NERM Week 2022 - What did you learn this year?

[Mmiller2001]

I learned gravel vacuuming causes a negative response in my tanks and triggers BBA. I've discontinued gravel vacuuming in all my tanks and BBA has disappeared.

[Atitagain]

I have learned a ton this year but most importantly I’ve learned/ am learning this forum is full of amazing people and I don’t need to be shy about posting. I’m so glad I made my first post on here and kept at it. It’s been educational, fun, and full of deep…deep rabbit holes.

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

On 7/13/2022 at 3:13 AM, Atitagain said:

I have learned a ton this year but most importantly I’ve learned/ am learning this forum is full of amazing people and I don’t need to be shy about posting. I’m so glad I made my first post on here and kept at it. It’s been educational, fun, and full of deep…deep rabbit holes.

Center of fish earth deep sometimes 

[Guppysnail]

 I learn so much every day it’s hard to remember it all in a manner I could list.  Being on the forum triples what I learn each day. 
 

Since I retired I’m pretty much a hermit other than hubby.  I dislike socializing and enjoy my solitude. My 1 yr forum anniversary was in May.  
 

I still hate socializing with people, but I learned I LOVE socializing with NERMS on this great forum 🤗🥰

[Tanked]

On 7/13/2022 at 8:46 AM, mountaintoppufferkeeper said:

I’m so glad I made my first post on here and kept at it. It’s been educational, fun, and full of deep…deep rabbit holes.

So many deep, deep rabbit holes!  I've occasionally half of my day climbing out of them

[Guppysnail]

On 7/13/2022 at 9:43 AM, Tanked said:

So many deep, deep rabbit holes!  I've occasionally half of my day climbing out of them

There is an out? 🤣

[Tanked]

On 7/13/2022 at 9:46 AM, Guppysnail said:

There is an out? 🤣

Of course there is, but it is surrounded by more rabbit holes

[Ken Burke]

On 7/13/2022 at 4:13 AM, Atitagain said:

I have learned a ton this year but most importantly I’ve learned/ am learning this forum is full of amazing people and I don’t need to be shy about posting. I’m so glad I made my first post on here and kept at it. It’s been educational, fun, and full of deep…deep rabbit holes.

(Best Elvis voice) Thank you. Thank you very much.  I know I'm awesome, and most of the others are pretty ok, too.  (Especially folk like @Guppysnail, @Fish Folk, @PineSong, @dasaltemelosguy, utt oh - too many to list here.)  So, I guess I second that.

[Jacob Hill-Legion Aquatics]

I’ve learned the fish fam community is amazing! 

[Ken Burke]

Keeping fish has an interesting dichotomy.  On one hand you need to be active, never stop learning, do your own research (not just an internet search), engage with mentors like @Fish Folk, @modified lung, @Guppysnail and so many others on this forum, and get adventurous, try new things.  On the other, be patient.  Aquariums need time to mature, plants don't grow overnight, and sometimes problems fix themselves if you just get out of the way.

 

Personal Note: Special thanks to Corry and Team ACO.  You have carved out a small niche on the internet where aquarist can sagely learn and grow together.  

[PineSong]

What I've learned this year:

1) I actually want things to be easier. In a life that to the casual observer might look like I'm entirely dedicated to doing things the hardest way possible...fishkeeping is a little island where I want easy.

I want plants that are easy--the ones that grow well in my tanks with my lights, casual care and Easy Green, and I have stopped longing for lush patches of tall red stem plants.

I want fish that are easy--and part of that for me is that I know they are eating--my otos cause me so much stress that while I won't rehome them, I also won't replace them. All my other fish it's easy to see if they are actively pursuing food and eating. I do not like the guesswork with my otos and when I'm considering new varieties of fish from now on "can I see them come after food and eat?" is just as important as the temperature requirements and water parameters they need.

2) Don't panic! I've been through snailpocalypse, hydra, planaria, fish behaving very oddly, 'peaceful' fish attacking each other, ich, columnaris, and the plague of unexplained store-bought guppy deaths. In every case there were times when it felt like the problem would never go away, but all of them did. One of my store bought guppies is still alive a year + after purchase and I feel like he deserves a Medal of Honor. 

3) Fishkeeping is a great hobby, full of interesting people from all walks of life and this forum has been such a vital part of my learning curve-- I literally could not have done it without you all. SO many helpers and inspirers here! Grateful for the effort that goes into everyone's posts and hats off to the moderators ❤️❤️❤️

 

[Lots Of Loaches]

I've learned that there is one great forum on the web that everyone should join and this is it. I haven't been a member very long but enjoy reading the posts and learning so much valuable information. I'd spend more time reading posts and improving my skills in so many different areas if I didn't have to work for a living. The people on this site keep everything so positive and respectful, which is the main reason I joined. It's a pleasure to hang out with so many like minded people and share our successes and failures for the betterment of our aquatic friends! Let me give all of you a huge "Thank You" for making this hobby even more fun than it was when I started decades ago! 

[saphbettas]

I've had to learn an incredibly hard lesson this year - losing a pet that you love. It's such a painful loss to experience, but unfortunately inevitable, too. Their lives simply flow by so much quicker than our own, and a lifetime for them feels like a fraction to us. When my fish Eric passed away, I made a promise to him and to myself - to learn all that I could about taking care of bettas, to double and triple my knowledge, to dedicate everything I have to my next fish. I learned about myself, too, realizing just how much I can accomplish when I dedicate a bit of my time every day to gathering more and more knowledge about my fishkeeping passion. I had no idea last year that by now, I would be working on publishing a book about betta fish for my senior thesis in college. I had no idea that I would know enough about bettas to write an entire book about them, but I do - and it's all because of my love for my boy Eric who I know is watching over my current betta baby. I've learned that fishkeeping would evolve from a hobby to my passion and obsession and that simply thinking about fish would bring me joy. Mostly, I've learned that it is that love, that passion for a fish you truly adore as just a small soul that means the world to you - that can change you and bring forth even more love 💙

[Grin Ghost]

I learned everything i know about fishkeeping in the last 8 months 🙂

In December i started a new job in a killifish facility. Having no experience with fishkeeping i started watching the Prime time aquatics video's about the nitrogen cycle and water quality. From there i discovered this amazing hobby and started bingewatching the YouTube channels of Prime time aquatics, Aquarium co-op, Tazawa tanks, Girl talks fish, etc... I started listening to the aquarist podcast and following this forum. It really has been a fascinating year 🙂

[nabokovfan87]

On 7/12/2022 at 8:22 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

I learned gravel vacuuming causes a negative response in my tanks and triggers BBA. I've discontinued gravel vacuuming in all my tanks and BBA has disappeared.

Very interesting!  What substrate was in play here?

@Simon Buys That's awesome!  If you haven't see it, you'll learn a lot from videos by Rachel O'Leary as well.  There's so many good channels.

[Mmiller2001]

On 7/15/2022 at 1:06 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Very interesting!  What substrate was in play here?

Eco Complete and Landen Aqua Soil. Learned this from the advice of @Seattle_Aquarist

[Grin Ghost]

@nabokovfan87 thanks for the tip!

It's always nice tot have more video's to watch 🙂

[AK Aquatics]

I haven’t had a full year into the hobby yet but in my short journey I’ve come to appreciate my “fish tank” more so for the ecosystem aspect. When I first got into the hobby I was way too focused on the hardscape and stocking and completely ignored the world of plants. 

After taking in a bunch of information from Cory about what plants would work for me and how to properly care for them! I’ve had moderate success with Java Ferns and Anubias! After feeling comfortable enough to upgrade to a bigger canvas I really went all in on the planting! Definitely made me enjoy the hobby ten fold!

Also Guppies FTW!

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@AK Aquaticswhat I like is the natural inclination for aquarists is more more more and the subtlety and artfulness you have learned are really on display. Well done, you have learned so much you are teaching some of us old dudes!

[nabokovfan87]

On 7/15/2022 at 12:51 PM, AK Aquatics said:

Takashi Amano dreams of rocks with that character. Still amazes me every time I see it.
 

 

[AK Aquatics]

On 7/15/2022 at 11:08 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

Takashi Amano dreams of rocks with that character. Still amazes me every time I see it.
 

 

Haha I knew you’d appreciate seeing the rocks in their original tank! Many thanks as always my friend! 

[Flumpweesel]

So this year and most certainly since joining this forum.

I have learnt to covent C to F and litres to US gallons (and the difference between imperial gallons and US gallons).😜

Also that fishtanks take time to change and develop and no magic products or potions do as good a job as waiting. Except ppi 30 foam and plastic canvas they are incredibly useful.

I have also learnt how to keep shrimp alive hopefully soon I'll be able to say that I can get shrimp to breed .

Also that the only person my tank has to please is me. 

It is nice to have a forum focused on helping people succeed. And where there are no stupid questions. 

[FlyingFishKeeper]

It's okay to loose motivation in this hobby, and how to regain it!

For the past few months I haven't been 100% in this hobby (bunch of stuff, school, friends, life, and just being a different person than who I was when I started). Although it's not that same fascination of being new to everything, I feel like I'm slowly getting back into the thick of things, and want to really work on my tanks more and more. As long as the fish are happy, you can take breaks, and you don't have to be going at full throttle the whole way through. Happy Nerm Week! 

[Tanked]

On 7/15/2022 at 3:51 PM, AK Aquatics said:

I haven’t had a full year into the hobby yet but in my short journey I’ve come to appreciate my “fish tank” more so for the ecosystem aspect. When I first got into the hobby I was way too focused on the hardscape and stocking and completely ignored the world of plants. 

After taking in a bunch of information from Cory about what plants would work for me and how to properly care for them! I’ve had moderate success with Java Ferns and Anubias! After feeling comfortable enough to upgrade to a bigger canvas I really went all in on the planting! Definitely made me enjoy the hobby ten fold!

Also Guppies FTW!

Very Nice!  I find what I refer to as the Less is More style to be very calming

[drewzero1]

I've learned that nothing ever stays the same. Fish come and go, plants grow and die back. We can try to maintain consistency, but time marches on and nature takes its course. When I started my community tank I thought there would be some perfect plateau where the tank would be 'done' and could stay like that for years... but the reality has been that it's always changing, and my goals change as well. And usually I've been worrying too much about the wrong things: What will I do if I get too many endler fry? Didn't matter, I never saw one. Will my gourami get too aggressive? Didn't matter, it got injured and died before it got much bigger. Will racoons eat my pond minnows? Not yet.

Edited July 17, 2022 by drewzero1
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