Do fish do better in mated pairs?

[JaneG]

This sounds like a stupid question, but I was just wondering... I know that not all fish pair up, but for the ones that do (such as clownfish), do they do better in pairs? Is the fish "happier" or am I attaching too much human emotion to fish?

 

[capt85]

If I was in an aquarium I would want to be paired.

 

[NatureNerd]

For some species, absolutely, they do better in pairs. At least they survive longer and seem happier.

 

[dixiedog]

I think it's reasonable to assume they do.

 

[JaneG]

Does anyone know if any research has been done on this? I couldn't find an article/experiment on advancedaquarist, etc.