Mirrors - Beneficial or Detrimental?

[Tilapia-mariae]

I've used a mirror around mid-level for a while and had 1 maybe 2 fish flare up at it then move on because the oscars would generally move anyone around mid-top level. The oscars are gone and everyone has stepped up their aggression; i've moved the mirror to lower level and everyone seems to be extremely interested.

The JD's just sit and admire their reflection. The largest polleni slams against the glass with mouth open wide maybe once an hour or more. The one that is worrying me is the male GT; he doesn't leave the mirrior unless the polleni comes through to the spot. He will flare, try and liplock his own reflection constantly.

Is this good or bad? Is it an annoyance to them?

[IcK]

I sometimes use it for my fish just to see their colors better or to get them to flare up and things like that, I have also heard that it can be bad for them because it seems to stress the fish out a little bit, so if i was you i wouldnt keep it permenatly just bring it out everyonce in a while for a good showing

-Jay

[DucatiDragster]

So yes is good and no is bad?

[Tilapia-mariae]

Lol.. oops.

Yes - Beneficial
No - Detrimental

[Hot Slime]

I dont see a benefit of using a mirror. It just stresses out your fish.

[Pyramid_Party]

No reason to do it. All you are doing is making your fish think theres another fish there. Youre stressing them, and they could get an injury from slamming the glass. Your choice if you want a fish with a busted lip or something worse.

[Tilapia-mariae]

Mmm im loving the fact the GT has ended his wussy past 6 months but think ill keep the mirror for once every while as opposed to having it our 24/7.

[freshwaterfishing]

I dont see it being good for them. it just stresses them out.

[janzal3]

I sometimes use it for my fish just to see their colors better or to get them to flare up and things like that, I have also heard that it can be bad for them because it seems to stress the fish out a little bit, so if i was you i wouldnt keep it permenatly just bring it out everyonce in a while for a good showing

-Jay

Agreed!

[Jason_S]

I don't see a fish getting injured by a flat piece of glass. I also don't think it stresses them out so much as it just pisses them off. There's no difference in putting a mirror next to the tank and putting 2 tanks right next to each other with glass bangers in each one.

The one thing it DOES do is promote the aggression which, in cichlids that grow nuchal humps, can make the nuchal hump grow larger. Some flowerhorn and red devil/midas owners do this. In fact I have before. I have a mirror next to my amarillo tank and can tell the hump on the largest male is already a bit larger. Thing is though, he doesn't bang the glass all day long. He does notice it from time to time but it's not like he's staring at it constantly and he does not show any signs of stress from it so as of now I leave it there all the time.

What you want to do if you do try something like this is pay very close attention to the cichlid and if it is paying constant attention 24/7 to the mirror and is constantly banging towards it then yes, I'd only keep it there for an hour or 2 a day at most. This will give him a little exercise, give him a chance to "flex his muscle" but also give him the majority of the rest of the day to relax knowing he's the king of his domain and doesn't have any threats around. However, if there are other large cichlids in the tank then having the mirror isn't much different than having the other cichlids in the tank. ;)

[nomadofthehills]

This is an old betta fish trick. You use the mirror to piss off your fish, but then you remove it before your fish leaves. This is so your fish thinks he won. This will increase confidence in your fish, and may promote nuchal hump growth.

[dragonfish]

Anything that triggers and continues a fight or flight response cannot be good for any creature.

[cichlidfish]

I think it stresses fish out a lot. When fish are stressed, their health gets worse, and they could injure themselves. They can break a jaw by charging the glass.