(Aggravated and venting, but suggestions would be welcome, as I am at the end of my rope with these fish.... Maybe it's time for a change in this tank)
This hobby can be very rewarding, relaxing and enjoyable.
It can also be a great source of frustration...
My 55g was set up to be the home to a trio of Blood Parrots. They can be shy, so dither fish are needed to keep them calm. OK, fine. I did that. Initially, it worked. Lately, the BP's have decided that they are afraid of everything again. I had built them a nice cave to retreat to. But to retreat suggests that one has been somewhere to retreat from.Not these guys. They never come out any more.
The cave is gone. I dismantled it. Why have fish in the tank if the only way to see them is to darken the room completely and sit and hope they show themselves for a second if they should happen to decide to dart from one hiding place to another? It has been said that we are the keepers of water, the fish are just along for the ride. Man, can I ever relate to that.
I am also planning on redoing my aquascape. There will be no rock that can be hidden behind, no thicket of plants that can conceal anything bigger than a guppy. Come to think of it, a 55al guppy community is starting to sound interesting, at least I would see them out and about...
I can't in all honesty say that there is no visible activity in the tank... The aforementioned dither fish are constantly on the move. At least I have something to look at.
There is really something to be said for plants... You buy them, you put them in the tank, you see them. Not bad... Plants only tank? Maybe...
.
This hobby can be very rewarding, relaxing and enjoyable.
It can also be a great source of frustration...
My 55g was set up to be the home to a trio of Blood Parrots. They can be shy, so dither fish are needed to keep them calm. OK, fine. I did that. Initially, it worked. Lately, the BP's have decided that they are afraid of everything again. I had built them a nice cave to retreat to. But to retreat suggests that one has been somewhere to retreat from.Not these guys. They never come out any more.
The cave is gone. I dismantled it. Why have fish in the tank if the only way to see them is to darken the room completely and sit and hope they show themselves for a second if they should happen to decide to dart from one hiding place to another? It has been said that we are the keepers of water, the fish are just along for the ride. Man, can I ever relate to that.
I am also planning on redoing my aquascape. There will be no rock that can be hidden behind, no thicket of plants that can conceal anything bigger than a guppy. Come to think of it, a 55al guppy community is starting to sound interesting, at least I would see them out and about...
I can't in all honesty say that there is no visible activity in the tank... The aforementioned dither fish are constantly on the move. At least I have something to look at.
There is really something to be said for plants... You buy them, you put them in the tank, you see them. Not bad... Plants only tank? Maybe...
.
