how do you keep fish in the old days, anything changed?

[gagaliya]

This is for the older folks here...i am always curious how do you guys keep fish in the 70s, early 80s?

Was there any commonly accepted methods that are just downright ridiculus/deadly by today's standard. What kind of equipment(filters etc..) did you guys use, is it similar but with less fancy logos/shape, or is it actually something completely different.

Just want to hear some stories how people kept their fish in the early days. There are always people who just dump fish in a tank, but i am more interested in the "pro" fishkeepers back in the day and how you kept your fish

 

[IslandHopper]

well.. in the 70's I had a 30 gal and a couple 10 gallons...
All used under-gravel filters.
All used incandescent lighting.
Heaters were similar, but the top inch or so was NOT submersible.

I really thought I was getting high-end equipment when I got a HOB filter for the 30 gallon... the UG filter worked well, but in the deep tank was a PAIN to vacuum... less vacuuming was required with the HOB filtration

"New Tank Syndrom" was just something we were real careful with... I knew nothing about the ammonia cycle at the time, but was well aware of the fact that the tank was "unstable" for the first several weeks, and fish could easily get sick/dead.

We did have de-chlor ... though it was considered a luxury... normally we'd just let tap-water sit (in a bucket) for 24 hours before adding it to the tank... let the chlorine evaporate on its own.

Canister filters were considered very high-end, and expensive.

All the equipment looked pretty much the same... but prices have come down considerably for stuff like canisters, flourescent fixtures, etc.
Knowledge regarding ammonia/nitrites and the needs of various species is SO MUCH EASIER to get with forums like this... we used to have to rely on the public library!

 

[katana1200]

I remember my father telling me when he first got his salt water setup you had to throw a couple black mollies in there, full salt mind you, let them die and sit there for 2 weeks before you started adding any fish you wanted to keep. This was the equivalent to the fishless cycle....I think.

 

[tekonus]

I remember my father telling me when he first got his salt water setup you had to throw a couple black mollies in there, full salt mind you, let them die and sit there for 2 weeks before you started adding any fish you wanted to keep. This was the equivalent to the fishless cycle....I think.

Sacrificial lambs, eh? He never thought to throw a raw piece of shrimp or just fish food in? :shakehead:

 

[katana1200]

Guess not... barbaric but effective. My feeder guppy fry volunteer for all sorts of special missons now. Not the least of wich are making sure my convict chiclid gets her exercise.

 

[bghill]

As a kid, 30+ years ago, I had a 20 gallon tank that I traded a slot car race set for. We used corner filters with poly and carbon. Like it was stated, lighting was incandesent. I thought my tank looked cool with a red light and a green light screwed in. I don't remember being able to buy natural gravel, it was all different colored stuff.
I knew nothing about the ammonia cycle and was always buying new fish at the local department store. There were no fish stores, or pet stores for that matter, that I was aware of. Everything was either Woodwards or Sears.
Any resource material had to be borrowed from either the public or school library.

 

[ianab]

I was never a "pro" fishkeeper. but as a teenager in the 70s I was fairly successfull.

We didn't understand the Nitrogen cycle properly, but we knew that a tank had to "Mature" before it was safe to keep a full population of fish. So you allways started with just a few cheap hardy fish, and they usually survived. Now I understand that the tank had to cycle and build up the filter bacteria. Anyway, we did the right thing, even if we didn't exactly understand the science of the nitrogen cycle.

Filters were pretty basic, undergravel and little air powered box filters that you stuffed with nylon wool and some carbon. Pretty crude compared to some of the modern filters, but they did work.

Heaters and thermostats were another thing, they were seperate units. You had to buy one of each, and a mains plug, then wire them up yourself. Our mains voltage is 240v, but I never electrocted myself or burnt the house down, so I must have done it right.

If I remember right I was able to breed Guppies, White Cloud Minnows and Golden Barbs, and even kept a coldwater marine (rockpool) tank for a year or so. Water changes meant going to the beach and filling several 2gal jars with sea water.

Buy gravel?? We went to a local river with a bucket and scooped some up. Pick up some cool rocks while you are there.

As a 15 year old in the late 70s I think I had a 5gal, 15, 20 and 50 gal tanks, and very understanding parents.

Ian

 

[excuzzzeme]

When I kept tanks in the 70's there was no worry about ammonia or chlorine. Fish I kept were all compatible (lucky me) Neons, WCMM, and Zebra Danios. Cleaning the tank consisted of empty the tank once a month and remove UGF and rinse. Put the gravel back in along with fish and water. Everything was air powered except the heater. The UGF had a corner filter type attachment that when it turned black you took it off and replaced the floss with felt wool if you had it and cotton balls if you didn't. It actually filtered quite well.

Having an aquarium was rare but not unheard of. Most were of the 10 gallon size. Year was about 1975.

 

[Turbosaurus]

Am I the ONLY person here horrified at the question what did you OLDER FOLKS do in the OLD days- ya know, like the 80s. !!!
WTF?

 

[ianab]

Am I the ONLY person here horrified at the question what did you OLDER FOLKS do in the OLD days- ya know, like the 80s. !!!
WTF?

I know where you are coming from, but I would guess the average age of members is under 30?

The 80s started 31 years ago

Ian