TANKS!

[dogofwar]

That feeding tube was so that they didn't have to climb up and drop food in, correct?

I agree - I'll continue to watch

Matt

I'll bet you that feeding tube install was a thousand dollar deal.

Let me back up a bit and say that I do like the show. I think that it will help in building interest in the hobby. Anything that does that imo, is a good thing.

Wayde and his wife need to chill a bit though.... that's my only real gripe.

 

[dogofwar]

That attitude would make you a great wife, DQ

Matt

I THINK SHE NEEDS TO CHILL ITS LIKE EPISODE 4 AND SHE IS GRIPING HE NEEDS TO PLAN HIS "QT" WITH HER BETTER. EXCUSE ME BUT DIDNT THEY RUN INTO PROBLEMS UNFORSEEN IN A MILLION DOLLAR HOME AND 3" OF WATER RAN ON THE FLOOR. THE MAN IS ABOUT HIS BUSINESS AND MAKING MONEY NOT TO MENTION HE HAS TO DO THIS SHOW. MAYBE SHE DOESNT REALIZE THAT WITH THE SHOW COMES EXPOSURE AND MORE CLIENTS WHICH WILL MEAN HUBBY WILL BE BUSY FOR SURE. SHE NEEDS TO LIGHTEN UP. NOT LIKE HE IS GOOFING AROUND.

 

[UNCLERUCKUS]

That attitude would make you a great wife, DQ

Matt

WHICH FOR ALL MALE PURPOSES I WILL NEVER BE

 

[dogofwar]

Too funny!

Matt

 

[chris_todd]

Is everyone watching tonight's episode? They must have been reading our minds! I mean, seriously, an all-male African Cichlid tank in a keg/cask shaped tank on top of a functioning beer keg, in a man cave? Shweet!

OK, let the nit-picking begin, LOL! I'll nit-pick first - the "sports-themed coral inserts" were not only lame looking and distracting, but the last time I checked, coral did not grow in freshwater. Anyone want to comment on species selection, or stocking ratio?

 

[mrkillie]

Is everyone watching tonight's episode? They must have been reading our minds! I mean, seriously, an all-male African Cichlid tank in a keg/cask shaped tank on top of a functioning beer keg, in a man cave? Shweet!

OK, let the nit-picking begin, LOL! I'll nit-pick first - the "sports-themed coral inserts" were not only lame looking and distracting, but the last time I checked, coral did not grow in freshwater. Anyone want to comment on species selection, or stocking ratio?

Even my daughter laughed at the coral in a FW tank.

 

[Andrewtfw]

The keg tank was a good idea. The inserts and fish selection were not such good ideas. The shark tank looks good but its far too small with the inserts to house those sharks and all of the fish at full size. The church tank... bad*ss!

 

[WendyFish]

I just caught this for the first time tonight, and I'll admit I am easily amused and can tune in to just about anything. To someone else's point, there aren't many other things showcasing fish, and maybe it's just me but some of the clips of just fish (salt water included) just keep bringing home how cool and spellbinding fish are. So I would watch again. I can't wrap my head around that church aquarium they built. Crazy.

I think they actually do their best to get some of the "non instant" type dynamics in. They reference how they drip acclimate, and I loved the ray tank where it's like, nope, screw you humans and your plans, we are going to HIDE. The fish nerd stuff is never going to be the sexy part of a TV show, and I give some credit that they get some of that in there at all.

I do think the coral inserts are horrible. They seem to do them in every tank and while they probably look reasonable to their clients, this is the one spot where I get snooty.

 

[mscichlid]

Does coral affect the water hardness? If so maybe that is why they add it. I bet they're not good enough to do a South American biotope or tank.

Haven't seen it yet though. I wished they would work with just a plain 'ole glass tank to help all the nimrods out there.

 

[dogofwar]

It was fake coral (in the African Cichlid tank...and, it seems, every tank that they do).

I'd bet that the African Cichlid tank was funded by Miller Lite. Their logo was all over it...

Lots of advertising in the show...

Matt

 

[Leffler817]

I would love to get a keg aquarium! I could tolerate the fake coral by stocking it with better beer below! :happy0180: Its not the best show out there but its got fish so I'll watch until something better comes on.

 

[verbal]

It has fish and I can watch it with the kids, so it gets my vote.

I think they do a moderately good job of introducing important fish keeping concepts.

 

[mrkillie]

It was fake coral (in the African Cichlid tank...and, it seems, every tank that they do).

I'd bet that the African Cichlid tank was funded by Miller Lite. Their logo was all over it...

Lots of advertising in the show...

Matt

Including for ATM itself! On Infinity (Comcast) On Demand, they also have a tour of the facility (a 4 minute clip) and a 3 minute clip on stress involved with the work.

 

[marge618]

Good stuff - thanks for the link!

While I think that some people will believe that the show promotes the myth of the "instant aquarium", I think others will think that the moral of the story is that keeping fish is too hard for amateurs (i.e. that professionals are needed to set things up, choose the right fish and maintain the whole thing).

When I had an aquarium cleaning business (back in high school), I was amazed that people would pay me good money to set things up, do water changes, clean the glass, etc. People treated me as if I were some sort of magician...instead of just a dude with a Python, scrubby pad and some dechlor.

The more that aquarium keeping is de-mystified, the less the need there is for expensive service contracts...

TANKED perpetuates the mythology (to their financial reward, of course).

Matt

Aquarium maintenance is a huge business.

I saw a cichlid tank at a bar in DC near Eastern Market. Claimed they paid $1000 a month for tank maintenance. In Columbia, MD at Hunan Manor there's a HUGE saltwater tank that covers an entire wall and serves as a room divider. Must cost a pretty penny every month.

Customers flock to the tanks and ask to be seated nearby. Business cards for the tank maintenance company are always available.

Sure makes it all seem far too complicated for a begiinner to set up tanks at home.

 

[minifoot77]

Aquarium maintenance is a huge business.

I saw a cichlid tank at a bar in DC near Eastern Market. Claimed they paid $1000 a month for tank maintenance. In Columbia, MD at Hunan Manor there's a HUGE saltwater tank that covers an entire wall and serves as a room divider. Must cost a pretty penny every month.

Customers flock to the tanks and ask to be seated nearby. Business cards for the tank maintenance company are always available.

Sure makes it all seem far too complicated for a begiinner to set up tanks at home.

you were in a bar?!

 

[Tony]

The coral insert on the African tank was terrible.

Seriously, that tank would have been really cool with a fake rock/fake holey rock insert down the middle. Plus the thing was so big, it turned a nice-sized tank into a small tank for those fish.

As a plus, it's nice they picked cichlids to showcase as an alternative to saltwater fish.

 

[minifoot77]

true tony but why the troph with the malugly fish?

 

[Tony]

A single tropheus, Vic or frontosa are common additions to all-male Malawi tanks.

 

[longstocking]

Because all Malawi fish are blue and yellow so we have to put some cool red tang in

Just razz'n

 

[Tony]

Because all Malawi fish are blue and yellow so we have to put some cool red tang in

Just razz'n

Come on Sarah!

There are a ton of combinations of colors in Lake Malawi. For instance:

blue-face, red-body
blue-face, yellow-body
blue-face, blue-body

Shoot, we've even got silver fish!