flashyleopard
08/18/2008, 02:31 PM
I have been toying with several stocklist for my 125, that has now turned into a 150gallon display. I am a visual person and my stocklist has a lot to do with my impression of how they all look in the tank together. I like to represent several colors, yet not have every fish be gaudy. I like to incorporate many shapes and occupy different levels of the tank. I also like a mixture of sizes and a random pattern to the numbers of fish, so I stick with odd numbers of similar or identical fish, unless they are solitary or pairs. I also consider feeding niches, the bioload of each fish, and of course compatability. I pull up sites with pictures and flip back and forth and try to decide which fish fits best where and then it hit me.......If I printed out, traced and colored, or otherwise copied life sized pictures of the fish I was interested in and background similar to what I have in mind for my tank and cut them out, then placed the background inside my tank and taped the fish to front, using scotch tape, I would get a much better impression of how much room a fish actually takes up and how all of the fish look together in the tank. It is much easier to get other's opinions, when they can essentially see the fish in your tank, with the rest. This works for me, b/c I have always had trouble picturing sizes and dimensions in my head....it's like spacial dyslexia and I was diagnosed with a learning deficit, b/c of it. I have learned to overcome it and function just fine, but it is these circumstances that seeing it in reality is a BIG help.
I, of course know, that real fish swim and eat and poop, squabble, and have territories. Just b/c the fit well and look nice as papaer cut-outs, doesn't make them ok for the tank, but it is something I am going to do to help me see things in real size and perspective. I bet others would benifit from doing this also and it is kinda fun. You could always reuse the fish and background by giving them to a teacher or school for a Science classroom. You could also keep it, label it, and hand it near your tank to have a guide for those looking at your reef and wanting to know what the fish are called. Just an idea.
I, of course know, that real fish swim and eat and poop, squabble, and have territories. Just b/c the fit well and look nice as papaer cut-outs, doesn't make them ok for the tank, but it is something I am going to do to help me see things in real size and perspective. I bet others would benifit from doing this also and it is kinda fun. You could always reuse the fish and background by giving them to a teacher or school for a Science classroom. You could also keep it, label it, and hand it near your tank to have a guide for those looking at your reef and wanting to know what the fish are called. Just an idea.