Fishkeeping In 1984

I've just picked up an old fishkeeping book...  it's full of undergravel filters etc that we wouldn't recommend at all now...

Full book review to come... It won't be positive!!! 

My understanding has been that there are a few drawbacks to UG filter - including that you can't put live plants in them as the water flow damages the plant's roots  . And no rocks/wood as they create dead areas in the gravel because there is no water flow underneath them.
And worst of all for me - unless you have a reverse flow UG, you have to take everything out once a year to clean the muck out from under the plates. A reverse flow UG with a prefilter on the pump doesn't need to be taken down.
I have also read comments that modern UG plates are not very well made and split easily.

Have I just been reading negative comments by UG haters?



However I do understand that UGs are excellent biofilters because of the volume of the media - all the gravel.

I can already se that this book review I have planned is going to create some debate... might even have to go chapter by chapter!!

FYI the book is dated 1984.

I started in 1972, and after a couple of new-tank-syndrome wipeouts I happened to find someone near me who knew what they were doing.

I had some books from the 70's and 60's that were pretty good, but others weren't. Just like the internet today.

So page 10 is where the book gets going and by page 11 we have the first point of interest... the book states:

"most people only associate with the Goldfish in its humble, unsuitable bowl"

It surprises me that the goldfish bowl is still around given that over 30 years ago is was seemingly already well know of the unsuitability of these as tanks...

@Matt did you see the really small print footnote that reads "alternatively, keep the fish in the house and move any unenthusiastic family members out to separate accommodation. Or if you live on your own just go wild"? Sometimes these old books can make a lot of sense. 

The surface area rule for stocking usually assumes no water movement. One book I read said this is in case the filter fails when you are not around to notice (night, at work, on holiday). The tank should always be stocked as though the tank had no water movement or the fish would die should the filter fail.

I always thought the surface area rule pre-dates the volume rule 

I'm on to tank furnishings... not one I've come across before, but cork bark is recommended for both a cave like structure or as a background.  Actually nor a bad idea...

I've got cork bark in the mudskipper tanks, and they like using it for tunnels & caves - only on the land part because yes it does float. I floated some on the water and was trying to convince one of the fish to use it as a raft, but he was not impressed. 
I've seen clips of other mudskippers using cork bark pieces as a raft and floating around in the flow from the filter.

I thought it had to be something different but had no idea what. I somehow can't visualise tank ornaments made of the same stuff as wine corks