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Each Little Clam Here Know How to Jam Here

Study: Your Fish is Unhappy With Its Small, Boring Tank

by Max Eddy | 1:40 pm, September 27th, 2011

The first study to take a comprehensive look at fish aggression related to the size of the environment has revealed that most pet fish are probably really, really upset. The study found that cramped, boring conditions can make normally placid fish irritable, and sometimes aggressive to the point of attacking and killing their tankmates.

The study, led by Ronald Oldfield with Case Western Reserve University was published in a recent edition of Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. In it, Oldfield looked at the Midas cichlid in three different environments. The first, the fish’s natural home in a Nicaraguan lake; the second, a cunningly crafted artificial stream in a zoo; and third, the much smaller tanks used by pet owners.

Oldfield found that the fish, which were all juvenile so as to rule out the behavioral changes associated with mating, behaved dramatically different in the smaller tanks. In such tanks, he observed fin-flaring and other signs of moderate aggression. Sometimes, this escalated to nipping, and even attacking other fish in the tank.

Besides tank size, Oldfield also looked at the so-called “complexity” of each tank. He found that tanks that had plants, rocks, and hiding places had less aggressive fish. Small, boring tanks had the opposite effect, with fish in these tanks showing more signs of aggression.

While the welfare of aquarium fish may seem like a low priority, there are apparently well over 182.9 million fish currently in captivity in the U.S. alone. Furthermore, any fish owner certainly doesn’t want their pets to be unhappy. Especially if that pet happens to be particularly expensive. But Oldfied thinks that his work could have larger implications, suggesting that humans could possibly behave like fish when put into crowded, confined spaces with little stimulation.

So the takeaway is for all you icthyophiles out there: Give your aquatic pal the big, interesting tank he/she/it deserves.

(Discovery News via io9, image via Benson Kua)

  • http://Geekosystem.com Eric Limer

    “sometimes aggressive to the point of attacking and killing their tankmates” 

    so basically Dwarf Fortress then.

  • Max Eddy

    Suggest: comparative example where fish are made to keep cats as pets in underwater tanks.

  • Anonymous

    “But Oldfied thinks that his work could have larger implications,
    suggesting that humans could possibly behave like fish when put into
    crowded, confined spaces with little stimulation.”

    Hmmm. Prisons sound like they’d fit the bill for providing that kind of environment. Or maybe office cubicles!?

  • Sheila Hardie

    This is why I keep my beta fish in an 18-gallon, planted aquarium. :)  He’s a happy guy.

  • ;)

    The easiest solution for happy fish is to build a planted pond (If you have the time & money)

    The easiest solution for happy people is to have a paradise island (…the size of Australia)

  • http://www.facebook.com/briancmckinley Brian C McKinley

    I find it funny that humans are just now realizing that other living things have the ability to react and feel. We are so self centered sometime. I will still eat my hamburgers. But I will get a bigger tank for my fish. 

  • Asreal

    “suggesting that humans could possibly behave like fish when put into crowded, confined spaces with little stimulation.”

    Like “going to work” for example? :)

    I often feel like nipping people in my cramped, confined environment :)

  • http://twitter.com/themanticore Manticore

    “…any fish owner certainly doesn’t want their pets to be unhappy.”

    Having worked at a pet store selling pet fish for over a year, I can tell you there are more people who don’t give two shits about their fish than there are ones that do care.

  • http://twitter.com/themanticore Manticore

    “…any fish owner certainly doesn’t want their pets to be unhappy.”

    Having worked at a pet store selling pet fish for over a year, I can tell you there are more people who don’t give two shits about their fish than there are ones that do care.

  • Dgsc2000

    the midas cichlid is known to be a super aggressive fish.  the study means nothing for most peaceful pet fish. 


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