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 Sat Oct 27, 2007 7:31 pm GMT Reply
I don't want to get defensive, but it seems to me that all fish in captivity have to deal with a caged in environment with walls they don't understand and I really want my fish to be as happy as possible. The thought of having a 2ft gar in any space smaller than 4ft by 10ft seems cruel, but the fact is, all fish in captivity will naturally stunt to a degree depending on the space they have avaliable. I have lots of fish and have heavily planted tanks whereby I arrange the plants in a manner that provides convenient hiding and shelter. I adjust at least one powerhead with air entrainment so they can get excersize(I see them playing in it's outflow), and I considder the general current in the tank so that whatever fish I have will not be overly taxed as well. I spend a great deal of time getting my fish used to me by making what might seem like silly (mouth opening and closing, like a fish) faces close to the glass, and I interact with them so they get tame. I have a 14 inch arawana that I always stroke with my hand as I feed it and it doesn't seem to mind a bit. I don't want to keep a growing juvinile F.gar in a 20 gal tank any longer than I have to, but I'm thinking of it's future. I've seen what people sometimes have in terms of tanks for F. gars and it makes me sad to see them struggle to turn in the space given. I want my fish to be as happy as possible, and that's why I don't want them to grow too fast. That's why I have so many tanks of graduating sizes. If someone told me that it didn't matter if I put these fish in the biggest tank as juviniles, that it made no difference to their eventual growth as opposed to what I have planned, then absolutely, then I would. Also, I know that having these fish in small groups of say three gives them company and is good for them, and I also think of the general 'community' in the tank, if stocked correctly, to be benneficial to their wellbeing. I rarely have a fish die before it is old too. My two hydrogars have been with me for almost four years and they show no signs of slowing down, and I've read that they don't live long in captivity. We'll see! I do feel a little guilty about having anything bigger than tetras, but I tell myself that at least they never new what a real lake or river is like. Wouldn't it be cool to have a house whereby the whole side of your living-room was looking into a river or pond? Then you could get the fish to come to the glass when they were hungary or out of curiosity, and they'd still be in a natural environment. Immagine a school of rainbow trout swimming against the current in your living-room. Peter
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