is your tank static or dynamic???

[Magnum Man]

as I sit here drinking my caffeine, and watching my fish, I get to see 5 tanks easily from my morning perch.... I would say 3 of them are static, and 2 of them are dynamic... even though 4 of these are replicating streams or rivers... I think river or stream tanks should be dynamic... the type of fish can effect the dynamics, as well as lighting... my Hillstream tank is most dynamic, because it's brightly lit, and has 2 large hang on tank filters, and a 20 inch "rolling" bubble waterfall, and several of the fish ( like the panda garras ) are highly active... yet the tank right next to it My South American Tetra tank, same filter set up and bubble waterfall, but that tank is highly shaded, and schooling fish, less active, so the tank seems more static... my African Tetra tank also comes off as static...

I'm wondering if it's better for fish to live in a dynamic environment, or a static environment... I would guess the bulk of my fish come from a dynamic environment in the wild, though maybe flooded forest is more static, but suspect with changing season, and rain patterns, and the natural "circle of life" in the wild, many fish could be bored to death, just sitting in a glass box... thinking about ways to increase the dynamic level on a couple tanks... doing 33% powered water changes twice a week , seems to add some spice to the fishes life... I'll also be increasing the air, with some larger, different style of air stones, in tanks I perceive as static... thoughts???

 

[anewbie]

The major thing that changes in my aquarium are leaf cover as i add new leaves every few weeks as the old ones decay and/or sink. I think the fishes like predictability so semi-static or slow changing seems more amendable. However there are differences among different species with some being very curious about new things and other fearful.

 

[Magnum Man]

I'm sure stream or river fish experience more change in the wild, than lake fish typically do, so the type of fish, and their natural environment matters... pretty much all my fish are stream or river natives...

 

[Lcc86]

Hmmmm my frog tank I would describe as static, as for some reason I don't like changing things round in there. I think because their eyesight is poor so I don't like to confuse them!

My scarlet badis tank is more dynamic, he's a smart little guy so I sometimes mix things up in there during a water change e.g. move decor, add something/remove something, just to give him a little variety.

 

[GaryE]

To me, this is one of those "there ain't no such thing as a fish" questions. It depends on the species. I caught Epiplatys huberi in water moving so fast it had deep ripples on the surface. Epiplatys singa were in water that was still and just moving with the wind. Are these species specific habits? I don't know - it was a small sample!. But different wishes for different fishes, even from the same Genus. E singa is a slight fish, and huberi is more muscular. Maybe that says something. Maybe not.

I see a dynamic tank differently, as to me, it's a tank where fish slowly replace each other, generation after generation. Fish darting round are a different show.

Most of my killie tanks are quiet, while the Cichlids and tetras are on the move. I would like to up the flow in all my tanks, as the killie habitats I saw were often quite fast, and fish tended to be behind fallen wood or rocks. I'd love to really get a good flow in every tank, but technically, it's difficult with my system. If you compare even a meandering shallow stream to an aquarium, we don't even come close to the turnover in most tanks.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

Add a wave maker. River currents change as water levels rise and fall.

 

[Magnum Man]

anyone ever put a wave maker on a timer, maybe the same as the lights, so it runs during day light, and shuts off, calms things, during dark hours???

I've never used a wave maker, always using air or filters to move water... I may have to look at one or two???

 

[emeraldking]

is your tank static or dynamic???​

When my tank is not leaking, it's static...
When my tank is leaking, it's dynamic...

 

[TwoTankAmin]

For a very long time I have believed that most, if not all, fish are guided by one or a combination of three thoughts:
1. Can it eat me?
2. Can I eat it?
3. Can I spawn with it?
{A corollary of 1. and 2. might be to substitute the word eat with the words beat/kill.}

I also believe most living things have the ability to adapt to their environment to some degree. So, It is our job not to put our fish into a set-up in which they cannot thrive. This includes any tank-mates we might have together. For many of us a community tanks may more resemble a united nations of fish which would never ever meet in the wild.

Almost none of my tanks are all the stable long term. Planted tanks have planted that grow, get trashed by fish or get moved to another tank. Things get pruned as well. So, the layout do get changed but never really radically. What might change the tank is if fish are lost, moved out to another tanks, if new fish are added and then many of the inhabitants get bigger with time which often changes their behavior.

My pleco tanks are sort of static depending on what is going on. For one the fish are more active at night. Next. spawning has both a n active and more passive part. But, a lot of it happens in the dark or under cover. But these are all species tanks which means all the interfish dynamics are species specific.

However, at least once a year, but twice for some tanks, I have to collect young fish and move them to grow or sell tanks. This requires removing pretty much everything in the tank to be able to catch the fish. I can get it back somewhat close to how it was before when I return everything, but it is always different enough to be noticed by the fish (I am pretty sure). The cave locations are very close to where they were even if the rock and wood placement changes some. If not for this breakdown need, the tanks would not change all the much over time.

My most active tank is my 150 with 9 clown loaches (2 very big) and 6 adult redline barbs.

 

[gwand]

anyone ever put a wave maker on a timer, maybe the same as the lights, so it runs during day light, and shuts off, calms things, during dark hours???

I've never used a wave maker, always using air or filters to move water... I may have to look at one or two???

In my 20 gallon long I placed a uv filter with an attached pump and power head. The system is on a timer. I set mine so the light and power head come on for 3 hours every day. My tetras love the powerhead action.

 

[jaylach]

As has been said it mostly depends on the species of fish. You mentioned Panda Garra. For them I would want dynamic and faster water movement. In fact, when something I want becomes available, I'll be putting Panda Garra in a 20 gallon high using under gravel filtration. May seem extreme for a 20 gallon but it will have four risers; two air driven and two with power heads. This should be great for the Pandas but could be very bad for another species.

You can mix the two though. In the tank that will hold the Pandas there will also be Ember Tetras that don't like water as fast as do Pandas. To get around the difference I'll place the risers with the power heads as low, or close, as I can as the heads will cause faster flow and Pandas, while they go everywhere, are largely lower half of the tank. The air driven risers will be about as high as possible with the outputs opposing the outputs of the heads. This will lessen the water flow in the upper tank a bit to keep the tetras happier. Perfect solution? Of course not but it should make for a good home for both species. I MAY even go from the two Whisper 20 pumps I have, one for each air driven riser, to Whisper 40's for more counter flow in the upper tank and use the Whisper 20's to drive bubble bars at the bottom of the tank as, from past experience, Pandas like to play with bubbles. Sigh, and your hand when you are trying to work on the tank.

Again, it all depends on the species. Different species want different conditions and it is our job to do the best we can to mimic the conditions the species are 'designed' to prefer.

 

[Back in the fold]

Dynamic . Definitely dynamic . My aquariums are more dynamic than Batman and Robin .

 

[GaryE]

Dynamic . Definitely dynamic . My aquariums are more dynamic than Batman and Robin .

Wait just a minute. You keep peat spawning annual killies. So for part of the year, your fish are eggs in peat, in a drawer. That somehow lacks "dynamic" to me.

 

[Back in the fold]

Wait just a minute. You keep peat spawning annual killies. So for part of the year, your fish are eggs in peat, in a drawer. That somehow lacks "dynamic" to me.

Even Batman must wait patiently near the Bat phone .