I have posted several times in the past about fish enrichment and how I am a huge proponent. The journal Applied Animal Behavior Science recently published a study focusing on the use of artificial aquarium plants as a source of enrichment. Full reference at the bottom of the post.
Titled “Environmental enrichment using artificial aquarium plants: Effects on aggression, breeding, and welfare in a cichlid fish,” the study’s model research species is Astatotilapia burtoni, a species popular in the hobby. Not surprisingly, it’s also a very well-studied species in academia. One of the past interviewees here on the blog, Dr. Ronald Oldfield, specializes in fish welfare research and is a co-author of this study.
What did the study conclude? Several interesting discoveries, actually. In fact, I believe the results can add value to existing husbandry information about A. burtoni in aquaria. From the published paper:
Our findings were that the inclusion of water plants in A. burtoni breeding compartments may decrease mortality but did not significantly improve other welfare markers (growth, body condition, fin splits).
Though I am not questioning the study results, I don’t like the fact that there were no details about the plants used in the study. The purpose of the plants and their placement in the experimental tanks were described, but other than noting that the plants were plastic, there was no other description. Were the plants short, tall, broad, etc? Were they leafy type plants like Amazon Swords or grassy like Vallisneria? How many plants were used? The study does indicate that multiple plants were used in the planted treatment tanks but doesn’t explicitly state how many.
I am quite surprised that more detail wasn’t provided about the plants, especially given that they are the focus of the research. Should we expect the type and number of artificial plants in the study to have no influence on the experimental results? Maybe, but I am skeptical about that.
Nonetheless, the study does provide food for thought and provides some useful information for cichlid keepers, especially those keeping/breeding A. burtoni.
If you are interested in A. burtoni, specifically research involving them, I have interviewed Dr. Hans Hofmann from the University of Texas, Austin a couple of times. Though not part of this study, his model cichlid species of choice is also A. burtoni. I believe a couple of the other scientists that I have interviewed use A. burtoni as one of their research models. Just search the site for the species, and you should find all those interviews.
Reference: Burka, E., Oldfield, R., Kelty, J., Dijkstra, P. “Environmental enrichment using artificial aquarium plants: Effects on aggression, breeding, and welfare in a cichlid fish.” Applied Animal Behavior Science, 305, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2026.107174.