Cosmopolitan stocking

[fishhead0103666]

Keeping fish to me is like an ice cream store, sure I like what Bluebell has to offer and the vast majority of their flavors but what about other brands? Maybe I want to add some birthday cake from mayfield, maybe I want to test how they are together and see how it goes.

Why should I be stuck with just one brand when I can cherry pick individual pints from various brands into one delightful hodgepodge where all the flavors compliment each other instead of going against each other?

 

[jjohnwm]

I make sure that fish I keep together are suited to the same general water conditions and temperatures, and of course they need to be compatible in terms of size and temperament as well. Beyond that, the whole "biotope" idea is largely lost on me. If I were worried about it, then I would also have to consider the type and origin of the substrate, rocks, wood and plants as well...and I simply don't. Does anyone go to that extreme? If not...is your tank really a biotope if the sand came from Canada, the driftwood from Africa and the plants from around the world?

As far as worrying about disease transmission between species that would never co-exist in nature, I never give it a thought. The vast majority of fish I buy are captive bred for many generations back; they have likely lost any special sensitivity to a particular disease or pathogen, much as they would become more accepting of water conditions that differ from their natural homes than wild-caught fish. Rather than going out of my way to source wild-caught fish...as many aquarists apparently do...I go the other way. If a species is bred in captivity, then I definitely prefer captive-bred stock. If I have a particular desire for a species that is only available as wild-caught, then my normal quasi-paranoid quarantine periods of at least 6 weeks or more will stretch into months...for the sake of both the new specimens and my existing ones.

 

[Ogertron3000]

I make sure that fish I keep together are suited to the same general water conditions and temperatures, and of course they need to be compatible in terms of size and temperament as well. Beyond that, the whole "biotope" idea is largely lost on me. If I were worried about it, then I would also have to consider the type and origin of the substrate, rocks, wood and plants as well...and I simply don't. Does anyone go to that extreme? If not...is your tank really a biotope if the sand came from Canada, the driftwood from Africa and the plants from around the world?

As far as worrying about disease transmission between species that would never co-exist in nature, I never give it a thought. The vast majority of fish I buy are captive bred for many generations back; they have likely lost any special sensitivity to a particular disease or pathogen, much as they would become more accepting of water conditions that differ from their natural homes than wild-caught fish. Rather than going out of my way to source wild-caught fish...as many aquarists apparently do...I go the other way. If a species is bred in captivity, then I definitely prefer captive-bred stock. If I have a particular desire for a species that is only available as wild-caught, then my normal quasi-paranoid quarantine periods of at least 6 weeks or more will stretch into months...for the sake of both the new specimens and my existing ones.

I often wonder about captive bred fish. After multiple generations of being bred in captivity, say a guppy for example, how much would they have adjusted to the local water as opposed to their natural waters. I wonder how much difference it makes and if you tried to artificially turn your tapwater to meet their natural water would it do more harm than good. Also as far as tankmates go, would a guppy know or care that its sharing a tank with a fish from an area totally different from its natural habitat? As long as they arent trying to eat each other i do wonder what effect it has.

I am currently on bit of a biotope trip but I think a lot of the time its more for the fishkeepers satisfaction than the fishes. No harm in it at all and I do suspect fish would prefer to be kept with other fish and plants from their habitat and have the tank scaped to replicate their naural enviroment as thats what they have evolved for but unless they use a specific plant for breeding or food does a south american fish turn their nose up at some anubias or are they just happy to have a plant to chill out under?

 

[duanes]

Trying to keep a flora correct biotope using endemic plants is very difficult, even when collecting.
When I first set up my current 180, I went on a collecting trip to Lake Gatun, here in Panama, and grabbed about 6 species of plants.
At least 3 of them turned out to be Asian, and they were some of the most successful aquatic plants in the lake.

I wasn't surprised, beside the successful plants species, some of the most common cichlids in the lake are invaders from other countries, Cichla peacock bass, Oscars, and Tilapia.
We finished off the collecting trip at a bar that had large tank with fish they were proud to say were collected the lake, none were endemic, one of each of the above species, and a managuense.
It was an interesting collecting trip no less, also collected mosquito fish to help cycle my tank, and saw some interesting stuff along the way.