On fishkeeping scientific facts versus myth

[Bignose]

I really am wondering how myths continue to propagate seemingly so much faster than real fact. For example, in a current thread I once again had to point out that there is no evidence for bulging organs due to stunting. Other myths that seem to have a life of their own are the neverending ich myth, or the poisonous slime coats of goldfish to tropical fish. There are several more, but I am not looking to list all the myths out there.

To wit, I guess then the real question is that there have been several threads dedicated to trying to bring a little truth and rational thought to these myths. The 'mythbusters' thread that went over 100 posts I thought was great. But why don't these seem to have any impact?!?

I cannot believe it is just newer members -- because where do the newer members get their myths in the first place?

Maybe what I really want to know is if it is worth it to keep trying. I most likely will keep trying anyway, but I would like to know what the rest of the forums think.

 

[GeffG81]

I was reading another forum a few days ago, forgot the name of it. One of the sr members was talking about not overfeeding your fish because "fish dont know when to stop eating and they eat so much their stomach explosed and they die"

 

[Squishiebabe]

Yeah, I know....My friends and all the parents still think a fish grows to its tank...so i said, "If I put an oscar in a 5 gallon, your saying that it will never grow bigger?" "Yeah, its proven..." "Lets see the proof... "

And they somehow have a male Platy living in an all goldfish tank, with 2 Plecos...crazy!! Not a heater in it, and its 20 gal, with a Hagen Aquaclean MINI filtering it!!! AGHH!!!! ....I've offered even to trade filters, mines a Aquaclear 200 or something, and they refuse...I dont even know how they are living in that mess...

 

[Synirr]

I was reading another forum a few days ago, forgot the name of it but something like FishGeeks.com or something. One of the sr members was talking about not overfeeding your fish because "fish dont know when to stop eating and they eat so much their stomach explosed and they die"

I've seen that literally happen. Definitely not a myth when certain species (such as bettas) and certain foods (such as bloodworm) are concerned.
Edit: I should clarify, though, that it is their stomach that explodes inside their bodies... their guts don't just rip open and spill food everywhere

I think fish myths are kinda like to boogeyman. They're a good way to get those newly interested in the hobby to behave, so they're told over and over again. I don't think it's really a big issue... Other than the "fish grow to the size of their tank" myth, most of them actually work in the favor of the fish

 

[Mr Miagi]

I think the problem is, not everyone knows about science. Its as simple than that. People who do not understand or have been taught the wrong things base an opinion which may not be supported by the facts.

And word of mouth changes things like chinese whispers does.

Knowledge is education.

 

[Squishiebabe]

Yeah, I think people need to understand..like If i lived my life in a tiny closet would i grow only to fit? No, I would eventually grow too big and die from my own waste, and defects of many parts of the body that never grew right because of my conditions. Think, If the fish is in too small of tank, its wastes may build quickly and feeding may be wrong as well.
Okay, thats really dramatic, but it pisses me off so much. If i ever work at an Lfs, i swear I'll lose my job killing customers...agh

 

[Synirr]

I think the problem is, not everyone knows about science. Its as simple than that.

That's my answer to just about every dumb thing people say and do

Not easy to tell I'm a biology student, no sir!

 

[bluefire]

maybe something should be pinned in the beginners forum or something so that the myths that can be harmful to fish could be explained, just an idea.

 

[CFC]

With the fishes organs growing larger than their bodies i still believe it is quite possible that when a fish is forcably stopped growing by the size of its tank parts of it could continue to grow, after all we often see large fish like plecs with humped backs and twisted tails from being kept in small enclosures, if the spine can carry on growing when the rest of the fish cleatly cant resulting in squat deformed fish then why cant other parts?

 

[Synirr]

CFC, I don't think the problem is that the spine continues to grow and becomes misshapen, I think it's just deformed... as I'm sure we're all aware, disease and malnourishment can deform a fish's spine in a jiffy, and I'm sure the stunting brought on by inappropriate tank size can do the same.
That said, I don't think it's entirely implausible that an animal's organs could continue growing when the skeletal structure has stopped growing, I just don't think that's what is going on with stunted fish. I've spoken to a few people who have done necropsies on stunted fish and said the organs didn't appear to be abnormally large

 

[dwarfgourami]

There are cases where unhealthy fish may have bloated internal organs, e.g. because of cancer or retained fluid (dropsy)- could this have led to the myth? I suppose in a case where dropsy has been caused by an illness brought on by cramped living conditions, you could sort of say that the organs have been bloated due to cramped living conditions.

 

[andywg]

Actually, CFC's point is a good one. The skeletal structure is still growing but into a confined space, taking up room where the organs would go. This could theoretically lead to bloated organs and the organs restricting blood flow and bodily functions.

Obviously that isn't the main thrust of the exploding organs "myth" but it shows that what some dismiss as impossible does happen to a degree.

Also, fish growing to th tank could plausibly have its roots in fact.

Consider Pimelodus pictus. In the wild they can attain sizes of 12" but in a tank will max out at 6". Fish growth and development is regulated by hormones which in turn react to internal and external stimuli (according to Moyle and Cech in Ichthyology: an introduction to fish biology). Now it can easily be believed that the tank will not provide all of the seasonal and natural stimuli that cause the P. pictus to attain its full size and possibly sexual maturity; I am not aware of tank breeding but could be wrong.

One could summise that fish is staying smaller because it is in a tank. Now it is not a large jump for "common intelligence" to deduce that fish stay smaller to fit in tanks and thus fish grow to the size of the tank.

Another reason why people keep repeating myths is because of how a number of people's minds work. Basically there is an assumption of what they believe is right and it takes a lot of persuading to counter that due to their discarding information that doesn't fit in with their belief (this is in relation to more than just fishkeeping).

Andy

 

[OohFeeshy]

Finally... Sorry been having a bit of PC trouble.
Anyhoo, I agree that its like the bogeyman, however, I also think that if it stops at least one poor goldfish being kept in a 1g bowl, it should continue until there is unre-something (definate) proof it doesn't happen. Whil some may think it is bad practice, surely it is better to discourage a bad practice than to accept it on the grounds that there is no proof yet it is wrong?

 

[Bignose]

But the issue at heart about the 6 inch pictus is: it is half the size of the wild-types, but are its organs misshapen. I feel that CFC's example of when the fish grown so that its nose keeps hitting the glass and its spine is crooked is not exactly the issue at hand. That fish will have several health problems, not just misshapen organs.

In my mind, the myth is that a fish, such as a goldfish, will have all these bulges and deformities simply because they are kept in a small tank -- which is why the fish growing to the size of its tank is wrong.

To me, it should be sufficient to tell people that said goldfish will live for a few months or a year, whereas if they were given the proper amount of room a goldfish's life can be measured in decades. Why does the verified truth need to be exaggerated? Maybe it is a respect thing, I feel it is better to tell people the facts as we know know them, rather than treat them as if they cannot understand and horrify them into doing what is right. But I don't think most people are trying to trick the other people, or disrespecting other people, I think most just do not know and maybe what I am really asking is why don't peope know? What happened to good ol' fashioned skepticism? Surely I am not really the first to critically and skeptically evaluate this internet fact.

 

[kimbowee]

For me most of my Mis-information came from what everyone around here considers a reputable LFS or what other family members tried.

Like set up the aquarium and let it sit for a month before adding any fish, I was never told about cycling.

Also, I remember when I was younger winning a goldfish at a carnival & when I went to get a tank I was told 1 fish per gallon! Poor Goldie only lasted about 2 months.

Petsmart told me its ok to keep a common Pleco in a 20 gal tank because it will take him years to out grow it, or he may never out grow it.

If it weren't for this site I could have killed a gazillion fish by now.

I know now that the LFS is just looking for my $$ and not the wellbeing of my fish, I guess bet late then never.