Paul B
10K Club member
Excellence Award
Reef Tank 365
Reef Of The Month
Article Contributor
Rock Pool Reef Keepers
We hobbyists are thinking much to much about gadgets, chemicals, lighting and water quality and not enough about "fish feelings". Yes, fish have feelings. I doubt they feel remorse, giddy, anguished, rueful, nostalgic, bashful or ashamed but I know they feel something. All you have to do is look them in the eye.
Did you stop laughing yet?
Yes, after many years you can look a fish in the eye and "feel" how it feels. A depressed fish or a fish in quarantine, a dealers tank, medication, or a bullied fish will have a blank look and slightly dull eyes. Those fish are terrified, especially after they figure out that they can't scream.
Still laughing aren't you? You spend a lot of time on disease forums, don't you? Ever wonder why? ;Meh
In some fish, such as a Copperband Butterfly it is easy to tell how the fish is feeling as they have expressionful eyes. Like I said, you need to be doing this for to many years where you become part fish. But, almost like dogs, some fishes feeling can be seen in their expression. Not all fish. I guess some of them are just stoic all the time, maybe they are Nerds or were raised by a Nerd or worse (But I won't say it)
Happy, fish are inquisitive fish. They don't look scared and are constantly looking for food and a mate, as fish, like Justin Beiber are always looking to spawn.
"Happy" fish also never get sick because they are not stressed and think they are in the sea.
Porcupine puffers are also fish that you can read. They are never happy because for some reason, they know they are confined and hate it. Yes, I know, they wag their tail when they see you, but did you ever think, maybe they are just Mooning you.
They also know that in that tank they can never reach their full size of about 18". I am sure they hate us too as I would if one of them kept me in a small air space under the sea.
Porcupines spend much of their life swimming up and down one end of the tank actually rubbing their eye on the glass as they go back and forth. That causes them a lot of eye problems.
I have followed many of them in the sea and they are long distance, but slow swimmers and really don't like tank life.
Really small fish like bluestripe pipefish, clown gobies, bleenies etc. don't even know they are captive and they exhibit their joy by spawning constantly. Stressed fish will never spawn, not even if they see you and your main squeeze watching Judge Judy on TV wearing your Christmas Pajamas and sipping a Grand Marnier.
If we can keep our fish "happy" they will stay healthy. Medication and quarantine does not make them happy. Living in a place that resembles the sea and having plenty of "natural" looking hiding places make them feel secure. If you can see them, they can see you and they don't like or want to see you. If all they have is white PVC elbows from Home Depot with the "Made in China" sticker still on them, they can see you and are thinking "Like seriously. They want me to live in here!"
Then they show their displeasure by attracting ich which causes us to add more copper and get them sicker.
Then we dip them and throw in Prizapro when all the fish needs is a secure place to live and be fed something other than Twinkies.
Did you stop laughing yet?
Yes, after many years you can look a fish in the eye and "feel" how it feels. A depressed fish or a fish in quarantine, a dealers tank, medication, or a bullied fish will have a blank look and slightly dull eyes. Those fish are terrified, especially after they figure out that they can't scream.
Still laughing aren't you? You spend a lot of time on disease forums, don't you? Ever wonder why? ;Meh
In some fish, such as a Copperband Butterfly it is easy to tell how the fish is feeling as they have expressionful eyes. Like I said, you need to be doing this for to many years where you become part fish. But, almost like dogs, some fishes feeling can be seen in their expression. Not all fish. I guess some of them are just stoic all the time, maybe they are Nerds or were raised by a Nerd or worse (But I won't say it)
Happy, fish are inquisitive fish. They don't look scared and are constantly looking for food and a mate, as fish, like Justin Beiber are always looking to spawn.
"Happy" fish also never get sick because they are not stressed and think they are in the sea.
Porcupine puffers are also fish that you can read. They are never happy because for some reason, they know they are confined and hate it. Yes, I know, they wag their tail when they see you, but did you ever think, maybe they are just Mooning you.
They also know that in that tank they can never reach their full size of about 18". I am sure they hate us too as I would if one of them kept me in a small air space under the sea.
Porcupines spend much of their life swimming up and down one end of the tank actually rubbing their eye on the glass as they go back and forth. That causes them a lot of eye problems.
I have followed many of them in the sea and they are long distance, but slow swimmers and really don't like tank life.
Really small fish like bluestripe pipefish, clown gobies, bleenies etc. don't even know they are captive and they exhibit their joy by spawning constantly. Stressed fish will never spawn, not even if they see you and your main squeeze watching Judge Judy on TV wearing your Christmas Pajamas and sipping a Grand Marnier.
If we can keep our fish "happy" they will stay healthy. Medication and quarantine does not make them happy. Living in a place that resembles the sea and having plenty of "natural" looking hiding places make them feel secure. If you can see them, they can see you and they don't like or want to see you. If all they have is white PVC elbows from Home Depot with the "Made in China" sticker still on them, they can see you and are thinking "Like seriously. They want me to live in here!"
Then they show their displeasure by attracting ich which causes us to add more copper and get them sicker.
Then we dip them and throw in Prizapro when all the fish needs is a secure place to live and be fed something other than Twinkies.
