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fyrfytr
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- Jun 21, 2012
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The show is what got me into saltwater aquariums....or should I revise and say that it is what allowed me to get into saltwater. My 4yr old loves the show, he thinks watching all of the fish and the cool tanks is good. Content of the show, its entertaining...but they do make some cool tanks. The show has inspired me to look into fish that I wouldnt have thought were home aquarium friendly. As I learned about saltwater I had questions, any my wife encouraged me to email the guys on tanked to see why it was that way when I was reading here (and other places) not what I was gathering. I visited the ATM site, and there was no email for questions, only everyones email So I composed an email and sent it to Wade and Brett as well as Redneck and Jaques, who was listed on the site as the retail manager. I asked about a dogfaced puffer (was new to saltwater and didn't understand agressive vs not agressive didn't mean that they couldnt be in a community tank) as well as about cycling their tanks. To my surprise not only did I get a reply, but I got TWO replies. Got a reply from Jaques the next evening, and one from someone else the next afternoon, the one from somone else came as a forward from Brett.
Here is what I sent:
Gentleman,
I am not sure who to direct this question to, so that is why I have sent it to multiple people. My 3yr old and I LOVE watching the show and being able to share our love of fish together. Other then in college I cannot remember a time in my 33yrs that I have been without a fish tank in my house, heck my sons first word was fish...ya, did not make mom happy at all. What your show has done for the aquarum world has been invaluable, no longer are fish tanks considered not cool. My love for the lionfishm runs about as deel as Waydes love of the octopus, sadly I cannot get my sone to join this love...he is more interested in the sharks and the bright fish like the chromis. Combined, our love of fish and your show has inspired me to venture into the world of saltwater and out together a tank for him for Christmas. This is not a move I have taken lightly, I have spent countless hours reading books and articles as well as being a member of multiple saltwater/reef community boards on the internet. I have 2 questions when it comes to the tanks on your show, one is specific and one is general.
On the show that aired last week, the realitors community tank, one of the fish that you put into the tank is the dogfaced puffer. Can you please explain to me how this fish goes along with a community tank? From what I have found on puffers (a fish I LOVE too) they are not what I would have thought of as a community fish. In checking liveaquaria it shows it as a semi-agressive carnivore. Am I missing something here when it comes to this fish, or is it all about the introduction to the tank??
My other question is general. On the show it looks like you show up with the tank, put the sand and coral insert in, fill with the natural sea water, and then put the fish in. Is this process done throigh the magic of tv or do your tanks not cycle? I am guessing that since you are using the livesand with the premixed salt water that there would not be a salinity issue and since you are using a coral insert and not live rock there is no ammonia or nitrogen issues....thus solving the problem of the home aquarist.
If I have sent this to the wrong person please accept my apologies. Thank you for your time and we LOVE the show.
From Jacque King (ATM Retail Manger)
"Exceptions to all rules but the general thought is that dogface puffers eventhough they are carnivore they will no bother fish that are round in shape and are not small. Anything it can fit into its mouth it probably will. Secondly what you see in 45 minutes really takes us around 150 hours of filming so you do miss the cycle process on the show for the most part. You still have to cycle the aquarium and depending on how you want to cycle it will take from 2 weeks to 6 months. Please feel free to contact me with anything that I may not have answered for you and with any other questions as well. Have a wonderful thanksgiving and thanks for watching the show"
Other anwer came from a guy named Nick, no idea who his title is. In the email chain you can see where Brett forwarded my email to him.
"The answer to your first question is a fuzzy answer but it should shed some light on the subject for you. Puffers can be agressive yes, especially when they get to a large size, if they are under 10" long then they are normally ok but occassionally you get an agressive one. I personally recomend a porcupine puffer for most community tanks as they are less agressive and will tend to leave other fish alone. Again this is only opinion and you will have the occassional one that will kill and eat everything. Get one that has been in a store for a couple of weeks and has been eating well.
Your second question is a little easier to answer. A lot of the setup is "movie magic" but it is done rather quickly, we install the aquarium and use the live sand ect... We also add a concentrated bacteria that cycles the tank almost instantanously. After the fish have been added and all of the filming is complete we have maintenance check the tank daily for 2 weeks after install to ensure the water is stable and the fish are healthy. This is not the ideal way to setup a tank but it is what we have to do for he show. Patience is always best when it comes to building a miniture enviroment in your home.
I hope this answers your questions but if not please feel free to contact me and I will help you the best I can. Have a great thanksgiving."
