Breaking All The Rules

[chickenlady]

I have a friend who has had a very successful aquarium for many years and yet she breaks all the rules and gets away with it every time

She rinses out her filter under the tap and never saves her 'good bacteria'. She scrubs out her aquarium with fairy liguid and brillo pads , after having emptied the fish into a washing up bowl full of water from the tap. Completely empties the tank of gravel and also runs this under the tap to clean, before replacing it into the tank.
Replaces ALL the water, each time, when doing a water change, from the tap. (She does use Aqua-safe when replacing the water). She cleans the live plants with fairy liquid and the just rinses them under the tap.

In short - she breaks all the rules in the book - AND YET HER FISH DON'T DIE. There are fish in there that she's had for years - angel fish, sharks, catfish, etc.

Is this a miracle or what???

 

[jaarus]

I have a friend who has had a very successful aquarium for many years and yet she breaks all the rules and gets away with it every time

She rinses out her filter under the tap and never saves her 'good bacteria'. She scrubs out her aquarium with fairy liguid and brillo pads , after having emptied the fish into a washing up bowl full of water from the tap. Completely empties the tank of gravel and also runs this under the tap to clean, before replacing it into the tank.
Replaces ALL the water, each time, when doing a water change, from the tap. (She does use Aqua-safe when replacing the water). She cleans the live plants with fairy liquid and the just rinses them under the tap.

In short - she breaks all the rules in the book - AND YET HER FISH DON'T DIE. There are fish in there that she's had for years - angel fish, sharks, catfish, etc.

Is this a miracle or what???

er.........are the fish plastic?
heheh

 

[guppy_man]

maybe the fish are damaged inside. if they were better looked after they might be more active and have more colour, i really dont understand why she doesn't do it propperly, why dont you tell her
people do use fairy liquid but the tiniest amount and they wash it thouroughly.

you should say somthing to her otherwise the fish shes had for years will die

 

[chickenlady]

But that's just my point - her fish are all healthy, beautifully coloured and live for years. And yet - according to all the books - she's breaking all the rules.

 

[tidytourniquet]

If she cleans it often enough as to not let the ammonia rise then its not gonna be harmful for the fish, they will surely do better in a fully cycled tank though. Maybe try talking her into doing it the correct way by telling her how much time she will save by not having to tear everything down all the time.

 

[bogwood]

Does she do what she does as a result of 'lack of fish keeping knowledge'... or is she just a lazy c*w!...

 

[FBF]

thatll be the 100% water changes. theres no need for bacteria if you are changing one hundred percent of the water. not good practice. but just the same as keeping a betta in a small tank witout filtration.

 

[Alex_]

Does she do what she does as a result of 'lack of fish keeping knowledge'... or is she just a lazy c*w!...

It seems like more work.............

 

[Vivid-Dawn]

At least she tries to take care of them. My husband doesn't even bother changing ANY of the water, ever! It's yellow, and I tell him it looks bad, but he claims there's "a balanced eco system" in there. Supposedly, that's why pond water is murky and discolored (even though rain and evaporation is kinda like a natural water change).
He just tops off evaporation, if it gets more than 3 inches below the top of the tank (sometimes he waits 5 inches). And once a day, he POURS food in there. Like, a whole handful!

It has about 40 gallons, and 30 fish...one of which is a Common Pleco that's a good 7 inches, last I measured (my 24 yr old sister is actually scared of him, cuz he's a "big, monster of a shadowy thing!"). He has a columbian shark, which really should have brackish water soon. Never had an Ich outbreak, or any disease at all. Never any algae (maybe the pleco gets it), leaves one side of the tank lit at all times...
He also has 3 large goldfish in a 20 gallon hex tank, with even yellower water. Yet, they have gone from feeder goldfish to being bigger than my hand in the last 2 years


He says the reason I have bad luck with mine, is because I won't "quit fussing" with them. My first batch of livebearers got Ich and died within 3 days. Then I got Ich in my 2nd batch, but cured it with medicine. Then I thought my Cichlids had Ich a couple months ago, cuz the girls were 'flashing'. Now my new Neons have Fungus! >_<