RE: Feeder fish

[Scot Gillespie <Scot.Gillespie@epsedin.co.uk>]

Colin Dujardin wrote:
>I try to imagine setups where the fish would be in 
>living conditions where I would be able to see them
>acting like in the wild.

This might just be hopeful dream. The average stocking densities in the wild
are at least 1000 less compressed than in aquaria. Therefore in aquaria
social and anti-social interactions are going to be more intense and
exaggerated. Another problem is the replication of seasonality. Drought,
flood and the interims. In drought conditions stocking density may approach
that of aquaria, but outside of this period they will not. Yet another
unreplicatable factor would be that of territorial movement, most Apistos
might naturally inhabit the same location and territory for most of their
lives, but others such as most midwater tetras (cardinals, etc.) will easily
transverse hundreds of Km/miles in their lives sourceing food as they pass
by it.

In short aquaria will never get close to replicating the wild, all we can do
is have an artificial snapshot. 



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