for laughs and to see the final product.

 

[T1KARMANN]

The point I was making was you are putting a large predator in a confined space with fish it will eat given the chance. Where as in the wild these fish have an ocean. I would not stock prey fish with much larger predators. I'd rather see my fish live in harmony in an appropriately stocked tank. Yes fish stores overstock tanks but those fish sell and are not in those tanks forever. Any fish breeding in a community tank setup will most likely have its fry eaten, but you can't really stop a fish from breeding. Hence why people setup fry raising tanks.

My point is selling big fish for small tanks happen all the time you can't just point the finger at tanked

Just take a look in your local store they will have red tail cats tiger shovelnose cats Arowana tinfoil barbs Bala sharks giant gourami oscars flowerhorns parrot fish stingray datnoids just to name a few all of which are normal sold to people with small tanks who promise they will upgrade soon

Larger fish is how the shops make money they can make $100 from selling some larger fish

At least if tanked was taking care of your tank if the fish get to big they can rehome them

Or can you see shop owners or stars having time to do water changes and tank care
If tanked don't take care of the tanks themselves it will be a local company wearing a ATM shirt

 

[bribo12]

My point is selling big fish for small tanks happen all the time you can't just point the finger at tanked

Just take a look in your local store they will have red tail cats tiger shovelnose cats Arowana tinfoil barbs Bala sharks giant gourami oscars flowerhorns parrot fish stingray datnoids just to name a few all of which are normal sold to people with small tanks who promise they will upgrade soon

Larger fish is how the shops make money they can make $100 from selling some larger fish

At least if tanked was taking care of your tank if the fish get to big they can rehome them

Or can you see shop owners or stars having time to do water changes and tank care
If tanked don't take care of the tanks themselves it will be a local company wearing a ATM shirt

I agree that it happens. However I work at a lfs and when we do get larger fish they usually sit around and don't sell for a very long time, I will sell a lot of little fish before I sell 1 large fish. I also do not sell big fish to people with to small of tanks for the fish. I point a finger at tanked because they have a chance on big time tv to show how many of these fish require large tanks and how to stock them properly but they don't. This just fuels newcomers to think these large fish can go in any tank and thus live poor lives. I don't dislike tanked and they have done some awesome tanks, I just think they can help the hobby out a little more effectively if they appropriately stocked tanks. But like others said it is tv and I'm sure I'm not the audience they are trying to reach.

 

[Mattyfelts]

I think the most important thing is when they say " we are the number one aquarium BUILDER in the world". They don't say stocker. Never the less, the fish don't deserve that and I hope they soon fix their ways of stocking! In a perfect world they would go back and remove some of the fish after filming but that's doubtful

 

[bshenanagins]

Yeah their audience is the uneducated. Fish wise that is. I just can see half their tanks being successful. A lot of the showy ones are just completely stressful environments for any fish. For me, I want to replicate their environment as best I can. There's no hiding places in a gumball machine or jukebox. I'd love to see those tanks a month later. But as stated, it's the builds that make them experts. Fish are not ornaments, despite what business thinks, they are living beings. End rant lol

 

[T1KARMANN]

It's only a tv show with fun added with pranks added for fun

Fish tank kings is more serious

I just hope that people who slag them off have the perfect tanks in my eyes no ones tank is perfect we just do the best we have with the funds and space we have

 

[bribo12]

No ones tank is perfect, but I think we all strive to put together a tank that makes our fish happy. If their clients like the tanks they do that's fine, I just dont think they made them with the fish in mind. Which is why they are called tanked not fish stocking 101.

 

[Bix22]

I'm seeing the term "slag" a lot is this an English term? I haven't heard that one?

 

[Mattyfelts]

I'm seeing the term "slag" a lot is this an English term? I haven't heard that one?

I believe it's from the uk haha!

 

[Rivercats]

I'm seeing the term "slag" a lot is this an English term? I haven't heard that one?

I had a friend in Canada that use it... To slag off" is to diss on someone's reputation.

 

[Mattyfelts]

I had a friend in Canada that use it... To slag off" is to diss on someone's reputation.

I'm from canada and I've never heard it lol!

 

[Rivercats]

I'm from canada and I've never heard it lol!

You know it is funny because I'll hear certain slang and have to ask my adult children or the oldest grandchild what it means. I know that word is also used in the UK.

 

[Brilliant_Barbs_21]

Just thought i'd chime in. A while back, when I saw the episode with the little boy and his tv tank, I was also quite distraught. So I looked at some other threads about it. One person was saying that they actually know Brett, and has talked to him before. This person said that they only stock the tank like that for the "reveal" at the end of the show (for the most part). This may not be true now, but I believe it is. Then a lot of the fish are taken out. They seem quite ridiculous in their stocking choices on camera, but in actuality they are pretty good. If you look in the background in some shots in their office, you'll see small tanks, probably about 30 gallons or so. I've noticed some of them are full reefs with only a few fish. So they might be educated after all... Haha.

Also, tanked isn't all that bad. About three years ago when I first saw the show, I was fascinated. A few weeks later, I got my first tank. I filled it with water, and you know what I did? No I didn't add fish I researched. I wanted to learn more, so I looked up some things. Good thing I did, because I figured out what a cycle is. That saved a few fish. So I feel like not many people would research like that because they "saw it on the show, so it must be right". And many fish deaths can be blamed due to this. But still, tanked is what got me into the hobby.

So although tanked and it's producers have good intentions, they can be to blame for many fish deaths. They've said it themselves. The reason they wanted the show, was to attract more people to the hobby. This big reveal is what does that. But again, it's causing people to go in blind. What could fix this? Maybe a disclaimer at the beginning of the show. "Please do research before setting up an aquarium" or something along those lines. Or even blatantly say "Stocking numbers for these tanks are unrealistic. Please do research before setting up your own aquarium". That way everyone wins.

I still find it hard to believe that I didn't know what an hob filter was a few years ago. Now I'm educated enough to successfully care for reef tanks. It all started with a television show.

 

[Ayi]

Just wondering... How do they cycle the tanks?

 

[Brilliant_Barbs_21]

Just wondering... How do they cycle the tanks?

Exactly my question lol. They made some bottle of nitrifying bacteria that supposedly "eliminates the cycling step" but we all know that's phony. I'm guessing a lot of the fish die at the start.

 

[CatoeSc]

Exactly my question lol. They made some bottle of nitrifying bacteria that supposedly "eliminates the cycling step" but we all know that's phony. I'm guessing a lot of the fish die at the start.

I've used the bottled nitrifying bacteria on all my tanks except one, though not their brand. It has worked for me every time.

 

[Ayi]

I've used the bottled nitrifying bacteria on all my tanks except one, though not their brand. It has worked for me every time.

I've used those too and it still takes a week or so.