Bare tanks

[Loshmitchell101]

Wow lotta hate for bare tanks huh? I can go either way on them on one end I can see where the fish might not get much to interact with, but who thinks their decorated tank is anywhere near as interactive as their wild waters? It isnt. Maybe .0001% so you could call any decorations somewhat pointless. On the other side bare tanks tend to be cleaner so you could argue if you arent doing everything possible to provide your fish with the best water by having decoration which tends to hold junk that dirties the water.

To each their own. I try to be somewhere in the middle. I want simple setup for good water quality and to make fish the center of attention but want the fish to have a little cover too.

I absolutely agree with you. Ive kept bare bottom tanks in the past with minimal decorations because they are so much cleaner. I think you have to find a middle ground between decorations and substrate. I really dont think our tanks are
as stimulating as we think they are. I think the only stimulation they receive is from their tank mates. Therefore in my bare bottom tanks i only keep large community aggressive or non-aggressive. I think it comes down to your stock and less about gravel or fake plants/hides.

 

[xraycer]

Wow lotta hate for bare tanks huh? I can go either way on them on one end I can see where the fish might not get much to interact with, but who thinks their decorated tank is anywhere near as interactive as their wild waters? It isnt. Maybe .0001% so you could call any decorations somewhat pointless. On the other side bare tanks tend to be cleaner so you could argue if you arent doing everything possible to provide your fish with the best water by having decoration which tends to hold junk that dirties the water.

To each their own. I try to be somewhere in the middle. I want simple setup for good water quality and to make fish the center of attention but want the fish to have a little cover too.

Agreed.

 

[pops]

If you're going to go that empathetic route, then you should not be keeping anything, since aquariums are just glass cages after all.

agreed. but sense we do then we need to try to make it as home like for them as we can, that is still aesthetically pleasing to us. the next level would be fish conservationist. In which case we would not be keeping fish but beating the horn on not keeping fish. point being try to have them in an environment that lets them act like they would in there natural environment.

 

[jsodwi]

Well I have bare bottom tanks. The only thing I have is a few pieces of large driftwood which my fish drag all over the tank. My fish are all from 15-30" I don't know who is the authority on saying bare tanks are bad for fish but I've raised most of my fish from babies and most of them are over 5 years old. Don't get me wrong I like the natural look of gravel and plants which I used to have, but removed once the fish got so big and destroyed plants and moved all the rocks and scratched up the acrylic.

 

[ehh]

I don't think they're pointless. My midevil moves gravel day and night. He even pushes the seashells around. My loner peacock lives in his cave.
Without that stuff the midevil would just float around all day. And im sure the peacock would be stressed out of his mind without a hiding place.

I'm sure it's a small fraction of what what they get in the wild but something isnt nothing.


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[xraycer]

But that's still something to interact with. In nature there is always something to react to. The stimuli doesn't need to be another living animal just something that allows for somewhat normal behavior like hiding spots, territory to set up

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My fishes' main stimulation is if I'm gonna feed them every time I'm near the tank lol

 

[xraycer]

agreed. but sense we do then we need to try to make it as home like for them as we can, that is still aesthetically pleasing to us. the next level would be fish conservationist. In which case we would not be keeping fish but beating the horn on not keeping fish. point being try to have them in an environment that lets them act like they would in there natural environment.

I get your point and in no way arguing with you, but what is natural and do fish actually prefer natural. Being a fishermen, I know that fish tend to gather around as much man-made structures as they do natural structures. So, does "natural" applies to them(fish)? Would a fish rather take up shelter in a cave made from rock arrangements or a football helmet placed in the tank?

 

[pops]

I do not think they care, lots of sunken reefs with everything from sunk ships to tires tied together. they after the structure and point of reference IMHO, fish claim territory by the decor or structures around them, or just identify with there surroundings. I feel they need this to act naturally, if they diggers like most cichlids give them something to dig, if they stalkers give them plants to hide in to stalk, wither they stalking any thing or not. if they cave dwellers give them a cave.

 

[celebrist]

I agree that bare bottom tanks are far easier to keep clean so water quality is probably better. The decor is as much for me as my fish.

 

[professor_rob]

I personally prefer tanks with a natural look. I like trying to created a natural looking environment that suits my fish and impresses people who look at the tank. (Although I am hopeless at aquascaping)

Saying that some of the monster and exotic fish look amazing in a simple tank where they are the focal point.
These type of fish like large arowanas and wide bar dats just grab your attention you don't even notice the tank.

Many of these are impossible to get in Australia hence probably why I prefer a natural look.

I think the argument of bare bottom or scaped depends more on the species/personality of the fish rather than is it easier to keep clean or not. I have a decent size tank and do basically no maintenance on it, it stays very clean with 0ppm nitrates. Just use a glass magnet and change filter socks every now and then. You just have to have it set up right in the first place.

In my experience some fish prefer to have hiding spots, territories and points of references, some fish need hiding spots. While some fish probably aren't that bothered about it. Same as how some fish need to be kept in schools/shoals and some fish don't care.

I also agree we provide tiny habitats compared to nature but I (and almost everyone here) try to do the best we can for our fish.


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