The useless junk they try to sell you

[KarlTh]

You threw natural out the window when you decided to keep fish in a glass box

Hmm. I think it's a bit like "realism" in a novel. By definition, you've thrown "real" out of the window because it's fiction, but the sub-reality within the novel needs to seem real to maintain the suspension of disbelief (Tolkien's particularly good on this if you read his writings on the subject). Similarly within the glass box, which is of course not natural, many aquarists, me included, like to create a natural looking environment, one which is believable. Plants, rocks, gravel and bogwood are believably natural. Plastic castles and galleons are not.

The fish don't care tuppence, of course. It's all about what the aquarist wants from his tanks.

 

[jm1212]

test strips.

stress zyme.

those pieces of fake driftwood from Petsmart that are basically just giant poo holders.

most internal power filters (i.e whisper and stingray models)

top finn heaters

lets not forget the all-mighty chemical by tetra that "allows" you to do only two water changes in one year.

 

[pistolpete3521]

Me, I don't trust it. Too much like an inaccurate test stips. And me personally, I would fork out the $30+ for the kit. For one, Ammonia Alert only lets you know about ammonia, just one part of the cycle, it does not show you nitrites, another very important part of the cycle.

Second, approximate values are useless IMO, I'd much rather know the exact measurement than some wild guess.

Third, I need that PH and Nitrate test so I can see if my tank is running out of nitrates or what the CO2 level of my tank is.

Fourth, You only need to test everyday to make sure your cycle is going, after that, once a week or once a month. I never test NH3 (or NH4) or N02, but I do have it in case I suspect something.

Fifth, Take that attitude to the reefers and I'm sure you would get flamed, or at least laughed at. For Reefers, at Master Test Kit is an absolute MUST, One dead fish could kill off a couple hundred dollars worth of corals. lemme see here, am I gonna trust $300 worth of coral to a 5 buck product that may or may not work, or am I gonna invest in a $30 kit that I can trust. Meh, pretty obvious to me.

Skimping on test equipment is like skimping on a PSU for a computer, if trust a $10 Power Supply on $500 worth of parts, your crazy.

I agree with you on the reefer part because my step-dad had two reefs, but I'm not gonna test a FW every day when I can tell right then if something dangerous is in the water. But I also said if you know how the cycle. You also said you test it if something is suspected. That is the whole purpose of the product.

 

[pistolpete3521]

those pieces of fake driftwood from Petsmart that are basically just giant poo holders.

Niiiiice. I kinda like the internal filters though :flamed:

My world has been turned up side down.

 

[jm1212]

Niiiiice. I kinda like the internal filters though :flamed:

My world has been turned up side down.

some models are good, but stingrays and whispers are just to inefficient to be effective.

 

[pistolpete3521]

some models are good, but stingrays and whispers are just to inefficient to be effective.

I'm going to put my foot in my mouth, but after this post, I returned my internal filter because when I did a wc it smelled like burnt plastic and it was doing a sad job of aeration and agitation. The other thing is, it took up room. The main reason I had i was b//c the guy at the lfs said my "rope fish" would escape through anything the size of a pencil, after he laid there for three days and only rested near the surface on my thermometer once, I was like wth I'm gonna get a 10-20 (is it HOB or OTB?) filter for my 10 because it is always better to over filter than under. Additionally, I will be going on alot of vacations this summer and I only trust my gf to feed them if she doesn't go with us and has to watch them. wc's get tricky enough with me alone after three tanks. Filter away !!! :flamed:

 

[Squeakfish]

any product that contains the word "betta" in it is most likely a flop.

I have probably found the exception. BettaFix, though it comes in an itty bottle, has gotten rave reviews and is marked to be up there with melafix.

 

[Ozymandias]

haha Z...

I would add almost any chemical to be considered 'useless', at least in my estimation, that claims to get rid of algae or change water conditions or whatever "without any ill effects"

strip tests are BY FAR the worst...totally inaccurate (found out through experience)

fert tablets are a waste IME, I never saw any benefits of adding them

the "CO2 kits" are useless as DIY are EXACTLY the same and a lot cheaper (found that out as well)

any product that contains the word "betta" in it is most likely a flop.

the bar-magnet algae scrapers always seemed to fail for me...not sure if others have had the same experience.

products like cycle, ect. are complete junk...

I can't think specifically of any more but I'm sure I could.

how are thay useless? i see so much better growth with firt tabs especially with my Blyxa japonica. that being said there are some that are better then others.

"CO2 kits" can be useful because thay at least have the righ idea going (if over priced) compared to the CO2 fiz tablets

and yess i know this is old but was reading over it and had to resond

 

[jm1212]

found some more

automatic feeders
fake live rock
nonaquatic plants
pH up
pH down
perfect pH 7.0
aquarium salt
glue that works underwater
liquid gravel vac
cleaners to get hard water stains off the tank that you can't get in the water
water clarifiers
algeafix
i found the all mighty Tetra chemical- Easy disaster...i mean Easy Balance

 

[Lupin]

Jon, what glue is this that is supposed to work underwater that never works? I thought those who are into coral fragging also use glue for such purpose.

Most non aquatic plants work best in vivariums and paludariums.:grinyes: