Fish behavior...

[mmittlesteadt]

This hobby is so fascinating. I went from worrying about my Twin Spot to watching him be one of the most active fish in my tank...well, almost the most. My Chalk Bass went from hiding out to being my Twin Spot's escort. They swim everywhere together. Wherever my Twin Spot is, my Chalk Bass is right there with him.

Some of you have followed my posts on my Twin Spot, but for those who aren't aware, they are difficult fish to keep. My Twin Spot dug out caves, disappeared for a while, hung close and tight to those caves even while searching for food. Since getting the Chalk Bass my Twin Spot is more active than ever and has taken to being out all over my tank's sandbed.

Some suggested the Chalk Bass addition was just the bass being a dither fish for my Twin Spot to feel comfortable and I agree, but for a different reason. This goes beyond the Chalk Bass being just a dither fish. They were the only fish together at the LFS in a frag tank. I bought the Twin Spot a while ago and just recently added the Chalk Bass. Ever since I brought the Chalk Bass home my Twin Spot has been out and everywhere in the tank and he's even taken to swimming up onto rocks and out in open water, all with the Chalk Bass by his side. Sometimes my Chalk Bass will swim away and not be near the Twin Spot. But the second my Twin Spot moves to somewhere else, the Chalk Bass swims back to him and stays by his side. It appears that they are aware of being reunited as tankmates.

VERY interesting behavior. Here they are swimming together (yes, the Twin Spot is swimming out in open water...as evidenced by his shadow on the sand below). I don't know if the Twin Spot thinks he is a Chalk Bass or the other way around.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Very cool!

 

[jchassie6312]

Interesting!

 

[mmittlesteadt]

Everyone I've talked with who have Chalk Bass seem to have the same experience...that they tend to hide out under caves or overhangs and come out occasionally. Mine did too at first.

Now? He's out all the time as is my Twin Spot. They are always together as if they were a pair of the same species, just as much as my pair of Ocellaris Clownfish hang out together. They are best buds and seem to not want to go anywhere in the tank unless it's together.

I've studied animal behavior my entire life, as a naturalist, a wildlife artist and also just out of curiosity. I'm currently studying psychology while getting my Masters degree and while I understand we tend to put human characteristics onto animals, they really do have unique personalities beyond species behavior, all throughout the animal kingdom.

In fact I would say we understand animal behavior far less than human behavior and do not give them enough credit (and us humans far too much ).

 

[Shawn O]

Are there other fish in your tank or are these two the only fish in it?
I can imagine they could remember each other's smell and feel familiar (comfortable?) with each other. Animals can be funny like that. Our family cat seems comfortable with our teenage son, but his smell is not something I'd call comforting.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

Are there other fish in your tank or are these two the only fish in it?
I can imagine they could remember each other's smell and feel familiar (comfortable?) with each other. Animals can be funny like that. Our family cat seems comfortable with our teenage son, but his smell is not something I'd call comforting.

These are the fish in my tank, in order of addition...

2 Ocellaris Clownfish
Firefish (took over and likes one of my Twin Spots caves)
Twin Spot
Chalk Bass
Lawnmower Blenny

Fish do release pheromones that trigger actions. It wouldn't surprise me that both my Twin Spot and Chalk Bass recognize each other in ways we don't fully understand.

This is excerpted from one of my readings...

"Several types of chemical signals and cues important for the social behavior of fish. Alarm substances evoke antipredator behaviors, typified by increased shoaling, refuging, freezing, dashing, area avoidance, and reduced foraging. Migratory pheromones are employed by some fish species that migrate long distances to locate home streams or spawning grounds. Many fishes employ sex pheromones to attract members of the opposite sex or to elicit spawning behavior. Steroids, prostaglandins, bile acids and amino acids have all been shown to serve as sex pheromones in fishes.

Pheromones can also be used to recognize kin and establish hierarchies. Nonspecific diet metabolites as well as specific pheromones are important in chemical mediation of social behavior in fish. The use of pheromones in fisheries started long before scientific proof of their existence. Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) pheromone is the first vertebrate pheromone that has been tested in the field as a pest control agent. Other potential applications of pheromone usage include conservation of endangered species or aquaculture. Similar approaches could also be useful for other aquatic organisms, including crustaceans."

 

[Sk8r]

I once had a mandy that fell in *love* with a purple tang. Wherever he went, she went. Everything he ate, she'd try. Only mandy I've ever seen learn that sinking pellet is edible.

 

[heathlindner25]

I once had a mandy that fell in *love* with a purple tang. Wherever he went, she went. Everything he ate, she'd try. Only mandy I've ever seen learn that sinking pellet is edible.

My target mandy its pellets every time they go in the tank.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

I once had a mandy that fell in *love* with a purple tang. Wherever he went, she went. Everything he ate, she'd try. Only mandy I've ever seen learn that sinking pellet is edible.

That's interesting. Over the years I have read of many species of animals forming bonds with other species, and not in some kind of survival, symbiotic way...even going so far as typical predator/prey relationships turning into some kind of kindred bond.

Its a very interesting topic. According to Einstein, everything is energy and that everything vibrates at different frequencies. We know, for example, that we can take down bridges and buildings without explosives using sympathetic energy that affects the particles holding it together. We know of many instances in quantum physics where particles are separated (even as far as one half going onboard spacecraft) and experiments are performed on one half and the other half responds to it. I do believe, just like humans can pick up on the "vibe" of someone else without even knowing them, animals can also sense the energy vibrations of those in their environment.

Personally I wish we would stop pretending we are the only species with intelligence, much less exhibiting some kind of superiority over everything. It's quite possible we are actually the dolts of the animal kingdom.

The more we learn, the more we realize the less we know.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

I'd like anyone else who has had some interesting interactions with their fish to share it here. Specifically unique interspecies instances or relationships (that are not symbiotic/survival/mating related).

 

[ericarenee]

I'd like anyone else who has had some interesting interactions with their fish to share it here. Specifically unique interspecies instances or relationships (that are not symbiotic/survival/mating related).

We have a Vlamingi tang in our Pond.. We have had this fish since we rescued it from a lfs where it was a baby and about dead with ich and Lateral line. Poor Fish still has scares on her head from the lateral line issue (we guess that it what it was). Anyway we have hand fed her for almost a year and a half now. She Treats bonnie and i Differently.. Often when i try to feed her Nori. she will come up to me like she is going to eat it. when she realizes its not Fresh Caulerpa from the sump she will pass my hand and Bump my fingers with the side of her head and try to splash . . I Can then go get what she wanted from the sump and offer her a piece she swims up and gets it.. i can change it to the other and she will bump my hand again as to tell me .. IM NOT EATING THAT..
Sometimes she likes the nori. sometimes she just wants Krill... Sometimes she plays Chromis Bowling as well when they school together...

Not sure this is the kind of story you are looking for but here it is anyway..

Oh and those who say DO NOT Buy the Vlamingi had we not she would have been dead and Flushed.. I do not wanna hear your Reasoning because i HAVE Told many the same.... we have her in a Indoor pond next to the display . its not idea but its shape she can swim and swim and swim. and splash and swim ...

 

[mmittlesteadt]

We have a Vlamingi tang in our Pond.. We have had this fish since we rescued it from a lfs where it was a baby and about dead with ich and Lateral line. Poor Fish still has scares on her head from the lateral line issue (we guess that it what it was). Anyway we have hand fed her for almost a year and a half now. She Treats bonnie and i Differently.. Often when i try to feed her Nori. she will come up to me like she is going to eat it. when she realizes its not Fresh Caulerpa from the sump she will pass my hand and Bump my fingers with the side of her head and try to splash . . I Can then go get what she wanted from the sump and offer her a piece she swims up and gets it.. i can change it to the other and she will bump my hand again as to tell me .. IM NOT EATING THAT..
Sometimes she likes the nori. sometimes she just wants Krill... Sometimes she plays Chromis Bowling as well when they school together...

Not sure this is the kind of story you are looking for but here it is anyway..

Oh and those who say DO NOT Buy the Vlamingi had we not she would have been dead and Flushed.. I do not wanna hear your Reasoning because i HAVE Told many the same.... we have her in a Indoor pond next to the display . its not idea but its shape she can swim and swim and swim. and splash and swim ...

This is exactly the kind of behavior examples I'd like to read about! Human/Fish interaction where there really is some communication going on (and not just the swimming up to the front of the tank because they know they are being fed...which in and of itself is still cool).

I've had large Cichlids do the same thing...and actually being very specific about the kind of food as well. I think it's very interesting.

And about people telling you NOT to do something (in regards to your Vlamingi)...I bought a Twin Spot Goby against all recommendations (knowing full well the reasons), but for me it was an attempt to keep it alive instead of slowly dying at the LFS for lack of personal/individual attention I am giving it.

Is that Vlamingi in the big tub next to your tank in the pic you posted in my other thread?

 

[ericarenee]

This is exactly the kind of behavior examples I'd like to read about! Human/Fish interaction where there really is some communication going on (and not just the swimming up to the front of the tank because they know they are being fed...which in and of itself is still cool).

I've had large Cichlids do the same thing...and actually being very specific about the kind of food as well. I think it's very interesting.

And about people telling you NOT to do something (in regards to your Vlamingi)...I bought a Twin Spot Goby against all recommendations (knowing full well the reasons), but for me it was an attempt to keep it alive instead of slowly dying at the LFS for lack of personal/individual attention I am giving it.

Is that Vlamingi in the big tub next to your tank in the pic you posted in my other thread?

Yes she is.. its a 150 Gallon tank . Really a Vlamingi should be kept in 300 plug gallons and some say that is not enough. I To agree with this. I do think they are one of the most intelligent fish,Not Just because we have one but one of the LFS Stores has one that i know is 15 years old and in a 220 ish long tank. Not the most beautiful of the tanks. Ours is prob about 17 inches long and i think about as big as she is going to get . If we ever feel she is stressed or wants more room we will But a 300 gallon stock tank and put .humm Well someplace..
We also have a few other fish in there with her some chromis a bi color angel a common cleaner wrasse. So she has plenty of tank mates to rule over.
We have some pics and a few videos but nothing very good she does NOT like the camera

I have also heard large cichlids and oscars behave similar.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

Yes she is.. its a 150 Gallon tank . Really a Vlamingi should be kept in 300 plug gallons and some say that is not enough. I To agree with this. I do think they are one of the most intelligent fish,Not Just because we have one but one of the LFS Stores has one that i know is 15 years old and in a 220 ish long tank. Not the most beautiful of the tanks. Ours is prob about 17 inches long and i think about as big as she is going to get . If we ever feel she is stressed or wants more room we will But a 300 gallon stock tank and put .humm Well someplace..
We also have a few other fish in there with her some chromis a bi color angel a common cleaner wrasse. So she has plenty of tank mates to rule over.
We have some pics and a few videos but nothing very good she does NOT like the camera

I have also heard large cichlids and oscars behave similar.

Yes, my best example is of my mating pair of Oscars. They actually wanted to be petted! They purposely swam in place to be stroked. They wouldn't do it for anyone else, nor did they care to be fed by hand by anyone else either. They recognized me, not just as some human form attempting it. Anyone else got shunned.

 

[ericarenee]

Yes, my best example is of my mating pair of Oscars. They actually wanted to be petted! They purposely swam in place to be stroked. They wouldn't do it for anyone else, nor did they care to be fed by hand by anyone else either. They recognized me, not just as some human form attempting it. Anyone else got shunned.

Same with Mrs Mingi. She will let Bonnie and i feed her anyone else she will go hide in her cave. I can touch or pat her and she will not move around. But would not say its something she comes out to get. But from where i sit on the couch if i look over at her she will swim up to the top of the water and i know she is watching me watch her..