Should or should not put pebbles and stones in flowerhorn aquarium?

[RD.]

Barrett, I can't explain why, but every time that I look at that tank of yours I see a pool table. lol I think that's a great looking set up for your FH.

Ironically the vast majority of my set ups over the years have been natural, more biotopish set ups, certainly not bare bottom. But with FH I went a different route, and I have no regrets.

I was simply offering a different perspective as to why I went that way with FH.

 

[islandguy11]

Barrett, I can't explain why, but every time that I look at that tank of yours I see a pool table. lol I think that's a great looking set up for your FH.

Ha ha, one of the few pool tables in the world if you put your hand in a pocket to retrieve a ball you get chomped

Honestly though I'm really not too hip on the blue oyama stickering on tank base, it casts too much of a blue color over the whole tank and Drakaris too. So I've been meaning to put in some ceramic tiling but haven't got around to it yet, been messing around some other tanks (lovely new Goldenhead Crossback Arowana arriving tomorrow

 

[RD.]

Nice, a shiny new Xback. Congrats on that!

 

[islandguy11]

Nice, a shiny new Xback. Congrats on that!

Thx bro, though I hope you can congratulate me after a successful year or two of growth -- most challenging fish to raise I've personally encountered (which of course is part of the attraction); sadly lost my first Xback, a 10" beauty about a month ago because of my own stupidity in not fully covering an internal corner filter). Expensive learning lesson but one nonetheless.

But sorry OP, not trying to derail your thread -- if you look at the rocks in my photo, those are nice size and round shape for an adult FH (big enough to take in and spit out, not small enough to accidentally swallow). Drakaris even makes artwork with them (geometric designs and animals) every single day after I re-pile them, but that too is for another thread.

 

[islandguy11]

Of course this comes down to personal tastes, no need to look down on or insult either approach -- but may I ask LBDave, have you ever owned a masterpiece Flowerhorn worth $500-$1,000+? If you did, which I kinda doubt, you might change your thinking to be more in line with RD's recommended full bare bottom, or at least something like my minimalist style (complete with 'designer' clay pots lol)...

LBDave I hope you'll excuse me -- I mentioned not being insulting but in hindsight realize my reply, while not intended to be same (actually more sarcastic which I sometimes/often am prone to being without properly thinking), could be taken as such, when really all you were doing was expressing your opinion. On a more positive note, welcome back to the hobby mate (I think lots of us need breaks sometimes too and welcome to the site, honestly, 97.99% of the peeps here aren't as sarcastic as myself

 

[RD.]

You FH guys are all alike. lol

I think that FH keepers for the most part want their fish in fairly bare tanks as they want their fish to be as owner responsive, and interactive, with the owner, as possible. These are man made designer fish, bred with this in mind. Flashy looking, and sassy acting. Give an aggro fish a cave, and they will live in a cave. That's exactly not what most FH keepers want. I'm not suggesting that everyone has to agree with this philosophy of fishkeeping, I'm just pointing out what may not be obvious to some. Like it or not, this style of fishkeeping is part of the history of keeping FH. One seldom sees a natural setting in a FH tank, where sand, driftwood, plants, and granite boulders are used to scape the tank.

 

[islandguy11]

You FH guys are all alike. lol

What do you mean RD -- overly emotional and exceptionally good looking, just like our fish?

Anyway like you I refuse to be put in a box -- besides FH's I also like Arowana, Tigerfish, Flagfish, Bichir, most any kind of Cichlid and even neon tetras and guppies to a degree as well

Fully agreed as well on the rest of your post too -- though to clarify my comments in last message to LBDave were directed toward my not so nice writing, and not intended to incl. your good sense contribution about bare bottom tanks, I should have chopped out said reference.

 

[RD.]

Yes, that's exactly what I meant. lol

 

[aria]

I use crushed coral + tumbled red garnate