OK, I'm going to throw my 2 cents worth into the mix.
Do something about the bottom. You want your fish to act normal. In the wild do fish see through the bottom of a glass tank? Think about the stress of seeing deep into the river but not being able to access it past the weird barrier beneath you. In addition, if you have an open stand think about the shadows that the fish see moving beneath them. Talk a bout a horrifying situation. They think there is something lurking down there that may eat them.
Even if you have a stand with a solid top so that the fish simply see the wood beneath the bottom it is not normal. At the very least it makes for a horrid display. It simply has no esthetics whatsoever. I agree that sand and gravel can be a pain with big messy fish. It's hard to keep clean and nitrates tend to build up. You can paint the underside of the glass but that still causes reflections. Placing something flat, smooth and easy to clean on the bottom of the tank on the inside is a very simple solution. That is the reason I placed ceramic tiles on the bottom of my tank. Yes, those are my lenticulata pikes. Thanks for the compliments by the way. Tiles are easy to cut with a hand held tool. There are no excuses for not doing this. And I gurantee you that you can get the tile for much cheaper than you would enough substrate to cover the bottom. You can even rent tile cutters from places like Home Depot for $20.
Next, put something in the tank that floats. Any large plastic plant or floating driftwood will work. This gives them a sense of comfort as they feel protection above them from diving birds and other such predators. Look at Tongue's tank. It's a perfect example of a situation that makes the fish feel at ease. You have to remember that until just a few short weeks ago your fish were more than likely in the wild trying to avoid situation where they may be picked off. A bare tank with no substrate and no cover is a recipe for absolute fright. Any movement they see outside the tank registers a flight reaction because they don't know what's making the motion. Sometimes they spook themselves.
I've seen recommendations for removing all decor. I disagree with this. Fish that are comfortable do not hide. In fact, I'd argue that fish which know they have a safe lace to hide if needed are more likely to swim about. The poor fish that is afraid and forced to sit in a bare tank with no other option. How much more stressful can it get?
Put some big stupid fish in the tank. Dither fish. If the Pbass see something swimming about, unafraid they will feel more comfortable. Tinfoil barbs, silver dollars & bala sharks all make great dithers. I saw someone mention Oscars. That's fine but remeber that Oscars can be aggressive and may harrass your more timid PBass. Watch them closely.
Check your pH. In tanks housing large, messy fish pH has a tendency to drop quickly without warning. If it gets too low it can cause a condition in fish known as acidosis. Symptoms include extreme skittishness and crashing about the tank when spooked. A simple water change will rectify the problem almost immediately. I've personally seen this with large oscars.
Check your temperature. Low temps (low 70's) can cause extreme skittishness.
If all else fails your fish may have parasites. These can cause the fish to fly about the tank scratching on rocks and driftwood. In addition they make a fish skittish (I seem to use that word a lot).
My 125 has 5 wild caught PBass in it. The bottom is covered and they have some driftwood which to duck behind if they feel the need. Most of the time they are out and about begging for food but even after a couple of years in my tank they still crash about and hide. It's just a natural reaction. The biggest thing to remember is that theese are wild caught fish. They have been placed in a very unnatural surrounding. You need to make them feel comfortable. Once they feel comfortable they will swim about unafraid.
OK... so that was a bit more than 2 cents worth.
Do something about the bottom. You want your fish to act normal. In the wild do fish see through the bottom of a glass tank? Think about the stress of seeing deep into the river but not being able to access it past the weird barrier beneath you. In addition, if you have an open stand think about the shadows that the fish see moving beneath them. Talk a bout a horrifying situation. They think there is something lurking down there that may eat them.
Even if you have a stand with a solid top so that the fish simply see the wood beneath the bottom it is not normal. At the very least it makes for a horrid display. It simply has no esthetics whatsoever. I agree that sand and gravel can be a pain with big messy fish. It's hard to keep clean and nitrates tend to build up. You can paint the underside of the glass but that still causes reflections. Placing something flat, smooth and easy to clean on the bottom of the tank on the inside is a very simple solution. That is the reason I placed ceramic tiles on the bottom of my tank. Yes, those are my lenticulata pikes. Thanks for the compliments by the way. Tiles are easy to cut with a hand held tool. There are no excuses for not doing this. And I gurantee you that you can get the tile for much cheaper than you would enough substrate to cover the bottom. You can even rent tile cutters from places like Home Depot for $20.
Next, put something in the tank that floats. Any large plastic plant or floating driftwood will work. This gives them a sense of comfort as they feel protection above them from diving birds and other such predators. Look at Tongue's tank. It's a perfect example of a situation that makes the fish feel at ease. You have to remember that until just a few short weeks ago your fish were more than likely in the wild trying to avoid situation where they may be picked off. A bare tank with no substrate and no cover is a recipe for absolute fright. Any movement they see outside the tank registers a flight reaction because they don't know what's making the motion. Sometimes they spook themselves.
I've seen recommendations for removing all decor. I disagree with this. Fish that are comfortable do not hide. In fact, I'd argue that fish which know they have a safe lace to hide if needed are more likely to swim about. The poor fish that is afraid and forced to sit in a bare tank with no other option. How much more stressful can it get?
Put some big stupid fish in the tank. Dither fish. If the Pbass see something swimming about, unafraid they will feel more comfortable. Tinfoil barbs, silver dollars & bala sharks all make great dithers. I saw someone mention Oscars. That's fine but remeber that Oscars can be aggressive and may harrass your more timid PBass. Watch them closely.
Check your pH. In tanks housing large, messy fish pH has a tendency to drop quickly without warning. If it gets too low it can cause a condition in fish known as acidosis. Symptoms include extreme skittishness and crashing about the tank when spooked. A simple water change will rectify the problem almost immediately. I've personally seen this with large oscars.
Check your temperature. Low temps (low 70's) can cause extreme skittishness.
If all else fails your fish may have parasites. These can cause the fish to fly about the tank scratching on rocks and driftwood. In addition they make a fish skittish (I seem to use that word a lot).
My 125 has 5 wild caught PBass in it. The bottom is covered and they have some driftwood which to duck behind if they feel the need. Most of the time they are out and about begging for food but even after a couple of years in my tank they still crash about and hide. It's just a natural reaction. The biggest thing to remember is that theese are wild caught fish. They have been placed in a very unnatural surrounding. You need to make them feel comfortable. Once they feel comfortable they will swim about unafraid.
OK... so that was a bit more than 2 cents worth.
Scat!!
, let me compliment you on the tank. Very nice!
completely with Scat. Again, nice tanks and fish.