Can a fish be "heart broken" after a lose?

[um_fan5]

So I came home yesterday to find one of my two firefish dead!
It was perfectly fine in the DT for 2 months and 45 days prior to that in QT!
All other fishes are fine...all eat that evening!

Before I removed the dead fish I notice the other firefish "hanging" around the "body"!
After I removed it from the tank it swam around as it was looking for it's mate!
Then it bolted under a "cave" in the rock work and never came out again that evening!
I even dropped additional food in the tank...and nothing!

This morning it move around but it was still in the cave!
Mrs...comment that it's probably heart broken!!
Can this be the case???

On a side note, I notice the dead fish had all of the tail fin what I guess "eating" off and some of body!
That same night as I spent time look and observing the firefish...I saw for the first time a large bristle or firework in that same cave.
Could it have attacked and killed the fish?

 

[anemoneanatomy]

Fish are more intelligent and more social than many give them credit for. I don't think it's ridiculous to say your firefish was looking for its same-species bud, or that they probably had some kind of social bond, esp if they were a mated pair. While we can't say it's exactly equivalent to being "heartbroken" or "mourning" or similar because that's antropomorphizing the experience, it would strain belief that it doesn't notice the absence and that it is reacting to it in some way.

It's unlikely (but not impossible) that your bristleworm attacked the fish. It is slightly more likely that the firefish attacked the worm because it was invading its cave and got injured, or (imo the most likely scenario) that the bristleworm found your fish already dead and munched on it, because they are scavengers and detritovores, and that's what they do.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Firefish may have had a disease, they hide symptoms well. Keep an eye on the survivor. A rogue invert may have done it too. If it was murdered, that could explain why the other one is so skittish.
To answer the original question, yes fish can be heart broken. There is plenty of evidence of this in clownfish. Often when a member of a long term pair dies, the other soon follows (maybe disease, though often not) or is never quite the same afterwards. This has also been seen in cichlids (specifically convicts). It stands to reason that this may occur in other intelligent, pair forming fishes as well.

 

[Karen00]

Fish are more intelligent and more social than many give them credit for. I don't think it's ridiculous to say your firefish was looking for its same-species bud, or that they probably had some kind of social bond, esp if they were a mated pair. While we can't say it's exactly equivalent to being "heartbroken" or "mourning" or similar because that's antropomorphizing the experience, it would strain belief that it doesn't notice the absence and that it is reacting to it in some way.

It's unlikely (but not impossible) that your bristleworm attacked the fish. It is slightly more likely that the firefish attacked the worm because it was invading its cave and got injured, or (imo the most likely scenario) that the bristleworm found your fish already dead and munched on it, because they are scavengers and detritovores, and that's what they do.

Adding my 2 cents... "100% agree! You said it perfectly"!!

 

[ultraArcite]

Fish are more intelligent and more social than many give them credit for. I don't think it's ridiculous to say your firefish was looking for its same-species bud, or that they probably had some kind of social bond, esp if they were a mated pair.

I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. I had to take my female Banggai Cardinalfish out of the display tank for a month to treat her with some meds. When I put her back in, she went right up to her mate and "nuzzled" him to let him know she was back. He chased her around the tank and now she's been "moping" for 2 days. I don't think it's anthropomorphism... I think she is sad.

 

[um_fan5]

The other firefish is still in the cave and I did not see it eat.
All other fishes are fine with no noticeable disease or infection!

It's sad to see it as both would swim around the tank!
Makes me want to order a new fish from TSM do get it quickly in the tank!
Hopefully it will bond with its new mate!