Caution! Extremely Opinionated Posting!

[platytudes]

I think it's kind of like dog clothes. I think they're an abomination, some people like/love them - and swear their dogs like dressing up. They probably just like that their owner fawns over how cute they look, is what I think, but oh well. I don't have a dog, so couldn't say.

I don't think it does any real harm. Now putting children on leashes, disguised as backpacks...um yeah. That should be banned. Children actually do have the ability to acquire concepts such as "dignity" - unlike dogs.

 

[Fishfriend1]

well i for the most part don't have a pretty tank it must be nice,.. but my tank are made to make the fish feel happy and at home,.. that is what i care about,.. so to most my tanks or just there,..lol but i feel if i had to live in there it would be nice if someone gave me what wanted,.. so that is what they get,.. , perhaps its the farmer in me but i try to make them feel they have a bit of home in there and not so artificial

of course goldies are a challange,..lol they eat everything and tear it apart just cause they are bored,..lol still working on them,..lol

Personally, i think that the fish have a safe place to live, no predators, supply of food, and healthy water. They can afford to let us have our bit of fun.

And for goldfish, well, they can't live in the wild, to bright colored, and they don't need a "natural" tank. Most of mine were tank raised and feeders, so they probably didn't even know what tank gravel was. I think that the fish don't really care if their tank has neon green gravel, blood-red plants, purple rocks, and a fake pirate ship as long as they can hide and get food and healthy water. I do like to make my fish look like they are in a semi-realistic environment for my own purposes (i don't really like neon stuff, hurts my eyes).

 

[zigis]

This makes me laugh I take my tank very serious it has a flourite and sand base 50 plus plants 10 plus pieces of natural driftwood HO t5 lighting 3 FX5s a 800 watt heater wired into a generator just in case and a lonly bubbling clam that my son picked out as a gift...

I tryed and tryed to keep it as natural and healthy as possible and them my son came along. Gotta love kids!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[DeeDeeK]

If a person's style includes fake gravel that is blue and green, that is there style. I have seen some very cool tanks that were made up nearly entirely of fake items, but had he cooles theme of being an entirely white tank; the fish, the decor, the substrate were all white. This effect is not possible with naural means, and it was just as much a work of art as most natural tanks I have seen.

I have seen plenty of 'natural' tanks which aren't works of art but were more or less paint-by-numbers type ADA clones, put together by formula, following guidelines which indicated various ADA products. I've also seen plenty of Walstad-style tanks which, while not really art, were thoughtful and attractive though the goal wasn't necessarily to have a composed, intentional aquascape within.

To me, tank which is inhumane to its fauna is an ugly thing. To others, who may not be concerned or aware of issues of fish 'happiness' and welfare, this is moot. An all-white tank may be nifty, may even be art, but all art isn't the same in the eyes of all beholders. My guess is that I wouldn't like the all white tank and would probably pan it. This is not to say it isn't art, just to say I doubt it would rate highly by my criteria.

My wish is not to draw a tight boundary between what is and what isn't art, but to discuss and articulate ideas about aesthetics, mindfulness, intention, and ethics as regards aquarium design, setup, and keeping.

Actually, I'd like to know more about the white aquarium: what sort of filtration, heating, decoration, lighting, fish, does the tank have a white back? Where in the room and what sort of room is it in? Maybe I don't think I'd like it but I'd love to know more about the choices the aquarist made and what the reasons for those choices were! Very interesting stuff, I daresay.

 

[Scuppers]

Just be sure you stock it with glofish.

I like glofish...they are easy to count!

Imagine a glodiscus

 

[excuzzzeme]

OK, back away from my blue gravel substrate or I'll be forced to shoot the trespassers on sight! Except for the tanks with blue gravel, (only one left in action) I use more of the natural colors now with attempt at contrast. My visual acuity leaves much to be desired, so it is what it is. For my tank of tiger barbs, all sorts of paraphernalia reside in there. The very fact that it is haphazard is a testimony to the things I was given in support of my recovery process. Although I am not keen on them, they will stay. A reminder of thoughtfulness of others. The plastic plants are gone and the real plants were consumed. Absolutely no theme or sense of direction. But it was a starting point. A starting point that reminds me daily of how far I have come and how far I have yet to go and that I didn't do it without help from others.

Eh, I digress.

What is art other than opinion of likes or dislikes? By the same token, when we ascribe altruism to our wet hobby we make assumption that the residents have emotional feelings and would sacrifice themselves in order for the rest to survive. To some degree I think that may be true but can that be extended to all organisms? I highly doubt it. It sort of cracks me up when people want their fish to be "happy" or prevent being "lonesome". I think the best indicator is their ultimate health. The rest is really moot. Over-all, I would like to see people extend the level of emotion they have to maintain a positive life for their pets rather than to use them to show-off to their friends. The goldfish bowl keeper may have a higher level of emotional attachment to the pet than the tank-buster keeper and yet resides in ignorance of it's needs.

Overcoming ignorance is a process. Requiring the ignorant to be "artful" as they learn will obfuscate the ultimate goal. As knowledge replaces ignorance, you might see your themes, directions, colors that you desire, finally appear. But first teach best health practices. The rest will develop itself.


BTW - good thoughtful discussion!

 

[DeeDeeK]

The goldfish bowl keeper may have a higher level of emotional attachment to the pet than the tank-buster keeper and yet resides in ignorance of it's needs.

Overcoming ignorance is a process. Requiring the ignorant to be "artful" as they learn will obfuscate the ultimate goal. As knowledge replaces ignorance, you might see your themes, directions, colors that you desire, finally appear. But first teach best health practices. The rest will develop itself.


BTW - good thoughtful discussion!

I must agree for the most part. Maybe even 100%. I like the idea of suggesting some structure and aesthetics, and especially the ideas of being mindful of the needs of the organisms within the tank AS well as aiming for some sort of intentional looks. Even to the beginner.

Though my words may be strong, they aren't meant to require anything of anyone - they are merely opinions and suggestions to be taken or ignored, much as I have done, myself, with those opinions and suggestions as well as alleged 'facts,' many of which are actually conjecture and surmise rather than truth. My belief is that even the greenest novice to aquarium keeping has in mind at least a hazy idea of what they enjoy appearance-wise, so some guideposts and suggestions to consider can only help unless they're interpreted too rigidly. For example, my dislike of wide tanks with little room front to back is based on my eye, my taste, and what I think is good composition ALTHOUGH a nice look can be achieved in such a tank and there are appropriately sized fish aplenty for such a tank. Hopefully my expression of my sense of balance left to right and fore to aft, and of good fish proportions for such a skinny tank might stimulate the aquarist who prefers such a beast to consider more deeply how to find an arrangement which suits her or his taste and is humane to the fish/shrimp/frogs/etc. within.

more later, being interrupted but want to address ok-ness of artifice.

 

[DeeDeeK]

Some arts, really all of them, are crafts or at least have as their foundation a craft.

A well crafted aquarium, imo, necessarily includes a healthy environment for its inhabitants. Sometimes I refer to shrimps, fishes, and even plants and snails as 'happy.' Yes, this is ascribing an emotional state to organisms which likely do not actually experience that state but translate that into healthy with low stress levels, nice growth or colors or reproduction, active at a level and with behaviors which are expressive of health in the particular species which the critter in question is a member of. So happy critters is a goal we may attribute to the well crafted aquarium.

From the premise of 'happy critters,' we can consider function or purpose. Breeding, quarantine, retail sales, biotope, decor, pleasure in fostering a community of thriving life (which I happen to believe is an instinct or at least an ingrained cultural aspect of the human experience), variously motivated displays, kinetic sculpture, or even a holding pen for fish destined to die in either the kitchen or laboratory can be purposes as well as any others - probably there are as diverse a number of purposes as there are aquariums in the world.

For myself, there is the pleasure of fostering wonderful life, the challenge of crafting an environment balanced and visually attractive at the same time as well as being stable in terms of chemistry and algae suppression. The last aquarium I had (lost to an absolutely criminally insane landlady) stood as an oasis in my squalid room both aesthetically and as a solace to me.

Currently, I am gearing up to produce pico aquariums - on the order of 1 to 2 quarts - for sale. These will need be ecologically stable enough to remain attractive and viable habitats for plants and a shrimp of two with very low maintenance in a setting of front desks, waiting rooms, and other places where businesses create first or important impressions of customers and visitors. This will require very careful crafting as well as charming and soothing aesthetics (unless created to order for a clown college or perhaps a gaudy advertising or toy firm).

Such aquaria may daunt some beginners but my experience as a beginner, when I was introduced to nano aquariums and planted aquariums was to be inspired to start climbing the learning curve, which has taken me several years but what challenging and fun years those have been! And I am still excited to explore further. I consider myself an aspiring artist still far far from mastery of my medium and even if I were a master, there would still be challenges and growth ahead. I'm sure I'll contradict my own writings on many points as I grow into the future!

 

[yowzasma]

Please , someone bring back the original, old fashioned guppy to go in a natural tank!
I agree about the fake decos, but I have to use the plastic plants because of budget, But, have a generous amount of live Java Moss.
Didn't read whole article just now but liked what I read...

 

[Ozymandias]

will i agree with some of you ideas i still think you can have all the fake plants and multicolored gravel you want as long as the critter as you say are happy.

also the augment between art and craft is not one you want to get into believe me it's still going on to this day in the academic work of art.