How Important is Dwelling When Choosing Fish

[EagerAqua]

In another thread I asked about appropriate fish to stock with my 4 dwarf gouramis and got to thinking about how important it is to consider dwelling (top/mid/bottom) when choosing fish for a tank. Is this something that everyone considers when choosing fish? Or, for example, is it less important than say, tempermant or ph level? Your comments are appreciated.

Eager

 

[punch]

I try to, I realy like bottom feeders so I have to remember that even if I have room in my tank I may not have room in the bottom. when buying fish nowadays I try to look at all aspects of fish life! With the comunity tank I try to make sure all my fish will get along and that my water perameters are good for them.

 

[rohai]

this is what I do

First you need to find out your water conditions and how much room you have left in your tank.

Then what I would suggest is consider what fish would work well with your tank conditions and size AND get along ok with the tank's current inhabitants. Now you should have a nice list of what should and what will not work.

After that is when I consider where the fish like to hang out to narrow the list down a bit further, a tank with everyone on the bottom or one with all the fish just under the surface of the water can be boring to watch (unless you really really love the fish you have chosen). So its nice to mix up some fish who like to hang out at the different levels, it gives you something fun to watch. So, I guess I consider it last since it makes no sense to decide that you want rummy nose tetras because of the water level they hang out at only to find out that your water is all wrong for them. You could spend a long time trying to find good fish for your tank if you approach it that way (at least it would take me forever).

 

[OrionGirl]

I am not sure you really can rank the order of importance for these things...But I will try!

1. Capacity. Each tank has the capacity to hold only so many fish. Obviously, the mature size of the fish should be used to determine this. However, the SIZE of the fish isn't the key issue--it's the territory needs must be considered. I try and pick the larger of the two--if it's a huge fish but isn't territorial, then go by physical size. Small fish that claim huge territories should be in tanks where they can have enough space to be comfortable.

2. Physical parameters. This includes pH, temp, alkalinity, salinity, etc. Some values aren't important for FW, or for fish only systems. Lighting is important for plants and corals, not so much for fish and shrimp. It's always easier to find fish that go with what you have or that can adapt to your environment than it is to adapt your environment (with the exception of saltwater--mixes make it easy!).

3. Compatibility. The fish should get along. #1 helps with this, as does knowing the swimming preference and temperment of the fish. For example, african butterfly fish will eat small fish, but only those that hang out in it's swimming zone (the top), others will be ignored. So, small cories are safe, but guppies are not. Some fish do best in grups, others will fight with only their own kind or, own kind and gender, or own kind in mixed gender populations.

4. Feeding habits. Clearly, you shouldn't get a fish whose feeding habits you can't meet.