How do you create broken lines of sight in an aquarium?

[sparks42]

I don't really understand how to do that...
does anyone know of any pictures that explain this in aquariums?
I know what a broken line of sight is, I just don't know how to create it.

thanks

[yunachin]

Adding lots of decor and plants keeps the puffers from seeing each other and wanting to attack each other. It helps keep territories under control. Lines of sight is the phrase used meaning the puffers can see one another, like they can draw an imaginary line from ones eyes to another.

[sparks42]

hmmm, my puffer is all by himself. does that mean this is not an issue for me?

he does have places to hide, and places to swim around..... just not sure about the whole broken lines of sight thing.... i read somewhere that it's important.

[Pufferpunk]

All puffers need lots of decor to explore--they get bored easily. You can check out some of my tanks in the link below. Post a pic of your tank, for contructive critisizm, if you wish.

[SpockthePuffer]

I just recently bought a really big plastic plant and kind of separates one section of the tank from the other and floats at the top of the water. I think since this addition Milton (GSP) has been very happy since he can move about the tank and not see other sections. He's been exploring a lot more.

http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/1369 ... iseif7.jpg

Thats a link to a picture of his tank. The plant is on the right but I just moved it to the center the other day so it really floats all over the top now

[Jase]

neat plant tank

[spoot]

This is our ceylon tank for reference. They have lots of fun exploring/ hunting.

[Jase]

I can't wait til i can afford the big tank! i want to have a cool tank like everyone else's!!!

[StormySkiez]

hmmm, my puffer is all by himself. does that mean this is not an issue for me?

he does have places to hide, and places to swim around..... just not sure about the whole broken lines of sight thing.... i read somewhere that it's important.

You are correct, breaking up the line of sight is not an issue for you. Most of us break up the line of sight to keep our aggressive fish from fighting.

I've seen those large fake plants. I wanted one but my husband said "it's to big". I think I will go ahead and buy one because it cost a fortune to buy a bunch of the 18 inch to try and break up the line of sight. It might be the what my tank needs.

[SpockthePuffer]

The big fake plants are great Stormy, my boyfriend insisted that it would be too big too but now that its in and he likes it.

[CoreyK]

This is our ceylon tank for reference. They have lots of fun exploring/ hunting.

Is that brackish?
If so, wow, nice job with the plants.

[Agnate]

Yes, Spoot and Nusquam (sorry if I misspelled) keep a brackish tank with Ceylons in it. I plan on stealing their awesome plant idea of using silicone, PVC piping, and dollar-store plants to make beautiful aquarium plants.

[StormySkiez]

Thank you for the conformation Spock.

Great looking tanks guys. It is a lot of fun rearranging my tanks.

[sparks42]

okay here's chompers tank... http://www.geocities.com/ashleysparks42/tank.html
he's got little spots he can go and check and stuff... how could i create more spots to "check out" and "hide" ?
looking for constructive criticism.

It's a 20 gallon and we have a 75 gallon we could put him in.... not set up yet

[CoreyK]

My $.02 -
Puffers thrive in extremely complex settings, whether they are aggressive with tankmates or not.
I prefer my aquariums pretty full, and my most recent setup (36g corner) is probably the most full and complex I've ever had;





There are 3-4 caves they can hide in, and tons of plants to explore. The back 1/3 of the tank, where all the caves lead to, is completely open and obstructed from view, so they can hide back there if they please.
Open swimming space is minimal, but none of my fish would take advantage of it if there was.
Try to think 3D; you want the tank to look nice to an observer, but most importantly, you want something that will make your fish feel safe and provide them with the opportunity to explore.
I think having plants at the top of the tank is as important as having them on the bottom for a sense of security.

Finally, with this setup, my Figure 8's are exhibiting more what I would consider "normal" behavior than ever before.
Pacing is almost non-existent; they are constantly occupied with puffer business.

Here is a setup in another tank I use (45g) that they seemed to enjoy (though not as much as the current one):


Looking at your picture, I think you could use a ton more decor, particularly solids. Free-standing plants like that do very little to make a fish feel secure IMO; your GSP has nowhere to hide, really.
There are some nice, natural looking fake caves that are relatively inexpensive, and real rocks are always nice, too, though a bit more expensive. And I'd recommend large floating plants to almost any puffer owner.