Why do they need it?

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Many of these fish have evolved to live in fast flowing waters whichh provide high oxygen content to maintain the highly charged metabolism. Take the ATF, which likes counter current, such as the area beneath water falls, or where rapids collide, it is nearly impossible for any except the most resourceful aquarist to simulate this condition, where dissolved oxygen is at a super saturation level.
 
Good answer duanes.

These are pedarory fish that require high consentrations of o2 to maintane the matabolic rate needed for the environment in which they evolved. Current helps increase the amount of o2 in the water via air exchange at the surface, current also "mixes" the water so o2 depleted water can be brought to the surface where it can be re-oxigenated. This is a very basic answer but it is the general principal of how it works and why. HTH
 
I. No fish thrive in stagnant water. Those fish can be found in calm waters and tributaries

How about rice paddies (labyrinth fish) or seasonal puddles (killies)? Pretty stagnant in my books
;)




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Yeah,labyrinth fish are pretty much built for those kinds of conditions.
 
While atf can be found in wide open pelagic conditions, replicating those conditions is simply not possible in a home aquarium unless you are a millionaire. By putting the fish into a small tank, it is a best management practice to emulate the condition most easily recreated on that tank.

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