4 replies to this topic

[JackieFisher]

Does keeping fish in an opaque container stress it out more than in glass tanks? I have a huge china pot (looks like those for plants) and I want to set up an exotic Japanese kind of lily + fish 'pond'. The inner wall is brown. I tested buy putting some small sized guppy, gold fish and sucker in it, but they seem to adapt poorly compared to transfer to new glass tank, they always swim at the wall, head against the wall. Anyone with experience in this please? Thanks!

[rcb]

Interesting, I would almost think the opposite. I know my two darters can be spooked by movement and if the lights are on late, I will cover the front of the aquarium so they can get out without being stressed by the movement of a lot of people.

[NotCousteau]

I've never tried this with guppies, but I have a few thoughts:

 

-Keeping fish (guppies, swordtails, goldfish, livebearers, etc.) like this is extremely common in many Asian countries. I love the look and idea. I have never noticed any of the fish I've seen kept like this acting especially stressed, erratic or unusual. 

 

-Could it be that you simply have a skewed perception of what you think is different behavior simply because you are viewing them from a different perspective?

-Could it be that they are still simply adapting to the perceived threat of having you peer at them from overhead vs from the side, thereby triggering their flight instincts? 

 

-I kept two fancy goldfish like this in a very large filtered flower pot, and they were totally fine.

Good luck.

Edited by NotCousteau, 16 October 2018 - 05:25 PM.

[lilyea]

Does keeping fish in an opaque container stress it out more than in glass tanks? I have a huge china pot (looks like those for plants) and I want to set up an exotic Japanese kind of lily + fish 'pond'. The inner wall is brown. I tested buy putting some small sized guppy, gold fish and sucker in it, but they seem to adapt poorly compared to transfer to new glass tank, they always swim at the wall, head against the wall. Anyone with experience in this please? Thanks!

 

 

I have successfully used large planters to breed various species of nano fishes outside during the summer months.  Is there any structure in the pot (e.g., driftwood, floating plants, etc.)?  The opaque walls should be a benefit but if there is a wide open expanse of water with no structure/cover then it is not surprising that the fish will hang out by the walls until they get comfortable.  Additionally, moving shadows from the top can also send the fish for cover (or without cover then toward the walls).  Good luck with the transition!

[UncleWillie]

I don't want to be repetitive, but echoing what NotCousteau and Lilyea said:  it could be a matter perspective (yours and the fish's).  I've had fish live in a tank for years, but when I moved locations and held them in a cooler "tank"  for a couple of weeks until they could be set back up, they acted much differently when I tried to feed them.  They acted much differently when approached from the top of a cooler than they did when they could see me approach from the side of a glass tank.  This is very similar to what you see in a stream.  Walk through a stream and cast a shadow of the top of a fish and they flee.  Lay on you belly in the stream and start crawling and they appear much less threatened.