Horrible horrible video from TSA...

[runninlines]

I watched this video last night and was wondering when I would see it on R2R.
Shame on TSA...

 

[BeanAnimal]

Hobbyist reef in different ways. As noted above the video, and even this post, is social media...

If any of you are upset at the video just reach out to TSA via their web page, scroll to the bottom, and hit the Email Us link. Let them know what you think and why.

I think what bothers me is that we have to in the first place. I am not outraged. I am more frustrated that the content and sales model requires this crap to be relevant and that it comes down to choosing business and likes vs a better message.

So TSA is not alone, the whole model is crap across the spectrum, not just reefing. All of the "maxing" stuff, "builds" of anything, etc. that cross those lines to the absurd for likes or money.

Anyway, I will step off of the soap box now.

 

[Wrassefan78]

System Expansion: He acknowledges that his current 50-gallon setup is reaching its limit, and he plans to eventually upgrade to a larger, 6-foot peninsula-style tank to better accommodate the needs of his growing fish, such as an Achilles tang (27:34 - 28:39).

Just because you have plans to get a larger system, doesn’t mean you jam as much as you can into your current tank. What he’s doing and to a smaller extent Top Shelf is making our hobby look bad. It also doing a disservice to anyone coming into the hobby thinking this is okay.

 

[Dom]

It isn't enough to take down the video.

The living conditions of these fish needs correction!

 

[exnisstech]

Never watched one of their videos and have no plans to. Based in the comments here it confirms my decision was the correct one.
Off topic but I won't use YouTube for anything except posting tank vids so I can share here. If the attachment feature worked here I wouldn't use it at all.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

@TopShelfAquatics what say you? Not cool man, not cool at all. As a premier industry leader, yes new reefers look to you as the “SME” of the coral world, you owe not to the hobby and the living to creatures, to be so much better than this. So sad you portrayed this as acceptable.

 

[exnisstech]

Hopefully this post doesn't encourage people to watch the video just too see what it's about. I think any hit is a positive for TSA and the video content.

 

[ReefinRheum]

Very disappointing from a leader in the industry

 

[areefer01]

Off topic but I won't use YouTube for anything except posting tank vids so I can share here. If the attachment feature worked here I wouldn't use it at all.

Attachments on a forum similar to this takes up disk space which is one of the premium costs on off prem hosted platforms. As I am sure you already know some members are photo and video happy. Simple minute capture in high def or 4k and the file size grows dramatically.

 

[exnisstech]

Attachments on a forum similar to this takes up disk space which is one of the premium costs on off prem hosted platforms. As I am sure you already know some members are photo and video happy. Simple minute capture in high def or 4k and the file size grows dramatically.

Oh I get it and didn't mean it as a knock on this site. I just wanted to state the reason I use YouTube even tho I despise it. It's hypocritical but in addition to sharing, sometimes a video is needed to get assistance or a diagnosis.

 

[areefer01]

Oh I get it and didn't mean it as a knock on this site. I just wanted to state the reason I use YouTube even tho I despise it. It's hypocritical but in addition to sharing, sometimes a video is needed to get assistance or a diagnosis.

Didn't take it as a knock. I just hit reply with my train of thought. Apologies if I came across that way.

Sort of feel bad for new hobbyist who use social media and AI to play in this hobby space. I sort of blame a bit of it on the content created that promotes the side hustle by a couple of the vendors.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

I just deleted @TopShelfAquatics and then reported them as spam. It won’t make a difference, but it is my way showing how disappointed I am in them. I’m going to unfollow them later when I get to a stopping point. They should have known better. That was beyond negligent.

 

[exnisstech]

Didn't take it as a knock. I just hit reply with my train of thought. Apologies if I came across that way.

Sort of feel bad for new hobbyist who use social media and AI to play in this hobby space. I sort of blame a bit of it on the content created that promotes the side hustle by a couple of the vendors.

No offence taken.
I can't begin to imagine how difficult it is for new people entering the hobby. Its even more difficult because so many depend on social media as a source of reliable information which it can be but often isn't.
I've only been in the hobby for 10 years but my main source of informational is gained reading so I can avoid much but not all of the noise.
I was shop foreman at the dealership I retired from and used to reprimand young techs for being lazy and looking on social media for information. How do they expect to learn diagnostic skills looking for an answer inline instead of learning how a system operates and using that knowledgeable to perform their diagnosis. They become lazy and incompetent IMO. Take their phone away and they're good for nothing but changing oil. I'm glad I'm as old as I am and was able to get out before it got worse.

 

[mook1178]

Right. It only shows that money can buy everything but common sense . When you have 4k in fish but cant name the snail that can right itself ...

What is a trochus, Alex?

 

[hatfielj]

Eh, his fish looked healthy enough to me. They aren't going to be able to stay in that tank forever, but nothing wrong with keeping them in there for a little bit.

The problem with all these high horse tang police is that you over look the fact that no matter how large of an aquarium you have, it's MICROSOPIC TINY in comparison to a natural reef. These fish belong in the ocean and no glass box is actually the same as the reef, no matter how big. Why is a "4 ft" long aquarium the minimum? Says who? What if I say a 6000 ft long tank should be the minimum? That still wouldn't be as big as the reef they were taken from. So, anyone who keeps a fish in a glass box is just as wrong as the next guy. All you're doing is saying that because you made up some arbitrary size as "the minimum" that somehow relieves you from feeling guilty about keeping a wild animal in captivity.

If you don't like it, just don't watch it, but don't try to act like TSA did something wrong by filming someone's aquarium. I enjoyed the video.

 

[billyocean]

I get it...poor judgment not to at least add a disclaimer about the tank size. Feels a bit "lets mob out and pile on" to me though...nobody spit in anyone's face. I dont agree with the tank size and fish choices...but, not my tank.

 

[rtparty]

Eh, his fish looked healthy enough to me. They aren't going to be able to stay in that tank forever, but nothing wrong with keeping them in there for a little bit.

The problem with all these high horse tang police is that you over look the fact that no matter how large of an aquarium you have, it's MICROSOPIC TINY in comparison to a natural reef. These fish belong in the ocean and no glass box is actually the same as the reef, no matter how big. Why is a "4 ft" long aquarium the minimum? Says who? What if I say a 6000 ft long tank should be the minimum? That still wouldn't be as big as the reef they were taken from. So, anyone who keeps a fish in a glass box is just as wrong as the next guy. All you're doing is saying that because you made up some arbitrary size as "the minimum" that somehow relieves you from feeling guilty about keeping a wild animal in captivity.

If you don't like it, just don't watch it, but don't try to act like TSA did something wrong by filming someone's aquarium. I enjoyed the video.

100%

To think a fish is okay with a 4 foot swim path but 3 feet is total torture has always been and will always be laughable.

There is absolutely a “too small” limit but no made up number is ever going to be the “right” size for fish that swim miles per day in the ocean

 

[christinna77]

Eh, his fish looked healthy enough to me. They aren't going to be able to stay in that tank forever, but nothing wrong with keeping them in there for a little bit.

The problem with all these high horse tang police is that you over look the fact that no matter how large of an aquarium you have, it's MICROSOPIC TINY in comparison to a natural reef. These fish belong in the ocean and no glass box is actually the same as the reef, no matter how big. Why is a "4 ft" long aquarium the minimum? Says who? What if I say a 6000 ft long tank should be the minimum? That still wouldn't be as big as the reef they were taken from. So, anyone who keeps a fish in a glass box is just as wrong as the next guy. All you're doing is saying that because you made up some arbitrary size as "the minimum" that somehow relieves you from feeling guilty about keeping a wild animal in captivity.

If you don't like it, just don't watch it, but don't try to act like TSA did something wrong by filming someone's aquarium. I enjoyed the video.

A lot of the fish looked pretty stressed in that video to me. The angel especially looked rough, just swimming circles around the rock with nowhere else to go.

The anthias looked like it had popeye and some fin damage. I also don't see nearly enough sand for the tilefish to follow its natural behavior and build a burrow. Most of the larger fish could barely turn around before hitting the glass. They weren't really swimming around, just hovering in place because there wasn't anywhere to go.

I also noticed some aggression. The tilefish jabbed at the angelfish several times and the anthias was chasing the grouper. The camera cuts a lot, so who knows how much chasing or posturing is happening off camera, plus as we all know, fish are often on their best behavior when we're at the tank.

To me it looked like a crowded stressful setup where the fish had no real space to claim a spot or behave naturally.

And honestly, the 4ft comparison doesn't make sense. Nobody's saying a 4ft tank is the same as the ocean, but there's obviously a difference between giving a fish decent space and cramming it into a tank where it can barely move and turn around. By the way, lots of the fish in the tank should actually have more than 4ft.

 

[CHSUB]

It is fine because before long imo some fish will die. The tilefish, fox face, Angel and others look for one reason or another terrible. Luckily the owner is a collector so he can just purchase more…

 

[Michael Hughes]

To think a fish is okay with a 4 foot swim path but 3 feet is total torture has always been and will always be laughable.

There is absolutely a “too small” limit but no made up number is ever going to be the “right” size for fish that swim miles per day in the ocean

I get the point of this argument, but in this case the fish are clearly overstocked. Not to mention the lack of usable habitat space in the form of caves, overhangs, etc.

To me it looked like a crowded stressful setup where the fish had no real space to claim a spot or behave naturally.

And honestly, the 4ft comparison doesn't make sense. Nobody's saying a 4ft tank is the same as the ocean, but there's obviously a difference between giving a fish decent space and cramming it into a tank where it can barely move and turn around.

Agreed! At a bare minimum these fish need usable habitat space - preferably a spot for each fish to claim (for hiding, sleeping, etc.) - which necessitates a large enough tank to supply those structures.