As per the thread title, if there is one thing in this hobby that annoys me (well OK there is more than one) it's people responding to questions with the phrase "it's normal behaviour". This is the response when it should more often be quite clear it's abnormal behavior that you the aquarist has created to bring on such behaviour in your fish.
Fish swimming up and down the front glass of your tank, fish afraid to venture out due to bullying. Fish bobbing near the surface and my special pet hate clownfish doing all kinds of strange things from hiding in the corner of the tank to doing somersaults etc etc.
Why would anybody think that's natural at all esp the clowns I ask you? We creat the environment for our fish but often it appears to me we create the environment including the reefscape then think about what fish we want to keep later. I mean the royal we obviously as not everybody thinks this way.
I mention clownfish and people suggesting these normal abnormal behaviours as ...well normal behaviour because the environment created is far from normal for them. Putting clowns in a tank without a suitable anemone isnt given the clowns what they want nor IMO need to be content. I have always kept clowns with a host anemone and never saw any exhibit these so called normal activities or behaviours.
Now I know often people don’t want to put an anemone in their tank for a whole host of reasons from being considered difficult to keep to ending up in a powehead. Anemones are not difficult to keep they just need consideration the same consideration you should give your fish. That includes lighting, water conditions and yes the environment you creat for them.
Yes I am opinionated but my opinions are based on keeping these magnificent creatures, both anemones and clownfish for many years and observing them in the wild on the reef. If you want to keep say common clowns provide an anemone with one of their anemones of choice or don't kepp clowns at all.
I make no apologies for that and I know I may well have rattled a few cages there.
By now you will nodoubt have guessed I am passionate about clowns and Anemones and believe there is no finer sight in this hobby of ours than a Magnifica anemone with resident clowns spawning and tending their eggs. You can disagree on that point lol.
Finally my tank isn't natural but it is as natural as I can reasonably make it (you will have to put your own interpretation of reasonable here). IMO we should all strive to make our fishes home as natural and stress free as we can and that takes a lot of thought and planning.
Sorry for the rant, I feel a whole lot better for it now its off my chest. :>)
Fish swimming up and down the front glass of your tank, fish afraid to venture out due to bullying. Fish bobbing near the surface and my special pet hate clownfish doing all kinds of strange things from hiding in the corner of the tank to doing somersaults etc etc.
Why would anybody think that's natural at all esp the clowns I ask you? We creat the environment for our fish but often it appears to me we create the environment including the reefscape then think about what fish we want to keep later. I mean the royal we obviously as not everybody thinks this way.
I mention clownfish and people suggesting these normal abnormal behaviours as ...well normal behaviour because the environment created is far from normal for them. Putting clowns in a tank without a suitable anemone isnt given the clowns what they want nor IMO need to be content. I have always kept clowns with a host anemone and never saw any exhibit these so called normal activities or behaviours.
Now I know often people don’t want to put an anemone in their tank for a whole host of reasons from being considered difficult to keep to ending up in a powehead. Anemones are not difficult to keep they just need consideration the same consideration you should give your fish. That includes lighting, water conditions and yes the environment you creat for them.
Yes I am opinionated but my opinions are based on keeping these magnificent creatures, both anemones and clownfish for many years and observing them in the wild on the reef. If you want to keep say common clowns provide an anemone with one of their anemones of choice or don't kepp clowns at all.
I make no apologies for that and I know I may well have rattled a few cages there.
By now you will nodoubt have guessed I am passionate about clowns and Anemones and believe there is no finer sight in this hobby of ours than a Magnifica anemone with resident clowns spawning and tending their eggs. You can disagree on that point lol.
Finally my tank isn't natural but it is as natural as I can reasonably make it (you will have to put your own interpretation of reasonable here). IMO we should all strive to make our fishes home as natural and stress free as we can and that takes a lot of thought and planning.
Sorry for the rant, I feel a whole lot better for it now its off my chest. :>)
