Tank Ornaments - Are they necessary?

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4D3

4D3

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Jan 21, 2013
984
47
61
United Kingdom
Hi,

I was wondering if it was necessary to have ornaments in the tank? I have just been cleaning my tank and had the ornaments out because they were getting a bit grubby and i looked at the tank and realized that i actually liked the tank with just the sand!!

The fish are all fine with no ornaments, they dont seem to care, they have more room to swim about.


Should i put them back in or can i leave then without them?

Thanks
 
4D3 said:
Hi,

I was wondering if it was necessary to have ornaments in the tank? I have just been cleaning my tank and had the ornaments out because they were getting a bit grubby and i looked at the tank and realized that i actually liked the tank with just the sand!!

The fish are all fine with no ornaments, they dont seem to care, they have more room to swim about.


Should i put them back in or can i leave then without them?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Depending on the fish I'd leave em out for sure. But if some fish are picking on others you might want some kind of hiding place or cover for a retreat. But overall no ornaments aren't a mandatory thing just helpful with breaking lines of sight and hiding places.


Sent from my iPad using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
JwHiser13 said:
Depending on the fish I'd leave em out for sure. But if some fish are picking on others you might want some kind of hiding place or cover for a retreat. But overall no ornaments aren't a mandatory thing just helpful with breaking lines of sight and hiding places.


Sent from my iPad using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Click to expand...
Its an american cichlid tank,to be honest there was only 2 ornaments in there but it looks cool without!

thanks
 
They do provide another surface for bacteria to grow and some fish will use them as markers to define their territory. But as long as you have sufficient filtration and have no aggression issues that the fish become stressed it would be fine.
 
1) Anything in a tank that creates a distraction or a landmark to a fish adds to the complexity of the tank. Complexity reduces aggression. Anything that reduces the sight one fish has of another enhances a fish's sense of owning his own space which appears to also reduce aggression.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922102241.htm

2) I've also read that fish raised in complex tanks exhibit better learning behavior (or memory) than those raised in tanks that had empty surroundings.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130730193532.htm

Obviously, a small sunken ship or "No Fishing" sign do not offer very much of (1), but they offer a small bit of (2).
 
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