How do you measure a "successful" fish system?

[bookseller]

As a newbie to the hobby I am amazed at the wide scope of opinions/answers on fish bulletin boards and in books. Sometimes answers are direct opposites. (ie: use salt, don't use salt; use carbon, don't use carbon; change water during cycle, don't change water)

I come from another hobby (RC airplanes) where changes and setups are measurable and directly felt. Change props on an airplane and you can fly it and immediately see and feel the results.

With the fish tank, sadly, that feedback is not available. Change a filter and you don't really know if you did more harm than good...

My Question Is a Philosophical One...
How Does the Fish Keeper "Measure" his Work?

Is it merely if your fish live or die? Your plants grow or not?

If your fish seem "healthy", is that all there is? If all is fine. how do you know if you can "push" and "better" your system in order to add that new fish you want?

How do you REALLY know the effects of your filter, carbon, treatments, water changes, etc, etc, etc??

Yes.. this question is rhetorical... There is no real "answer".

But I would appreciate comments, not on the examples presented, but on your views in general.

 

[AquaNut]

As you've already said yourself, keeping fish is a very subjective hobby, and just as different people do different things, different people also keep fish for different reasons. For some, the goal is to create a biotope, where everything is as close to the natural habitat of the fish being kept as possible. Others are trying to breed a certain species of fish, and even this is not crystal clear; some breed for colour, some for fin shape, others for size or strength.

For me, personally, it's more of an artistic thing. I want my tanks to be beautiful to my eyes. I only keep freshwater, tropical fish (for now!), and all my tanks are heavily planted. It is not beautiful nor relaxing to watch a tank with ill or less than thriving fish. I feel successful when both my fish and my plants are growing and look healthy, and when everyone seems to be displaying what I consider to be 'normal' behaviour. For example, when a pair of angelfish spawn on the leaves of an Amazon Sword plant, I feel rewarded. When I watch my pleco chowing down on the veggies I put in the tank for him, I feel rewarded. When my barbs swim back and forth across the tank in a perfect shoal, I feel rewarded. When a new plant I bought starts to send up fresh green growth, I feel rewarded. Mostly, when I can sit and watch a tank for an hour without feeling stressed about the condition of any of its inhabitants and without feeling like I ought to reach in and re-aquascape it, I feel very rewarded.

You are searching the kind of definitive answers that can only come with personal experience. The main reason no two aquarists seem to agree on everything is because there are so many variables involved. Only trial and error (and there are definitely errors along the way) will reveal which methods work best in your existing system. I study and observe my fish and their environments at great length. I know whether or not rinsing the filter media was a good idea by watching my aquarium afterwards. If the water looks noticably cleaner and there is less/no debris collecting on plants and all the fish are swimming about with erect fins and bright eyes, I know it was a good thing to do. This is also very rewarding - the realization that you have learned so much about your hobby that you can tell, at a glance, whether or not things are as they should be. Likewise, when things aren't as they should be, often a prolonged glance is enough to diagnose the problem. Perhaps one of the measures of success is being able to answer the questions you've asked in this thread.

As far as pushing yourself to do better or more in this hobby, fear not; there is always a new challenge you can propose to yourself. You can try a new type of tank (African lake cichlids, saltwater, etc). You can try a more delicate fish; you can try to get them to breed. You can add CO2 and VHO lights and try to grow all kinds of delicate and difficult plants. You can get rid of your CO2, VHO lights, and power filter and try to grow all the plants the all natural way. Of course, if you branch into something brand new in aquaria, you'll need to set up new standards by which to measure your successes and failures appropriately.

 

[Alien Anna]

Success of failure in fish keeping is rather like success of failure in gardening, or training horses, or interior design. Its a mixture of art, science and tradition, with a lot of personal taste and personal expression.

For me, success is when I look at a tank and think "Wow! I made that!".

 

[Lateral Line]

>>>
The main reason no two aquarists seem to agree on everything is because there are so many variables involved.
<<<

Bingo.

 

[platypus]

For me, personally, it's more of an artistic thing. I want my tanks to be beautiful to my eyes. I only keep freshwater, tropical fish (for now!), and all my tanks are heavily planted. It is not beautiful nor relaxing to watch a tank with ill or less than thriving fish. I feel successful when both my fish and my plants are growing and look healthy, and when everyone seems to be displaying what I consider to be 'normal' behaviour. For example, when a pair of angelfish spawn on the leaves of an Amazon Sword plant, I feel rewarded. When I watch my pleco chowing down on the veggies I put in the tank for him, I feel rewarded. When my barbs swim back and forth across the tank in a perfect shoal, I feel rewarded. When a new plant I bought starts to send up fresh green growth, I feel rewarded. Mostly, when I can sit and watch a tank for an hour without feeling stressed about the condition of any of its inhabitants and without feeling like I ought to reach in and re-aquascape it, I feel very rewarded.

That is lovely Aquanut that is what I wanted to say but couldn't think how to express it!

 

[Mogo]

What a great answer AquaNut

 

[bookseller]

You're telling me that I'll reach a point where I can see the effects of a filter change on the fish?

Wow..

About the only thing I can tell now is if a fish is dead or not

 

[AquaNut]

Thanks platypus and Mogo

bookseller - If you stick with the hobby and observe your fish a lot, you will eventually be able to recognize many many things by watching, smelling, and feeling. I know the temp of my tanks by putting my hand on the front glass. I know if things are healthy by the earthy, organic smell if I sniff the tank or filter. If you smell a strong algae smell, something's amiss. If you smell something foul or truly stinky, something is very amiss. Mostly, I know if my fish are happy by the way they look. If their colours are bright, their fins are erect, and they're swimming and eating normally, they're doing well! If they're breathing quickly, hanging close to the surface of the water, hiding behind a plant when they're normally in open water, staying near the bottom when they're usually near the top etc. something is wrong. Often, a fish will start to behave differently before any other symptoms of disease or parasites are visible. They're just not 'themselves'. My favourite remedy for this kind of malaise is always a water change and a check to see if the filter media needs rinsing. If the fish in question reverts to normal behaviour, you know you've done the right thing. Like anything else, if you put in the effort and time, fishkeeping will reward you, and one of the best rewards is the knowledge and confidence you will have gained about your new hobby.

 

[cassandra]

Dear AquaNut
that was so beautiful what you said, it made me to cry, and you know what everything you said i agree, and you made my hopes so high for this hobby, to express what i like, and how i want to feel
thank you
cassandra

 

[gadazobe]

Aquanut that was a brilliant reply and echoes the sentiments of many here, including my own. You have put into words the feelings of aquarists everywhere. Well done.

 

[aquamanis]

Aquanut that was a brilliant reply and echoes the sentiments of many here, including my own. You have put into words the feelings of aquarists everywhere. Well done.

I second that, well done Aquanut.

 

[AquaNut]

Aww. Thanks everybody. You've made me feel all warm and fuzzy. )

 

[Lateral Line]

>>> warm and fuzzy

Not fungus I hope

 

[Alien Anna]

>>> warm and fuzzy

Not fungus I hope

Yes, I was going to suggest he should have a salt dip at 82F for that

 

[BlackWolf0503]

It just like in R/C. If you can go out & Fly or drive, refuel or recharge & you didn't break anything it that process, you did well. If you broke something, you have to go to the Hobby Shop. You will know if your plane is not performing right. If it's listing to the right you have to correct. If you can go day to day with a Tank & have the same performance, you did well. If you got Ich or a fungus or the fish aren't perfoming right , you have to go to the Fish Shop. You will know by observing your plane/fish. It all comes experience.