Fishkeeping In 1984

I think it is our disposable society. No-one these days wants to replace diaphragms etc so they are made to be non-repairable. My new Eheim air pump has only one part that can be replaced - the 'felt washer of the outlet' which can become clogged, and can lead to 'increasing wear and tear on the diaphragm'. But there is no way to get into it to replace the diaphragm, you have to buy a new pump.

I've just been reading through this from the beginning.
It's good to know that the nitrogen cycle was understood at the time.
It makes me wonder what direction fishkeeping is heading in, and what advances in technology and understanding are going to be made within the next 30 years.

A bit of a break in proceedings there I'm afraid but back on with this now... and we're on to Lighting...

The book states that "a little sidelighting in the form of daylight through the front glass is quite permissible" however we now know this is a major cause of algae... the book goes on in relation to algae to say that "too little light will result in the growth of brown algae and the plants will not flourish; too much light will result in the growth of green algae" which is a  somewhat over-simplistic but not totally incorrect view. However, a lighting period of between 10 and 15 hours in recommended!! We would now recommend 8 to 10 hours!!

There are also only two forms of lighting know to fishkeeping at this time. Tungsten and fluorescent.

Interestingly the section on water requirements covering dechlorination, heavy metals, water hardness, pH and the importance of maintaining stable conditions I really can't find fault with! It look like this bit of the hobby hasn't changed in a long while! Hopefully we are getting it right already!

So on to aquarium plants...
A big deal is made about the ability of the plants to provide oxygen into the aquarium in line with the comments before about he importance of aeration in the 1980s aquarium hobby.  As a goldfish book there are also warning about plants suitable for coldwater and that goldfish are likely to munch their way through soft leaves plants and their bases need protecting from being uprooted. 

There is a little advice on planting in bunches rather than rows which fits with the thinking on Dutch style aquascaping from the time.

Vallis, Ludwigia, Bacopa, Myriophyllum, Ceratophyllum, Egeria, Eleocharis, Lagarosiphon, Cabomba, Lemna, Azolla species alongside various moss species are all mentioned which are species we are still growing in our aquariums today

Acorus is also mentioned though this is now used more readily as a terrarium plant as it is better sites to such conditions and is certainly not a true aquatic species like many of the others.  Usefully it does make this distinction but only for Bacopa!!

The book also recommends a dip in potassium permanganate to remove unwanted passengers on the leaves which is something I didn't necessarily expect from over 30 years ago!

Next time I'll cover "Setting up the tank" and "Feeding" and possibly "Maintenance" time permitting.

In the opening to "setting up the tank" the book reads "It is as well to have everything you will need ready to hand, including pliers, screwdrivers, a sharp knife and a sense of humour"

This is quite intriguing!... none of these are tools I would consider as being required... i started to wonder about potential uses for them and the comedic effects that might result!!...

The first section to be tackled is "Filters and gravel". The section starts with "If you are using biological filtration, the filter plate must go into the tank before anything else". This is referring to air powered under gravel filtration. I expected to see undergravel filters in use but it surprises me that this is referred to as biological filtration as if other types cannot undertake biological filtration... then there is the word "if"... clearly biological filtration is not thought to be an essential!!

The book then talks about other filtration equipment being installed but it is not clear to what this refers.though there is a sketch of a tank with a hang-on-back type filter with what I assume is filter floss and sponge for mechanical filtration.

On to "Adding the plants"
This is probably more of a personal point but I like the fact that the book mentions hiding equipment with rocks and plants... solid advice I feel that is still relevant today in the modern world of aquascaping.

The book also mentions trimming the roots of plants slightly to encourage the growth of new roots. It says to "Spread the roots out in the gravel and remember not to bury the crown of the plant in the gravel, or the plant will rot away in a short time. The best way to do this, is deliberately to put the plant in too deeply, and then gently pull it up to its correct position". ... "Plant the aquarum with a purpose; it should look natural, not formal, but avoid making it look untidy". I've included this only because I felt it might be useful to others on here who are struggling with the planted tank side of the hobby...

Things get a bit weirder next though as the book seems to be stealing somewhat from pond planting techniques...
"Specimen plants should be planted in pre-formed, nutritious 'plant plugs, which are buried in the gravel. Alternatively, such species can be cultivated in shallow pots, which are then buried. A layer of small pebbles around the plant crowns will prevent uprooting."
This certainly isn't something I instantly recognise from the modern hobby though I have seen on an aquascaping forum people planting heavy root feeding plants in this way. That said it is definately the exception and not the rule. The difference I feel is that there are now so many more options available to the planted tank hobbyist. From active substrates, to root tabs, even water column dosing all negate the need to follow techniques such as this.

"Final checks"
I suddenly realised that the book had not mentioned washing the gravel before putting it in the aquarium when it was mentioned that "Any scum on the water surface (dust from the gravel) can be removed with a sheet of absorbent paper drawn across the surface." Much better to wash it first I feel!!

Following this is "The tank is now ready for the fishes, although some fishkeepers give time for the tank to settle down and the plants to take root. The biological filter will take a period of time to develop a mature colony of bacteria and this can be hastened by adding withrr some gravel from an established aquarium or one or two hardy fishes to provide the initial ammonia and waste products for the bacteria yo work on and multiply".
So unsurprisingly there is no mention of faithless cycling. That said, there does appear to be a decent understanding of start of the nitrogen cycle etc which is really great to see in my view...

I actually think the book is great! If I were getting into the hobby at the time I would have hugely benefited from the detail, diagrams etc etc it contains... I just want to compare the hobby from then to now, so it's interesting that you say much of the knowledge and filtration types were around at the time. The books section on filtration seems to assume you want an under gravel filter then goes on from there. It does mention power filters at one point but it is only once an under gravel has been used and the is what all the diagrams basically relate to the use of. I don't have experience with under gravel filters but don't necessarily have a problem with them. They are basically the system the biorbs use are they not? Why do you say they weren't as good for plants specifically in smaller tanks?

I guess the book is showing the 'flavour of the time' which was fish-in cycling and undergravel filtration. Or is this a reflection of how people tended to enter the hobby at the time? Much like nowadays people tend to enter the hobby with an all in one tank heater and filter kit and to be fair probably still unwittingly employ fish-in cycling...

That's really interesting thanks @Hampalong

Now time for "feeding"

The book states that "The fishkeeper should bear in mind the feeding characteristics of his fishes so that food may be presented correctly for each species. Flake and pellet foods remain on the water surface for some time and are ideal for surface-feeding species. Granular and tablet foods may sink too fast for surface feeders but will be welcomed by bottom dwelling fishes" a wide range of food is mentioned including freeze dried which is not seen so commonly in the hobby nowadays, at least not whole freeze dried shrimp. It surprises me that there was such a good range of food and type of food available at the time. The only major missing factor is frozen foods are not mentioned. Ultimately these would be a more convenient version that growing live foods which the book goes into in quite some detail.

Then we have "A general rule is only to feed as much food as the fishes will take in five minutes. Food can be given perhaps three times a day" which seems too much to me compared to my more up to date understanding of feeding... I've always personally worked off one or two feedings of as much as can be eaten in two minutes.

What really surprised me was "Canned pet food such as that given to cats and dogs is a useful addition to the fishes' menu, but do no use this type of food too heavily, in case you pollute the water"... I'm not sure many of us would consider this now!

And on to "maintennace"

"Siphoning off and replacing about 20% of the aquarium water every three weeks will help to maintain it in tip-top condition". Modern advice is far from as clear cut and consistent as this though rarely falls below 25% weekly, with many of us doing 50% water changes on a weekly or fortnightly basis. I am assuming that we now have a better understanding and possibly more importantly, can more easily test for what pollutants, chemicals etc build up in our aquariums over time and as this has happened we have responded accordingly.

The book calls for raking the gravel gently on a periodic basis (it's not specific) which I assume is to stop it clogging in certain areas and to allow the under gravel filter to work effectively. It seems like the gravel cleaner may not be in existence yet at this point. The build up of detritus after months or years of a running aquarium must be significant (possibly leading to high nitrates and/or the so called old tank syndrome) and raking through this is not something I would personally want to be doing...then again were nitrates a thing back then... I don't know...

Finally, we have the statement "the filter medium should be regularly renewed (although it is possible to re-use filter medium one or twice after a thorough washing)". You have to bear in mind here that this is likely referring to media seen to be for mechanical filtration as the gravel is serving as the biological filtration media in 1984 theory. And so the lack of mention of bacteria being affected by chlorine and not wanting to remove it by replacing the media etc etc. is all actually quite logical IF you assume it is only mechanical media.

That just leaves breeding and diseases as the final sections I intend to cover off, though I must admit I don't think much has changed from an initial scan of these sections! There my not therefore be much to talk about!!

That just leaves breeding and diseases as the final sections I intend to cover off, though I must admit I don't think much has changed from an initial scan of these sections! There my not therefore be much to talk about!!

Well I've reviewed these remaining sections and literally nothing seems to have changed in relation to either topics over the years... surprising in a way but also comforting... so that's all for this series of posts!!