diff --git a/cake/tests/cases/libs/model/model.test.php b/cake/tests/cases/libs/model/model.test.php
index 7914a0706..6470c903d 100644
--- a/cake/tests/cases/libs/model/model.test.php
+++ b/cake/tests/cases/libs/model/model.test.php
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ class ModelTest extends CakeTestCase {
 					array('id' => '2', 'title' => 'Second Post', 'body' => 'Second Post Body', 'published' => 'Y', 'created' => '2007-03-18 10:41:23', 'updated' => '2007-03-18 10:43:31',
 						'JoinThing' => array('doomed' => '1', 'something_id' => '1', 'something_else_id' => '2')),
 					array('id' => '3', 'title' => 'Third Post', 'body' => 'Third Post Body', 'published' => 'Y', 'created' => '2007-03-18 10:43:23', 'updated' => '2007-03-18 10:45:31',
-						'JoinThing' => array('doomed' => null, 'something_id' => '1', 'something_else_id' => '3'))));
+						'JoinThing' => array('doomed' => '0', 'something_id' => '1', 'something_else_id' => '3'))));
 		$this->assertEqual($result, $expected);
 	}
 
@@ -3538,6 +3538,7 @@ class ModelTest extends CakeTestCase {
 
 		if (!isset($config->test) || !isset($config->test2)) {
 			echo "<br />Primary and secondary test databases not configured, skipping cross-database join tests<br />";
+			echo "To run these tests, you must define \$test and \$test2 in your database configuration.<br />";
 			return;
 		}
 		$this->loadFixtures('Article', 'Tag', 'ArticlesTag', 'User', 'Comment');
diff --git a/cake/tests/fixtures/join_a_b_fixture.php b/cake/tests/fixtures/join_a_b_fixture.php
index 0f99eabc5..1aadaa37d 100644
--- a/cake/tests/fixtures/join_a_b_fixture.php
+++ b/cake/tests/fixtures/join_a_b_fixture.php
@@ -33,11 +33,13 @@
  * @subpackage	cake.tests.fixtures
  */
 class JoinABFixture extends CakeTestFixture {
+
 	var $name = 'JoinAsJoinB';
+
 	var $fields = array(
 		'id' => array('type' => 'integer', 'key' => 'primary'),
 		'join_a_id' => array('type' => 'integer', 'length' => 10, 'null' => true),
-		'join_b_id' => array('type' => 'integer', 'default' => ''),
+		'join_b_id' => array('type' => 'integer', 'default' => null),
 		'other' => array('type' => 'string', 'default' => ''),
 		'created' => array('type' => 'datetime', 'null' => true),
 		'updated' => array('type' => 'datetime', 'null' => true)
diff --git a/cake/tests/fixtures/join_a_c_fixture.php b/cake/tests/fixtures/join_a_c_fixture.php
index 3614bbcf3..c3191c930 100644
--- a/cake/tests/fixtures/join_a_c_fixture.php
+++ b/cake/tests/fixtures/join_a_c_fixture.php
@@ -33,11 +33,13 @@
  * @subpackage	cake.tests.fixtures
  */
 class JoinACFixture extends CakeTestFixture {
+
 	var $name = 'JoinAsJoinC';
+
 	var $fields = array(
 		'id' => array('type' => 'integer', 'key' => 'primary'),
 		'join_a_id' => array('type' => 'integer', 'length' => 10, 'null' => true),
-		'join_c_id' => array('type' => 'integer', 'default' => ''),
+		'join_c_id' => array('type' => 'integer', 'default' => null),
 		'other' => array('type' => 'string', 'default' => ''),
 		'created' => array('type' => 'datetime', 'null' => true),
 		'updated' => array('type' => 'datetime', 'null' => true)
diff --git a/cake/tests/fixtures/join_a_fixture.php b/cake/tests/fixtures/join_a_fixture.php
index 70616d483..c0facf142 100644
--- a/cake/tests/fixtures/join_a_fixture.php
+++ b/cake/tests/fixtures/join_a_fixture.php
@@ -33,7 +33,9 @@
  * @subpackage	cake.tests.fixtures
  */
 class JoinAFixture extends CakeTestFixture {
+
 	var $name = 'JoinA';
+
 	var $fields = array(
 		'id' => array('type' => 'integer', 'key' => 'primary'),
 		'name' => array('type' => 'string', 'default' => ''),
diff --git a/cake/tests/fixtures/join_b_fixture.php b/cake/tests/fixtures/join_b_fixture.php
index 78d3b5bb9..bbc4006c4 100644
--- a/cake/tests/fixtures/join_b_fixture.php
+++ b/cake/tests/fixtures/join_b_fixture.php
@@ -33,7 +33,9 @@
  * @subpackage	cake.tests.fixtures
  */
 class JoinBFixture extends CakeTestFixture {
+
 	var $name = 'JoinB';
+
 	var $fields = array(
 		'id' => array('type' => 'integer', 'key' => 'primary'),
 		'name' => array('type' => 'string', 'default' => ''),
diff --git a/cake/tests/fixtures/join_c_fixture.php b/cake/tests/fixtures/join_c_fixture.php
index f0985eafc..7f00aa552 100644
--- a/cake/tests/fixtures/join_c_fixture.php
+++ b/cake/tests/fixtures/join_c_fixture.php
@@ -33,7 +33,9 @@
  * @subpackage	cake.tests.fixtures
  */
 class JoinCFixture extends CakeTestFixture {
+
 	var $name = 'JoinC';
+
 	var $fields = array(
 		'id' => array('type' => 'integer', 'key' => 'primary'),
 		'name' => array('type' => 'string', 'default' => ''),
diff --git a/cake/tests/fixtures/join_thing_fixture.php b/cake/tests/fixtures/join_thing_fixture.php
index 779e6a3eb..23dce9c7e 100644
--- a/cake/tests/fixtures/join_thing_fixture.php
+++ b/cake/tests/fixtures/join_thing_fixture.php
@@ -33,11 +33,13 @@
  * @subpackage	cake.tests.fixtures
  */
 class JoinThingFixture extends CakeTestFixture {
+
 	var $name = 'JoinThing';
+
 	var $fields = array(
 		'id' => array('type' => 'integer', 'key' => 'primary'),
 		'something_id' => array('type' => 'integer', 'length' => 10, 'null' => true),
-		'something_else_id' => array('type' => 'integer', 'default' => ''),
+		'something_else_id' => array('type' => 'integer', 'default' => null),
 		'doomed' => array('type' => 'boolean', 'default' => '0'),
 		'created' => array('type' => 'datetime', 'null' => true),
 		'updated' => array('type' => 'datetime', 'null' => true)
diff --git a/cake/tests/lib/cake_test_fixture.php b/cake/tests/lib/cake_test_fixture.php
index 2543de59e..ba6ce2b4c 100644
--- a/cake/tests/lib/cake_test_fixture.php
+++ b/cake/tests/lib/cake_test_fixture.php
@@ -108,13 +108,6 @@ class CakeTestFixture extends Object {
 		if (!isset($this->primaryKey) && isset($this->fields['id'])) {
 			$this->primaryKey = 'id';
 		}
-		if (isset($this->fields)) {
-			foreach ($this->fields as $index => $field) {
-				if (isset($field['default']) && empty($field['default']) && $field['default'] !== 0) {
-					unset($this->fields[$index]['default']);
-				}
-			}
-		}
 	}
 /**
  * Run before all tests execute, should return SQL statement to create table for this fixture.