Are Fish Really Happy....

[The Duke]

....given that their natural habitat is a lake or river and we keep them in a glass box?

 

[KkAaNnEe]

Considering most are captive bred, I dont think they know much different really

Have pondered this myself though, But as all their needs are met, i would say they are pretty comfy really

 

[Noahs ark6]

....given that their natural habitat is a lake or river and we keep them in a glass box?

I suppose no-one can answer that because we can't be inside fishs' minds, but my fish don't seem to upset. I would stop keeping fish if someone proved that they aren't happy

 

[BadBadger]

My fish are constantly smiling, so I'd say yeah

In all seriousness I do wonder about this. Especially with predatory fish, who's instinct is to hunt and kill

 

[fluttermoth]

You have to remember that, even a lake or river, most of the fish we keep don't range over that whole area. They mostly hug the banks, or inhabit small defined territories.

I think fish in a suitably sized tank, with appropriate tankmates and good maintenance are as 'happy' as wild fish, as far as it is possible for us to be able to tell.

 

[Mikaila31]

Wild fish are also constantly trying to escape predators and just simply stay alive. In the wild the chance of a fry to grow to an adult is very slim. In the aquarium overall the survival rate is much higher. I don't normally worry about 'happy' as fish do not think like that. However in a proper aquarium all their needs are met without the dangers and slim-odds they face in the wild.

 

[Akasha72]

yeah, I'm agreeing really. As has already been said, most are captive bred so don't know any different and at the end of the day most animals care about little but food, a safe place to sleep and a comfortable life.

Given that we tend to their every need but constantly checking they are fed and that their habitat is clean and safe I think they're pretty happy.

I'm just watching my bronze cories dancing round each other - I think they are pretty happy right now

 

[OldMan47]

Duke, I have no idea about fish emotions. As far as them realizing that they have very limited mobility, I do my best to provide a good environment for my fish and they seem to go on about their lives as if they simply don't know any better. I am sure that larger tanks will be better for them in terms of getting closer to their "natural" environment but many of the fish that I keep are either endangered or extinct in the wild simply because man has decided their water source would better serve man as irrigation water. With that as a perspective, the fish in my tank get to survive until the day when maybe we will be able to release some of those otherwise extinct fish back to a creek or similar environment someplace. What do you think? Are my fish happier than their non-existent wild counterparts?

 

[The Duke]

Good point oldman. I sincerely hope fish do feel comfortable at the very least in their man made environments, after all we go to some lengths to keep them happy. This hobby is addictive!!

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Most of the time, you can base a fish's happiness off of how the fish act. Disease and other illnesses start with stress in a lot of cases, so I would say if you have healthy disease free fish that are actively spawning (if you have pairs), your fish are pretty happy.

 

[FishBlast]

I agree that given proper space to workout and good conditions would keep them happy.
In a fish tank, they don't have to worry that some fish would kill them (if the owner is careful), they don't have to worry that they've been doomed from the beginning if they were born an albino or whatever color that would give them away when hiding from predators, they don't have to search high and low for a mere mosquito larvae and die of hunger if there's nothing to be found and don't need to worry about low temperatures and such.

It appears like most fish only care about food and mating. Usually, livebearer males seem to be more interested in the latter.
Some will spend their time exploring or watching people walk around the room or interacting with them (usually, these are the fish that don't really like company of their own kind - bettas for example). Those are interesting, as they can recognize people by faces, and they themselves seem to have different faces too.

But what exactly shows that a fish is happy though?
Is it their healthy aspect and display of natural behavior?
Sometimes fish do glass surfing, are they bored when they do that? Or is it just their way of wondering "Hey, why can't I go there and check that place out?"

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Well, my fish come to the glass to see me. They wiggle their bodies like puppies and watch me. My oscars expecially

 

[FishBlast]

Well, my fish come to the glass to see me. They wiggle their bodies like puppies and watch me. My oscars expecially

My catfish and my female swordtail do that when asking for food or just to check who entered the room. The catfish hates strangers and will become very jumpy if they approach. (and he will be so tomorrow too, as some of my cousins are coming to visit).

My bettas I've had used to all watch me like vultures from a nest whenever I walked past their tank. It seems like bettas have good eyesight.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

My green terror protects his woman from me. I can't go near their tank without him trying to come through the glass at me lol

 

[FishBlast]

My green terror protects his woman from me. I can't go near their tank without him trying to come through the glass at me lol

Lol what happens if you put your hand in the water?
My catfish just tries to eat my fingers X))