Common Misconceptions In the Hobby

[D to the P]

You'd be better off going with something like Oceanography with that civil engineering degree. I'm sure it would help you get a job more so than marine biology (lack of opportunities as it is :worried: ). Not trying to stop your dream or anything, I'm just saying it's something to consider. You still get to learn about the ocean but you focus more on the chemistry and geography than you do the life. Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

[Dante_JoseCuerv]

Eh, I'm doing civil engineering cause that's what I've chosen to do. I'm just doing biology cause it helps with the environmental part of the engineering degree. I wouldn't mind oceanography though, I just prefer engineering.

 

[D to the P]

I meant oceanography instead of marine biology. It would tie into engineering more so than marine biology. I'd stay with civil engineering too.

 

[Dante_JoseCuerv]

Hm... ok, well I'm probably not gonna be doing too much around the coasts but I'd consider it, my big thing though is that I don't think I can get an oceanography degree here.

 

[D to the P]

well good luck with whatever you do.

 

[Paul B]

In short, Marine Biologist does not = Ability to care for marine life.

I have a cousin who is a Marine Biology professor and when he looks in my tank, he has no Idea what anything is or how to take care of it. For his doctorate he had to SCUBA dive once.

 

[D to the P]

haha, thats pretty bad. I got into fish tanks because I wanted to be a marine biologist. The two just seemed to go hand and hand.

 

[Paul B]

I also wanted to be a Marine Biologist. It made sence because my family has a fish market and I grew up playing with fish.
I also lived near the sea.
I diden't go to college, if I had, I would have been an electrical engineer making half my salary in twice the hours.
College is usually the best way but not always.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12505752#post12505752 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Paul B
I also wanted to be a Marine Biologist. It made sence because my family has a fish market and I grew up playing with fish.
I also lived near the sea.
I diden't go to college, if I had, I would have been an electrical engineer making half my salary in twice the hours.
College is usually the best way but not always.

nor do engineers make good mechanics. When I started university I had turned down a scholarship to General Motors for engine design.By then I had spent five years working in a wrecking yard/garage. I could take a 327 apart blindfolded--an old school mechanic had taught me how to listen to a motor and how to feel the size of a nut--in those days it saved you a trip crawling under a car on an oil/mud floor to get another wrench
I went into the engineering dept at the local university in my first week and ran into a bunch of engineers working under a car--of course nice clean shop and a hoist.
I think I said something to the effect that the needed a 5/8 socket to take off the bellhousing bolts or something to the affect--and went to hand them one from the brand new spanking tool boxes---it was instant--wow don't touch the tools--you are not allowed to touch anything in here untill your second year
Never went back--quit and went into teaching because of a 98 percent average in biology and chemistry and my love for fresh water aquariums and fishing
So I agree Paul with you----the real world is getting your hands dirty, getting a wide variety of experiences, interpersonal skills, a good work ethic, and most of all respect for others---and they don't teach this in college

BTW--I have a masters degree in education

 

[Aquarist007]

Cycling question

Does doing a water change if you have an ammonia spike and you want to save hitchhikers, necessarily prolong the cycling time of the tank?
This is come up on a few threads now and I am curious as to the correct answer

 

[kar93]

Capn, I would say the cycle would only be prolonged if a large water change such as 50% was done. Even then it would not be much of a difference, maybe 5-10 days give or take. So, yes it does but not much at all. I am speaking from both experience and knowledge here. If you wish I can explain it in detail for you.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12794320#post12794320 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kar93
Capn, I would say the cycle would only be prolonged if a large water change such as 50% was done. Even then it would not be much of a difference, maybe 5-10 days give or take. So, yes it does but not much at all. I am speaking from both experience and knowledge here. If you wish I can explain it in detail for you.

This is what I thought too but how do you explain it to someone when they question that if you remove the ammonia level then you remove some of the bioload that is stimulating the cycling or growth of bacteria. therefore you will take longer to get to the same point.

 

[tbittner]

I don't know that it would extend the length of the cycle, but I think you would have to add livestock more slowly in order to give the bacteria a chance to catch up to the bioload since you didn't give it a chance to really get populated.

This is all my humble opinion though.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12795409#post12795409 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tbittner
I don't know that it would extend the length of the cycle, but I think you would have to add livestock more slowly in order to give the bacteria a chance to catch up to the bioload since you didn't give it a chance to really get populated.

This is all my humble opinion though.

excellent point

 

[D to the P]

Yeah I would think the tank would cycle a little quicker, because it would have less ammonia to convert into nitrite and so on. But you would probably have more of a spike when you do add live stock. So, I agree with tbittner that you would have to be more cautious and add livestock a little more slowly.

 

[greenbean36191]

No, you wouldn't have any more of a spike when you add livestock. A tank with a given bioload has a certain carrying capacity for bacteria regardless of how high the ammonia has been previously. Allowing the ammonia to build during the cycle may ever so slightly decrease the time it takes for the measurable ammonia to disappear, but it also causes the bacterial growth to overshoot the carrying capacity, then they die off and overshoot it again. You set up fluctuations in the bacterial population that take a few months to settle out. That's what it means for a tank to "mature." If you do water changes and keep the ammonia low initially, you can decrease the overshoot and shorten the time to maturity although it might be slightly longer until the initial cycle is over. Either way the cycle is still going to take you a few weeks. If that's too long for you then this really isn't your kind of hobby.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12801847#post12801847 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by greenbean36191
No, you wouldn't have any more of a spike when you add livestock. A tank with a given bioload has a certain carrying capacity for bacteria regardless of how high the ammonia has been previously. Allowing the ammonia to build during the cycle may ever so slightly decrease the time it takes for the measurable ammonia to disappear, but it also causes the bacterial growth to overshoot the carrying capacity, then they die off and overshoot it again. You set up fluctuations in the bacterial population that take a few months to settle out. That's what it means for a tank to "mature." If you do water changes and keep the ammonia low initially, you can decrease the overshoot and shorten the time to maturity although it might be slightly longer until the initial cycle is over. Either way the cycle is still going to take you a few weeks. If that's too long for you then this really isn't your kind of hobby.

thanks greenbean--that's what I thought==but just didn't know how to explain it as well as you just did:smokin:

 

[Aquarist007]

Water keeper has an article in this months Reefkeeping that is worth linking to here:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2009-04/newbie/index.php