posted
Comment: Is tapping on the glass of an aquarium actually harmful to fish? Is the energy of tapping transmitted directly through their body as a result of water density, rather that disapating somewhat as in air? Could you compare tapping on an aquarium to for a fish to tapping directly on ones head?
Posts: 36029 | From: Admin | Registered: Feb 2000
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posted
In my experience the most dangerous things about tank tapping are (1) tanks do break sometimes (albeit rarely) when tapped; (2) tapping can spook fish causing them to jump out of the tank.
In my tank I know right away if someone jumped and I can look for any new 'carpet fish'. I have managed to rescue one guy who was on the floor at least three hours - he was a in a damp spot on the carpet and didn't dry out. He seems fine and that was about eight weeks ago.
OH yeah, anyone ever used their laser pointer in their tank - hilarious!
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I've always thought it was more of a mental stress to the fish than physically harmful. How would you like it if strangers kept knocking on your window? ^_~
-------------------- "Long ago, when we all lived in the forest..." Who are you? Who? Who? Posts: 1587 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
From what I know, both of the replies above are right. But to add to kjbrasda's post: mental stress is often followed by physical harm. Excessive window tapping (and a host of other environmental stressors) can weaken a fish's immune system and/or affect its diet, and eventually lead to a dead fish.
-------------------- "Your name is Thurmon Mermon?" Posts: 244 | From: Chicago, IL | Registered: Aug 2005
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Franny -- your information about fish jumping out of the tank interested me. At the child advocacy center where I work we have a fish tank and used to have a very nice bright yellow killifish in it(the fish always always looked like it was smiling). A child with serious behavior problems was trying to reach into the tank a couple years ago the day before a long weekend. When I got back from the long weekend, the killifish was on the floor. I was really sad about it - he was one of my favorite fish. I thought there must be a connection between the child messing with the tank and the fish jumping out. I still can't see how he was able to do it though. It is a very small space he had to jump through to get out.
(Edited because I wrote it very poorly the first time!)
-------------------- "But I'm adding this to my reasons why I never really liked really good looking men much. Sheesh, what good is good looking if you have to stuff a sock in his mouth." - Sara at home NFBSK, IIRC and other mysterious Snopester language Posts: 851 | From: Indiana | Registered: Dec 2004
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posted
I was told that tapping on the side of a fishtank sent vibrations through the water, which would startle the fish. if you've ever seen how fish react to someone tapping on their tank, it sounds plausable. I think the immediate physical danger would be in the startled fish running (okay, swimming) into the side of the tank or a rock, or even jumping out of the tank in reaction to being startled by those vibrations.
-------------------- I'll drive it ugly. You can't see the paint job when you're behind the wheel, anyway. Posts: 570 | From: Central Valley, California | Registered: Dec 2005
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Kindly Wise
I'll Be Home for After Christmas Sales
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My fish never seemed to mind the tapping, nor the loud rock music, nor the bad poetry. They would jump out when the water got too foul, though. I had under-gravel filters.
When I was novice fish-keeper, I got an infestation of snails. I rather like snails, with their little eye-ball antennae, but there were HUNDREDS of them. So my local fish-guy told me to make electrodes out of copper, hang them in the tank and hook them up to a nine-volt battery. The copper would electolyse into the water and be JUST toxic enough to kill the snails.
So I did all that, and the snails did die, but I had forgotten that Blind Cave Fish navigate by electrical field interference and feedback along their lateral line. The electrodes must have been for my cave fish like a very loud sound or bright light, because the poor guys began racing around and around the tank until I thought they might jump out. I transferred them to a "quieter" tank for the duration of the copper treatment.
Strangely, the Amazon cat fish seemed to enjoy the electrical field and kept swimming up to the electrodes. The electrodes were widely separated in the tank, so no danger of nuked catfish.
Debbie from Arizona
"age is a matter of the mind, if you don't mind, it don't matter"
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When I worked in a pet store many moons ago, we often found fish on the floors dried out. We also had a tank of freshwater mini crabs and they would climb up the tubes on the tanks and scramble about on the floor seeking refuge. Often times when we arrived for work and walked through the dimly lit store and heard a dreaded "crunch" under our shoes.
-------------------- "I've learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances" (Martha Washington) Posts: 7 | From: USA | Registered: Apr 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Debbie from Arizona: When I worked in a pet store many moons ago, we often found fish on the floors dried out. ...
I should think so.
My wife, Mrs. from Georgia, taught second-graders for many years, and one thing that perks up a second-grader no end is watching the fascinating metamorphosis of a disgusting blob of jelly dotted with little black pits into tadpoles and thence into frogs. So early one spring she chivvied me into wading into a bog and single-handedly collaring a double handful of the vile stuff.
Said v.s., transferred to an aquarium, remained in her classroom until the tadpoles hatched out, or emerged, or whatever they do. The tadpoles thrived, growing to an impressive size over the next few weeks. Then came spring break. Not willing to leave the creatures in the school for a week, my wife had me set up an aquarium at home. All the tadpoles, most of them sporting little hind legs, were successfully transferred to their spring break hotel.
The next morning the house was full of about a billion ridiculously tiny tree frogs. I mean, the blighted tadpoles actually shrank in the transformation--from being about the size of a maraschino cherry, they were down to little fully-legged frogs no bigger than a pencil eraser--and they were everywhere!
And then there was the grisly affair of the crayfish, but let us draw a kindly curtain over that unpleasant memory.
-------------------- "No hard feelin's and HOPpy New Year!"--Walt Kelly Hear what you're missing: ARTC podcasts! http://artcpodcast.org/ Posts: 7581 | From: Gainesville, Georgia | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
I had a hermit crab that would climb out of the tank at night... but only when no one was looking! I often found him at the door trying to get out of the house. Them little creatures are smart.
Posts: 4922 | From: Kyoto, Japan | Registered: Sep 2005
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posted
When I kept puffers I had many people "want" and "try" to get them to blow up.
Tapping on the tank was generally the first step...
-------------------- Focus On The Family- An opinion group who think more about Gay Sex than gay people do- Rick Mercer Posts: 590 | From: Rawdon, Quebec | Registered: Nov 2005
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