are all the "rules" really important?

[Tiggs]

I have noticed a lot of people here like to do the rules! ...... 1 fish per gallon, certain fish in groups of X, change the water by Y% every other day, etc, etc


I wonder....is it really that important to follow all of them?

The one that got me today was some bloke in newbies who has (along with some other stuff) a white cloud minow....on its on!!!!!! GOOD GOD...the evil man!

Anyway, he has been advised that these should be in a shoal.......why?

I have a 90 gallon planted tank, the first fish in were 6 white clouds......lost 5 in disaster and have 1 left. He lives with loads of other stuff in there now (my tank is prob overstocked in the eyes of many but i run 2 externals and every level is spot on with healthy active fish.

So....a) does my minow give two hoots if he's alone?

and B)...so what if he does? There are a gazzilion fish in the world......i hardly think my minow is getting the rough end of the stick...he could be eaten by a duck in another life!

and c)......its a minow...its not a dog or a child!.....in fact a good size fly may argue that it has as much right to mates and happiness as a minow! (but you swat them!)

Just think some people get abit carried away sometimes!

T

 

[quintessential]

Rules are there to be broken.

Its generally acceptable to abide by them though.

If the monow is healthy ok, but in the wild it wouldn't be on its own would it.

1 fish per gallon, certain fish in groups of X, change the water by Y% every other day, etc, etc

I have had fish in over stocked tanks in the past and all was ok because of good filtration etc, If you are comfortable with your set up the fine.

its a minow...its not a dog or a child!.....

I know a few people who care more for their fish and dogs than the kids.

I think its a case of your priorities. Also there are some people who can't live without rules, they need them cos they can't think outside the box.

Could be a stong thread starting here.

 

[Paul_MTS]

the point of fish tanks is bring a litle of thw wild into your house in most cases, so wouldn't t be nice to let the fish leave close as can be to the condition they would be in, in the wild.

in this case a minnow is a shoaling fish in the wild and would swim in a group.

 

[Dwarfs]

Fish that shoal and/or school should be kept in groups because that's how they adapted to survive, and that is their main defense and means of having a sense of security.

If a minnow is kept alone, it will be extremely skittish, unhealthy, and will hide a lot. If you have 5 or 6 minnows, they will stick together, be less skittish, and will come out in the open. Minnows can be kept individually, but they will only be healthy if they are kept with other small fish that look like/behave like them, or kept with some of their own species, as they should be

 

[mlee0332]

I'm thinking your the type person who finds fish throw away pets?

I follow the rules religiously, except the water change one... I tend to "bend" it a little

Your minnow is gonna be miserable . Get him 4 more friends and he should be good to go. Nothing wrong with splurging to help your pets be happy
(Yes I know that neons are shoaling fish and I need more. He had four other friends, but they misteriously died in a plague not to long ago. Now the tank is cycling and I'm lucky he's made it thru, and it's not smart to add them during cycling)

BTW: Yea I'd have to agree, this ones gonna get heated...

 

[MAM]

Folks are keeping it fairly civil so far, lets keep it that way.

Rules are there as guidelines for the most part, something to help you when you're just starting out. Give you a base to work from. But many can be bent as you become more experienced. Some though, should be adhered to for the health of your fish.

For example, I've kept tanks that would be classified as overstocked whether you were going by the 1 inch per gallon rule or the surface area rule. But I used extra filtration, kept up on water changes, watched my water parameters, monitored fish behaviors and health, etc and was able to keep a stable healthy tank. That sort of thing comes with experience.

As for schooling/shoaling fish, sure, if you keep one, it won't die right away. It may even live for many many years and be outwardly healthy. But there is a difference between thriving and just existing. With a group of its kind around, a shoaling fish is likely to be more active, less stressed out, show its best coloration, grow to full size, etc. A shoaling fish left solo is more likely to be shy, skittish, show signs of stress, etc. This of course is not always the case, there are always exceptions to every situation, but for the most part this is true.

 

[Aylana]

Just thought I would throw my 2p. I value life, I preserve it as much as I can. I don't swat flies. Everyone is different. So while you may not understand some peoples perspective of caring so much about the rules and wanting to make sure that minnows are kept happily in a group, they probably don't understand your not being too bothered.

I find the best thing is to live your life according to your values and let others live their lives by theirs. While it is good to question others beliefs and opinions sometimes you need to bear in mind that we are never all going to understand each other all of the time.

*Edited cos I missed out half a sentence ) *

 

[gaya]

I agree with what the others have said. If your fish is the type of fish that would prefer a shoal then why deprive him of his preferences? It’s just a considerate thing to do imo.

 

[rdd1952]

I will chime in with everyone else. I believe in trying to make my fish as happy as they can be and give them an environment that at least somewhat resembles what they would have in the wild. True, most of the fish any of us have were tank bred so they may not know how they should live but all we can go by is what science tells us. In the case where you lose fish, I believe is it very smart not to immediately replace the lost ones. Rather, you should try to determine what happened, correct the problem and then replenish. I am in the same situation as I have recently lost corys in both my tanks. I will eventually replace them and bring their numbers back to 6 or more.

Anyway, everyone is entitled to their opinion and some will handle their fish and tanks as they please regardless of what anyone else says. Some value life more than others and as already mentioned, some consider fish a disposible item. I will continue to give advise based on the rules, especially to the newbies who are here in search of help so they can give their fish the best conditions possible.

 

[Torrean]

my sister calls fish ornaments. She also says the #1 rule of fishkeeping is that fish DIE. (Yeah if you overstock a brand new tank your gonna lose some fish.)

 

[Karah's_Mommy]

c)......its a minow...its not a dog or a child!.....

Some people refer to their fish as their "babies" and they want the absolute best for them. They find out the "rules" for their fish and their aquariums and follow them to ensure the best life for their fish. To you it may just be a minnow, but to others it's a life to be cherished and respected.

 

[Inchworm]

I like to think of fishkeeping as being both a science and an art.

A healthy tank will follow certain fixed rules, such as those governing water parameters, and this is the science part. Stocking a tank with fish and/or plants is the part of the hobby that is more flexible and is more like an art.

For that the "rules" are more like guidelines. For example, the "inch of fish per gallon of water," is not hard and fast; it's quite adjustable. While common sense will tell you that putting an oscar in a tank of guppies is a bad idea, no matter how many inches of fish it equals, other matches are less obvious.

Think about this. Ten inches of neon tetra is a whole lot less fish than ten inches of gourami. They eat less, eliminate less, and in general cause less strain on the system you have set up. The size of the filter plays a role in creating a healthy tank, and in some instances can expand the carrying capacity of a tank, but too much water flow can make life miserable for fish that come from quiet waters. These are just a couple of the factors to consider when setting up and keeping a tank.

This is the art of fish keeping, that is, matching up fish and equipment to produce a safe and healthy environment for the inhabitants of a tank. It should be pleasing to the eye and comfortable for the fish. It takes research and experience to do well, but it needs a starting place, and that is why we often quote the generalized guidelines we see so much of.

Once a tank is established, and you are familiar with the habits and needs of the fish you have, the "rules" can then be tweaked a bit. I prefer not to think of this a breaking them, but as "fine tuning" them.

 

[The-Wolf]

most schooling/shoaling fish have much more vibrant colours in the group. when on their own they often seem to have muted/dull colours.
IMHO this is why schoaling fish should be kept in schools.

 

[CFC]

People can survive on their own pretty well too but if you stick a person up a mountain with only apes for company for the rest of their life then they are going to become pretty unhappy after a while.

 

[Tiggs]

lot of people talking about an "unhappy" fish....its a pity there isnt another term for what you are trying to say.

its a fish....it doesnt have happy or sad days! it may react to its enviroment differently if not in a group and that reaction may present itself as lack of colour/skittish/whatever....but the term "unhappy" is wrong.

also the idea that in the wild they shoal so make it as close as possible to that only works in the sense of creating a realistic set-up.....in the wild the fish dont watch TV 4 hrs a day but mine can in the living room! i cant belive my fish have the ability to think "this aint like the amazon" and get the hump!

the "survive or thrive" argument seems to be chucked about a lot by the "i love my fish more than my spouse" brigade as a way of saying that no matter what your fish look like they would be better if kept according to their rules.

my lone minow doesnt hide, he looks fine, eats well.....i cant book him in to a shrink to see if he has deep seated anger that results from lack of mates...but i can guess hes doing ok!

T

ps.....funny that some of the people who are pro "happy" fish have smalll tanks.........i have a 90g tank that i think is on the small side, i wouldnt have anything less as i find a small tank like a small TV - it doesnt look as impressive as a feature in the room as a by product of my tank ego and wealth my unhappy fish have a large tank with a few hundread pounds of filtration.......i would say my minow is happier in that large, well filtered, lavishly stocked tank than in a little 20g tank with a plastic plant. in fact.......i would say if you have a shoal in such a tank they are probably survivng not thriving