I boil the media for the same reason I torque bolts to 89 in/lbs...... Cause thats what the instructions say. I then add the same ingrediant I try to add to every aspect of keeping fish - overkill. MORE then I need. I try to do it with water flow, air, media, volume - anything I have the power to add more then I should need- I do.
I'm programmed to fix things. I can't fix things if I don't know something is wrong. With cars its super easy - theres usually a little light or some sort of tell tale - data I can interpret that leads me to a repair the restores proper operation. With fish it's way more difficult - what if fish that are described as hard to keep thrive while fish that are "tough" do not. Pretty sure this is the only reason I would ever quit keeping fish- the extreme frustration of doing something wrong and NOT knowing what it is. When you try so hard - spend so much time and money and at the end of the day you still have no clue if you're even doing things right or wrong?!? When you take a test your answers are checked and graded - you learn from your mistakes. Kind of hard for someone to learn from mistakes IF they don't know they are even making them, or even worse knowing they are making them but not knowing what they are. Gets my vote for one of the most frustrating things a person can do to themselves.
We all know the definition of insanity..... So when something doesn't yield the results you're after what do you do? Something else. Hope that works better. Something else. Hope it works better. But that sure doesn't give you the answer of WHY it works better or why its a mistake.
I think this is why I'm a little salty towards freshwater rays. I was under the impression they were a little demanding, but not much more then other fish. IF someone would have sat me down and explained to me that I would need to be an architect, biologist, chemist,daycare provider, engineer,fluid dynamics degree - (I'm sure there's something you need to be for every letter of the alphabet just to be able to keep the stupid things properly) I probably would have stayed clear. OR maybe not? Regardless, they're here. And I only have my lifetime to teach my daughter how to properly care for them. She turns 1 next month so I'd like to get this whole proper keeping thing down sooner then later. Our daughter "Henlei" needs to know how to take care of the rays she doesn't even know she has yet.....
Could a guy argue that the over aretion raising the PH would counter balance the PH falling as the water becomes "used up" and begins to crash? Sounds like balance to me....
So I need a "regassing" chamber??? Is that what you're telling me? A closed chamber filter? Saran wrap the bio reactors?
Dloks ' response.
