Fish Tank Open Bottom
what percent of my fish tank should be open water and what percent hiding space?
i just bought a 30 gallon tank and i arranged the decorations and made a gravel/sea shell bottom. it’s for tropical fish and i’m afraid i’ve made too much hiding space and that the decor (a mini tree with the leafy part about 10″ by 5″, a rock about 7″ by 3″ and a shell about 6″ by 3″. my aquarium is 24″ by 17″ by 12″. if i want to get an angel fish and hopefully two other smaller fish, will this be too crowed for it? my calculations say it’s about 1 percent the volume of the whole tank but it’s very hot where i am and that doesn’t sound right…
it’s actually a 21 gallon tank but the numbers don’t change… just the fact that it’s 9 gallons less than i said.
Depends what fish you have.
Some like a lot of cover and will spend a lot of time swimming in the weeks, or defending it territory in a cave or hollow log.
Other fish are open water schoolers and don’t care about plants or caves at all.
What you would normally is arrange the tall plants in the back corners of the tank. Hiding the heaters and filters etc. Then any fish that want cover can dart into those, while the front of the tank is open swimming space. So small surface swimming fish like livebearers and gourami will like tall plants.
Arrange the rocks, driftwood or other ornaments to suit on the bottom. They will mainly be used by catfish, loaches or small cichlids.
Active open water fish like barbs and tetras will usually stay in the open water and use their numbers and speed for protection from possible predators.
So there is no hard and fast rules. Look at the type of fish and what their habits are. Weed lurkers, cave defender, open water schooler etc and set up the tank to suit.
Ian
Model of an Open Bottom Fish Tank
|
|
Sharks: Terrors of the Deep 2.0 $14.95 Sharks: Terrors of the Deep 2.0 is a 3D screensaver experience so realistic you start to believe you can feel the powerful force of the sharks swimming past you. If you liked the stunning realism of Marine Aquarium, Sharks is a must have for your screensaver collection. Product Features * Watch menacing sharks survey the shipwrecks in the Sandy Bottom |
|
|
Brand New Encore Software Sharks Terrors Of The Deep 2.0 Enjoy The Mesmerizing Movement Of The Ray $19.95 Sharks: Terrors of the Deep 2.0 is a 3D screensaver experience so realistic you start to believe you can feel the powerful force of the sharks swimming past you. If you liked the stunning realism of Marine Aquarium, Sharks is a must have for your screensaver collection…. |