How TPF taught me to be a good fishkeeper.

[kcartwright856]

Pufferpunk made a post in a thread recently about having taught us well. I was going to respond there, but I didn't want to derail the thread. Plus, I felt like it deserved its own post.

I started browsing this forum 5 years ago when I first fell in love with DPs. Not only did I know nothing about them, but I didn't really know anything about general fishkeeping either.

I learned all about what we need to do to keep our delicate puffs happy and healthy. Proper diet, lots of water changes, understocking, overfiltering... all things that are advocated here, but not really anywhere else. It almost seems as though, since the puffers we love have so much more personality than most other fish, they tend to mean more to people than those other fish. The fish that are "just fish" to most people. As such, they receive better treatment.

I've been called crazy more than once by folks outside of this forum for adhering to a strict 50% water change, twice weekly, schedule. It's been called overkill, unnecessary. I planned this maintenance regimen in preparation for my messy puffers, but my other fish love it just as much. They're so happy and healthy. Breeding, even. My otocinclus breeding raises questions from other fishkeepers, such as my water parameters, and what all I have done to achieve this difficult spawn.

I didn't achieve anything. I just keep my fish and their environment healthy. Why is this such a foreign concept? People spend so much time and money on tanks, equipment, chemicals... but then their fish, the entire reasoning behind keeping a tank, are largely neglected and treated as disposable creatures. They spend money and play around with chemicals and buy fancy equipment to try to keep their fish alive, but it never seems to occur to them that something so simple as "large", frequent water changes are such a huge key.

I do realize that I'm preaching to the choir here, but I just wanted to say thank you to all of the veterans here that have taught me so much these past few years. You've made me a good fishkeeper, and I wish that there will come a day when we can change the way that others think about their aquariums.

I don't have any money yet to donate to the forum to help it grow, but I hope that this thank you will do for now.

[J-P]

very insightful. This forum has led me to explore, ask questions and research. Without it I would have killed many-a-fish, and banged my head against the wall.

I know the admin and I have our differences, but we all have the same direction: better fish keeping, expand the knowledge.

Thank you KC and thank you TPF!

[RTR]

Aquarium keeping is at the mercy of marketing, as most things are these days. Folks are trained to think that everything has a quick-fix, just wave the plastic card at it.

No one stops to analyse what they are doing and why they are doing it. At TPF we do. And we have been doing it long enough to to show that it works to the strong benefit of the critters we keep.

PP is Glenda the Good, playing against MFK's Wicked Witch of the West.

[bertie 83]

I was fishkeeping for about 20 years before perusing the site and thought I had it sussed, after joining I realised I was on the right lines but way off from being the fish keeper I once thought I was. If everyone adhered to our stocking levels and water changes there would be many many more people in this hobby, purely because they wouldn't sit around watching the fish they purchased die. I did join another forum some time back and got laughed out because my regime is ridiculous, some here may think I am odd at times, I call it healthy OCD and the results are epic

[scpion]

Aquarium keeping is at the mercy of marketing, as most things are these days. Folks are trained to think that everything has a quick-fix, just wave the plastic card at it.

No one stops to analyse what they are doing and why they are doing it. At TPF we do. And we have been doing it long enough to to show that it works to the strong benefit of the critters we keep.

PP is Glenda the Good, playing against MFK's Wicked Witch of the West.

Lol.. I was browsing thru mfk yesterday and came across a thread abt mbu that went on for almost a year.. many mean and rude people over there..

[bertie 83]

Argh MFK. I got bored viewing their site because of the ingorance and rudeness. There are boundaries. If people are plain rude here they get what for, over there it seems encouraged.

[Pufferpunk]

I stay out of the mbu threads. The non-mbu keepers actually refer to us a lot.

[J-P]

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/

needs more puffer reps. I'm there and Poli is there. But it is difficult sometimes towing the line. PP knows Lupin of MFK which I think is part of the admin team, but the puffer section is poorly neglected. Lupin takes care of the inverts section. 99% of all the posts are from new members who have gotten themselves in over their heads. Many members are referred back here for reading material, but they choose not to join. They stick with their home forum.

[bertie 83]

I am a member. Don't go there now tho. Apparently my waterchange regime is ridiculous

[J-P]

That obviously didn't come from myself. As mentioned before.. towing the line is difficult.

[bertie 83]

J.p I wasn't having a dig. Just after joining was warned for my advise, which was basically change as much as you like. I was told 10% per week was sufficient.

[Flutter]

And this is why I don't fit in on my local forum. Their views are just so different from mine and as some random young person there's no competing with the local 'experts'. There are many very nice people but I still avoid it if possible.

[J-P]

J.p I wasn't having a dig. Just after joining was warned for my advise, which was basically change as much as you like. I was told 10% per week was sufficient.

I know. But when I recommend a water change I start 50% weekly and test. From there you will know if you should up it or reduce it. The frequency doesn't change only the volume. The person that told you 10% weekly is in error and I would rip them a new one if I saw that. There has been a positive change for the better over there but it is just 1 small section of a HUGE forum.

[bertie 83]

I will pm you a name, will pop on in a bit to dig lol. At first I wasn't allowed on cos I was spammer? I assume my email having phones in it was the reason but it was a headache lol

[FADE2BLACK_1973]

Pufferpunk made a post in a thread recently about having taught us well. I was going to respond there, but I didn't want to derail the thread. Plus, I felt like it deserved its own post.

I started browsing this forum 5 years ago when I first fell in love with DPs. Not only did I know nothing about them, but I didn't really know anything about general fishkeeping either.

I learned all about what we need to do to keep our delicate puffs happy and healthy. Proper diet, lots of water changes, understocking, overfiltering... all things that are advocated here, but not really anywhere else. It almost seems as though, since the puffers we love have so much more personality than most other fish, they tend to mean more to people than those other fish. The fish that are "just fish" to most people. As such, they receive better treatment.

I've been called crazy more than once by folks outside of this forum for adhering to a strict 50% water change, twice weekly, schedule. It's been called overkill, unnecessary. I planned this maintenance regimen in preparation for my messy puffers, but my other fish love it just as much. They're so happy and healthy. Breeding, even. My otocinclus breeding raises questions from other fishkeepers, such as my water parameters, and what all I have done to achieve this difficult spawn.

I didn't achieve anything. I just keep my fish and their environment healthy. Why is this such a foreign concept? People spend so much time and money on tanks, equipment, chemicals... but then their fish, the entire reasoning behind keeping a tank, are largely neglected and treated as disposable creatures. They spend money and play around with chemicals and buy fancy equipment to try to keep their fish alive, but it never seems to occur to them that something so simple as "large", frequent water changes are such a huge key.

I do realize that I'm preaching to the choir here, but I just wanted to say thank you to all of the veterans here that have taught me so much these past few years. You've made me a good fishkeeper, and I wish that there will come a day when we can change the way that others think about their aquariums.

I don't have any money yet to donate to the forum to help it grow, but I hope that this thank you will do for now.

That was just well put. I know who im getting to write out my final words for my funeral....