You probably already know that if your aquarium environment does not live up to the standards of your fish they are unlikely to thrive. You may be surprised to learn, however, that an environment that is too cramped or dull can actually cause your fish to become angry.
There will be visible signs if a fish has been attacked in the tank. Such signs include marks on its body and nips on its fins. A fish that is injured will shy away from the other fish to give itself time to heal. Territorial fish are likely to be aggressive toward fish of their own species that are of the same sex.
It shouldn't surprise you that fish fight over the same things that people do: food, mates, territory and so forth. It's a good thing fish aren't religious or political. Most aggression in the aquarium occurs over territory. Many species swim wherever they want and are fancy-free.
The most common causes of fights among aquarium fish are food, mates, and territory. Territory is the biggest problem when it comes to aquarium fish aggression, especially if you have stocked your tank with very large fish.
Fish can be traumatized, weakened, or injured during the handling process. By following a few simple steps, you can help fish survive.
People aren't the only ones who raise their voices at each other; fish can shout, too. After catching some blacktail shiners—little minnows characterized by a big black splotch on their tail fin—fishery biologists placed them in tanks equipped with underwater speakers to see if noisy conditions affect communication.
Male kissers will occasionally challenge each other; however, the "kissing" itself is never fatal, but the constant bullying can stress the other fish to death. They often do in fact kill other fish by sucking the mucus off their skin as food, which opens the victim fish up to infections.
“It is clear the fish accept the threat of punishment and co-operate as a way of maintaining their social order – and that's not so very different to how humans and other animals behave.”
According to Balcombe, some fish (though certainly not all) do actually enjoy being touched by humans.
Yes, fish can hear you talk!
Sounds that are created above water typically do not carry enough force to penetrate the surface tension of the water, so talking on the boat or loud noise may not affect fish as much as your fellow anglers may want you to think. Your voice is unlikely to spook or scare fish away.
“Fish do feel pain. It's likely different from what humans feel, but it is still a kind of pain.” At the anatomical level, fish have neurons known as nociceptors, which detect potential harm, such as high temperatures, intense pressure, and caustic chemicals.
Play, like much of animals' psychology including emotions, motivations, perceptions and intellect, is part of their evolutionary history and not just random, meaningless behavior. Fish just want to have fun, according to a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, study that finds even fish "play."
Do fishes fall in love? Well, we can't say that for sure. However, some species of fish are monogamous. The seahorse (often not recognised as a fish due to its unusual characteristics) is known to mate exclusively for a breeding season and in some cases have been shown to mate for life.
The same noise level in the air could lead to serious hearing damage over time. And fish have it even worse: since the sound pressure is four times higher under water than it is in the air, a good portion of deaths in public aquarium can be traced back to repeated tapping on the glass.
They are not like a cat or a dog and can recognize their name. They just know someone is speaking. They can associate sounds with action, though.
The average goldfish has an IQ of about 3. In comparison, chimpanzees have an IQ of about 6.5, dolphins have an IQs of about 17, and humans have an IQs of about 100.
The cerebral cortex and limbic system are absent in fish. Cerebral cortex, which is what permits other animals to cry.
Fish are among the most abused animals on the planet, and while many people say fish don't feel pain, this couldn't be further from the truth. Though the scientific community has been slow to accept that fish feel pain, the vast majority of biologists and veterinarians now agree they do.
Not only do fish have feelings, but this ability might have evolved hundreds of millions of years ago. Emotional states in animals are still a matter of debate for biologists. Now, for the first time, Portuguese researchers have demonstrated that fish have emotional states triggered by their environment.
Fish can develop an association between something they like, being fed, with the person who feeds them. The more you interact with your betta fish, the more likely they will be to recognize you. It's normal for betta fish to swim to the front of the tank when an owner comes up to it.
If your fish are locking lips, it's likely that they're fighting. Male Cichlids frequently engage in this behavior to establish dominance and territory. If you have females in your tank, the likelihood of these lip-locking disputes will increase. Male Cichlids will fight each other to mate with females.
Third, fish lack a cerebral cortex or its homologue and hence cannot experience pain or fear.
As well as getting water through osmosis, saltwater fish need to purposefully drink water in order to get enough into their systems. Where their freshwater counterparts direct all of the water that comes into their mouths out through their gills, saltwater fish direct some into their digestive tract.
Despite the fast transmission of sound in water, not all fish have notable hearing. Indeed a fish's ability to hear sound varies drastically depending on the design of the inner ear. Fish that have a connection between the inner ear and a gas-filled cavity, for instance, generally have better hearing than other fishes.