Fish behaviour

[purple_drazi]

Before I got an aquarium I had no idea how much fish relied on each other.

This is only my feeling but except for dogs and the big parrots (because most of them seem to like human company just as much as their own species) I think getting one of any kind of animal would be kind of like condemning a person to be alone, surrounded by aliens, forever until they die.

Because I think animals need the company of their own kind we always get more than one of whatever where ever possible. For instance we currently have two cats, 4 budgies and 2 guinea pigs. When we had gerbils we always got two (girls! no babies here!! ) The way they went to sleep curled up together was just so sweet. Case in point: the last pair of gerbils lived a really long time (for gerbils anyway) and when one finally died from a cancer like illness, the other died (for no reason the vet could see) exactly one week later. I'll always believe she died of loneliness.

I never thought about it in terms of fish though. I always just assumed that they swam around pretty much independently except for mating or when the time to migrate somewhere hit. Then I read that cory cats don't do well by themselves. Why not? There's plenty of food, should be more in fact because there's less competition. More space too. So why wouldn't they do as well? But I got two (getting another soon, because even a pair isn't quite enough apparently) and they hang together. awwww! And the platys hung out together, and so do the guppies and the neons.

Mind you, I *don't* think that there's a whole lot of sentience going on here. I mean, I don't think that they actually feel lonely if there isn't another fish of their own kind there or anything, but they probably feel uneasy, or uncomfortable somehow. Very likely it has to do with being more exposed to predators, predators who don't like that other species over there but who only want to eat my species... and I'm the only one here... He's gonna eat me!!
or something like that

But whatever the reason, it was a surprise to me how much the fish hang out together by species in the tank. It's neat.
Learning something new every day!

(No flaming please! my personal opinion only! not intended to be a criticism of anyone else's pet keeping!)

 

[karrihug]

i know what you mean, even some bettas like company(not other bettas though) i had one that had a pet snail. he would wait for the snail to get to a good spot on the glass and then he would sit on the snail and sleep.

 

[The-Wolf]

I think is the instinct that "there is safty in numbers", rather than sentiance (sp). Well thats how I see it.

 

[SirMinion]

the last pair of gerbils lived a really long time (for gerbils anyway) and when one finally died from a cancer like illness, the other died (for no reason the vet could see) exactly one week later. I'll always believe she died of loneliness.

Very likely. Gerbils are one of the few non-primates (some others are parrots, swans & elephants) to experience grief after losing a bonded partner.

I used to breed gerbils, and if a partner died, the one left behind would pine, lose weight and sometimes die unless a suitable new friend was introduced.

You don't need sentience to have emotions, IMO.

 

[purple_drazi]

then he would sit on the snail and sleep.

<musing>I don't know how people can not like animals, they're so neat. I know that such people exist, but I don't get it. If somebody's allergic that's something else.
But to not like animals is wierd.

 

[karrihug]

i have 3 dogs and 2 cats as well as all my fish. and i am allergic to the cats, but i would rather take allergy pills twice a day than get rid of any of them.

 

[fishdudein]

I, also, don't get how some people can not like (or need) animals.

Long, long ago when I was a kid, we had lots of animals-dogs, rabbits, gerbils, turtles...and of course my fish. Now my older brother has 2 dogs and a fishtank, one of my sisters has a dog and fish, and the other sis has 2 dogs. I have way too many (but never enough ) fish, a cat, lizards, and whatever else strolls into the yard. My folks on the other hand apparently just tolerated our "mini-menagerie" until us kids moved out...neither one of them (they are divorced now) has ever had any pets since then.

Anyway, getting back on topic, that is one of the things that so fascinates me with fish. You think that you understand a certain type of fish's characteristic behaviors. But move that fish into a different environment with more (or less) of their own kind, or into a bigger environment, or into one with more caves, or plants, or whatever the physical changes might be, and you will likely see changes in the fish's behavior. Makes it a challenging hobby if you are interested in the well-being of the fish. One reason why I enjoy researching for info on fish that I am contemplating getting.