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PCS & Stuart M. Grant - Cichlid Preservation Fund - Details here


humbug

Member Since 26 Dec 2012
Offline Last Active Oct 16 2019 08:48 AM

Posts I've Made

In Topic: Aquarium Shops Colour Feeding Fish.

22 September 2018 - 04:25 PM

I've spoken out on this topic before.  Yes, unless the shop is openly advising customers that their fish are juiced (and by that I mean they have tanks clearly placarded as such) then in my opinion they are purely and simply misrepresenting the fish they are selling.  Customers have the right to expect that a fish that appears to be a coloured male in the shop's tank is in fact a male. Customers have the right to expect that the brightly coloured fish in the shop's tank, if taken home and kept in appropriate conditions, will maintain that colour.

Under consumer law its against the law for a retailer to misrepresent any item they offer for sale.  Its against the law to wind back the odometer on a car to make it more attractive to a potential customer, or to make it more valuable. So why would it be OK for a retailer to "enhance" the low-quality fish in their tanks to make them easier to sell, or to increase their value, by using products such as WC????

The only shops that I've know to placard tanks saying their fish are colour-fed haven't kept the practice up for long.  Basically its not good for sales.  Once most people understand whats going on they simply aren't interested in the fish.  The shops I've known to do this have either removed the signs relatively quickly, or have just made the decision to stop selling the "enhanced" fish.

I personally feel that the practice is quite harmful to our hobby.  One of the strongest motivators for a newbie to remain in the hobby is having success in those first early experiences of keeping fish.  But unfortunately its the newbies who are duped into buying these fish. Pretty demoralizing for the budding first-time fishkeeper to find that rather than the vibrant, colourful all-male tank they are expecting, they end up with a tank full of insipid fish, half of which are holding.

Thankfully we still have some really good shops which aren't prepared to sell "enhanced" fish, or tatooed and dyed fish.  Generally they are run by really knowledgeable, experienced guys who understand the damage that some of these practices do to our hobby.  These are the guys who are in the "game" for the long haul, not just to make a quick buck.  Most are "hobbyists" themselves who have taken their love of fish to the next level.  They understand that without a strong hobby, there is no industry.  If these practices concern you, I would encourage you to hunt out one of these shops who share your concerns, and support them.


In Topic: Seachem Safe Doesing Chart

08 September 2018 - 04:55 PM

Thanks for the heads up on the measuring spoons!!  Just what I needed.
 


In Topic: How Much Faith Do You Have In Your Test Kit Results?

12 August 2018 - 09:25 AM

I continue to use JBL kits and have seen nothing which leads me to think they are giving erroneous results.   Other experienced hobbyists who have moved to JBL (plus a couple of highly respected retailers I deal with) are also firm advocates of the JBL kits.  Others have been suggesting the Sera kits as another alternative, but I have no personal experience with the brand. We continue to see issues with API kits.
 

I'm forced to purchase JBL kits on-line from overseas because we still have no importer in Australia.  I would far prefer to support local businesses, but I simply don't have the option in this case . . . . .    Even the retailers I mention above, while being advocates of the products and using them for in-house testing, are unable to stock them for customers because they can't source them cost-effectively through an Australian importer.

 

Despite suggestions above, I certainly have no personal commercial or other vested interest in this brand, or any other brand.  I'm purely a hobbyist.

I'm guessing that because these tests kits are in general all based on the same reagents, then from the perspective of colour-blindness, there will be little difference between brands. Perhaps if you have a decent LFS near you who stocks alternative brands, then they may be willing to do some trials for you.  Perhaps see if you can find (or manufacture) a couple of water samples with a decent ammonia and nitrate level and test with a couple of brands to see if one is easier for you to use than another?  Can I suggest that if you do this, then the results could be of value to others.  Photograph and post your findings!!

 


In Topic: The Fish Vet

17 June 2018 - 03:04 PM

The problem with a diagnosis such as this is that when fish are "off", they frequently don't feed.  So that then begs the question - is the lack of body fat a symptom or a cause? 

I had a similar diagnosis when we were struggling to find answers with unexplained deaths in a colony of important fish.  The diagnosis was based on two fish which hadn't been eating for some time.  In my mind it wasn't surprising that they were thin - not eating does that to fish.  But the state of the remaining, apparently unaffected fish in the tank was testament to the fact that sufficient food was available . . . . .


In Topic: Water Change Problem

26 March 2018 - 09:02 AM

Re alternative media - try not to get drawn into all of the marketing hype. All media is is somewhere for the beneficial bacteria to grow. The bacteria doesn't care what its growing on. As long as there is enough surface area on that media to support enough bacteria to cope with the waste from your fish, all will be good. 
 

All of the manufacturer's are attempting to sell their product. They will go to extreme lengths to try to show that their product is better than the opposition's for one reason or another. Generally they claim their product is more "efficient" - ie it has more surface area in the same volume. So what??? It just means you need a little bit more of the other product . . . .
 

For anyone who already has media, I wouldn't recommend changing for the sake of changing. Reality is that provided you have a reasonably sized filter, then whatever media you are currently using is probably already providing far more surface area than required. Adding more surface area will do nothing to improve your filtration. The amount of bacteria will only increase to the level of food (waste) in your tank.
 

I personally use a whole range of different media in different filters. Basically, I get whatever happens to be the best deal at the time I'm buying.  Its when you are setting up for the first time that its worth considering options.