Dark background on your arowana tank?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
doubt its the background....IMO

maybe they total grew out and decieded not to fight anymore due to space.
 
so... im guessing u havent read about this article about backgrounds...
in this research, fish that were keep in a darker bg tends to be more aggressive than the ones that were kept in a light bg one. :)
 
You guys, you guys. I agree with all you na-sayers. It sounds hokey. I totaly agree. I also agree with the one guy who suggested I put it back on to see if it increased again. What he's really saying is, this ONE test does not make a very thourogh experment. I already thought of that. It isn't thorough. But, All I'm sharing with you is that this rediculous theory has REALLY worked in my tank. Some of you might wonder if my will for this to work is affecting my judgement of weather it did. I really did NOT think it was going to work, but there can be no doubt that this is a MUCH MUCH calmer group of arowanas in my tank than were there immediatly before I took it off.
 
HiGhTiMeZ;528669; said:
so... im guessing u havent read about this article about backgrounds...
in this research, fish that were keep in a darker bg tends to be more aggressive than the ones that were kept in a light bg one. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah AFAICR (CR = can remember ;) ) I posted that one up..
 
Probably its because the background covers up the tank such that they can't see the outside world and face each other all the time, thats why they fight. After removing the background, they have more things outside the tank to see and distract their attention from one another. Probably....just guessing...hehe
 
2 aro's, black background, no real agression. my smaller aro tends to snap at the bigger one once in a while. but i doubt its the background. cuz the background is still up, and that was months ago.
 
I have a black background on my tank and the Aro is fine with most of the fish except the Clown Knife :confused:
 
Hmm??... I had thought it was the exact oppisite?? :uhoh: Interesting.

Article:
Facts on Background Colour

http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/full/205/16/2535

In salmonid fish, a darker skin colour has been suggested to signal social subordination. Substratum color is another factor affecting skin pigmentation in fish; in the present experiment, juvenile Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) were acclimated and allowed to interact in pairs for 5 days on a pale or dark background colour. Skin darkness was quantified prior to and following social interaction. Furthermore, agonistic behaviour and skin darkness were quantified, together with plasma levels of cortisol, adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and -melanocyte-stimulating hormone ( -MSH), and brain levels of monoamines and monoamine metabolites. The results show that fish interacting on a white background were more aggressive than those interacting on a black background. Social subordination resulted in skin darkening in fish kept on a white background, but not in fish kept on a black background. Furthermore, subordinate fish on a white background showed an elevation of brain norepinephric activity, an effect not seen in subordinate fish on a black background. Subordinate fish on both white and black backgrounds showed a similar activation of the brain serotonergic system and the hypothalamic—pituitary—interrenal axis. These results support the suggestion that skin darkening in subordinates acts as a social signal announcing social submission.

The hypothesis that skin darkening serves as a social signal in Arctic charr, acting to reduce unnecessary fights and energy loss in an established dominance hierarchy (O'Connor et al., 1999 ; Höglund et al., 2000 ). Fish on a white background showed a brighter skin colour and in these pairs the dominant fish performed more aggressive acts than did dominant fish on a black background. This observation may be explained by a dark fish representing less of a threat, and thus eliciting less aggression, than a pale conspecific. Higher levels of aggression resulted in a more intense social stress, as indicated by elevated brain norepinephrine activity, in subordinate fish kept on a white background. The more intense stress experienced by subordinates kept on the white background may explain why socially induced skin darkening in subordinate fish was observed only on this background. However, another explanation could be that fish acclimated to a black background colour had already reached a maximum level of skin darkening.
Click to expand...
 
I wonder if thats why my green is such an @$$ to his tankmates. too bad my background is siliconed to the tank. Any way of counter-acitng the dark background with out removing it that you know off?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom