[Sir Nathan XXI]

As many of you know I am more focused on the actual care for our fish in the home aquarium than other aspects of the hobby. Over the past few years on the net boards several of us have come up with great ideas to help our fish feel more comfortable. Such things as powerheads to create current, lights on timers so they can get on a schedule, certain decoration schemes, automatic water changers, and a vast array of other things. Every now and then I come up with goofy ideas that might be better for them. So I would like to hear ideas you fellas have on making your fish have a better life in its glass house.

Please dont knock on others ideas in this post (if you dont agree, say so and leave it at that), lets brain strom together, lets here your ideas!

 

[Grosse Gurke]

I know my fish like letterman so I make sure every night I smoke a bowl and watch letterman with them. :smile:

 

[bobme]

I belive your righ, however there is some thing about a Tank .. that prb makes a fish not so happy 100%
however i do think lights on a timer is a good thing, and also power heads are good. and heaters n stuff.

 

[readingbabelfish]

Yeah, I've got the light timer, some nice swordplants, and a spraybar for current along the back wall. I accidently dug a hole for one of my plants in the gravel, then decided not to plant it there and forgot to cover the hole. I have noticed the p's like to sit in this hole so the current from the spraybar passes over thieir dorsal fins. They just sit there and they seem to like this a lot. Other than this and dropping the food in the same spot all the time, I don't know what else I could do for them.

 

[SnowCichlid.]

Dithers are always good and decors that allow to illiminate all light if need be...

 

[Sir Nathan XXI]

I have noticed that when I had bubbles from an air pump they would hover in that stream of bubbles going up, its like a massage for them

 

[Mr. Hannibal]

Agree! Powerheads, wood as decoration, high planted tank, low intensity lights and bubble wall!

 

[westy_UK]

And maybe tint the water colour? my Rhom seems to like this better, my wood decor does this for me.

You could also use black water extract. Avaliable from most aquatic centers.

 

[Innes]

I find that my fish - and not just the piranhas - Like to have lots of hiding places where they can swin into and be coverd over, also they like darker gravel, not bright gravel.
Mine are not botherd by powerheads, and I have only ever had crap fish and eels trying to swim against the current.
as for lights, mine don't care if the light is on or off, and their is no regular time for the lights to go on or off - its totally random.
I think they would like it if I blacked out the sides of the tanks, as my piranhas like to stay near the back where the glass has a cover over it and it is darker.
I find when my fish are out they hide if people go too close, but when people are about 1/2 a meter away or more from them, they (my piranhas and severum) stare at the nearest person to the tank as if we are the ones on display.
my fish don't seem distressed so I figure I must be doing something right, but then again how can a fish look sad?
but they don't show the kind of signs of stress assosiated with unhappy fish.

 

[Outie]

From my experiences i've noticed that p's really seem to like to be in larger groups. I've have in the past kept like 3 p's together and now with keeping more p's in a tank together they get along a lot better than i've ever seen. Also they are more fun to watch because there is more going on.

 

[Judazzz]

From my experiences i've noticed that p's really seem to like to be in larger groups.

I think you're right on that one, and I've noticed the same with my reds. Only downside is that if one freaks out about something, he drags the others with him, and in no time all my reds are erratically darting around (and no one except one probably knows why they do that in the first place

).
As far as tank setup: I think the more natural looking it is (lots of plants, wood and rocks) the more the fish (not just p's) feel at ease. They live in a surrounding that looks like the only they inhabit in the wild (and this is what they are adapted to), and it provides lots of cover, where they can hide in case the fish feel the urge to do so. I think having the possibility to hide creates a certain level of comfort (in fishy terms, that is...)

 

[bobme]

just a questoin here, please dont take it the worng way.
I am all for making my fish feel at home or at lest the best i can do for them and try to make them happy and a stree-free life in a tank. Thats why i am building a huge tank.

Any way, to make them feel most at home, should our tanks look like this?

 

[Judazzz]

I guess so, but I don't want to level my cities downtown area just to accomodate my piranha's

But I really like that leave-covered bottom

 

[bobme]

I guess so, but I don't want to level my cities downtown area just to accomodate my piranha's

But I really like that leave-covered bottom

yea it looks cool, i wounder what it would do for water control.

 

[Xenon]

I think with leaves as a substrate you will stress the bio load way to much. Those leaves are going to constantly decay. Food will get buried in them and decay as well. Might be cool if you have some SERIOUS filtration.

 

[bobme]

I think with leaves as a substrate you will stress the bio load way to much. Those leaves are going to constantly decay. Food will get buried in them and decay as well. Might be cool if you have some SERIOUS filtration.

true. however i am still going to try the web cam underawter for you guys, however i am unsure if i will try leaves, even though i am using a wet/dry that i am making.