A clear misunderstanding...

[emeraldking41 92]

In a Facebook group dedicated to aquarium keeping, I discovered that a Belgian member thought I had passed away last year. He initially believed I was explaining something that, in his view, applied only to livebearers. I pointed out that the explanation actually covered various fish species. He then assumed my name was simply a case of two different people sharing the same name, a homonym—thinking the other person, who operated under the name "Emeraldking-aquatics," was the one who had died last year. I replied that I am, in fact, the very same person who owns the "Emeraldking-aquatics" name, and that while I am ill, I am still very much alive. Weird, huh...?

Sorry, it's all in Dutch...
The topic was about how many unnecessary fish tank supplies were on the market and the many generalizations there are in aquarium fish keeping that needed the attention. And also about the differences there are in the hobby in the present in comparison to about 40-50 years ago. For in this group, there are many youngsters who only work with what they find on the internet and with all the unnecessary novelties. And especially those where one needs an app for. And I know that a lot of Millenials and Gen Z's have been raised in a digital era and like things they can do on their cellphones. But I still like to choose the old school approach instead...

 

[TwoTankAmin52]

O am the reverse. O dpo not own a smart phone and I try to avoid any product that used an app. They cost more and I do not like paying for what I do not want and will not use. I have some equipment running well now for over 20 years.

Here is why I dislike digital. Over the years we had to buy new dish washers. These became digital. Our prior one, had a circuit board which had to be replaced while still under warranty. That one broke again in a couple of years and we had to pay for the replacement as the warranty had expired. A few years later the machine broke again due to the digital parts. So I decided to get a new machine rather than pay the cost of fixing it again,

I went to out local appliance store and there was only one salesperson there and he was on the phone, so I went down the line of washers to see what was available. As I passed each machine with digital parts and high prices I was getting depressed until the last machine. It had buttons and a dial and nothing digital. The sales person finished the call and came to help me. I told him I wanted that analog machine. He tried to sell me one of the others but I said I wanted the basic machine. That was well over 12 years ago and the machine is working perfectly today and has never needed a repair of any sort.

The only aquarium related equipment I have used were my 3 way continuous monitor for hardness, Temperature and pH. I no longer use it but it works fine. I gave up the fish I needed it for so it is on the shelf. The current model allows one to use an app to work it and to get remote readings. I would never buy one of these, but I can still find some of the older type models, like what I have, on Ebay.

My temperature controllers are digital but as basic as possible. They have only one button which has an up arrow on it. it operates very simply. When plugged in it displays the temperature. It can be set from 20 - 34 C. I work in F. So it being in C is that gives it a bit of a range in F above and below the C setting, above and below the setting. So I do not need to set any range. So the fanciest part is the single button operation and the display is digital. Once I have cet the tank using the up arrow all I have to is stop pushing the up button when it hits the desired temp, it then
blinks the display 3 times and that temp. is set. After that the display shows the current water temp. This means I do not need a thermometer in the tank. But I use one anyway.

Azoo describes the controller as an easy, one-button operation and it displays the current water temperature digitally to give you a quick visual reading. Simply set the unit with the temperature you need and the on-board microprocessor does the rest maintaining the water temperature within ±1° Celsius of the temperature setting. The unit also features an alarm and shutoff when water temperature exceeds 35°C (around 95° Fahrenheit) and automatic heater shut off. The Azoo Micro Temp Controller measures 2 1/2 x 1 x 4 1/4 inches with a separate 29 in. temperature sensor probe.

The warmest I have ever had the tank temp. in a tank is about 92 or 93 at the peak of a dry/rainy season simulation.
The coolest I have used in any tank is 76F (24.4C). While I do use an assortment of digital items in my life, I am still basically analog at heart. ô¿ô

(edited for a few typos and a small mess I fixed.)

 

[Jennet40 98]

I too don't do digital, except for my watch. I hate using my phone to browse the net, but I do have a kindle reader. That is the closest I hope to come to digital except a couple of temperature readers, but also still have the glass ones so I can check them.

I do remember having to work the video recorder for Mum and Dad, so I suppose what goes round, comes round. Way of the world. But I too still look for rotary dials on things rather than press buttons. You can still replace the parts, or do what I sometimes have and used pliers.

 

[GaryE21 19]

Maybe we're all ghosts, and fishkeeping is our version of paradise?

Lots of older guys my age fear technology. Yeah, we've lost control of our world. We gave it up a long time ago, and now we have to choose what tools we use, and which we don't. I think we can pick and choose - my bluetooth lights are great to work with, although I need my phone to run them. They allow me a lot of choice in how I adjust them. I don't have to depend on the factory preset.

My main filtration could have been found in a fishroom 50 years ago. It works, and actually hasn't been improved on as some technology becomes a developmental dead end for corporate needs - it works for users and not for shareholders, so it gets ignored and becomes obsolete. Users are valueless in the greed economics that were adopted in the 1980s. As individuals, some of us fought that, but as a generation, we bought that. It makes our complaints sound hollow. In the aquarium world, many filtration gimmicks were invented to grab market share in an area where things already worked efficiently, and some were useful. Most came along and have already gone.

I use no controllers - haven't needed them as I keep very few warmer water fish. My room thermostat sets the heat for most of my tanks. If I needed one, I'd get one, learn how to operate it and enjoy. Digital, push button or rope and pulley - if it works, good.

My way of working is different from a person raised on technology's, and a business that bases itself on the wishes of a few old timers won't last long. When we go on about digital/analog, we just sound old. We convince no one. My digital temperature sensors, my bluetooth LEDs, my digital thermostat, my other tech - good stuff. If it's a gimmick and only a gimmick, just don't buy it.