I want to keep my fish happy first and foremost. I am transferring my Chocolate cichlid from a 55g growout to 90g tank, which will be his permanent home. In the 55g he's currently being grown out in, I have large pebbles which he loves to pick up and move around, showing the glass underneath. A couple of times a day, he can be found moving pebbles around.
Now, in setting up the 90g I want to make the tank very clean looking and kinda bare. I like the way a tank looks without substrate and very little in it, and a black background. I thought about sand, or pebbles again, but would prefer bare bottom for cleanup purposes. Am I doing a disservice to my fish by not setting it up with something natural for him to do, and that he likes to do? I wanted to put in just a few larger (4-6") cobble stones from a river, a bunch of skinny de-barked dead oak branches and oak leafs for tannins/blackwater effect, and leave it at that. But, I am not so sure my fish would be content without substrate to dig and play with. I plan to likely get a few smaller fish (2-3 fish, 3-6" at full size) too, from that region if possible. Basically, I want to set up a biotope without substrate for a fish I know likes to dig. Is that an alright idea, or not so much? Is he gonna poop twice as much because he is pissed at me and has nothing better to do? lol
Sorry if that was long winded, I missed sleeping last night and cannot think straight.
I put this in the SA/CA section because of the fish (Chocolate cichlid) mentioned, figuring more people with SA/CA cichlids would have experience with similar fish and digging.
Now, in setting up the 90g I want to make the tank very clean looking and kinda bare. I like the way a tank looks without substrate and very little in it, and a black background. I thought about sand, or pebbles again, but would prefer bare bottom for cleanup purposes. Am I doing a disservice to my fish by not setting it up with something natural for him to do, and that he likes to do? I wanted to put in just a few larger (4-6") cobble stones from a river, a bunch of skinny de-barked dead oak branches and oak leafs for tannins/blackwater effect, and leave it at that. But, I am not so sure my fish would be content without substrate to dig and play with. I plan to likely get a few smaller fish (2-3 fish, 3-6" at full size) too, from that region if possible. Basically, I want to set up a biotope without substrate for a fish I know likes to dig. Is that an alright idea, or not so much? Is he gonna poop twice as much because he is pissed at me and has nothing better to do? lol
Sorry if that was long winded, I missed sleeping last night and cannot think straight.
I put this in the SA/CA section because of the fish (Chocolate cichlid) mentioned, figuring more people with SA/CA cichlids would have experience with similar fish and digging.
