Alas! The ART and the SCIENCE of aquariums is confronting itself again. It is still EXACTLY the same today as it was 50 years ago. This is one of the most individualistic hobbys with as many variations as the people who partake. Relax, enjoy, research, learn and do it your way. Success is 88% research, 10% advise and 2% opinion. Be grateful for what you learn, share gracefully. Advice is there for us to consider, but decisions are ours to take. Make them on your own. Life & Luck, OS.
Finaly, a voice of reason. As a Tropical Fish Hobbyist myself for over 45 years and being in the Tropical Fish Business for over 40 of those years, I can tell you that what is going on today is pretty much the same as it was wayyyy back when. You see, I was trained by a certified Icthyologist. I knew about the nitrogen cycle, water chemistry, fish mantainence and all that back then because it was part of the science. We may have just called it different things back then. Truth is, today, people are not doing anything different to what we did back then, they are just using different machines to do it with. Does a HOB biowheel filter really hold more bacteria than a sponge filter? Does that canister filter that is filled with carbon and filter pads really do anything different than the inside corner filter that was filled with charcoal( then later carbon) and filter floss? I think you are diluting yourself if you believe they do. They don't! They just do it better (maybe), faster (maybe), on a larger scale (maybe). But they all acheive the same goals.
About 2 years ago I restarted a breeding program for Bettas. I used all the materials I had kept from my last hatchery (which closed in 1987.) I even had an open can of brine shrimp eggs that I had stored in my freezer at home since then which I began to use as well. I got the same results today as I did then, Great looking fish. The only difference between then and now was that the fish would eat flakefoods and pellets whereas before, they wouldn't touch that kind of stuff. It can only be attributed to better quality foods or generations of fish being raised on this stuff that it's passed on through the genes (Maybe?). Point is, My Bettas that were kept in a jar, as I did back then, were fine and reproduced fine. But to hear that on this site is like I was using cruel and unusual punishment on my fish. No, I wasn't. I just commited to doing the extra work that kept my fish in jars at optimum/ breeding health. They had to be healthy because unhealthy fish don't breed. I'm sure that is written in all the fish books and websites. Again tho, to hear it from others on this site, I was a meany for doing so.
( I'd also be willing to bet that if they ever saw the Betta farms in Thailand and Hong Kong and Singapore, they would never own another Betta using that theory.)
But to the OP's original statement (How do you know?), I agree. My biggest bone of contention with this and other sites is: What makes the person giving the "advice", qualified to do so? I've read so many things on this site that I know are just not true. Not that they might be true in certain cases, but flat out untrue. When I checked the bio of the posters making these statements, there was nothing in the "about me" section that would even begin to make me think that this "advice" is worthy of listening to or even be taken into consideration. HOWEVER, how many people go through that process before following the advice? That's the danger of open forums.
Can a person in say, CA give accurate advice to someone in ,say, Florida? I believe NO unless that person has kept fish in Florida's water. But we can offer general advice about a fish or it's requirements. We experienced fish keepers know that not all water is the same. I moved fish down from NJ to FL back in the 1970s and learned that the hard way. In some of the import stations I've worked at, we needed to alter OUR water and adjust it to the water the fish were coming in from. Once in the station, we gradually reconditioned the fish to our water to reduce fish loss. It was more than a basic acclimation and sometimes took days to accomplish because these were wild caught fish. You have to know something about water chemistry to do this. I'd bet the employees at the local chain pet shops don't, as well as some on this site giving advice. Yes, it's advice we are free to take or ignore, but how does a newbie know which one to do?
Bottom line, water conditions make up the majority of the necessities in order for our fish to live healthy lives. In today's hobby, with so many new sized (at least new to my sizes) fish tanks, gallonage is no longer the real criteria. It's the dimensions of the tank that count. Don't tell me a fish needs 20 gals of water. I've had 20 gal tanks that were 20"Long x 10" wide, 24" long x 12" wide and 30" long x 12" wide. These were all standard tanks to the industry. Fish I've kept in my 30" tanks would not fit in my 20" tanks yet they both held 20 gals of water. Does a newbie know this?
As stated before,
within reason and common sense, any fish can be kept in any container of water,
if the water conditions can be maintained. One previous poster mentioned that the water quality deteriorates faster in the smaller tank. This is true. But if the hobbyist wants to do the work involved to maintain that water quality and prevent it from deteriorating, who are we to say " It must be done differently!"
How does the newly involved hobbyist know whom on this site to take advice from? Sheets of facts would always help but a better understanding of the nature of the fish would do wonders. But how can we learn the nature of the fish if many of the fish aren't originals or maybe one generation removed from the wild. There are no wild Berry Tetras, Black Sailfin Mollies, Marbled Veiltail Angels, Balloon anything types. These were all man made creations from wild fish. You need to go back at least 3 steps to understand the origin of Berry Tetras, 1 step for Black Mollies, many steps for Marbled Angels. But how does a newbie know this?
Take the above for what it's worth to ya. I just know that I would like to know what qualifies you to give me the advice you are giving me and how it was determined. The designations under our screen names don't necessarily reflect our experiences or knowledge. How is a newbie supposed to know that? I tried to put all my qualifications in my bio so that those who look, can know that I just might know a little bit about what we are all trying to do with our fishy friends.
To the OP, Bravo for making this thread