Sound Vs Fish

[Squidman]

Ive posted this in the Tropical Chat section and was told that i might get a better answer by posting here so here it is. Will loud noises affect fish in any way. Im gonna have my 29 gallon set up near a TV and near a few stereos which blast loud music once in a while. My family is also loud at times incluf\ding me. So, does sound effect fish in ways that may harm them, kill them, or just disturb/stress them?

Thanks,

Squidman

 

[nmonks]

Yes, loud noises do annoy fish, though to varying degrees. The group of fish known as the Ostariophysi are particularly sensitive because they have a unique connection between the ears and swim bladder that magnifies sound (structures called Weberian Ossicles, if you're interested). Anyway, as far as the aquarist is concerned these are the Cypriniformes (carps, minnows, danios, barbs, loaches, etc.), the Siluriformes (catfish), the Gymnotiformes (knifefishes) and Characiformes (characins, piranhas, tetras, etc.). All of these fish will be acutely sensitive to sound, and will hate you with a profound hatred if exposed to loud, especially low-frequency, thumping sounds (low frequency sounds propagate very well in water).

Cheers, Neale

Ive posted this in the Tropical Chat section and was told that i might get a better answer by posting here so here it is. Will loud noises affect fish in any way. Im gonna have my 29 gallon set up near a TV and near a few stereos which blast loud music once in a while. My family is also loud at times incluf\ding me. So, does sound effect fish in ways that may harm them, kill them, or just disturb/stress them?

Thanks,

Squidman

 

[fry_lover]

but has anyone asked the fish if it annoys them? how do we know?

do they swim different?

 

[nmonks]

They get scared when exposed to sudden loud sounds. Ask any fisherman. Or stamp your feet or tap the glass loudly, and watch what the fish do!

Cheers, Neale

do they swim different?

 

[fry_lover]

true, true, but low freqneucy thumping sounds?

I dont notice any difference with my set-up's if i got loud music on with loads of thumping?

I am sure they may hear the sound, but if its continous rather than some prat thumping on the glass, who's to say it stresses them?

 

[Squidman]

If you tap the glass ive observed that the fish suddenly move a bit. Do cichlids get bothered by loud noises?

 

[Bignose]

true, true, but low freqneucy thumping sounds?

I dont notice any difference with my set-up's if i got loud music on with loads of thumping?

I am sure they may hear the sound, but if its continous rather than some prat thumping on the glass, who's to say it stresses them?

Go and read: Title: Underwater ambient noise measurements in aquaculture systems: a survey
Author(s): Bart AN, Clark J, Young J, Zohar Y
Source: AQUACULTURAL ENGINEERING 25 (2): 99-110 SEP 2001

They talk about subjecting fish to different noises and how it affects their health. Low frequencies were most common. Let me sum it up in a few words -- the fish weren't killed, but they showed several signs of stress. The fish weren't happy about it at all.

Others:

Title: Effect of boat noise on the behaviour of bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus in the Mediterranean Sea
Author(s): Sara G (Sara, G.), Dean JM (Dean, J. M.), D'Amato D (D'Amato, D.), Buscaino G (Buscaino, G.), Oliveri A (Oliveri, A.), Genovese S (Genovese, S.), Ferro S (Ferro, S.), Buffa G (Buffa, G.), Lo Martire M (Lo Martire, M.), Mazzola S (Mazzola, S.)
Source: MARINE ECOLOGY-PROGRESS SERIES 331: 243-253 2007

Title: Acoustical stress and hearing sensitivity in fishes: does the linear threshold shift hypothesis hold water?
Author(s): Smith ME, Kane AS, Popper AN
Source: JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY 207 (20): 3591-3602 SEP 2004

Title: Noise-induced stress response and hearing loss in goldfish (Carassius auratus)
Author(s): Smith ME, Kane AS, Popper AN
Source: JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY 207 (3): 427-435 JAN 2004

 

[Tolak]

They get scared when exposed to sudden loud sounds. Ask any fisherman. Or stamp your feet or tap the glass loudly, and watch what the fish do!

Cheers, Neale

do they swim different?

Boy I hate to disagree with Neale; he'll come back with links to half a dozen published papers proving me wrong.

Anyhow, my research is far from scientific, more hands on experience. As far as tapping on the glass, if the fish are accustomed to it they will respond either in a neutral way, or favorably if you tap on the glass every time you feed them. This is an old trick breeders that sell to shops use. When the fish get to the shop, they are conditioned so that tapping on the glass means feeding time. Every wisenheimer kid that sees a tank taps on the glass, with fish conditioned this way they all rush to the front & top, anticipating food. The customer doesn't know this, it's a trick used to increase sales.

There are a few members of the local aquatics club that live near a major airport, ½ block away, under flight patterns. You can almost count lug nuts on the landing gear. They breed fish with no more problems, or less problems, than any other club members, one notable breeder had zebra plecs going a while back.

Long ago, when I was younger & wilder, I played guitar in a heavy metal band. We didn’t skimp on equipment, several 4x12 guitar bottoms, 4x15 bass bottom, with the hundreds of watts of amplification that goes along with it. Double bass drum kit, all in the drummer’s basement, who bred Oscars in the fishroom upstairs. Since it is generally accepted (I know, unscientific statement) that breeding fish are happy fish, apparently the fish enjoyed incredibly loud music. Too bad the neighbors who consistently called the police didn’t.

More recently in my fishroom, a buddy of mine & I built a rather large built in rack for 40 gallon tanks, 3'x10', built in place in my fishroom. This involved several loud power tools, right next to and above all the fish. It didn’t keep any pairs from spawning, and didn’t result in any deaths. I use power tools on a regular basis right outside the fishroom, so perhaps they were somewhat accustomed to this noise.


****Edit To Add****

I knew if I took my time posting & multi tasking on the phone Neale would come up with links, I just knew it!