who do i trust.

[jimmihendrix]

In the case of who you should marry or something, I'd say your mum
cheese specialist


I'm not sure where ur from but its more illegal to marry ur mom than raise guppies in a 1 gal. Maybe thats just canada I'm not sure lol

 

[R3GG]

There are so many people on here and so much information, i find it hard to believe that most of that information is 'false'. If you take your mums advice then that's just one persons opinion, if you take our advice then i think its likely to be more accurate as there are many, many people on the forums that can help you and some will also be more experienced fish keepers than your mum. This will allow you to be guided in the correct direction instead of one that could be completely wrong due to taking a singular persons advice.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi csr mel

How old is your mom and how long ago did she keep those guppies?

Sometimes our memories play little tricks with us and we remember things a little different then they actually were. Perhaps it was a 5 gallon tank? That's a very small tank, but it's still 5 times larger than the one gallon she told you about. I'm not sure that they even make a 1 gallon tank.

Also, the guppies were not always as big and as fancy as we know them now. I remember when they were very small and did not have the long flowing tails they have today. They looked much like the "feeder guppies" that we have today. I don't know exactly when they started to change, but perhaps someone else does.

Fish keeping is partly an art and partly a science. This accounts for some of the different opinions on some topics. The science part is pretty basic and members usually agree with each other on things like the chemistry involved in cycling and keeping a tank cycled. What you get a lot of different opinions on is how to go about doing that. However, what ever they suggest, their goal is the same: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and a minimum of nitrates. And, that's the important thing.

Fish are living creatures, and like most live things they can survive and even thrive under a range of temperatures and water conditions. Sometimes they will breed with water conditions one way and sometimes the same can be said for water conditions quite different.

This is why we share not only the science, but the art of keeping fish. The more you learn, the better you will be able to make educated decisions when problems come up, even if you have not encountered them before.

So you see, it is possible that neither one of you is all right or all wrong. I hope your mom will eventually get involved in a more positive way with your hobby and perhaps even join the forum herself.

 

[NinjaSmurf]

Hendrix, unfortunately they aren't all kids either. And that was harsh bomar. Personally, I'd get a betta because I just find guppies impersonal, they just eat and poop. Bettas come check you out and everything, they don't reproduce like bunnies, and if you have a blackout they won't croak if the filter is off for a even a couple of days.....

 

[Inchworm]

Hi NinjaSmurf

I'm sorry if your post does not make complete sense to members reading it. It is this way because it was necessary for me to delete some posts that had the rude and inappropriate remark that you were referring to.

 

[csr mel]

i like most of the responses i have seen here, and so does my mum. well with the exception of a few nasty remarks from some members.

she is 55 years old now and still has her fishtank stuff from when she was a teen. like the castle ornment and the gravel. the other stuff was lost or broken, like the tank. and of course the chemicals and air pump were tossed a long time ago.

a very interesitng theory about guppies i have seen in this thread is that perhaps the species she kept as a kid were more wild and hardier than todays species. this is somthing that seems plausable, possible and interesting. her guppies were not feeder guppies, but fancy ones. she also for a time kept other species like platies and mollys. or atleast, she recognised my platies but couldnt recall what they were named. (which brings into possibility that everything she recalls may not exactly be correct) also she mentioned she had platies for a while too. she awalys went back to guppies however as they were her favourite. but it is possible that guppies 40 years ago were alot more wild and easily adaptable than modern guppies and may be the reason they flourished in her gallon tank.

perhaps i will take my mums expierences coupled with everyones on this fish website into consideration and do what i feel is best for my tank. i know for sure i am not going to keep 12 fish per gallon. i just dont want that mush weither or not it is ok for the fish.

with my current stock of 3 female platies, and a new male platy i just picked up today and my 2 3 inch pictus catfish, i think i am pretty understocked by anyones standards. according to most website references the pictus cats grow to 5-6 inhes max in a tank, and about a foot long in the wild. i do have about 40 platy fry, 20 of which are orphans from my sisters tank.

thanks for the responses.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi csr mel

I guessed right then? I know the kind of guppy your mom remembers because I used to keep them too. IMHO, they were more beautiful than the inbred fancy guppies that they have turned into. Each time they had fry it was exciting to watch them develop because each male was an individual with swirls and different colors and patterns.

Perhaps your mom might recognize this wild caught guppy:

http/fish.orbust.net/forums/index.php?sh...hl=wild+guppies

 

[Angry_Platy]

i guess its like a lot of other things in life....what was considered safe 20 years ago is certainly not safe now....like almost everyone used to smoke...now smokers are the minority and the scientific evidence shows us many links between smoking and other diseases....

The same applies to fishkeeping....I am sure (but have not seen) there has been research done on the optimal conditions in which fish can be kept...and this includes how many per gallon and the rest of it....

 

[Tropjunky]

I know how u feel my but it's my dad tho. he's not that bad but he still says no water change needed and that a tiny box filter for my 12.5g tank is enough.

Well i trust the ppl here more than anyone about fish purly cos u get so many opinions to pick from and well if more than one person says it then it must be gooooddddd advice