Cichlidiot wrote:
In rec.aquaria.freshwater.cichlids Gill Passman wrote:
: By putting in a mirror you will be causing stress to the fish in
: question...he is now involved in a battle he cannot win...imagine
: spending your entire life face to face with whoever you perceive to be
: the enemy.

I call BS on this one. If this were true, countless breeders around the
world who use rack systems would be subjecting their cichlids to stress
because they can see the fish in the neighboring tank, but not actually
reach them. I watch my N. pulcher and N. similis in neighboring tanks in
the rack stare and flare at each other through the glass all the time.
Are you going to say all of the breeders using these rack setups are
being cruel to our fish? Please, watch for the slippery slope before you
slide on down it.

I think that maybe you miss my point here....fish flaring at one another
in neighbouring tanks is a whole different scenario...one will
eventually back down or maybe the battle will continue who knows....a
fish attacking itself is entirely different - he cannot possibly win or
lose because his reflection is just what it is "a mirror image" - so it
becomes an endless fight...even with fish in neighbouring tanks the same
thing does not apply because you are looking at the individual fish and
not mirror copies of one fish in terms of agression - and lets face it
with breeders their fish have that ultimate outlet of sex with the
various females...in an enclosed space with just one male, I do believe
getting him to fight it out with himself is not good for him - he will
never win and no pecking order can be established...So I say to you that
there is a very big difference between two male fish seeing one another
and an individual fish fighting himself....I don't believe that you are
suggesting that those that breed fish just show the males
themsleves..there is a myriad of difference here...

Would you ever put a betta in a tank with a continual mirror image of
himself? I for one would never do it...would I keep multiple sex
cichlids in a tank knowing that there will be the alpha and subordinate
struggle irrespective of divides - yes I do....do I keep other fish
together that have the same conflicts - yes I do...would I ever isolate
my most aggressive Mbuna and just give him a mirror image of himself to
fight - never...it would be cruel...

Gill