My aquarist rant
- Thread starter wesleydnunder
- Start date
To me, "will this work" means more about compatibility of the tank's residents, whereas, "am I overstocked" is about how well your filtration system will keep your tank's residents living in a clean environment, all things being considered.
Also remember that all tanks aren't rectangle. There are many shapes and sizes that hold different amounts of water. If you have fish that love to swim in bursts of energy they would be better suited to a long tank verses a tall tank of the same size.
Yup, that is another consideration. I cannot see some of my rainbows living in a tall hex tank. I think most of us ask questions about cycling, stocking, filtering etc. before giving advice. As said before , every tank is different, but there are some hard rules. Keeping water clean is the first and foremost requirement for healthy fish. In every tank that will be something slightly different, but in all tanks, clean water is the necessary bottom line.
I must apologize to y'all for the slow progress of this thread lately. I'm finding that some days I can write and others I can't put a coherent sentence together. I'll move forward eventually. Thank you for your patience.
Mark
Mark
For a given value of clean and in the long run, yes. But there are specific cases where letting the tank go prolonged periods without water changes replicates the dry season for the fishes native habitat and is necessary to induce spawning. Ammonia/nitrites are still processed by bacteria, but nitrates and other parameters go sky high.
I'd say the only hard and fast rule is 'there should be water in the tank'. Everything else will come down to the species involved and the desired outcome. Sometimes people aren't willing to put in the necessary work to get the desired outcome, and sometimes they don't know what is required to get to the desired outcome. I think this is where it's important to understand that there is not one path to a successful aquarium, but many different paths that can give the desired results. A tank that I adore might look barren to someone else, while a tank that looks like a frenetic disaster to me makes someone's heart sing. My maintenance routine is unlikely to work for everyone, as well.
I'd say the only hard and fast rule is 'there should be water in the tank'. Everything else will come down to the species involved and the desired outcome. Sometimes people aren't willing to put in the necessary work to get the desired outcome, and sometimes they don't know what is required to get to the desired outcome. I think this is where it's important to understand that there is not one path to a successful aquarium, but many different paths that can give the desired results. A tank that I adore might look barren to someone else, while a tank that looks like a frenetic disaster to me makes someone's heart sing. My maintenance routine is unlikely to work for everyone, as well.
If by patience you mean checking the tread every 20 minutes and tapping my foot anxiously, you're welcome.
