SOME FISH FOR THOUGHT ​🐬​

[DaveSamsell]

SOME FISH FOR THOUGHT

 

As fellow Aquarists, whether we admit it or not, fish are part of our families.

 

For most of us, we spend a lot of time, money & effort, giving our aquatic friends the best possible existence.

They are there in our “ups & downs” of life. Always reminding us that life, in general, is more than just about ourselves, as individuals.

I know they personally cheer me up a lot of times and am always looking forward to spending time with them and my aquariums.

 

Watching their sometimes crazy antics and behaviors is very amusing.

I think that's what I like best about fish-keeping; the simplicity of the hobby, in contrast to the complex world.

 

What unique characteristics do you like best about your fish?

 

Enjoy your fish!!!!!    🐳🐠🐡    

 

 

[StephenP2003]

Honestly, I just enjoy seeing them behave as they would in the wild, no matter the behavior. Gives me a sense of well-being that I'm doing things right. 

[Daniel]

5 minutes ago, StephenP2003 said:

Honestly, I just enjoy seeing them behave as they would in the wild, no matter the behavior. Gives me a sense of well-being that I'm doing things right. 

I agree with @StephenP2003, I love wild type behavior but especially parental behavior. It’s part of the reason I gravitate to cichlids.

[Brandy]

I think for me there is currently an element of controlling something in an out of control world.

So, I love the cute things they do, I like watching my new kuhli loaches squiggle around, I like watching my red Betta (named Satan) "hunting" his pellets, and begging the rest of the time like the pellet junkie he is. I like learning new things about water parameters and gear.

But I really like putting together shapes and colors, in fish, hardscape, and plants, that make a balanced, soothing composition. I am creating a scene. The fact that there are a lot of technical things that also have to balance for the fish to be happy and the scene to work just keeps my overactive brain distracted from obsessing over things outside of my ability to influence.

I did the same thing on my shelves and in my living room and kitchen. Once all the closets were tastefully organized, I got fish. Now it is chaos, and I have so many things to fix that I am happy again. I am miserable without a challenging but achievable goal.

I don't want this to sound like I don't care about the lives in the tanks--they are pets and I name them, love them, worry if they are sick, and try to do right by them. But the reason for getting them is a little different than for other people, I think.

I feel like this makes me both normal (pandemics are stressful) and something of a weirdo. Like who adds stress when there seems to be too much going on?

Edited July 29, 2020 by Brandy

[Elquinjena]

My betta, Hunter, is the most colorful and strangest betta I have had to date.
He got the name Hunter because of the way he hunts the bottom of the tank looking for nibbles. ( danio eggs, baby shrimp I think).

He is also a dare devil, he has explored every kook and cranny of the tank, even swam through some hollow cholla wood, ( i was watching him as he did this and was about to tear that wood apart to get him out when he finally swam out of it. An area i have not seen him swim through again.)

He has given me 3 panic attacks so far, once with the cholla wood, the next when I found him trapped between the sponge filter and the tank wall (he was trying to swim up the side of it and I think he was stuck that way for 2 hours) and the 3rd was finding him in my passive diffusion co2 bottle. He had gotten himself trapped at the top with the float  that use to see the level. No idea how long he had been that way, I was afraid I had lost him.

But...he came through again...after about 10 mins,  he recovered and was back to his curious self swimming all over the tank.

When I have to do work in the tank he swims around my hand then watches what i do. He will eat his pellets from my fingers and follows my fingers over to his feeding spot.
I love my neons, love the danios, the snails, the shrimp but my betta makes me smile every time I watch him.



 

[shkote]

I have an OCD Blood Parrot that hates it when stuff is moved in his tank. If it's something large that he can't move back (the small stuff he will try to move back) he will hide in his cave and peak out with one eye to see if it's "fixed" yet. Sometimes he will swim over to whatever is out of place and stare at it for a minute then rush back to his cave.

He is the peace keeper of the tank. He breaks up fights (even if it's attempted spawning, he isn't comfortable with it) and swims around like he is patrolling. 

I also recently acquired a trio of Panda Guppies, and love seeing them wiggle up to the glass like they're wagging their little tails when anyone looks at them. Typical Guppy behavior, but it's somehow different in the Pandas. It's almost too cute to handle!

[Daniel]

12 hours ago, Brandy said:

I think for me there is currently an element of controlling something in an out of control world...

I like the idea of this whole little world, where my diligence matters and I can do good things. If fact my job once it is set up, is to be responsible for the little world, do good husbandry. And yet...it is still mysterious and could go off the rails. It is that paradox of achieving stability in a system that is intrinsically chaotic. And chaotic potential gets worse the smaller the tank is. My 500 gallon tank doesn't need me. Back in 2013 our house was destroyed by a fire but that big aquarium barely suffered from the fire (although the ceiling above it dropped into the tank). Its was only the lack of heating that caused a problem for the fish. On the other hand I am not sure I am a good enough aquarist to maintain a 5 gallon aquarium. Nano tanks are like finicky hot rods. Anything can wreck a small system at any moment.

Edited July 29, 2020 by Daniel

[MickS77]

3 minutes ago, Daniel said:

Nano tanks are like finicky hot rods. Anything can wreck a small system at any moment.

Its that reason I wish the hobby pushed larger tanks for beginners. Like a 30 or 40 to start instead of a 10 or smaller. I understand size and price limitations but I think if people had more success from the beginning they would enjoy more and stay with the hobby. Its a double edged sword.  

[Ben Ochart]

Agree.  I think we have several factors at work here.  First, some want a "taste" before commiting to a big set up.  I get it.  Others might have the space / budget limitation (or just love the look of a small water world).  In a recent live stream I got into this exact subject. Big systems are far more forgiving.  Stick a hand that was recently treated with a powerful antibiotic soap into a 150 gallon and it barely registers.  The PPMs dilute to nearly nothing.  Do the same thing in that 5 gal nano and it's game over, and if it's the person's first tank, it might be the end of their fish keeping.  Bigger is better.

[Bill Smith]

I have to admit, I'm more about the "appearances" aspect of it as a lovely piece of art, with the "pet" part being secondary. For me, each tank is like a diorama, and a technical challenge that if done right, can tell a story.

Which is why I don't like unsightly things like prefilter sponges, sponge filters, algae, snails and other detritivores, etc., regardless of their benefits to the ecosystem. 

Takes all kinds, I guess!

[ForestJenn]

I'm torn.  A huge school of fish can be lovely and mesmerizing.  If I had the opportunity to sit and watch that for hours I would.  (I like really large flocks of birds too.)   But that's not really something I can replicate in my mid size tanks.

So I'm going to have to say that the thing I find most delightful is the opportunity to observe individual behaviors in the fish.  I recently added a pair of dwarf cichlids to my main tank and watching them explore has been a blast.  I have a lot of spider wood, plants, leaves and some rocks in the tank.  I love watching them swoop through spots that I didn't expect them to explore.  The little female will swim all over the tank, but she loves the rock caves and will peek around them.  I'm probably anthropomorphizing, but both of the cichlids appear to investigate by swimming around something and viewing it from different angles.  They're fascinating, and I'm so glad that I decided to add them after all.