A lot of the show tanked is made as an illusion, as they sometimes go great amounts of time before being ready for the reveal/adding fish. They end up taking most of the fish out after filming, and reintroduce them after filming. All about the "WOW" factor. No one will be impressed with your gorgeous tank, if you have only one or two fish in for the reveal
Opinions On The Show "tanked."
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AbbeysDad
Fish Gatherer
Entertainment for the masses, not so much for real hobbyists.
Brett and Wade clown around and there's very little detail on tank construction, filter components or anything a real hobbyist would be interested in....and almost every show has some trumped up drama!
As to the negative input about cycling, bear in mind that they use live sand and live rock so these tanks contain all the necessary biology as soon as they're filled.
As to the input that they overstock tanks....(and some of this is for the 'wow' factor) but I think stocking is relative to how pure the water is maintained - as with good filtration (like at the micron level), proper feeding, and routine (sufficient volume) water changes, you can have a lot more healthy fish in a tank. Light stock loads simply allows for less of the aforementioned items.
Brett and Wade clown around and there's very little detail on tank construction, filter components or anything a real hobbyist would be interested in....and almost every show has some trumped up drama!
As to the negative input about cycling, bear in mind that they use live sand and live rock so these tanks contain all the necessary biology as soon as they're filled.
As to the input that they overstock tanks....(and some of this is for the 'wow' factor) but I think stocking is relative to how pure the water is maintained - as with good filtration (like at the micron level), proper feeding, and routine (sufficient volume) water changes, you can have a lot more healthy fish in a tank. Light stock loads simply allows for less of the aforementioned items.
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I wish they would talk more about the biological stuff, like the fish and their habitats, what they eat in the wild etc. Then when they go to pick out fish at that huge fish farm they go through it so fast and don't even take some time to look at the other stuff. IDK maybe I'm being picky but I just don't really care about their daily lives and the pranks they pull on each other. I want to know about the fish, the water chemistry, all the coral and "pest species" that can come with the addition of live rock.
It's definitely more entertainment based rather than educational. They dumb everything down rather than taking the time to explain the whys and hows. Also, I kinda hated all their freshwater set ups. Like the one where they used native fish and artificial tree trunks. I believe they said they would have to remove some of the fish once they get too big, that felt wrong to me. If you plan to get a fish you should have a tank in mind where it can live out its entire life, not play musical tanks over the years. And then there was the African cichlid one, which was just stupid to me. Throwing a ton of adult Africans into a tank that has for more vertical space than horizontal... that doesn't sit well with me.
I suppose that's enough bashing from me. I enjoyed it for the most part as I know very little about saltwater tanks and it was neat seeing it all being done. Then they did the freshwater stuff and I was just, no that's not how you do it. STOP. The main reason why I stopped watching it was all the annoying re-runs and the rich, famous people getting tanks when they themselves seemed to know nothing about a proper aquarium.
It's definitely more entertainment based rather than educational. They dumb everything down rather than taking the time to explain the whys and hows. Also, I kinda hated all their freshwater set ups. Like the one where they used native fish and artificial tree trunks. I believe they said they would have to remove some of the fish once they get too big, that felt wrong to me. If you plan to get a fish you should have a tank in mind where it can live out its entire life, not play musical tanks over the years. And then there was the African cichlid one, which was just stupid to me. Throwing a ton of adult Africans into a tank that has for more vertical space than horizontal... that doesn't sit well with me.
I suppose that's enough bashing from me. I enjoyed it for the most part as I know very little about saltwater tanks and it was neat seeing it all being done. Then they did the freshwater stuff and I was just, no that's not how you do it. STOP. The main reason why I stopped watching it was all the annoying re-runs and the rich, famous people getting tanks when they themselves seemed to know nothing about a proper aquarium.
Tyler_Fishman
Fish Crazy
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2017
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- 293
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Do I have a lot to talk about:
Statement one: rush job
The entire purpose of the show is to build aquariums quickly for the consumer. And who doesn't want that? A quickly made, Custom aquarium! Sign me up! But no. The people who purchase these tanks most likely do not know jack about these fish. And people want tanks as "eye candy" tanks don't look like eye candy unless they aren't in their prime, Diatoms? Algae? Cyano bacteria buildup? Algae is very prevalent in tanks that are uncared for as for diatoms, they will appear earlier than algae though diatoms are more annoying personally as Diatoms appear early and most people confuse this for algae. Do Brett and Wayde tell you the basics of aquarium keeping? Maybe a few things like "that's a filter" "that's an air pump" but basically they are their to show you the fish and decor "oh that's a flame angel" "that's our little clam ornament that opens when an air bubble builds up inside" do they tell you about the specific care requirements for the species? No... And do the masses of people who purchased an aquarium care about the fish? Slightly.. but I can imagine that they are not the their top priority especially if it's a place of work where the focus is on the business not the cute heart shaped tank in the corner. Which leads me to my next point.
Statement number 2: ethics
Fish are some of the hardest animals to keep as they have requirements: on paper it sounds easy. Fresh/saltwater, did you cycle your tank?, big deal,But do people know that fish need the correct kinda of fresh and saltwater to live? If the water is fresh;
Are the species: soft water fish? Hard water fish? Warm water? Cold water? Even saltwater tanks have salinity requirements. Their is also tank size. Tanked doesn't seem
To understand that fish grow. I often see them cram fish together, which stems to another point: incompatibility, not only do they cram fish inapproptaie sized
Tanks together, they mix soft and hard water fish, if you look in their fresh water tank videos you can clearly see what I'm talking about.
Also is it me or do they not cycle their tanks? They can't! They only have a few hours to add fish. They may acclimate them but they cannot cycle the tank. Sure they may use chemicals but any aquarist knows that chemicals are only used to subdue a temporary problem. Honestly these fish are just fated once they enter the tanks.
Statement 3: the tanks themselves
I'll give them credit wee credit is due. The work they put into these tanks is massive. Although the resulting product is usually a catastrophe. Who really though it was a good idea to make a skateboard ramp aquarium? Or stuff a bunch of fancy goldfish in a glass drum? sound proof they may Be put scare proof they are not. Fish also are extremely sensitive to vibrations it's what helps them survive. Tapping on the glass is one thing but skateboarding on it is another, even if it is what they claim to be "sound and vibration proof" I don't think the fish appreciate the scary dark figure slamming itself on the glass. I know they put a lot of effort into this but. Ugh I'm sorry I hate with a burning passion fake corals and fake plants. And that's all they use. I mean it's a good thing, they are not wasting precious stony corals. As they most likely could not even survive in their systems for a day. I hate the untural tank setups. I get it's an asthetoc choice, but any experienced hobbiest cringes at the sight of these fake Andy boring looking "pieces of the reef", the only natural tank I saw wasn't their one for petco a freshwater tank. But even that had compatibility issues. Is it really hard to get your hands on dry rock and soft corals? I know there are compatibility issues with corals sometimes. But it would be nice to see some change.
All in all. I really think people should Be educated on aquariums. No sugar coating it. Aquariums are expensive,Maintance heavy,
And annoying. But if proper care is provided it will reward you like almost nothing else.
Just my thoughts
Statement one: rush job
The entire purpose of the show is to build aquariums quickly for the consumer. And who doesn't want that? A quickly made, Custom aquarium! Sign me up! But no. The people who purchase these tanks most likely do not know jack about these fish. And people want tanks as "eye candy" tanks don't look like eye candy unless they aren't in their prime, Diatoms? Algae? Cyano bacteria buildup? Algae is very prevalent in tanks that are uncared for as for diatoms, they will appear earlier than algae though diatoms are more annoying personally as Diatoms appear early and most people confuse this for algae. Do Brett and Wayde tell you the basics of aquarium keeping? Maybe a few things like "that's a filter" "that's an air pump" but basically they are their to show you the fish and decor "oh that's a flame angel" "that's our little clam ornament that opens when an air bubble builds up inside" do they tell you about the specific care requirements for the species? No... And do the masses of people who purchased an aquarium care about the fish? Slightly.. but I can imagine that they are not the their top priority especially if it's a place of work where the focus is on the business not the cute heart shaped tank in the corner. Which leads me to my next point.
Statement number 2: ethics
Fish are some of the hardest animals to keep as they have requirements: on paper it sounds easy. Fresh/saltwater, did you cycle your tank?, big deal,But do people know that fish need the correct kinda of fresh and saltwater to live? If the water is fresh;
Are the species: soft water fish? Hard water fish? Warm water? Cold water? Even saltwater tanks have salinity requirements. Their is also tank size. Tanked doesn't seem
To understand that fish grow. I often see them cram fish together, which stems to another point: incompatibility, not only do they cram fish inapproptaie sized
Tanks together, they mix soft and hard water fish, if you look in their fresh water tank videos you can clearly see what I'm talking about.
Also is it me or do they not cycle their tanks? They can't! They only have a few hours to add fish. They may acclimate them but they cannot cycle the tank. Sure they may use chemicals but any aquarist knows that chemicals are only used to subdue a temporary problem. Honestly these fish are just fated once they enter the tanks.
Statement 3: the tanks themselves
I'll give them credit wee credit is due. The work they put into these tanks is massive. Although the resulting product is usually a catastrophe. Who really though it was a good idea to make a skateboard ramp aquarium? Or stuff a bunch of fancy goldfish in a glass drum? sound proof they may Be put scare proof they are not. Fish also are extremely sensitive to vibrations it's what helps them survive. Tapping on the glass is one thing but skateboarding on it is another, even if it is what they claim to be "sound and vibration proof" I don't think the fish appreciate the scary dark figure slamming itself on the glass. I know they put a lot of effort into this but. Ugh I'm sorry I hate with a burning passion fake corals and fake plants. And that's all they use. I mean it's a good thing, they are not wasting precious stony corals. As they most likely could not even survive in their systems for a day. I hate the untural tank setups. I get it's an asthetoc choice, but any experienced hobbiest cringes at the sight of these fake Andy boring looking "pieces of the reef", the only natural tank I saw wasn't their one for petco a freshwater tank. But even that had compatibility issues. Is it really hard to get your hands on dry rock and soft corals? I know there are compatibility issues with corals sometimes. But it would be nice to see some change.
All in all. I really think people should Be educated on aquariums. No sugar coating it. Aquariums are expensive,Maintance heavy,
And annoying. But if proper care is provided it will reward you like almost nothing else.
Just my thoughts
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