TV Show Tanked learns a hard lesson from hasty fish stocking!

[GHill762]

They need to do a fish nerd episode and just clear everything up, explain their processes, etc..

[oldSWseamomma]

I do watch the show and admit it's only to see the fish or occasional coral. At times I cringe (most every show) at some of the tanks but some are gorgeous and these guys are not marine biologists but they do know enough to try to guide their clients to having a nice tank. I think Animal Planet should start targeting the reef keeping community instead of the general public who do not know all the in's and out's of keeping a SW tank. And I agree there should be a disclaimer with every show to advise people to seek professional guidance in choosing an aquarium for their home.

[seabass]

... there should be a disclaimer with every show to advise people to seek professional guidance in choosing an aquarium for their home.

We spend a good deal of time bashing PETCO and local fish store employees/owners. Now we think it's a good idea to seek their guidance? Yep, these are the professionals that are available to us (not a chemist, marine biologist, aquatic ecosystem specialist, or likewise). The ATM guys have more experience and knowledge of these larger systems than most anybody that the general public can physically speak with. They will continue to learn from their mistakes and become better at stocking their custom tanks.

 

Sure, a disclaimer of sorts isn't a bad idea. However, I would probably make it more like the show has been edited for entertainment purposes, which often depicts unusually fast stocking of fish. But like I previously said, no beginner will be purchasing large setups like this without the assistance of a "professional". Professional meaning that they get paid for working in the business, and not necessarily a testament to what they know.

 

It might be nice to see video recaps of shows that include what they learned (or went wrong) from a particular build. Maybe they could include at the end of each show, "For additional information about this episode, visit animal.discovery.com". The site could include follow up videos, technical diagrams, specifications, etc. This could be tailored toward people like us. I think that could be very interesting.

[inTank]

Flame on bidges

 

 

[Seiryoku]

Flame on bidges

 

 

 

Why with the all white shoes?

[GHill762]

Because all-white or nearly-all-white shoes look the best

[Seiryoku]

Because all-white or nearly-all-white shoes look the best

 

I don't know...black shoes are pretty awesome in my opinion.

[seabass]

Brett looks like he's hitting on your woman.

[Seiryoku]

Brett looks like he's hitting on your girl.

 

Picture didn't catch it, but his third hand had already grouped her boobies.

[inTank]

Why with the all white shoes?

 

K Swiss was in order for this show.

 

Brett looks like he's hitting on your girl.

 

Probably, he's a talker. You should have seen the chick he brought to last years show.

[patback]

In their defense...

 

1. There is a huge difference in a large (500+ gallon) tank and what we keep. You can "bend" the rules a lot more with a couple thousand gallons and still be successful and responsible.

 

2. Do you have any idea how clean that hotel water probably is? If they did use just city water then i would be worried, but as a high class place, Im sure they have an onsite water treatment/purification system. (again they are the pros not me)

 

just my 2 pennies....

 

i like the show, but too much is edited out and made up. makes it seem too easy for people who have never owned a salt tank.

 

Lol. You think hotels care about anything that's not at face value? The only deference between your water and a hotels water system is that they have larger water mains.

[RatWilly]

Why would you name an aquarium company ATM, like Ass To Mouth?

[Chadf]

Why would you name an aquarium company ATM, like Ass To Mouth?

 

Acrylic tank manufacturing

[StevieT]

lol

 

[Formula462]

I'd love to have them show the tank's 45 days later when the bright plastic coral inserts are all covered in brown scummy diatoms and you can hardly see through the glass lol

 

Lol yes indeed. This happens all the time. Anytime someone wants inserts, I tell them about the diatoms. Sure LR will grow it too, but it usually breaks down in a couple weeks when the system balances out. With those plastic inserts, sometimes the diatoms never go away unless you have powerheads pointed STRAIGHT at them.

 

We carry Shark products and if you go to there website and click local dealers, we are the first one to pop up in Texas. I have had a couple cell phone conversations with Brett (i have to hold the phone away from my ear) and I haven't had the heart to tell them I have never watched a complete episode, nor do I care to. It's not a show for hardcore hobbyist. It's an entertainment show that just so happens to involve the hobby.

[GHill762]

http://blog.aquanerd.com/2013/06/acrylic-tank-manufacturing-kills-shark-goes-on-the-defense.html

[StevieT]

They had a lot to vent. The original article was junk, and unfortunately ATM invited this by starting the show.

[notwithit]

They had a lot to vent. The original article was junk, and unfortunately ATM invited this by starting the show.

 

I've still always been under the impression there's no real "instant bacteria no cycle" product.. Maybe I'll have to recant and buy some of their product and test it.

[StevieT]

Their tanks are way different than ours. The only thing with any traditional bacteria inside is the sand. They don't have live rock and use tons of fake corals that I don't think are porous. Maybe I'm wrong. They rely on large amounts of bioballs in the sump to make up for this. Water doesn't "cycle" it's the biofilter media/live rock that does. So if you have bacteria in there, as well as the sand it can start to do it's job right away.

[notwithit]

Their tanks are way different than ours. The only thing with any traditional bacteria inside is the sand. They don't have live rock and use tons of fake corals that I don't think are porous. Maybe I'm wrong. They rely on large amounts of bioballs in the sump to make up for this. Water doesn't "cycle" it's the biofilter media/live rock that does. So if you have bacteria in there, as well as the sand it can start to do it's job right away.

 

Got ya. I would imagine that the coral inserts will host certain bacterias though. A huge frustration with the show is when they complain about an old coral insert being disgusting. The inserts will fade over time... Any color getting hit with light/radiation should/will mostly fade.

 

 

Still think 15+ clarkii's is obtuse... ;-)

[Angel<3Nanos]

I dont like their show but I've seen their tanks here in vegas, they built a huge tank inside the mirage and it seems to be doing fine. I've also been to their store (which tanks are overpriced) and asked what would it take to have them install a tank at my house, so their policy is "if you want to keep a warranty, you have to pay for maintenance with us". So makes kinda sense lol

 

Im not on their side but lots of fish stores sell fish to people with no experience, so unfortunately this problem will always exist.

 

:/

[notwithit]

I dont like their show but I've seen their tanks here in vegas, they built a huge tank inside the mirage and it seems to be doing fine. I've also been to their store (which tanks are overpriced) and asked what would it take to have them install a tank at my house, so their policy is "if you want to keep a warranty, you have to pay for maintenance with us". So makes kinda sense lol

 

Im not on their side but lots of fish stores sell fish to people with no experience, so unfortunately this problem will always exist.

 

:/

Finding nemo created a huge problem with that.. "WE WANT NEMO WE WANT NEMO". The least that Animal Planet and Discovery and Nat Geographic could do is have a disclaimer saying something to the effect of, "Marine animals are incredible to keep. Please be sure to research before starting into the hobby".

 

I've heard/seen too many "HOLY #@!$ 500 DOLLARS TO GET A CORAL TANK STARTED?" and thats on the low end....

[Angel<3Nanos]

Finding nemo created a huge problem with that.. "WE WANT NEMO WE WANT NEMO". The least that Animal Planet and Discovery and Nat Geographic could do is have a disclaimer saying something to the effect of, "Marine animals are incredible to keep. Please be sure to research before starting into the hobby".

 

I've heard/seen too many "HOLY #@!$ 500 DOLLARS TO GET A CORAL TANK STARTED?" and thats on the low end....

 

So true. They should have a disclaimer.

[mpg732]

I've still always been under the impression there's no real "instant bacteria no cycle" product.. Maybe I'll have to recant and buy some of their product and test it.

There are a few products on the market that can seed a tank with the two strands of bacteria needed for biological filtration. In fact they are a much better option then rolling the dice with Live Sand. Now I think every one would agree going slow when stocking tanks is the best way to go, but for there type of business they may not always have that option. Lets face it, as long as the water is prepped properly, salinity is in check and the temperature is correct, there is no reason not to add fish to a tank. You just need to make sure you have enough bacteria in the system to support the bio load from the fish. Personally I think people are freaking out way to much over this. Because its TV and we are not personally there the entire time, we don't really know all that happens.

[seabass]

They rely on large amounts of bioballs in the sump to make up for this.

Do you think that these bioballs have an established biofilter? If they are taken from a holding tank where bacteria is allowed to become established, then I understand why this works.