Sociality In Fish

[hollanda88]

I'm bored so i thought i would start a discussion.

Whats wrong with keeping social fish in abnormal (not whats seen in situ) social groups if there are no behavioural or physiological 'problems'

andrew

 

[Miah002]

What do you mean like keeping a clown loach on it's own or keeping it with differnt loaches or species?

 

[hollanda88]

What do you mean like keeping a clown loach on it's own or keeping it with differnt loaches or species?

either; lets start with too few of a shoaling species

 

[Miah002]

If there kept with a an aggresive fish or a predatorial one then this will result in insecurity and less strength in the group.

If they were kept in a normal community then too few numbers will result in fin nipping and aggresive behaviour by the schoaling species.

 

[hollanda88]

If there kept with a an aggresive fish or a predatorial one then this will result in insecurity and less strength in the group.

If they were kept in a normal community then too few numbers will result in fin nipping and aggresive behaviour by the schoaling species.

Yeah but i ment if there were no problems at all, do people still object to keeping things like lone rasbora or tetra???

 

[Truck]

yes we do, can you communicate with a fish and tell how it feels? if its feels insecure or not?

i think not

 

[hollanda88]

yes we do, can you communicate with a fish and tell how it feels? if its feels insecure or not?

i think not

no but you can measure behaviour and physiology such as excreation of stress hormones in feaces

I don't agree with doing it just wondered what people thought

 

[Miah002]

You can tell if a fish is insecure by viewing there behaviour.

If it's abnormal then there is certainly something wrong.

 

[Truck]

You can tell if a fish is insecure by viewing there behaviour. not necessarily you cant tell if a fish is stressed can you? unless it shows physical disease etc
If it's abnormal then there is certainly something wrong.

 

[RedeyesUK]

It might work and look OK to an observer, but that doesn't mean it's good for the fish.

Imagine being sent to live in some isolated house somewhere, completely cut off from any human contact - as long as you had a food supply, you'd survive, but you wouldn't really enjoy it much!

Being in the wrong sort of social group, be it not enough of your kind, or too many, or too many other fish you'd view as a threat, will just lead to stress.
You might say 'So what?', but the end result of that would be a lot of hiding, moping around, and generally not getting the best from your fish. Besides, I think one of the best things about fishkeeping is watching them interact with each other in a (more or less) natural way.

 

[hollanda88]

You can tell if a fish is insecure by viewing there behaviour.

If it's abnormal then there is certainly something wrong.

Thats what im saying; if the behaviour is normal and there are no signs of dis-stress then whay not

andrew

 

[Truck]

because fish keeping is about replicating a fishes natural habitat, not using them as some form of experiment that may stress or harm them, and the only proper way of telling if a fish is stressed is skittishness and hiding thats it

 

[Miah002]

Being in the wrong sort of social group, be it not enough of your kind, or too many, or too many other fish you'd view as a threat, will just lead to stress.
You might say 'So what?', but the end result of that would be a lot of hiding, moping around, and generally not getting the best from your fish. Besides, I think one of the best things about fishkeeping is watching them interact with each other in a (more or less) natural way.

Yep he's right. It's only okay is your building the schoal slowly. That means like adding three neon tetras a month.

 

[hollanda88]

You might say 'So what?', but the end result of that would be a lot of hiding, moping around, and generally not getting the best from your fish. Besides, I think one of the best things about fishkeeping is watching them interact with each other in a (more or less) natural way.

Yeah surely you would notice behavioural changes i.e. moping around or hiding, if things were not right. But if these changes were not experianced...

 

[Truck]

if it were me i would add 6 at a time, just keep an eye on the water conditions like you would when adding new stock anyway. whats a water change if you can be positive your fish isnt under any stress etc