Angry Fish Inhabit Most Home Aquariums

[Spindrift]

Home fish tanks and aquariums may at first appear to be tranquil environments, but look closely and you might see a glaring goldfish or a ticked off tetra.

A new study has found that ornamental fish across the U.S. -- all 182.9 million of them -- are at risk of becoming aggressive due to cramped, barren housing.
In other words, fish can turn mean when their home sucks, according to a new study in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science.

"The welfare of aquarium fishes may not seem important, but with that many of them in captivity, they become a big deal," project leader Ronald Oldfield, an instructor of biology at Case Western Reserve University, said in a press release.

Oldfield's paper is the first to scientifically study how the environment of home aquariums affects the aggressive behavior of ornamental fishes. The findings are in keeping with related research, though. For example, earlier this year I reported on how cramped tank conditions are turning sea urchins into cannibals.

NEWS: Sea Urchins Turning into Cannibals

For this latest study, Oldfield compared the behavior of Midas cichlid (Amphilophus citrinellus) in a variety of environments: within their native range in a crater lake in Nicaragua, in a large artificial stream in a zoo, and in small tanks of the sizes typically used to by pet owners.
The study looked at just juvenile fish in order to remove the possibility of aggressive behavior related to mating. The experiments were also set up so that the fish weren't competing for food and shelter.

In addition to tank size, he tested the complexity of an environment and the effects of the number of fish within tanks. "Complexity" in this case refers to the addition of obstacles and hiding places, such as rocks, plants, and other objects. Tanks with more complexity, and of a larger size, helped to reduce aggressive behaviors.

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Tempers were observed to literally flare, however, in the less desirable aquariums, with perturbed fish flaring their fins. But that was on the low end of the anger spectrum. Very ticked off fish nipped, chased, charged, and even murdered each other. (Similar attacks and killings have been observed before among captive great white sharks.

Oldfield suspects cramped, barren environments for humans may also serve as breeding grounds for comparable negative behaviors.

"This study might help us to better understand how human behavior changes when people are placed in different social environments," he said, suggesting that prisons fall into that extreme "different" category.

From the fish's perspective, life in a too-small and dreary tank might even feel like a jail cell does to us.

So if you do have a fish tank at home, give it the once over to see if a replacement or remodeling job is needed. If you plan to set up a new aquarium, don't select the cheap, stagnant water models that will have you flushing your pet investment down the toilet soon.

You needn't devote as much time, space and water as the fish enthusiast in the below video did, but check out the 1200-gallon setup for inspiration.




http://news.discovery.com/animals/most-home-aquarium-fish-110923.html

[Spindrift]

I thought this was an interesting article... It brought up a lot of points that I highly doubt aquarium owners even consider (I certainly didn't) although in hindsight seems pretty obvious.

Also. Don't get me started about the illegal aquarium organism trade.

[Mermaid Lorelei]

My boyfriend just finished setting up a tank and, thankfully, he actually took this into consideration. Unfortunately it seems like too many people just want the fish and don't care about the rest of the tank. It's important stuff though. And truly, who wants to own an angry fish?

[New York Mermaid]

yep its true,

bigger space keeps fish happy it gives them their own territory. I currenty have 3 little fish (a Paradise fish and 2 mollys) in a 55 gallon tank. Lots of plants, a 75 gallon tank filter wet/dry and of course the heater. Ive spent $600 on my aquarium in the past few years, but I dont care I love my fishies so much. As long as their happy thats whats important. I know their going to be upset with me in a few days since im moving their big home downstairs they have to stay in a 15 gallon tank for a day or so.

[Syrenia]

My 4 fish, shrimp, and starfish all love their home. It's a huge saltwater aquarium,
and I've gotta say, if it was just a little bigger, I think I might take a dip in.
My 2 clowns, Dory fish (can't think of what they are,) and lion fish are all happy.
I'm sad because cuz my eel just recently died. He was soooo cool. But they all lived
happily together.
How long are eels supposed to live, anyways? I had a moray eel and he was about 10 1/2
when he passed.

[AlohaMermaid]

Thanks for posting this fascinating article! Here in Hawaii, aquarium fish are a big issue because aquarium collectors are taking the colorful tropical fish out of the ocean purely for profit. The fish are hurt and killed in the process, and their life span is cut significantly. Plus, our reefs are becoming barren (seriously!) because the aquarium collecting isn't regulated.

There are aquarium breeders who are ethical and breed fish and seahorses in captivity for longevity. It's worth investing in these breeders, as your captive-bred aqarium fish will live longer than those hauled out of the ocean, and you'll be contributing to reef and ocean sustainability.

[New York Mermaid]

. Dory fish (can't think of what they are,)

I believe their called Blue Tang also known as Blue surgeonfish those are cool.

form what i remember the moray eel can live 11-30+yrs depending on food water quality and environment.

[Syrenia]

Blue Tangs! That's it.
Aww, Mr. Moray had so much left to live for.... That makes me really sad. He was huge. Poor little guy. I cried for days when I found out he died.
Was it strange that he would jump out of the tank, hide under the stand it was on, and bite our toes as we walked by? I thought eels couldn't breathe out of the water?

[Spindrift]

What are all of your standards to tell if fish are happy or not? As in, what hints or behaviours do they display that let you know they are happy?

[Mermaid Sirena]

I don't really get the point of pet fish but it would seem to me that half the fun of having them would be to decorate their tank with sunken ships and pirate bones, and treasure chests that spew bubbles along with the mermaid statue of course.

[SireniaSolaris]

This is a very thoughtful article, and I agree 100%. Another biggie is in overpopulating a tank. There are a couple of other kinds of fish I'd like to have, but that would likely be too many fish for my current tank, and I definitely want to keep them happy. My angel fish lets me pet him, and I can't help but giggle when they chill with their faces in the bubble wand. Aggressive fish make me a little sad. Almost gave my shark a new home until the addition of the angel fish put him in place, and now everyone is happily balanced.

Though that does bring up another point - that charging and nipping doesn't necessarily mean your fish are unhappy and angry, etc... one also has to look into the TYPE of fish. Some fish (like sharks) just have a temperment that COULD be aggressive. And when he was the single, big macho fish of the tank, this was so with mine. He was the bully. So if you have a fish like this, with other community fish, it's a good idea to have one other semi-aggressive fish. They kind of balance each other out. The angel doesn't pick fights, but he put the shark in his place really quick, and the shark hasn't picked on anyone else since then. And now my tetras are about to have babies. Cycling a small tank for the fry now. The local fish store says they'll take them when they are of size, so hopefully they will all get nice homes with plants, rocks, driftwood (a MUST for freshwater tanks - especially if you want to house a pleco), and all those other goodies. <3

[Capt Nemo]

For my snakes, I went with a cage that was at least as long as the snake. The snake should have the chance to completely strech itself out. Never had my snakes pacing the cage, except when my large female was pregnant and ready to give birth.


The same should hold true for fish. And appears that it does!


One of my friends had a moray that like climbing out of the tank too.

[Spindrift]

Having a tank that's big enough for a fish to stretch out doesn't seem too hard to do :P
Can you post pictures of your snakes? I would really want to see them, if you don't mind.
I wonder how difficult it is to take care of a moray?

[Capt Nemo]

My snakes have all passed on due to a nasty disease that took all 5 within a month. My favorite was a brown snake (Storia Dekai) that was a wild capture. (caught in the hanger, but couldn't be released as winter had set in already) She was 24" long (record is 22") with a pink belly and very deep coloration. I had a couple of herps take a look at her, and they thought she was the most beautiful snake of her type they had ever seen. Had her 10 years. She gave birth to 18 little itsy bitsy children, but sadly none survived. Her favorite foods were garden slugs and night crawlers.

[SireniaSolaris]

I remember when I was in high school, I took a marine science class, and we all had salt water fish tanks. It seems eels in general all like to climb out of the tanks. You difinitely have to make sure there are NO openings at the top and the water level is down quite a ways if you have a filter system that pours from the top. Otherwise they WILL find a way to commit suicide

[Coradion]

Please be careful when reading studies and reporting the results. The article about sea urchins was examining aquaculture practices, this is most likely in regards to commercial growth for aquaria or food. Not for hobbyist practices. I have yet to meet a hobbyist with over 80% of their tank covered in sea urchins or any other echinoderm for that matter. If you keep aquariums, like all pets know what each species needs and their behaviors before purchasing or collecting them. I am a big fan of keeping fish tanks, most of my apartment is covered in them. They're a great way to learn just make sure you do your research first!

[Mermaid Saphira]

I'll say! I have a really mean molly inhabiating my tank! He picks on all of my other fish

[Bellasea]

I never had a salt water tgankl but i do have a pond. And we use to have two tiny catfish and all they would do was jump out of teh pond. One day they did and we didn't notice until my dog rolled in it.

I have heard that octopi will try to escape their tank if they are not stimulated enough. So, maybe that was the problem wiht the m eels?

[Kanti]

Wow I suppose it's weird to think that fish would get "angry" I suppose that's a weird word. I
guess stressed out and aggressive is a better term for it xD Either way, I suppose people just
assume that fish have no complexity to them so they want to throw a whole bunch of pretty
ones together! Either way, I think this may be more of a problem with freshwater tanks, I don't
have any proof, I'd just think since freshwater aquariums are easier to keep, more people would
be able to afford the setup without putting much thought. I've always heard people get very
surprised when I tell them they can't put two of the pretty fish they want together or they'll
fight and possibly kill each other. People just aren't aware that fish DO have complex natures
and that not all of them get along.

I would think that a saltwater tank would be a huuuuge investment. If you're smart, you'd definitely
do the research before getting one and you'd probably come across the fish charts that tell you which
fish can and can't live together. I suppose there's always people who won't do their research, but you
can't exactly bust into everyone's homes and educate them. I sort of put the blame on the pet stores
and/or internet sites that sell the fish. Instead of being so concerned with making sales, they should
be concerned that their animals are going to a decent home with a person who KNOWS how to take
care of them.
I just have beef with pet stores.. Unless it's a specialty store, they often don't know very much
about their animals specifically.

[Mermaid Momo]

i remember when we had a tank, it was huge but for some reason, some fish we had kept eating our sharks. :\