Natural, i'm not sure........

[Ricky 1]

We buy tropical fish and create a natural biotope without the predators and what real life throws at them.......so I think
Tropical fish keeping is Nature on a "life support machine", would you agree?

 

[Yorg]

It's certainly an artificial environment, compared to what they would experience in the state of nature. And, they're completely dependent upon us for everything. That's why I encourage newbies to think carefully and understand what's involved before getting into the hobby. Wasn't it in "Spider Man" that someone said "with great power comes great responsibility"?

-Yorg

We buy tropical fish and create a natural biotope without the predators and what real life throws at them.......so I think
Tropical fish keeping is Nature on a "life support machine", would you agree?

 

[Pseudomugil]

It's certainly an artificial environment, compared to what they would experience in the state of nature. And, they're completely dependent upon us for everything. That's why I encourage newbies to think carefully and understand what's involved before getting into the hobby. Wasn't it in "Spider Man" that someone said "with great power comes great responsibility"?

-Yorg

Great response. I totally agree.

 

[gilpi]

We buy tropical fish and create a natural biotope without the predators and what real life throws at them.......so I think
Tropical fish keeping is Nature on a "life support machine", would you agree?

Agree.
We can never duplicate their natural environment in a square glass container.


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[TheresaM]

That being said I at least feel that the environments I create for my fish are far more natural than the lfs.

 

[Fresh2o]

The LFS is just a staging area. Or holding cell.
The fish in my tank are not found together in the wild. Not even in the same continent. But they are compatible by size and temperament. The plants in my tank would never appear like this in nature. Most likely you would find a monoculture of a plant species, not 10-12 different types neatly manicured. What I have is more like a floral arrangement.
Yes, it's eye candy. For me. But hopefully the settings and conditions will be favorable for the fishes survival. Do they care that there is DW or a sponge bob statue in there? Probably not.


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[fishliker]

I agree. I think taking care to provide an environment that is the most natural we can give them makes them more relaxed and brings out the best behavior in our fish. This is what I enjoy the most as I watch them in my tanks.


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[TheresaM]

I agree. I think taking care to provide an environment that is the most natural we can give them makes them more relaxed and brings out the best behavior in our fish. This is what I enjoy the most as I watch them in my tanks.

Absolutely! My Project Tank is based on Walstad...dirt capped with a small layer of gravel, lots of rooted and floating plants, no light, no heater, no filter, no ferts. The fish and shrimp are active, have great color. Looking at it reminds me of being able to take a peek into a small lake. It even has that nice clean lake smell!

 

[Ricky 1]

Looks like we are on the same wavelength, I like the fact that we have to do our best for them no matter what crops up, power cuts would be my worst nightmare...

 

[TheresaM]

Looks like we are on the same wavelength, I like the fact that we have to do our best for them no matter what crops up, power cuts would be my worst nightmare...

Years ago we were living in a third floor apartment, it was a crazy hot summer, and I had 10-12 tanks running. Had some bad storms and lost power. Definitely a nightmare, lost so many fish

 

[Fresh2o]

Years ago we were living in a third floor apartment, it was a crazy hot summer, and I had 10-12 tanks running. Had some bad storms and lost power. Definitely a nightmare, lost so many fish

Theresa - Were you here a few summers back when the derecho hit the east coast and it caused massive power outages? Temps were 90-95 during the day and my neighborhood was without power for over 5 days! The fish in my single tank were fine (attribute this to under stocking). Fortunately, I was sipping cold beverages in OBX that week so I missed the debacle.
Back on track: I do like seeing the mini replicas of habitats such as the Amazon River, FW creek, SW marsh, etc. These are usually large and found only in public aquaria and museums.


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[TheresaM]

Theresa - Were you here a few summers back when the derecho hit the east coast and it caused massive power outages? Temps were 90-95 during the day and my neighborhood was without power for over 5 days! The fish in my single tank were fine (attribute this to under stocking). Fortunately, I was sipping cold beverages in OBX that week so I missed the debacle.

Oh yeah, I remember that. That was before I got back into the hobby and only had a 3g betta tank running at the time.

 

[ImACoolguy]

Well seeing as some natural environments are.. Pretty bland...

If we recreated all the natural environments we would greatly limit stocking, the tanks would not look as beautiful as they do, and we would all be feeding love food, algae, and plant matter.

I think as long as you can tell the fish are happy there is no problem with it, giving it a natural feel is personal opinion and an added bonus. Plenty of fish live in "fake" aquariums with spongebob houses and live long happy lives.


Caleb

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[Ricky 1]

Like someone said earlier, I don't think a fish would know the difference Caleb, so long as the water chemistry is good, design is up to the individual.....

 

[Ricky 1]

A friend of mine came up with a good analogy to my question,.......... "Or an advancement of their civilization". Perhaps the difference between wild dogs on the Serengeti & Foofoo the poodle.

 

[trennamw]

What I find funny, as some have alluded to, is the extent to which people will go (or the things they justify) by saying "but that's the natural habitat." Just because it's the natural habitat doesn't mean it's optimal. For instance that whole "bettas live in puddles" thing.


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