Tang happiness (philosophical)

[GoldenMediaGirl]

Just curious what your thoughts are. Is it possible that tangs swim back and forth and around in loops as a sign of stress? Like a tiger pacing in a cage? I'm asking because some of the more active tangs I have seen, also tend to have signs of illness or other stressers. Also, we tend to use the natural habitat of wild animals as our guideline for keeping them in captivity, but the wild is also full of predators and many other stressful things for fish. Is it possible that, provided they are cared for appropriately, fish in general are more content in captivity ? Just want to hear your opinions.

 

[TroutWithLegs]

So, like everything in animal care, it depends. Scientifically, stress responses and stressors change a ton from species to species, and individual to individual, and time can change a lot of that as well. I think its reasonable to assume that a captive animal will be less stressed than a wild one, but without knowing it's full life history an having regular hormone testing done on it, its hard to tell. Some studies will show that while a wild fish will have a more constantly high stress level, it has smaller and less disruptive peaks, where a captive fish may have less overall stress, but it's peaks will be higher and faster, and more damaging to the animal.

Philosophically though, I've never seen an unhappy or stressed (as I would see it) fish while diving, but have also seen all my fish who make it through QT be really relaxed too. Its all about how they adjust to their environment, Just like us, we are basically fish with legs and lungs.

 

[KrisReef]

Great discussion proposition.

Fish ( including tangs, butterflies, damsels and triggers) will change their swimming behavior when they detect predators or competitors present in the wild or in a tank.

A tiger pacing around a cage may be bored or waiting for lunch, not necessarily because it is stressing from confinement. They don’t usually say why they are pacing. I see runners going to the gym to jump (pace) on a treadmill because they feel good doing it. Tigers pacing could be the same thing?