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Stop those fish3/20/2023 What constitutes normal behaviour in a fish is hard to pin down. A fish rubbing itself on the tank, often in an attempt to remove parasites, is a strong suggestion that it is unwell. It’s important that a disease is spotted early so the infected fish can be quarantined and treated to stop it from spreading. Bacterial infections or parasites can also occur but may be hard to spot. Injuries in home aquariums are common as fish form hierarchies and fight. Fish are some of the most poorly understood pets, even among professionals. Would you know how to spot an injured or diseased fish? If not, you’re not alone. Fish need a defined dark period to rest, so whatever you do, don’t leave the lights on 24 hours a day. Fish sleep too – in fact, their sleep patterns are similar to humans. There are monitoring devices that can tell you if the water quality in your tank is safe, but evidence suggests that many hobbyists don’t follow the guidelines.Īnd then there’s lighting. Waterįish produce a lot of waste, and levels of ammonia, nitrates and nitrites can accumulate quickly in the tank water. ![]() This may be because fish diverged from our evolutionary path so long ago. When considering fish as food, surveys have consistently found that people are least concerned about the welfare of fish among other farmed species. The ornamental fish trade is huge, with millions plucked from their natural habitats each year ( mainly in Asia and the South Pacific) and shipped to aquariums predominantly in the US and Europe.Īttitudes towards fish are somewhat cooler than for other species, though. This, along with converging evidence that fish can carry out complex tasks involving tools and problem solving, puts them on par with other vertebrates.įish are the third most popular pet in the UK, and 9% of the population owns at least one. Pain in humans has an important emotional component, and the same appears to be true in fish, which are also capable of anxiety and fear. And this disparity is clouding our understanding of their lives in captivity.Īfter decades of studying sentience in fish (that is, their capacity to experience feelings and sensations), the consensus among scientists is that fish can feel pain. So when a Berlin hotel aquarium exploded at the end of 2022, why did so few people comment on the welfare of the fish? Aquatic species don’t seem to induce the same emotional response. If 1,500 captive mammals suffocated to death in a zoo, their suffering would spark an outcry.
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