ENRICHMENT IDEAS

Fish Décor

Enrichment is a key component of animal welfare. While the term is broad, it allows animals not only to stretch their cognitive abilities but to also enact complex behaviours that they would typically exhibit in the wild. Exotics keepers often associate ‘enrichment’ with elaborate exercises such as scent trails for snakes, or interesting puzzles for parrots. However, the effective use of décor can have just as important effects, especially in aquatic environments where keeper interactions are limited.

Hanging plants

Hanging plants, whether artificial or real, can provide some extremely important enrichment opportunities to a myriad of fish species. Some skittish species such as discus will rely on cover to feel more comfortable in their surroundings. Simply adding an artificial hanging plant that drapes into the water and breaks up the immediate lighting from above will prevent mortalities and promote more vibrant colouration in the fish. Some nest-building fishes such as the popular Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) require shelter to enact natural breeding behaviours. Broad-leaved artificial plants provide this shelter perfectly and inexpensively. For a more naturalistic set-up, a pot of Pothos can be secured to the top of the tank to trail into the water. This is particularly effective in turtle enclosures, where there is plenty of room for the plant to grow, but the same principle can be applied to more traditional fish tanks. If live foods are fed to the fish, having overhanging leaves for the insects to grasp onto can also lead to some interesting hunting behaviours from obscure fish species such as archer fish.

Naturalistic rock formations

Artificial aquarium décor has improved drastically in recent years. Now, keepers can construct rock formations successfully with a resin fixture and some fine-grain crushed coral. By covering the décor in a substrate, the aquarist can build areas within the environment for Cichlids to claim individual territories, build sand nests and interact with one another in a very natural way. Other species such as ram cichlids will need an area that they can claim before breeding. The addition of a flat rock will prompt the male to guard his patch and pair up with a female. This is a simple way to encourage fishes with specific requirements to breed within a community tank. Breeding is usually a good indicator that the animals are happy and secure even if the novice aquarist is not aiming to breed their animals. Furthermore, rock formations can help create visual barriers that allow all fish to feel more secure than if they are exposed to other individuals.

Live plants

Live plants play a major role in any advanced freshwater set-up. Not only do they look excellent, but they play important functions for almost all species. Angelfish, for example, will require long-stemmed plants to hide amongst and feel secure. Their unusual slender bodies have evolved to camouflage amongst long-stemmed plants and therefore denying them this component can lead to significant stress. The most used are the Vallisneria spp. Even much smaller fish such as tetra will require these plants to lay their eggs and thus, they play an important biological function. Plants with horizontal leaf structures such as Anubias will provide valuable hiding opportunities for small crustaceans and create visual barriers between bottom-feeding and surface-feeding fish which can lead to a more harmonious community tank.

Caves and refuge holes

There are a lot of different products out there from natural rocks to resin novelty items that utilise a cave structure to provide some important shelter. In some cases, including lots of tiny caves, filled with substrate and gravel can prompt some very interesting behaviours. For example, kribensis cichlids need a suitable nesting site before they show any signs of breeding. This usually involves a cave area that they can excavate as a pair and begin laying their eggs. Once the fry hatch, the new homeowners exhibit remarkable parenting skills that are only possible with the inclusion of a cave.