marine biologist that doesnt know anything about fish?

Question

my scientist is a marine biologist and says he specializes in freshwater fish (catfish) and as a project we are setting up a 30 gallon aquarium but the fish he names need way more room but he wont listen to me hes talking about piranha cat sharks game fish(trout) large catfish ( columbian shark) rainbow sharks bala sharks oscar just alot of things and also he specializes in freswater fish but didnt know what a danio was and he didnt know what a yellow lab was. how do i try and convince him out of some these fish and hes talking about loaches and columbian sharks which wouldnt work just because columbian sharks need a little bit of salt whick will burn any of the scaleless fishes and he says goldfish are the least mmessy fish which is total crap what do i do

im in high school but this is a marine biology course and the project is to set up a proper mini ecosystem in the aquarium my class only has five people so we are all handling one aspect like i am handling fish live plants and water conditionsi asked how long the fish will be in the 30 gallon set up and he said hes not moving them also i might be in charge of fish but ultimately he makes the decisions

Answer 1

Send him to a fish forum to gather aquarium info, or you go and print it out for him. My favorite is www.tropicalresources.net

a basic (but not precise) rule for aquariums is no more than 1" fish per gallon. So that means that you can have no more than 30 total combined inches of fish in that tank. If you buy them young, you should use their adult size to figure how many should go in the tank. That includes tail length too! I know I'm preachin' to the choir telling you this, but you are so right about his expectations being out of whack with reality!

Answer 2

I have to say initally looking at this, it does sound rather disturbing. I am not sure what they may have in mind down the road, and I suppose it's possible for whatever experiment you are conducting, perhaps he has plans to relocate them? I'd have to agree if he wants to long term some of those fish, there's going to be a serious problem. I would assume you are one of his students? I'd temper your response against what grade you might receive in his class. Sometimes you have to use judgement in what wars you wish to fight.

The world is a funny place to be honest, where you can be right and downed for it, and you can be wrong and praised for it unfortunatly. I've seen some teenagers that feel they have the right to say anything they please and hide behind mommy and daddy's money. I've seen some very outrageous claims made that just seriously isn't possible too. I've actually been slandered for my views from some that were in diapers when I was out fighting a war for this country, which is rather hilarious IMO. Does that make either person right or wrong? Not really. The world is a funny place that you can be right, yet so wrong, and vice versa. I could tell you something that works very well for me, and certainly wouldn't make me wrong or someone saying that it doesn't work right. All things fit in certain situations. Your scientist may well have long term plans for these fish still.

This might enflame some other future answers, but take your clown loaches for example. Long term wise, they need space as they typically end up being 12-14 inch fish as adults. However, temper that between thier growth rates of 1-2 inches a year. Could you keep those loaches in a 30 gallon tank? You bet. Would I say someone should keep them there thier entire life? Nope, not from me. As you can see from that logic, in certain situations, these things do work. My advise to you is just use wisdom in how you approach the professor. You might well be right in your points, but in the end, it's your grade that effects your future, and I think it's honestly not worth losing sleep trying to prove your point. I certainly sleep well at night and won't get stressed trying to convince someone the moon is white if they truly believe the moon is blue. In the end, people are going to believe what they want no matter what you show them.

JV

Answer 3

That's a bit of a sticky situation for you, if the project has any type of legal, financial, or grade outcome. I'm a former university instructor myself, and I've seen former colleagues who run the range of "I have a PhD and that makes me right, regardless of what you say." to "Okay, I don't know anything about that, but if you let me know what you need, I'll do my best to get it.".

The last thing you want to do is argue with this person in front of anyone else. It might help if you get some resources from a reputable source (I'll include a few for you at the end), and "classify" the fish he's suggesting to be kept together, so you have something to back you up. Show differences in temperature and salinity requirements, as well as adult sizes for the fish. Try not to approach him in a way that would make it seem that you're challenging his authority, but that you're concerned for the health and care of these fish.

Is this something temporary? Like a classroom display? If the fish are small enough, most may be able to be kept in a 30 gallon for a period of a few months. If this is something meant to be a long-term setup, I would agree these fish won't be compatible, and would need to have a much larger tank. But you may not have the whole story either, if this is something more under his planning than yours - he may only be intending to get juveniles, then move them within a few months time (you really don't give much info on what the project involves).

If he still won't accept that the way the project is planned, if this will be something that's meant to long term or permanent, you'll have to make the choice of trying to speak to someone above him, or to go along with his way of setting up the tank, knowing what the consequences of this mix will be.

In either case, I would also suggest keeping a journal of your conversations - put as much as you can remember in writing, as well as copies of any material on the care of these fish that you pass on. If this project is something that will eventually involve a grade or financial gain or reimbursement, you'll need to document your side of the situation, should this guy decide to withhold a good grade or pay you for something which wasn't your fault. If this involves something which could have a legal outcome (not only over grades or payment, but a binding agreement to set up this tank, replacement of someone's pet fish, or results of the outcome of a research product testing), this will also serve to document your side of what happened.

Good luck with this.

Answer 4

As copperhead and JV said you don't want to challenge his authority for he is the one to ultimately hand out grades. I had professors that were willing to listen and learn from their students as well as teach them. Where i also had professors that were very stubborn and as copperhead said they keep the mentality "i have the PhD so, i know all" To be honest the only time i would argue with a professor was in any type of math class where answers were purely subjectional. No one can deny 2+2=4 no matter which way you decide to get to that solution. In this case I would just do the research print it out or bring in the books and whatever sources you have to back your information by reputable sources and try to change his mind. He may have other plans for the fish as they grow larger. So inquire about that as well. You don't want your arguing to effect your grade in the course so just do what you can without making him feel as though you are crossing him or challenging him.

Answer 5

Probably just as much anyone else. And Marine Biologist.

Answer 6

do a little research of your own on all of the fish that he wants in the tank. if there is proof behind what you say then he has to believe you. i also find it hard to believe that he calls himself a marine biologist when he doesn't even know what kind of fish you can put into a tank that size. good luck with everything.