People applying human mannerisms to fish...

[Maroonostrich]

It's starting to grate on me when people are overly anthromorphic about fish...

E.G... I said it would not hurt the work fish to go unfed over the weekend as long as they were in good health (they get way too much in the week anyway!)

Immediately- No that's cruel, I wouldn't like to not be fed for a day...

Yes but we aren't talking about you- we're talking about fish.. They won't sweat it, they'll be fine.

Or when I pointed out that the RTBS was a nasty bully who constantly harrasses the rest of the tank..

'Oh he's just playing, I think the rest quite enjoy it'

Sure they do.. getting chased all day.. it makes their life worthwhile

Now one of them has fin rot..

'I think the rest are guarding him....'

They're diddy shoalers- they are just concerned with sticking together and NOT getting eaten, they couldn't give a stuff if he pops his clogs and are probably waiting until they can nibble at him...

Stuff like that!


Anyone get me or am I just a bit techy today?!

 

[Teelie]

I hate when people do that too. They give the fish too much "personality" and credit for things they don't do. I go days, sometimes a week without feeding my fish depending on how much they get fed or if I'm out of town. I'd rather they go hungry than let someone attempt to "properly" feed my fish.

And I know the difference between fish playing and harassing each other. I had a gold gourami chased into the corner of a tank by two other gourami so I moved her into a 10g until I found a more suitable arrangement.

Some people never listen though which just annoys me to no end.

 

[Andie]

I think that some people dote a lot more on their fish than others, and so are eager to attribute to the fish qualities that they can understand (human qualities). I personally talk to my fish (it sounds a smidgen less crazy than talking to myself, after all) and say things like "oh I know you're hungry, it's coming, it's coming" but that's more for my own benefit than theirs. I would never actually kid myself that they understand me, nor confuse their frantic 'dancing' with joy at seeing me personally, rather than the person they know deposits food in the water.

As with regards to 'playing' and overfeeding, I guess I've never found it overly frustrating when I do come across it, since after several years of putting up with gross ignorance when it comes to the behaviour/treatment of dogs I'm not at all surprised that people can be the same way with fish

 

[Fishy411]

i feel teh same way to a certain degree. i try to get my tanks to mimic a natural environment as much as possible without sacrificing fishes health. i feed my fish at seemingly random intervals and amounts because thats how it is in teh wild. my brother insists they need to be fed everyday because "how would you like to not be fed fora day" and i keep telling him that they dont eat twice a day everyday in teh wild.

at the same time i am firmly convinced fish have personalities and feelings. to me theyre not just "dumb animals" they are individual. my severum is big peaceful and friendly. you can say " oh hes just waiting for food" but every time i walk by the tank he comes to teh front to see whats going on and he trusts me enough to actually let me touch him. hes not scared of me vacuuming the tank or anything.

you can say im being silly but i dont think i am. My fishies definately have individual personality.

 

[Andie]

you can say im being silly but i dont think i am. My fishies definately have individual personality.

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I think anybody who spends sufficient time with their fish will agree they have individual 'fish'alities One of my convicts, for example, is a sweet little gentleman, while my other is a bloodthirsty lil terror. I believe Maroonostritch was referring less to the individuality of fish, and more to being bothered by people being anthropomorphic about their fish; attributing human qualities/motivations to them. Fish can get stressed, scared, tired etc. the same as people, but there are other qualities that we tend to largely attribute to humans that I don't think fish can experience, ie. romantic love. Individual personalities, however, are not a uniquely human quality, but rather an observable (often endearing) trait in animals of many different species

(I love that you can pet your severum, btw- I had one betta who either enjoyed being petted, or thought my finger was a female betta. He would curl around my index finger and swim in tight little circles, brushing up against it. The betta on the other half of the divider would try to draw blood. Go figure )

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I think the most important thing is doing whats best for your fish, fasting your fish has its uses but you shouldn't underfeed your fish just a much as you shouldn't overfeed your fish- you also have to remember that fish that have been bred in captivity for a long time are not half as hardy as their wild reletaves and fasting pregnant livebearers is certainly not a good thing as if the pregnant fish cannot provide enough nutrition for her growing fry inside her, the fry can starve and get birth defects or the mother fish can also experience birthing issues etc.
When it comes to human emotions though and fish, what irretates me the most is when people put completely unsuitable fish together or have their fish in far too small a tank and won't sort out their stocking issues saying things like "oh my goldfish is "happy" in his 5gallon tank, he's been in it for years and is realy friendly" or "the fish are just playing tag with each other and they'll get used to each given time" or "my chinese algae eater was trying to clean my gourami and not suck its eyes out, they swim with each other alot following each other and love each other" etc .
The majority of fish do feel love, fear, stress, depression and happyness and they do learn things(well except neon tetras maybe ), but they cannot feel happy in a tank that is too small for them and they cannot overcome their fear of fish that could potentialy kill them, same as people.

 

[Boxcar Muzzdogg]

But its not a question of underfeeding. Its a question of producing too much waste from over feeding. I have the same problem at my store. The fish are already living in filth. They are going to be bought sooner than later an feeding them would cause more harm than good. I've explained numerous times to many people in the store that feeding the fish every day is unnessecary and harmful. I don't feed the fish because I already know that someone else is feeding them EVERY DAY, even though I've explained that only the fish that will be in the store for a long time, or fry need to be fed every day.

At one point there were two people feeding the fish behind my back (twice a day) and I would come in and there would be rotting food everywhere in the tank. When I asked why there was so much food in there someone said "they looked hungry so I threw some food in there." They're fish, they always look hungry. Most fish can go without food for weeks without any damage to their internal organs. (Please do not test this by negleting to feed your fish)

I guess what maroonostrich is trying to say is that others, as with everything else, mean well but end up causing harm with their ignorance. Or maybe maroon isn't saying that but I am. There are those people who don't care about animals as living beings, then there are those that do care but, as we have seen in every other facet of life requiring critical thinking, their brain just isn't functioning.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

If the fish are living in filth its sounds their main issue is not how often they feed the fish but their issues of over feeding the fish and of not cleaning the tanks enough, you can feed your fish every day but if you over feed them every time you do then it doesn't matter how often you feed them, its not good.
I prefer to give my fish small meals every day than a big one every couple of days.

 

[Boxcar Muzzdogg]

As do I. And when I say filth I mean the fact that there are in some cases 100 fish to a 15gal tank.

 

[Synirr]

I don't mind when people think of their fish's behaviour in human terms, so long as they know deep down that it actually isn't true. I mean, I talk to my fish sometimes and say things like "Awww, does him want to play? Is him a happy boy?? Yes him is!" (yes, I baby talk them,) but I know that really, probably all that dance they're doing means is "Hey, it's the lady who gives me food! Give me food, lady!" What gets on my nerves is when people base their behaviour towards the fish on the human characteristics they're attributing to them... like not separating two fish who are "playing tag" or being worried about having them miss a single day of food. As with any animal, it does them a disservice to pretend they are human. Every species should be recognised and treated as what it is... that's the only real way to fully appreciate them, if you ask me

 

[Maroonostrich]

Oh don't get me wrong, I believe fish truly do have personalities and more intelligence than many people give them credit for- and as for talking to them, heck I talk to plants at times!

When I come home at lunchtime, my fish fly over to the corner to get as close to me as possible cos they know it will most likely be feeding time! I also say 'Hi guys, you doing ok?' as I wonder closer and do my second head count of the day and just watch for a bit to see all is well...

The problem is, as pointed out, that many people making these assumptions are getting it WRONG to the point that it is potentially harming their fish..


I.E. thinking that fish are pally pally in a tank when they are clearly incompatible based on any book you pick up and are actually practically trying to kill eachother..

Example;

Maybe the big black one (RTBS) would be happier if we got him a friend...

Me; No, they'd kill eachother..

But you don't know that!

YES, I DO! They are territorial and that tank is small for him anyway..

Oh. You're very negative about this...

AAAARGH!!!

And the feeding issue- I am forever fighting off people wanting to feed those fish 'cos they look hungry' or 'I like to see them swimming around all excited'...

For heavens sake!! I have tried to explain- excess food= excess waste= DEAD FISH! No one listens!

I think it's from this human preoccupation that food to some extent constitutes love or care or something and is one way to express 'care' for the fish- but they'd be better off expressing their care by getting fish that will get on and have a well decorated tank- how many people go that far!!

Pet care is not always about doing what YOU THINK your pets ENJOY or treating them how you would like to be treated yourself- it's about maintaining them in the best of health and in a suitable environment- and often that's something completely alien to what a human being would consider as 'nice' and 'comforting'!

I would swear this is where people make a lot of mistakes!!

 

[Maroonostrich]

The majority of fish do feel love, fear, stress, depression and happyness and they do learn things(well except neon tetras maybe )...

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LOL Tokis, my boys are mighty miffed!! The neons learned pretty quickly that I was a good thing to follow around, pursue a finger put near the glass and are part of the group racing over for dinner.. They're an established gang from the beginning of the tank..

Poor guys, they do take some stick on here!

 

[Opcn]

I hate it when people try and shoehorn fish into there sociatal trait, like puting bettas together as husband and wife.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

I hate it when people try and shoehorn fish into there sociatal trait, like puting bettas together as husband and wife.

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maybe they're using the definition of marital bliss as shown on "Cops"

 

[Maroonostrich]

lol lol!
But there you see, if you split them up, you'd get 'oh me and my partner have arguments all the time, I still wouldn't want to go live on my own....!!!'

*bangs head on wall*