Tanked on Animal planet

Reality TV=Entertainment. Entertainment=Only the good stuff. Only the good stuff=Don't show the boring stuff that goes into it.

For them being such a large company I really do believe they know what they are doing. My family is glued to the tv for that show always asking Mike is that real, Mike is that true and I simply tell them it's a TV SHOW (Not a Documentary). What I am most proud of is when Jess(My Fiance) tells me, "They should be really careful adding that Achilles Tang in the system, he might not even be eating frozen foods yet." IMA MARRY HER! lol
 
I talked to Brett a little at MACNA and to some other people that talked to him. Animal Planet does all the editing, and they have no control over what gets aired (they are trying to get more behind the scenes in the next season). So, basically Animal Planet is just showing what the average TV viewer, i.e. person that doesn't even have a goldfish, would enjoy. Things like the pre-seeded bioballs, their truck dedicated to hauling ro and salt water, and a ton of time are edited out. If you pay attention to the house construction progress in the reef tank episode you can tell at least a month goes by from the time they put the tank in to the time they reveal it.
 
...it's fun but not realistic and does not promote responsible, husbandry,imo.

I also would like to point out that there are two main groups of aquarium owners. Those who like the creating and maintaining part (all of you and me) and those who just want to look at fish. There is nothing wrong with it but they made the show for the other group. The mass public who likes to look at pretty things on tv. If they made the show for the other group I would consider getting cable at home. But the truth is boring geek stuff doesn't sell and that a reality.


These two quotes sum up my opinion.
 
I don't think they use prepared water. I was hoping so. But in one episode they actually used hot tap water to warm a tank and then put the salt in followed immediately by fish that were sitting in bags around the tank. It's a fun show but it makes me wince.
I agree boring geek stuff won't sell on tv but if they are going to present practices as they do from time to time schooling fish, warm water via a home hotwater heater, adding salt right before fish, fill er up and dump the fish out of the bag, etc. they could be a bit more disciplined without harming the entertainment value of the show.
 
As seen in an earlier post, I too was very skeptical about this show for several reasons. However, like ransomed4ever mentioned, Brett was present this year at MACNA and actually spoke during the Friday dinner reception about the show. In summary, he explained that for every 50 hours of filming, only one show is made. He explained that they have no control over what is aired, and that a LOT of the good husbandry practices they implement (RO/Salt water delivery truck on hand at all times, fish acclimation, etc.) are cut simply because they offer little/no entertainment value to viewers. I'm not saying that everything they do is acceptable, but I do believe that they do know basic husbandry and unfortunately for us hobbyists it doesn't necessarily display that. He also said that they demanded Animal Planet air more on good husbandry with the upcoming second season.

On the bright side, they are in fact getting the general public somewhat involved in our industry, which I guarantee will generate new hobbyists. JMO

312932_10150288346950811_551135810_8444405_1336411847_n.jpg
 
I like this show as entertainment,but I have to admit that large reef tank(live reef) they put in an episode was horrible,besides mentioning the refergium..The production made it sound like they are as simple fish only tanks..Bad...bad...bad... IMO
 
I have yet to see the show. But I do work for a company that is similar to what I imagine.

We do big custom tanks for people, dr.s offices, resturaunts etc.

We do fresh and salt. But I actually work on the service side as opposed to the lfs side.

When we install tanks we deliver them, plumb them, put in the live sand and live rock. My van has a 300 gallon tank full of salt water with a pump to fill the tanks.

We always allow the tanks to cycle before adding fish. Of course sometimes you have customers that don't understand this concept and learn the hard way.

But I go back weekly on our clients tanks to clean and do water changes.

I'm sure that if someone followed me with a camera all day 90% of it no one would want to watch. It's reality tv they are showing people what they want to see.
 
I was actually going to bring up this show the other day. My dad semt me a text telling me about it... I had never heard about it. I set the dvr to record each episode just because i like to see fish and tanks.

I was telling my gf last night as we were watching that i could really do without the mumbo jumbo crap in between showinf actual tank stuff. I really wish there was more of an emphasis on as g put it... "the geek stuff" because i really want to learn more about the hobby. Unfortunately they dont show much of that because their business is to sell installs not teach people how to do their own.

Either way its good to see some different and out of the ordinary setups and good to see something regarding the hobby on tv regularly.
 
Unfortunate the general public wont see the proper fish care and maitnence and I guarantee someone out there if not many more will go out and try and start up a reef tank with little to no knowledge or research and wind up killing some beautiful creatures. I hope if they get renewed for a new season they do show more behind the scenes stuff. As well as the follow ups since I assume a great deal of the people, who pay what i am sure is a HUGE amount to have these tanks set up, have no idea how to properly maintain some of these extremely exotic fish.
 
Wow i vuess i opened pandoras box on this one

Sent from my XOOM
Follow me ----> @sbmootyar
Gtalk/G+ -------> Raytoombs
 
I haven't see it (don't have cable), but here's my $0.02 . . .

I get that they have to show the entertaining stuff and it's neat to see them do tanks that most people would never be able to do for themselves, but would it kill them to note somewhere (and not at a mach 3 crawl across the screen) that the show has been heavily edited for time and that there is much more that goes into setting up any type of aquarium properly if you want to keep your livestock alive? How hard would that be?
 
I question a lot I see on the show but do figure some gets edited and some choices are made from a business standpoint more than a husbandry standpoint.

I am guessing also that the maintenance these owners pay on these tanks include replacement of dead fish and coral so the end user may not care if something dies as it gets replaced for them.
 
Great clip. Pretty much what I would expect. The show isn't for geeks like us. I'm just surprised with it being Animal Planet, that they aren't giving more focus to the scientific aspects.
 
Question:

Answer: $$$$$

+1

That's exactly what's it all about. People that watch reality TV watch it for the entertainment value and that's it. Those guys have built a multi-million dollar company, they must be doing something right.

If you watch it keeping in mind its reality TV you might enjoy it. If you want to learn about husbandry and fish keeping watch BRS TV. ;)
 
I really don't like any reality tv shows.I 'd rate it right in the same class as americas next top model,wrestlemania or what ever its called,jerry springer and the whole mtv casts of bs jersey shores.

Yeah they got some nice tanks but the "overacting" ,and poor at that is irritating.
I vote less "reality" and a little more "actuality".jmo.
 
Amen! Yet another reason why I don't feel the need to pay for cable. Who needs to pay for drivel that's barely watchable?
 
Back
Top