Stress level when rearranging your tank
- Thread starter rykna
- Start date
fishgeek01
Active Member
I would say that for any species of fish that set up a given territory (most do) that it can be mildly to very stressful. They have chosen thier "spot" based on thier basic needs, and when you change the environment that they are in, in any fashion it causes themn to have to re-adapt to your tank. with inverts and other sesile invertabrates it is not nearly as stressful because they do not typically have territories. However fish that have been kept in a fish tank for long periods of time adjust more rapidly than those who are not as accustomed to the daily routines and stresses of maintanence and other invasive things that we do as aquarists and are much less likely to be stressed by changes in the environment.
rykna
Active Member
Cool. That was my thinking too.
Now comes the fun part......operation dismantle tank....clean all glass.....add new sand....clean off all rock....put rock back in....mix water fill tank.......
I think I must have been a fish in another life
When I do stuff like this I spill more water then gets into the tank.....maybe I should just live in a heated swimming pool!
Wonder what the neighbors would think of that!
Wonder what the neighbors would think of that!
bonebrake
Active Member
Originally Posted by Rykna
Cool. That was my thinking too.
Now comes the fun part......operation dismantle tank....clean all glass.....add new sand....clean off all rock....put rock back in....mix water fill tank.......
I think I must have been a fish in another life
When I do stuff like this I spill more water then gets into the tank.....maybe I should just live in a heated swimming pool!
Wonder what the neighbors would think of that!
Don't take all of the sand out at once or you will likely induce a new cycle.
Cool. That was my thinking too.
Wonder what the neighbors would think of that!
Don't take all of the sand out at once or you will likely induce a new cycle.
rykna
Active Member
true, however I want to redo the rock work, and clean the all glass sides. Good point, but Im not too worried. My eel has his own tank, and I have 5 fish in the 90, the rest is all coral. But I'll have to wait for my sebae to settle in though. It decided to through a temper tantrumn today and turned itself into a little marshmallow. I scooped it out of the tank and put it in a bucket with a live rock in it. I set it on the rock in a likely spot it would likey put it's foot into. Then I let it sit there over dinner...afterdinner I put it back into the tank and five minutes later it started to open up. It is fully opened now, but time will tell if it likes it's new home. If it stays there through friday I think I will comense clean saturday.
diane4
Member
I think the stress level OR pleasure level as a result of tank ornament changes, varies according the specific fish and their specie and personality.
For example, I have a freshwater tank with 2 adult oscars. One of my Oscars is blind or almost blind. For them, I very rarely change where their ornaments are placed so she doesn't hurt herself. I do move their things around to thoroughly vacum and clean. But they know this by now from my weekly or bi-weekly water changes I do. They are used to it.
For some of my other tanks, a total tank ornament rearangmenet is almost always a plus for the community. It is often good to break down territories, it can reduce chasing or dominance. It also makes their life more interesting. Plus it's fun to do it. So in short, my answer is - it depends upon the tank and the inhabitants.
Some of my tanks, I rarely change decor or placement. In other tanks, I do make decor changes somehow at least every other water change.
I also think it is important that when you do make a decor change, you should remove all of the ornaments to replace them with different ones. If I want to put a different ornament in, I will remove one and add a new. Never all at the same time, that causes stress. However, if I don't remove any ornaments, I have in some tanks totally re-aranged placement of the ornaments they are used to. The scent is there.
Maybe I psycho analyse my communities too much. But, I do what works for each of my 9 fish tanks. 6 fresh water and 3 salt.
For example, I have a freshwater tank with 2 adult oscars. One of my Oscars is blind or almost blind. For them, I very rarely change where their ornaments are placed so she doesn't hurt herself. I do move their things around to thoroughly vacum and clean. But they know this by now from my weekly or bi-weekly water changes I do. They are used to it.
For some of my other tanks, a total tank ornament rearangmenet is almost always a plus for the community. It is often good to break down territories, it can reduce chasing or dominance. It also makes their life more interesting. Plus it's fun to do it. So in short, my answer is - it depends upon the tank and the inhabitants.
Some of my tanks, I rarely change decor or placement. In other tanks, I do make decor changes somehow at least every other water change.
I also think it is important that when you do make a decor change, you should remove all of the ornaments to replace them with different ones. If I want to put a different ornament in, I will remove one and add a new. Never all at the same time, that causes stress. However, if I don't remove any ornaments, I have in some tanks totally re-aranged placement of the ornaments they are used to. The scent is there.
Maybe I psycho analyse my communities too much. But, I do what works for each of my 9 fish tanks. 6 fresh water and 3 salt.