Behavior of aquarium fish
Aquarium fishes live in their own, autonomous world. Their behavior does not affect the usual course of life of the owners, as it happens, for example, with cats or dogs. Fish can not joyfully wag their tail or gently purr ... But a caring aquarist is always on his guard - after all inadequate behavior of fish can indicate a disease.
To determine if the behavior of a fish is a manifestation of a disease, an aquarist should know, what behavior is typical for a given species.
The behavior of aquarium fish is usually motivatedInstincts, such as the instinct of survival or the instinct of procreation. But the same behavior for different species of fish can mean different actions. So, for example, digging into the ground, a fish can hide from danger, prepare a nest for spawning or disguise itself for hunting for prey.
Their requirements and desires aquarium Fish are expressed in "sign language" and various color changes. There are common signals for all species of fish, and there are inherent only to one particular species or family of fish.
So, if one fish turns to the other and opens its mouth wide, it demonstrates "Frontal threat". This can mean both an attack and a defense, and in some species - a demonstration of the male before the female during the spawning period.
But if the fish turns sideways and trembleswith the body or the caudal fin, this is a common gesture of courtship in almost all species of fish. But still in some species such a gesture can mean "Lateral threat".
If fish crusts fins, that is. again, can mean both courtship and threat. Straightening fins, the fish shows how big and bright it is that attracts individuals of the opposite sex, but at the same time it shows other species of fish their abilities.
Many aquariums Fish can change their color, for example, during spawning. Bright coloring helps the individuals of the opposite sex to find each other. Usually fish, colored brightly during spawning, at the rest of the time have a calmer color. This is necessary to either hide from predators, or to hunt for prey.
Some species of fish have a special coloration whentake care of their offspring. By their coloring, they help the fry to find their parents, and also work as a "distracting maneuver" if a predator is nearby.
Aggressive behavior of fish in an aquarium can be typical not only forpredatory fish species. Fishes show aggression when they "divide" or guard the territory when they compete because of partners for spawning when they feel danger.
Fishes do not attack each other for no reason. If you can not immediately identify the culprit of aggression in the aquarium or the causes of this aggression, you should closely monitor the aquarium to find out the motives for this behavior.
Fishes that biting off foreign fins, do not necessarily show aggression. Perhaps the fish took a magnificent fin for something edible. Lightning instinctive reaction does not always give the fish the opportunity to see what it lacks. Therefore, one should carefully approach the selection of fish for the aquarium, not allowing the neighborhood of such species.
