Have you ever seen those tanks that are empty, except for the fish and the water? Have you ever heard someone tell you that it's better for the fish, and that decor is just for our benefit? Nothing could be farther from the truth. Mark Boone from the Missouri Conservation Department is quoted as saying "For the fish, a lack of structure is like living in a room with not enough furniture." This effect can be seen in the wild when you see fish congregating around sunken structures such as reefs, shipwrecks, stumps, rocks, dropoffs, or weeds. Structure simply makes fish feel more comfortable.

Do your fish a favor and add some structure to your tanks if they don't already have adequite structure. A few notes about structure of the decor though. Fish prefer horizontal structure provided by caves or plants such as lilypads. Also, just like with furniture, too much can also be uncomfortable. Leave plenty of room for moving about as well.

Good post. Have you noticed how fish always perk up when you bring them home from the pet store?

My archer fish uses the twigs in his tank to ambush guppies.

SM! Great post. The thing I hate the most though is when people post pics of thier tanks and their is no background, just the wires. Do you think the fish like looking at how they could be electrocuted?

I personally think that a background for your fish is part of their decor also.

I wouldn't want to see my living room walls with all the wires exposed, no drywall, etc.

Treat your fish the way you would like to be treated. You'll notice a difference.

;)

Agreed, SM. The more natural I made my tanks, the more normal the fish behaved.

I have noticed a fascinating difference in fish's behavior since I have added live plants! They seem to love them. :D

I like natural tanks also, this one is totally natural, just 2 powerheads for filtration. Fish love it in there.

Yep. I'm a firm believer that fish are more comfortable and act more natural when they are in surroundings that are the most like their natural habitat. Even if the fish were tank raised, it doesn't make the use of live plants less important to them.

Nice tank :wub:

I can't explain how happy my girls were when I added live plants. They used to swim around a lot, but when I added the live stuff...wow. It was a total change of personality. They L-o-v-e it. I want to change my twenty to all live, but it'll take a while! :D

Glad to hear things are going well. Keep up the good work! :) :up: