Tanked ... has got to go

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macman7010

macman7010

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Has anyone watched the new show Tanked? Well I guess it really isn't new. I followed the first season. As a natural aquarist who pays attention to the environment our species come from and works to replicate that in captivity I am appalled at Animal Planet for running this show. I am secondly appalled at the folks that operate this business. They clearly have little knowledge of the biological science that needs to be implemented to keep marine animals in captivity.

They operate to serve the wealthy and this show further demonstrates the, "I'm rich and I want it now" mentality. The tanks they create are filled with artificial coral and in many instances incompatible species. A friend of mine who owns an aquarium retail store in West Virginia saw them speak at a Las Vegas trade show. When asked why they seem to ignore all the properties of setting up a natural and healthy aquarium they said, "We're not in this to be fish huggers, we are in this to make money." When pushed further they retorted, "When fish die people buy more fish!"

A push from private aquarists needs to happen. This show and that company need to go. They do nothing but assure us that at some point legislation will be enacted to limit the aquarium hobby because people with small brains and big bank accounts can't be responsible or control themselves.
 
Tanked?

what is the show about then?

welcome to the lounge by the way

not right now, obviously, but I say that for later, when this thread arrives there
 
Steve,

I am not sure what the show is about. Although I do know what the show is not about and that is a responsible and practical way to own a marine aquarium long term. What I think the show is about, based on watching the show is turning the aquarium hobby into entertainment similar to shows like Orange County Choppers and L.A. Ink. My issue is simple, an aquarium reality show sounds pretty good. Focus on someone like Dr. Mac or Pacific East Aquaculture who is responsible and intelligent working to create a sustainable hobby. The knuckleheads I saw on "Tanked" would likely need a dictionary to understand what the word sustainable meant.
 
um, there are about 20 other closed threads about this show.

keep in mind it is what it is, a made for tv reality drama show. they didnt get where they are just by picking up some plexi at home depot, building a tank & adding 25 times more fish than needed. hit thier web site & look at some of what they build

there is also an interview they did with mr. saltwaterfish on the youtube, where the lead guy even says there is 100 times the amount of footage that gets dumped on the cutting room floor. so please dont be fooled into think they do what they do in the span of one hour.

you can fire the 'were here to make money' comment at them, but look at the hundreds if not thousands of thread here & across the internet of the LFS that sells tangs to 10g tank owners, and lets people walk out the store with a tank under one arm & a bag of fish in the other. They are far from the only people that do it, they are simply the most public ones to do it.

It's like the current rash of gun shows. Every other episide they do a special gun for a disabled vet. Trust me I beleive of supprot the troops, I'm one of them. lol. How much of that is cause they really care & how much of that is because that is whats popular and makes for good ratings & makes them money?

I am sure petco, petland, and LFS kill way more fish a year than happens on this show. Once again just saying tanked isnt the only place it happens.

One thing to may not realize is for the show to die off you simply dont watch or talk about it. Everytime someone watches the show, talks about it, posts about, your simply perking someone elses curiousity and in turn raising the ratings and viewings of the show. Ratings dont determine if you liked the show just the number of viewers, more viewers = more sponsors = more commercial sponsors = more money = more seasons.

End the show? Turn it off, and like fight club just dont talk about it.
 
khowst,

I agree with you on some points. I am a writer and I know how much content often gets cut by an agent, publisher - etc so I am sure the folks on Tanked experience this cut. I also believe that credit is due when talking about what these guys build. It's pretty neat stuff. Although I need to come into the thought and discussion from the standpoint of sustainability. You are 100% correct about Petco and other large retailers who kill massive amounts of marine life to turn a profit. Many of us don't shop at or use these retailers and opt of more responsible ways of acquiring marine life. Others don't care or simply know nothing else.

What Tanked has done is fly an irresponsible marine hobby like a yellow flag. In essence to those not involved in the hobby it makes us all look bad. Attacking Tanked is probably futile as you noted because of all the other irresponsibility going on in the hobby. Though Animal Planet and the people behind the operation that is featured in Tanked have made a choice to go public with their show, thus they have opened themselves up to public criticism.

While the operators of Tanked are one part of a larger problem, their forefront and publicity have made them a good target so that people can address and work towards correcting the larger problem as a whole. As for not talking about it, that is kind of like standing in the woods with a Grizzly Bear. Just because you don't look at it doesn't mean it's not there.
 
To further this discussion we need to bring up a guy by the name of Snorkel Bob. He seems like someone that aquarists love to hate. Although let's take a look at what Snorkel Bob is drilling down on. A CEO or something from 3M has a home in Hawaii and wanted a large marine aquarium. He added 650 Yellow Tangs. Not one, not two, 650 YELLOW TANGS! They all died, then the guy had the gull to have his assistant throw them into a bag and into the dumpster. Tanked feeds right into this mentality of overuse. Just as commercial fishing is tearing up and destroying fish populations - overly wealthy folks are abusing the aquarium hobby. While we don't like hearing Snorkel Bob talk about ending the marine aquarium if you look at the core of his message there is truth to it. Ignoring a problem just makes it worse in time.
 
You guys are going all wrong about this show. These guys are extremely well educated and are personal friends of handfuls of Marine Biologists. They don't show behind the scenes of what they do. Google the internet, there is an interview with Ret answering all the slamming he got from hobbyists. This show is here to open peoples eyes into the saltwater world and expand our hobby, not trash it. He states it perfectly "it is not his job to teach the important practices of fish keeping, that is the responsibility of the LFS employee and there is google" He said they will show more behind the scenes in season 2 so people won't bash so much. They buy from one source, they have seeded bio balls they work on supplements, they are starting a marine biology program in all schools in Nevada. Thye have million dollar clients and are the largest Aquarium builder in the world. You don't get to these places without knowing what you are doing...

Remember in TV land they can edit and make things appear to happen faster then it really is happening.


THIS SHOW IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY! Does anyone watch wrestling and think it's real?
 
RtReef the only thing I see these two guys doing is making sure that money goes from the consumer's hand and into their pocket. I have seen the interview that you refer too. As for your statement, being friends with a marine biologist, what does that even mean? I have a friend who is a dog trainer -does that make me an expert in dog behavior. If these guys really cared about marine life and ethically and responsibly setting up a marine aquarium they would do one of two things. They would either dictate to Animal Planet how the show is structured and make it educational and informative or two simply not do the show. How Animal Planet devolved from great shows like the Crocodile Hunter and Whale Wars into this Tanked situation is beyond me.
 
Its called tanked... not fished.... its about making tanks. They make some excellent tanks. Yah they may not know crud about fish or coral, but they are buisnessman. They are appealing to a market of people mostly in Vegas who are looking for instant large tanks. When they are putting in a 10k gallon tank in a hotel, the hotel is not willing to wait for a proper cycle and putting in fish that go together. They want fast fancy and big.

Not saying its right but it is what it is. People fish thousands of fish out of the water a day, its just what it is. At least they are only really killing fish and not corals to.

Not saying I condone it, but its going to happen on tv or not.
 
RtReef put it very well.

This is a TV show for entertainment. If you don't find it entertaining change the channel. It's not about "How to set up your first SW tank" or "How to stock your new tank".

If you go and dig a little deeper you will see they are very well informed and truly care about the animals they stock as well as the ocean AND our hobby.
 
macman7010 said:
RtReef the only thing I see these two guys doing is making sure that money goes from the consumer's hand and into their pocket. I have seen the interview that you refer too. As for your statement, being friends with a marine biologist, what does that even mean? I have a friend who is a dog trainer -does that make me an expert in dog behavior. If these guys really cared about marine life and ethically and responsibly setting up a marine aquarium they would do one of two things. They would either dictate to Animal Planet how the show is structured and make it educational and informative or two simply not do the show. How Animal Planet devolved from great shows like the Crocodile Hunter and Whale Wars into this Tanked situation is beyond me.
Click to expand...

I would hope by having friends that are marine biologist, they would consult with them when they need them and I sure would hope your dog trainer friend would show you (the non dog training expert) how to train your dog! (if he's a good friend or you pay them enough:spin2:)

Again you didn't understand clearly, this is a show for ENTERTAINMENT, NOT TO TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO SET UP A SALTWATER TANKS We should be happy that someone is actually making our hobby get recognition Nationwide and possibly Worldwide..
There's shows with Tow Trucks and drivers, does that mean anyone can go out buy a truck and tow cars. NO, there's a whole world behind towing like proper license, classes, DOT courses, however the show is only scratching the surface. Anyone who wants to be a tow truck driver will go research and learn about it, same point with our hobby.

By the way Ret and the rest of the ATM team ARE NOT Animal Planet therefore they can't tell them what and what not to produce. Do you think ATM let's Animal Planet, tell them how to make a tank..Do you think every clip on the news was shot that way, in one take, and provides you full details of the story:headwally:
 
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Someone is getting very upset here. wow. Really is there any difference to any of us who take species from different areas of the world, fish and coral and other things that would never naturally come into contact and play with them. Lets just stick them into a box and stare at them. Don't get me started on all the chemicals and additives that we throw in there to make it "better". When is the last time a fish in the ocean had his meal soaked in selcon or garlic. Before you go and bash Reality show that is ment to be entertaining and "talked about" think about all the things you do to your tank that are just not natural. Then criticize yourself too.
 
First and foremost ignoring a problem ... any problem really doesn't make it go away. The marine aquarium hobby has natural resources competing with food fisheries, gill netting, long lining and a host of other things to be sustainable. This is a big word in this hobby. Our hobby has been sustainable since we had hobbyists with mangable tanks that cared about the fish in their care. That is changing. Ultra-wealthy Americans appear to care little if at all about sustainability. They want huge tanks, they don't really care about the logistics or morality of what they are doing and they want them now. The folks who operate the company displayed on Tanked are more then happy to make sure they get what they want.

I want any seasoned aquarist to again review that number. 650 yellow tangs. Dead! because one wealthy person wanted them in their aquarium. Marine life is a precious resource. Nearly 80% of coral reef resources have died because of ocean acidification and ocean warming. That is a scientific fact! I have had the pleasure of educating local school children about coral reefs and even establishing a coral reef aquarium from children in a local elementary school. My work with Beautiful Oceans (www.beautifuloceans.com) has allowed me to get very PRO active about helping coral reefs.

Aquariums are educational tools. They are fun and exciting, especially for young people. The folks at Tanked have lost touch with their power. It's not to make rich people happy, it's to make people understand that not only is the underwater world exciting - our fate and the fate of the animals in Earth's oceans are connected together.
 
First and foremost ignoring a problem ... any problem really doesn't make it go away. The marine aquarium hobby has natural resources competing with food fisheries, gill netting, long lining and a host of other things to be sustainable. This is a big word in this hobby. Our hobby has been sustainable since we had hobbyists with mangable tanks that cared about the fish in their care. That is changing. Ultra-wealthy Americans appear to care little if at all about sustainability. They want huge tanks, they don't really care about the logistics or morality of what they are doing and they want them now. The folks who operate the company displayed on Tanked are more then happy to make sure they get what they want.

I want any seasoned aquarist to again review that number. 650 yellow tangs. Dead! because one wealthy person wanted them in their aquarium. Marine life is a precious resource. Nearly 80% of coral reef resources have died because of ocean acidification and ocean warming. That is a scientific fact! I have had the pleasure of educating local school children about coral reefs and even establishing a coral reef aquarium from children in a local elementary school. My work with Beautiful Oceans (www.beautifuloceans.com) has allowed me to get very PRO active about helping coral reefs.

Aquariums are educational tools. They are fun and exciting, especially for young people. The folks at Tanked have lost touch with their power. It's not to make rich people happy, it's to make people understand that not only is the underwater world exciting - our fate and the fate of the animals in Earth's oceans are connected together.
 
"80% of coral reef resources have died because of ocean acidification and ocean warming. That is a scientific fact! I have had the pleasure of educating local school children about coral reefs and even establishing a coral reef aquarium from children in a local elementary school. My work with Beautiful Oceans (www.beautifuloceans.com) has allowed me to get very PRO active about helping coral reefs."

No they havent, no it is not a scientific fact, and no you are not educating people. The "science" of which you speak is simply 180 degrees away from the tanked guys- if they should not be educating people neither should these "scientist" . The lunatic fringe is both to the left and right of this issue.

editing to say- I am sure in many ways you do educate the children and open their eyes. I was speaking more of the poppycock science stuff. Unless we are going to be going back to include dinosaurs 80% is crazy talk I tells you!
 
True, the show is made for entertainment. And they make some awesome tanks, not gonna lie. However I saw an episode where they made an in wall tank for a nice asian couple, and when they were in the company's holding tanks looking around picking out fish, there was an employee there talking to them about the fish they were pointing out. The guys from tanked looked at the copperband butterfly (after telling the employee it was going to be a reef tank (and yes, I have seen Copperbands in reef tanks, some are quite nice to corals, but regardless!)) the employee mentioned he will eat corals and would not be a good candidate for a reef tank. When they filmed the guys throwing copious amounts of fish in the tank, I saw at least 2 copperbands being thrown in, along with all sorts of non-photosynthetic gorgs, linkia starfish, and any other thing that has a poor success rate in captivity. I even saw 5 sweetlips in a 250g gumball machine, along with 45 other fish!

Granted the ideas they have for the fish tanks are awesome, and they are magicians with acrylic. But they know jack about livestock, and almost nada about filtration.

I have had the opportunity to check out one of their tanks firsthand. Filtration was god awful (nitrates always over 100ppm with 200g waterchanges every other week aka 25%) and it needed a chiller because the return pumps were such high wattage it heated the tanks to over 95F (800g system) with 4 T5 bulbs over the entire thing. It could have been mismanaged but the tank was always in disarray, no room for a skimmer in the rear sump, just filter pads and bio balls.

I see these tanks on this show, and I think to myself... "What percentage of these animals are still alive 2 months later?" To someone who is watching it purely for enjoyment and entertainment see the pretty colors and awesome fish and enjoy the show. People who watch the show and know the hobby cringe at what they do to the animals being sent into glorified torture chambers due to misinformation or no information. These guys are actors, nothing else. Well, the one guy is, the other I don't think is but plays off of the actor well. They are paid to act and design cool looking tanks, regardless of the difficulty of the livestock they are using. As long as they keep doing what they are paid to do and people keep watching it, the longer this show will be on. If anything they need to pick their livestock more wisely so the inhabitants actually have a chance to survive.
 
First I would like to address syrinx who said this:

No they havent, no it is not a scientific fact, and no you are not educating people. The "science" of which you speak is simply 180 degrees away from the tanked guys- if they should not be educating people neither should these "scientist" . The lunatic fringe is both to the left and right of this issue.

editing to say- I am sure in many ways you do educate the children and open their eyes. I was speaking more of the poppycock science stuff. Unless we are going to be going back to include dinosaurs 80% is crazy talk I tells you!

I would encourage you to visit this link: http://act.oceanconservancy.org/site/DocServer/Coral_final.pdf?docID=4501

This report issued by the Ocean Conservancy states that in just one year worldwide coral reef populations declined by 16 percent and have declined in the Caribbean Sea alone by 90%.

This is a direct quote from the Conservancy's report:

In a 2004 survey of the world’s reefs, scientists found 20 percent of coral gone,
Nearly three-quarters of the world’s reefs are gone or threatened.
(c) James Watt, courtesy of NOAA/Dept of Commerce.
Anchoring a strong web of life in the sea, coral reefs protect us in many ways.
Coral Reefs: Critically Endangered “Rain Forests of the Sea” • Page 2
24 percent in imminent danger, and another quarter under long-term threat. In other words, nearly three-quarters of the world’s reefs are gone or threatened. Anchoring a strong web of life in the sea, coral reefs protect us in many ways – but they can’t protect us unless they are strong and resilient. It is not too late to turn the situation around – if we act now.


That is 20% of worldwide reefs dead. Another 24% (nearly one quarter) in imminent danger and likely to die compiled with an additional 16% decline in one year. We have a 60% decline worldwide according to the report with a 90% decline in the Caribbean. I am sorry syrinx but my math and comment is not off by much, if at all. But again read the report if you desire.

Now take into account that 90% of shark populations have declined worldwide. Since you don't seem to trust me here I will provide a link to a scientific report: http://www.bio-nica.info/biblioteca/Robbins2006SharkCrash.pdf

100 million sharks are killed each year by a variety of human activities. Furthermore to say that what I am speaking about is 180 degrees away from the Tanked guys is total nonsense. They are taking a natural resource from ecosystems currently in environmental collapse. They are taking them in large quantities and providing then with an unsustainable ecosystem where they simply cannot survive long term then I assume they are replacing them with new once they are dead.

This is not 180 degrees from reef collapse as they are contributing to the removal of wild populations already on the decline. The responsible hobbyist who takes ultimate care of his fish and provides them a proper environment to live and thrive isn't a problem. Boneheads that see dollar signs attached to fish and care little if at all about their rate of survival are a problem and creating an unsustainable hobby. They are also placing all hobbyists at risk of federal or state regulations if the hobby is proven to be environmentally unfriendly.

Cptn Spaulding I have a friend who saw one of their tanks in Vegas. He told me a similar report to what you have mentioned.
 
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