Unpopular Opinions (fish related)

[Uberhoust]

In a well filtered tank, black beard algae looks like hair waving as one drives a convertible along the oceanside on a pleasant summer evening.

Agreed. I let it grow on all my wood for a bit then one week it was all over my plants. I keep it in check now.

 

[Stan510]

Heidi Klum? Linda Evangelista? Pauline? I'm not up on today's supermodels.

 

[Stan510]

Black Brush algae grows best under cheap LED lights. Lights that give off a yellowish tint and some cheap lights give off a bluish tint. BBA thrives under them. I know. My left side of the big aquarium I have is cheap LED,and the right half are fluorescent gro lux. Almost no BBA on the right...its on lightly on plants to the left and heavy and wavy on the Syngonium roots that are growing hydroponically. So lighting does have an affect on BBA..more than it does on BGA. BGA just need light and nutrients.

 

[Stan510]

Also, stem plants are not long term plants. I'm down to only two types of stem plants in the 240. All others are clumpers like the various ferns,Crypts,Swords,Anubias. That sort of evolved. Stem plants seem to get leggy or lose steam after you prune them a few times and in fact it's almost required that you pull them out and replant cuttings. I just sort of like that the other plants I mention,actually look better as time goes by. More substantial.

 

[itiwhetu]

Also, stem plants are not long term plants. I'm down to only two types of stem plants in the 240. All others are clumpers like the various ferns,Crypts,Swords,Anubias. That sort of evolved. Stem plants seem to get leggy or lose steam after you prune them a few times and in fact it's almost required that you pull them out and replant cuttings. I just sort of like that the other plants I mention,actually look better as time goes by. More substantial.

Stemmed plants are important as they are the ones that keep your tank going. All the others are just for show.

 

[Stan510]

I knew that would be an unpopular opinion!

 

[Stan510]

The Crypts can give you all the water filtering of stem plants. But,I get you.
Maybe its just after the first few prunings of stem plants? Its gets old waiting for them to regrow. Or they get old and weak. But when you first set up a tank,hard to beat stem plants for looks. L.palustris and deep red and the other coral like colors. But,they tend to wear you out with all the pruning to keep them in bounds.

 

[GaryE]

I know some people, none of whom are me, who do well with many different stem plants. But that's their primary focus, and they don't have old LEDs and gro-lights on their tanks. Plants are why they have tanks. My filtering plants are Crypts, Bacopa sp. various floaters and emergent plants like peace lilies, Monstera sp, Pothos, spider plants. Roots in, plants above.

Those are okay ideas. I need something unpopular.

Rimless tanks are like unframed pictures.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

I have always had aquariums with rims.......until now

It is the one thing that bugs me about my aquarium.....taking the entire hood off when doing maintenance and having to be everso very very careful not to get a shower of condensation everywhere...including all over myself.

Then when putting hood back onto the aquarium I use quite alot of paper towel removing said condensation before picking it up, flipping it the right way up and settling it back onto the top of the aquarium.

I tried condensation covers but they only go to 30" width and my aquarium is 40" width.....wasted a few condensation covers trying to cut them lengthwise to fit the 40"....and even then it failed to stop the shower everytime I picked up the hood from the aquarium...

So am very very carefully lifting the hood from the rear, letting it dribble the bulk of the condensation into the aquarium before flipping it upside down and putting it on the top of the chest freezer that is covered in towels.

A right old faff. Thankfully only needs doing once a week

 

[Essjay]

My first 60 litre aquarium was like that. There was a narrow feeding flap at the front, useless for water changes. Condensation not only made a mess while lifting the lid off, but it seeped out and dribbled down the tank making me think I had a leak. Until the day I really did have a leak and didn't realise for a while

That was replaced with a 54 litre was as bad but this time I discovered condensation trays which did fit this tank.

Then i bought a Juwel Rio which had a light bar across the middle and flaps front and back attached to the light bar. All I had to do was lift both flaps, still attached, and watch while the condensation ran down into the tank. The light bar could then be pushed quite a way back making water changes easy.

That was replaced by my current 180 litre custom built tank with a lid made of the same stuff as the cabinet. It takes 2 people to lift it off the tank. It is hinged with the front 2/3 lifting up and there are cover glasses under the lid. Those do make a mess carrying them outside to clean them but I think I've got the hang of holding them over a bucket to catch the water.

The shrimp tank also has cover glasses but their are so small they fit into a bucket

 

[Stan510]

I've run across a few high tech people who don't like stem plants. They said that the constant pruning was not what they wanted then told me how they go with Buce and other like plants. I remember he mentioned Java moss as a weed and he removed that also.
I guess two schools of high tech seem natural.

 

[Uberhoust]

Also, stem plants are not long term plants

I have low tech tanks and I have given up on stem plants. They seem to require more maintenance and frequently look scruffy just as they start doing well. I do best with the various Echinodorus species and some hybrids as well as with various Vals.

 

[Stan510]

Yep,its not said much but stem plants are not the best choice for low tech and yet,in high tech are sort of a burden for being TOO fast growing. You look at the scapers on youtube and there is a predominance of those choice small slow growers.

 

[GaryE]

It is not "high tech" to have good lights and CO2. My latest unpopular opinion says that's a poor label.

High tech should be a tank with top notch filters and electronic controllers as well as dosing systems.

 

[Stan510]

Well,I get you. But that's because the old standard for high tech might have changed for you as you became knowledgeable about the hobby. For most people used to Goldfish in a jar...Cylinders and $400 lights used in multiples is high tech and means success is a much more sure thing.
Money is an object for me-lol. I know what pieces to use in high tech that would make for denser growth of plants,wider range of plants- but I decided that I don't want to make my aquarium a money pit also. At least the plant side of the hobby has some cool exotic looking plants that thrive on decent lighting and inexpensive additives.
I've evolved enough to see that using very small fish means more room for plants. I on the other hand wanted Bozy Rainbows and they it turned out are not small fish. In fact they remind me of marine fish as they grow as colors get deeper and so do their bodys ala Butterfly or even Tangs. Rounded. So,I have to remove some plants to make swimming room. Negative space.