dwarfgourami
Fish Connoisseur
Just picked up the RSPCA Pet Guide: Care for Tropical Fish at my local Waterstones, as I saw they did stocking suggestions for a tank my size; thought it would be nice to have something to compare with. It starts with an introduction by a Chief Veterinary Officer (lots of titles after his name), all about how if you don’t look after your fish the RSPCA would rather you didn’t have them. (Quite so…and if you can’t check the facts in your books properly, a lot of us would rather you didn’t publish them).
Then you get a general overview of some of the most common tropical fish. And then (this is the best bit!) you get the tank setups. All 3 are for a 24x15x12 in., in other words a 70 ltrs tank (like the Rekord 70), pretty well a 20H.
Scheme 1 is for hard water. To provide “a well-balanced aquarium and….a congenial environment for your fish” you are advised to add:
5 tiger barbs
2 pairs black mollies
2 pairs guppies
1 pair swordtails
1 pair pearl gouramis
2-3 corydoras (bronze or peppered)
2 pairs platies
2 small angelfish
Scheme 2 is for less hard water:
5 tiger barbs
5 cardinal tetras
5 glowlight tetras
2 pairs guppies
1 pair pearl gouramis
2 corydoras (bronze or peppered)
2 pairs ruby barbs
2 small angelfish (where do they get this breed “small angelfish”?)
5 zebra danios
Scheme 3, for soft water, is the best:
5 glass catfish
5 glowlight tetras
1 betta
2-3 corys (bronze or peppered)
1 common plec
3 harlequin rasboras
2 pairs guppies
2-3 clown loaches !!!
Just take a few minutes and visualize this tank. 60 cms long, that is 2 feet, and it houses 3 clown loaches, 2 corys and a common plec!
It is true that they use the square inches of surface/inch fish rule, which is rather more generous than the fish/gallon rule, but even so only allows for 24 inches of fish in that tank. I make Scheme 1 78 inches, Scheme 2 82 inches and Scheme 3 109 inches!!! Of course, all those inches would never happen because the fish would die long before then.
Disregarding these crude inch calculations, imagine what life would be like for fish in those tanks. The bottom of no. 3 crammed with 2 corys, 3 clown loaches and a common plec, all fighting for room. The amount of crap you’d find in that tank! Or, in no. 2, 5 tiger barbs and 5 danios moving backwards and forwards in 60 cms, trying to relieve the tedium by nipping the bits off the guppies and gouramis.
There are other dodgy things about this book:
“An aerator or pump is not essential but it is useful, especially if it is combined with a filter.” This surely must give a beginner the idea that you can get away without filtration! (p, 23)
It is suggested that the tank should be left empty for one or two weeks with water in it “to let the water age”, but then the assumption is that you can just add the fish and the water will be fine! Nothing is mentioned of the cycle!!! (p. 35).
At a later stage, under Poisons, they say: “If the water in your aquarium becomes toxic, you must change 50 per cent of the water as soon as possible. …. Keep doing 30 per cent water changes until the water tests negative for ammonia and nitrate (sic) and the fish appear normal.” You are not told how, when or why your water is likely to become toxic, presumably you sit around and see if the fish die.
All in all, this is a very hit-and-miss approach to fishkeeping, totally out of date. It has clearly been republished again and again but never properly revised. Dick Mills put his name to an earlier edition, but doesn’t seem to have bothered to do any calculations on it.
The danger about this book is not only might someone try it, but it’s going to make the rest of us feel far too virtuous in comparison On reading it, I almost convinced myself that I would be alright adding that shoal of blue tetras- it’s not as if I was going to be overstocked by 80 inches!
It is also a reminder to be patient with newcomers; if they have read this sort of advice about “aging the water” in a publication by the RSPCA, you can hardly blame them for believing it.
In a crusading mood now, what do you think I should do? Write to the publishers? Write directly to the RSPCA? The publication is anonymous, and looks like a reprint of something very old (oh hang on, got hold of a 1990 edition, reprinted from the 1986, and that has an author- M. Richardson, whoever he may be. It also claims that Dick Mills has added text revisions- well, all I can say is- no, I’d better not say that on here). Something ought to be done, because people will take this as extra specially humane advice, “if the RSPC recommend it, it can't be cruel'.
Then you get a general overview of some of the most common tropical fish. And then (this is the best bit!) you get the tank setups. All 3 are for a 24x15x12 in., in other words a 70 ltrs tank (like the Rekord 70), pretty well a 20H.
Scheme 1 is for hard water. To provide “a well-balanced aquarium and….a congenial environment for your fish” you are advised to add:
5 tiger barbs
2 pairs black mollies
2 pairs guppies
1 pair swordtails
1 pair pearl gouramis
2-3 corydoras (bronze or peppered)
2 pairs platies
2 small angelfish
Scheme 2 is for less hard water:
5 tiger barbs
5 cardinal tetras
5 glowlight tetras
2 pairs guppies
1 pair pearl gouramis
2 corydoras (bronze or peppered)
2 pairs ruby barbs
2 small angelfish (where do they get this breed “small angelfish”?)
5 zebra danios
Scheme 3, for soft water, is the best:
5 glass catfish
5 glowlight tetras
1 betta
2-3 corys (bronze or peppered)
1 common plec
3 harlequin rasboras
2 pairs guppies
2-3 clown loaches !!!
Just take a few minutes and visualize this tank. 60 cms long, that is 2 feet, and it houses 3 clown loaches, 2 corys and a common plec!
It is true that they use the square inches of surface/inch fish rule, which is rather more generous than the fish/gallon rule, but even so only allows for 24 inches of fish in that tank. I make Scheme 1 78 inches, Scheme 2 82 inches and Scheme 3 109 inches!!! Of course, all those inches would never happen because the fish would die long before then.
Disregarding these crude inch calculations, imagine what life would be like for fish in those tanks. The bottom of no. 3 crammed with 2 corys, 3 clown loaches and a common plec, all fighting for room. The amount of crap you’d find in that tank! Or, in no. 2, 5 tiger barbs and 5 danios moving backwards and forwards in 60 cms, trying to relieve the tedium by nipping the bits off the guppies and gouramis.
There are other dodgy things about this book:
“An aerator or pump is not essential but it is useful, especially if it is combined with a filter.” This surely must give a beginner the idea that you can get away without filtration! (p, 23)
It is suggested that the tank should be left empty for one or two weeks with water in it “to let the water age”, but then the assumption is that you can just add the fish and the water will be fine! Nothing is mentioned of the cycle!!! (p. 35).
At a later stage, under Poisons, they say: “If the water in your aquarium becomes toxic, you must change 50 per cent of the water as soon as possible. …. Keep doing 30 per cent water changes until the water tests negative for ammonia and nitrate (sic) and the fish appear normal.” You are not told how, when or why your water is likely to become toxic, presumably you sit around and see if the fish die.
All in all, this is a very hit-and-miss approach to fishkeeping, totally out of date. It has clearly been republished again and again but never properly revised. Dick Mills put his name to an earlier edition, but doesn’t seem to have bothered to do any calculations on it.
The danger about this book is not only might someone try it, but it’s going to make the rest of us feel far too virtuous in comparison On reading it, I almost convinced myself that I would be alright adding that shoal of blue tetras- it’s not as if I was going to be overstocked by 80 inches!
It is also a reminder to be patient with newcomers; if they have read this sort of advice about “aging the water” in a publication by the RSPCA, you can hardly blame them for believing it.
In a crusading mood now, what do you think I should do? Write to the publishers? Write directly to the RSPCA? The publication is anonymous, and looks like a reprint of something very old (oh hang on, got hold of a 1990 edition, reprinted from the 1986, and that has an author- M. Richardson, whoever he may be. It also claims that Dick Mills has added text revisions- well, all I can say is- no, I’d better not say that on here). Something ought to be done, because people will take this as extra specially humane advice, “if the RSPC recommend it, it can't be cruel'.
I mean, surely common sense has a part to play? How can you put a whole host of varied bottom feeders and not so small fish in a tank that size ever? Ok if they're alone or a pair and breeding or sick or whatever but to live in crowded conditions??? If they even had a filter the conditions in the tank would be serious within a week!! Poor damn creatures. Got a good mind to kick their arses for such stupidity. 
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