Myth: Dolphins in aquariums do not live as long as dolphins in the wild.

Fact: The truth is that dolphins do very well when they are in the care of modern aquariums. They breed successfully, form complex social groups and exhibit excellent mental and physical health.

Dolphins under human care consume high-quality nutritional food, receive medical attention whenever needed and are kept free of debilitating parasites. This is in stark contrast to the predators, disease, pollution, well-documented commercial fishing and recreational dangers, and other stress they face at sea, resulting in thousands of deaths each year.

Today dolphins live long, healthy lives in aquariums because of medical advances made possible by public display. These advances have been essential in treating sick and injured wild animals as well as assisting and managing endangered species.

Myth: You can depend on the people in your LFS to be knowledgeable and to give you good advice.

Fact: There are a great number of LFS owners/employees who are well experienced in saltwater aquariums and will give you good advice. However a majority of them (usually younger workers) have little or no knowledge or experience in this subject which requires time to learn.

Myth: Bio-Balls or wet/dry filters create nitrates in a saltwater aquarium.

Fact: Bio-Balls and wet/dry filter material can trap detritus and other tank debris which break down and eventually create nitrates. If the Bio-Balls are cleaned regulary, they don't create any more nitrates than a substrate with the same materials in it.

Myth : you need to remove the fish from the aquarium before washing it or changing the water.

Fact: The fish are actually stressed terribly when displaced from their environment, specifically after being chased and caught in nets.

Myth : Changing the gravel is the best way of having it cleaned or washing it under the tap water.

Fact: changing of gravel will actually harm the fish, as with time the gravel will house friendly bacteria that help in clearing the fish waste, which in the long run will actually poison your fish.

Myth : you need to wash the tank as often as you can;

Fact: you should actually wash as rarely as possible, because the longer you leave the system by itself, the better the system works. You should have good filters attached to it and ensure that the water is oxygenated well.

Myth : you should replace all the water from the tank and replace it fully with new water every time you wash the tank;

Fact: you should actually replace only 20-25% of the water, otherwise you will create an imbalance in the system and harm your fish.

Myth : you should abundantly feed your fish if you will be missing for a few days from the house;

Fact: you should never overfeed your fish; this will not only cloud and pollute the water it will tempt the fish to overeat and kill them.

Myth: Water gardening involves a lot of. hard work.

Fact: Not necessarily. A well- designed, ecologically-balanced pond is about as much work as maintaining an established perennial border, minus the weeding and watering. Aquatic plants water themselves. A five-minute, weekly cleaning of the filter and an occasional addition of AquaClearerTM, Clear Away, or EcoSystemsTM Barley Pellets, along with an annual spring clean-out are all that you'll need to worry about.

Myth: Predators will eat all your fish.

Fact: Predators are out there, but there are things you can do to protect your fish. An inexpensive, motion-activated water spraying system like a Scarecrow, will deter heron with a timely jet of water. You can also use a Heron or Alligator Decoy and, if all else fails, you can spread a protective, Pond Netting over the water, which will eliminate Mr. Heron from your pond completely. Muskrats prefer to hunt in large bodies of water, and raccoons don’t care to swim for supper. A pond that’s at least eight feet wide will deprive these varmints of dry access to the deepest part of the water garden.