Ultimate Fishkeeping Theory

[jambo1238]

Okay, this might sound crazy, but please let me elaborate.

I was thinking about fishkeeping and i was wondering if fish felt trapped or unhappy in our aquariums.

Then i worked out how to judge if our fish lived in suitable homes.

This theory works on the principle of allowing us (humans) to understand how it would feel to be confined in a similar sized space in relation to our size.

I know that humans and fish are completely different species, which live in different environments and social groups. But all animals behave in a similar way when they are unhappy with their environment.

I know this is hardcore thinking but please stay with me.

This theory is only concerned with environment (tank) size, not with actual habitat or water quality.

If we assume that fish inhabit the whole tank, which the majority do, then humans are at a disadvantage in this theory because we can only inhabit the floor due to us not flying or swimming.

In theory by using a fish's size and the size of the tank that it inhabits, we can work out what size environment we would be confinded to.

I hope this makes sense.

In order to do this we would need a size ratio of fish size to human size. I am not very good at ratios, so i can't work this out. But hopefully another member can.
But i can do a simplified version of this.

Say for instance. A fish which is 1cm lives in a 10 litre tank. The average human is 170cm (i think), we would live in a room which would be 1700cm in floor space. I'm not to sure how to relate the measurements. I think square metres would need to be comparable with litres.

However, we would feel in that room, is how a fish feels in their tank.

We would of course be happier with other humans and furniture and entertainment. Just like a fish would be happier with other fish, decor and entertainment.

I have finished now, but can i have everyones opinions and i need help working out how to make the theory work.

I think this theory is big, and could replace stocking theories.

Many thanx to everyone who read this.

 

[-germ-]

To be honest you've said it yourself, there is no way a sound theory can be based on making comparisons between 2 such vastly different species.
Good that your trying to come up with stuff like this, but this theory IMHO is a non-starter.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

i don't mean to rain on your parade by fish and human's are not always the same in terms of the size needed

some species of fish are naturally considerably more or less active and as such have individual space requirements. if a fish in it's natural environment would have a home in a small cave or area of water and only venture out very rarely if they need to search for food further afield (think something like a frogfish) then in a tank they only need a relativley small area comparative to body size as they can live as they would in nature.

some fish like danio's while considerably smaller than aforementioned frogfish are very very active fish and in nature would travel in their shoal over a large area of water, as such in an aquarium we need to provide them with more room to swim.

it falls down on the same basis that the 1" per gallon 'rule' doesn't work. we cannot lump all fish in together and make assumptions based purely on size, we need to assess the individual fish's requirements.

 

[JamieBailie]

I've always been a believer of "They don't know any better"

They are born in a tank, They live in a tank.

How can they want more when they don't know there is more.

 

[Bignose]

What about differences in people, too? I know a lot of people who were just fine living two people to a tiny dorm room in college, and I knew a lot of people who only slept in their dorm room and spent as much time as possible in the louge or on campus because the tiny room felt way too small to them. Are you going to consider agoraphobics and/or claustrophobics? Finally, it is a valid question whether or not you are anthropomorphizing the fish. How exactly would a fish display "feeling trapped" or "unhappy"? Are fish even capable of such emotions? Their brains are not nearly as highly developed as our is, their brains may not even be capable of such feelings. And, such a question about their brains may not ever be answerable.

Like germ said, it is commendable to be thinking about such things, but such a theory probably can never be validated scientifically. And that means it is in the realm of philosophy or conjecture or fiction, but not science. Sorry.

 

[-germ-]

On the philosophical aspects, i thought while replying that realistically it is hard enough to know if human emotion is actually real or just a complex construct of various chemical stimulii.
Without even getting on to the subconcious and how that (if it exists) affects the way we believe we feel. "Closed in, closed in" is that real feeling, a panic response due to adrenaline etc. Or do we actually, really not feel closed in but feel obliged via social conditioning and/or the lessons our subconcious has learnt without our acknowledgment, to believe that we do feel this way.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

this theory also neglects the importance of dimensions in the quality of life. even though fish can in theory use the entire volume of a tank, most fish primarily use just one plane of activity.

lets compare 3 theoretical tanks, each with a 4ft, a 2ft and a 1ft dimension.

danios would be best kept in a 4ft long, 2 ft wide and 1 ft deep tank. as mentioned previously, danios are very active fish that use the entire horizontal plane for schooling. however, they are primarily mid-water fish and tend to stay at a single depth range. since they are also slim-bodied fish, they also do not occupy much vertical space. thus danios have little need for a deep tank.

rainbows would be best kept in a 4ft long, 1 ft wide and 2 ft deep tank. rainbows spend most of their time swimming against the current. they need a long tank for proper current development; current is also typically more constant in the horizontal plane. because they are deep-bodied fish, they also occupy significant amounts of vertical space. thus rainbows have little need for a wide tank but significant need for a deep tank.

plants are about the only thing suited to a tank 2ft long, 1 ft wide and 4ft deep. the footprint of that tank would severely limit the level of saturated oxygen; it would also preclude most active swimmers from being kept in such a tank. certain "oddball" fish might be suited to this tank; all of these fish would need to be relatively sedentary and native to very still waters. even in the event that a suitable fish could be found, this tank could only hold a fraction of the stocking level possible in the other configurations mentioned--primarily due to the low oxygen threshold.

 

[ArauraDiscus]

Humans have a much faster metabolism. We need space to run, and we need a greater variation in diet. We also MUST eat a lot more to survive. In addition we have problem solving abilities and have the mental capacity to be happy or sad and depressed. Fish are healthy or unhealthy. The healthy behavior is often protrayed as happy and unhealthy as unhappy, but they don't have complex emotions. We would likely end up committing suicide in areas that tiny, and WE MUST exercise our minds to stay happy. These fish just need proper water quality and enough space to swim around and thats really it. They don't know any better.

 

[K.J.]

This is gonna sound stupid in comparison to the 5-paragraph replies from other people, but:

You can't miss what you've never had.

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

This is how I feel about it... yes they might have less space than in the wild but:

1) My fish will never experience a predator
2) My fish will never experience starvation
3) My fish will never experience pollution
4) My fish will be treated with medication if they are sick

That being said...I do not like to purchase fish that I suspect have been wild caught. Breeding fish is one thing...taking them from their natural environment is another thing entirely. I know that sometimes this cannot be helped, but I do not like the idea of depleting natural fish population.

 

[jambo1238]

Hi everyone, thanx for all the replies. I know that it has a lot of faults and might not be scientifically possible.

But i just had a thought and needed to write it down.

Soz if i confused anyone.