[Fishfirst]

I think that nanos should not be encouraged to people who haven't had fish before, or people who haven't had fish for very long, or for people who have had freshwater but have never had saltwater. Everyday at work, I meet someone who wants a nano tank, but has no clue how to even mix the salt. Now I'm not saying that with some good research, hard work, and a good forum like this one to help someone along, that it can't be done successfully... but I think most newbies don't want to take the time to do these things, nor have the motivation.
At work, even talking about mixing salt turns people away from getting a saltwater tank... the average newbie wants to take as little time learning as possible. So WHY encourage it? WHY promote it? There isn't a good reason besides having that 1 in 20 newbie who actually cares about the fish and does well, and THAT is the newbie who will take advise and get a larger tank to start with, OR get the largest possible tank he/she can afford even if it may be a little small on the gallonage side of things. These people with the "great idea" of "going saltwater" don't even recognize half the time that these fish are being harvested from the ocean, much less understand the nitrogen cycle, FISHKEEPING 101 here!!!!

I would like to say that we on fishforums have a responsibility to discourage people from doing a nano tank... at least at first. BUT if someone does still wants a nano tank after a few posts discouraging it, and they are willing to put in the time to research and work... we must do our best to set them up the right way, and do everything we can to help them. Lets try not to debate whether a nano is a good idea anymore, because the truth is... it isn't a good idea for most folks. So lets help the newbies that really want to make the effort and not the ones who want to start a nano on a whim.


This arguement has been beaten to death. The points have been made... the user is on a vacation from the forums right now, and this thread has worn out its use. This thread is closed.