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#Post#: 1002--------------------------------------------------
Bare bottom tanks .... the anti aquascape tank
By: Stu4648 Date: October 2, 2014, 2:26 am
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Personally, I cannot stand bare bottom tanks. Generally the
preserve of monster fish keepers but I guess some people may
like the bare look for small fish too. The total lack of
enrichment for the inhabitants must be tedious. Kind of like
animal cages from the early days of zoo keeping. I can just
about remember them from my childhood, full of big cats and
bears pacing up and down bored out of their mind. It must be the
same for fish swimming around an empty space with no point of
reference other than a filter outlet or a powerhead. The only
stimulation in their life being when the lights get switched on
or off or that brief moment when food magically appears from
above. In fairness, for most fish feeding time is probably the
highlight of their day but at least for most there is something
to swim in and around beforehand and afterwards. It may not
change much from day to day but it provides them with cover and
gives them some sort of stimulation and interaction.
I can appreciate that monster fish make monster poops and that
keeping the tank bare makes it much easier to clean and control
the water parameters. But is that really enough to justify
robbing your fish of any source of enrichment. If waiting for
the light to come on or waiting for a food pellet to appear is
all they have to look forward to they would probably rather have
the occasional battle with rising nitrates and have a bit of
decor to interact with. I imagine in bare bottom tanks the fish
must behave differently too, do they show any natural behaviour
at all?
They are hardly the most pleasant things to look at either, more
likely to be kept in a basement than in your living room. The
fish generally are the star of the tank and rightly so but it
makes for a far better viewing experience to see them in
something that resembles a natural environment. Just look at any
of the photos of the great setups on this forum as perfect
examples of how the decor sets up the tank to showcase the fish.
It also enhances the colour of the fish rather than having them
washed out against a non existent backdrop.
As you can tell i'm not a fan of bare bottom tanks. Seeing
single Clown Loaches in bare bottom tanks hits a particular
nerve, why would you do that? There are always going to be those
that will defend them but to me there is no justification for
putting fish in a bare bottom tank unless it is a hospital tank
or a fry tank or some other short term solution prior to the
fish returning to a proper tank.
Rant over. Found this article a while back, highlights some of
the research that has gone into the importance of stimulation to
fish development.
HTML http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20140916-how-do-you-entertain-a-fish
#Post#: 1020--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bare bottom tanks .... the anti aquascape tank
By: scott whitney Date: October 2, 2014, 8:58 am
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I agree. Zoos have known for years that animals kept in natural
habitats (vs cages) have better temperaments and live longer.
Today, zoos go to great lengths and expense to create
stimulating environments. I assume fish are no different.
As stewards of our gifts, it's our moral duty to do the best we
can for our pets.
Besides...... I've always had a rule: If the tank doesn't look
good without fish in it, it's not ready yet.
#Post#: 1028--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bare bottom tanks .... the anti aquascape tank
By: Stu4648 Date: October 2, 2014, 11:25 am
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That is a very good rule, one I am sure that the fish appreciate
too.
#Post#: 1047--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bare bottom tanks .... the anti aquascape tank
By: tim1126az Date: October 2, 2014, 10:04 pm
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That's a GREAT rule Scott.. 8)
When I was researching Discus before we set up our tank, there
was A TON bare bottom tanks...Just seemed clinical, sterile, the
fish were gorgeous but take them away and it's just a glass
bucket...
#Post#: 1064--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bare bottom tanks .... the anti aquascape tank
By: probn Date: October 3, 2014, 9:47 am
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I don't use substrate unless I get a fish who love to play with
it
But I add plenty of hiding places so that they can feel safe
Its fun to watch :D
I agree with this article even if I don't use substrate other
than planted tank ;D
#Post#: 1088--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bare bottom tanks .... the anti aquascape tank
By: Jennifer Date: October 4, 2014, 2:25 am
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I use bare bottom tanks for breeding activities, but even then
most of the bare bottom tanks have something in them. Caves or
driftwood or potted plants or something. But I like planted
tanks, low tech planted tanks because they're really pretty easy
to keep. And when you go that route, you don't get a lot of
detritus buildup. ;D
#Post#: 1091--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bare bottom tanks .... the anti aquascape tank
By: Stu4648 Date: October 4, 2014, 7:26 am
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My tanks are all of the planted low tech nature, they get
planted directly into the gravel or sand at the very start and
other than a weekly dose of liquid plant fertiliser are left to
get on with it.
#Post#: 1099--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bare bottom tanks .... the anti aquascape tank
By: Jennifer Date: October 4, 2014, 11:22 am
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lol, I start mine with a lil liquid fert and root tabs. I don't
grow anything really fancy though. Most of it would probably do
ok without anything added.
#Post#: 1121--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bare bottom tanks .... the anti aquascape tank
By: probn Date: October 5, 2014, 1:13 am
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I use dirt in my planted tank and plants are doing really well
even without any fertiliser ;)
#Post#: 1126--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bare bottom tanks .... the anti aquascape tank
By: simon Date: October 5, 2014, 1:45 am
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I have a 350 ltr Mbuna tank and have always tried to give them
as much rock work as possible. This has two effects on my fish.
Firstly I don't see them as much as i used to when i had them in
my smaller tank with a couple of pieces of rock and secondly,
as someone walks into the room, they disappear!
Now many would argue, 'what's the point of having a fish tank
where you don't see the fish?' It's simple, as stated in Scots
rule, the tank should look good without fish. I'm trying to
create an environment I would like to live in if i were a fish
and my Mbunas seem happy. Yes i get it it's a 52 inch glass box
but most of the fish these days come from 30 or so inch glass
boxes and when they get to my tank i want them to think 'HELL
YEAH, I LIKE WHAT YOU'VE DONE WITH THE PLACE!'
For me personally it's about the fish, not me. I get to see them
interact (as much as is possible in a glass box) as they would
in the wild. I have seen many videos, (Marc at the African
Cichlid hub has released some from his trip to lake Malawi and
are well worth a watch) and they like to dart around in and out
of the rocks as everyone knows. I don't have an overstocked
tank, i even have 2 male P. Demasoni that totally ignore each
other and if you read as much as i have, it's a no no to try
that. The aggression in my tank is relatively nil. Certainly no
hyper dominance and i put that down to the amount of hiding
spaces they have.
This is my rule.
The environment for the fish looking out of the glass is far
more important than the pleasure of the monkeys looking in. ;D
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