Fish are cute little pets who can feel jealous of other fish. If you add new fish to an already established aquarium, you will see strange behavior of fish.
Do Fish Get Jealous? Yes, the fish get jealous, and there are obvious reasons for this emotion. The lack of attention is one of the major causes, and they also get jealous due to sudden modifications.
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Do Fish Get Jealous?
Here are factors that can make fish jealous of other species. If you have a variety of fish then you should take good care of them.
Inadequate water conditions
The fish are enormous in number, and they have their specific lifestyles. Few of them like to live in plenty of water, and their survival is deadly in small water tans.
The freshwater species require volumes of water for their maximum efficiency. Sometimes the pet owners keep the tiny creature in 15-20 gallons tank.
The numbers of fish are maybe two to three in number in such plenty of water. The fish becomes habitual of the environment, and suddenly a change occurs.
The owner shifts the fish from a mega water tank to a small tank. It happens with one or two fish, and the other stays in the bigger tank.
It originates a feeling of jealousy in these tiny creatures. They find it in justification with them and show it with their behavior.
Constant and irregular swimming and bumping on the water tank’s walls is one of the indications of fish jealousy.
Addition of new fish
Sometimes the owners put two fish in a large tank. They keep one of the males, and the other is a female fish. It is a method of spotless and immediate breeding.
Businessman prefers this method because they afford more than one tank. Both fish swim at their specific pace and never interact with each other. Interbreeding never occurs, and it makes the owners frustrated.
They choose to add another male or female fish to the tank. The trio suddenly becomes uncomfortable, and the partnership breaks.
If the new fish is another female, then the male fish start swimming around it. It makes the already existing female pet jealous.
It keeps on swimming without any pattern. Sometimes the jealous fish keeps looking outside the aquarium.
Sudden water changes
Water is the life of the fish, and they never like sudden changes. Water changes inside a small to large aquarium require a proper regulatory mechanism, but it doesn’t happen in that way.
The keepers change the water with fresh one suddenly, and it shocks the fish. At the same time, they also put some freshwater fish inside the aquarium, and fish swim because they were already living in the same water condition.
It generates jealousy in the fish, and they isolate themselves. Some of them swim to and fro, and some of them settle themselves on the gravel. They stop eating and become moody, and it is not proper behavior.
Owner’s diversions
The owner of the pet keeps two fish in a 20-25 gallon water tank. People do it in their initial fish-keeping stages.
They try to learn and maintain the pet’s lifestyle. They cannot control multiple fish in the initial time of business.
In such circumstances, both fish think that they are alone in the aquarium. The owner attacks and feeds them, and they get attached.
They never consider that the owner is doing the same for other fish. The singularity and bulk of attention make them feel superior.
When they bump in the other fish during swimming or water removal, they get jealous. The fish attacks the other mate out of jealousy and rage. They try to kill or push out the other tiny creature.
Feed competition
It is one of the causes of jealousy in these tiny animals. They attack and even kill each other in times of inadequate food supply.
The fish remain calm and peaceful inside their aquariums when the owner suddenly adds more fish. They forget to increase the food supply according to the number of pets inside.
It enhanced the sense of competition, and the fish becomes annoyed and jealous. They try to make sure that the new arrivals cannot eat the exact amount of food.
They do different stunts to keep the fresher away from their food storage. The other party also gets envious, and it becomes the worst environment under the water tank.
Constant attention to one fish
Sometimes the audience admires one fish attractive in the tank. It does a lot of mesmerizing stunts to keep the audience happy.
They find it appealing and grab other views near this fish. The happy pet keeps on doing all the swimming positions. The other mates identify this process, and they become envious.
They do not like the particular attention to one fellow fish. Few of them try to interrupt this by striking the happy pet.
They push it and try to harm its body, and sometimes they kill it. A group of pets tries to do the same things as the famous one is doing. When they find out that everything is going against them, they feel envious.
Picking up one fish from a pair
Few people pet them for business purposes and protect them in any conditions. The keeper put them in the form of pairs, and it is for interbreeding and other such features.
The fish pair grows together, and they get the same affection from their owner.
When they grow, the other fish keepers buy them. They get them to breed with their aquarium fish. In such situations, the buyers only take one fish from the pair.
It makes the other fish frustrate, and it feels envy. The sense of rejection stimulates angry reactions in its brain and body. It swims vigorously inside the water and bumps its head on the tank’s walls.
Algae eaters and their competitions
Few fish like tangs are algae eaters, and people keep them for this feature. They perform their work efficiently in the tank’s waste. Sometimes they get slow due to dependence on the biofilm.
The pet keepers then add the other algae eaters like crabs and snails. They are naturally algae eaters and perform their function with efficiency.
The owner takes care of these tiny things more than the fish because they want to keep the tank instantly.
The tiny creature gets envious due to this partiality, and they swim irregularly. It also frustrates the aquarium’s keeper.
He avoids the fish and pays more attention to the peaceful snails and other things. The envious behaviors reach to its peak in such circumstances.
Guppies and betta together
The pet store representatives never recommend the placement of guppies and betta fish together.
The guppies get more attention than bettas when they are in one water condition. It makes them angry and jealous, and they do not like a lack of affection.
The distinguished behavior of the audience makes them more envious. It leads to attacks and killing each other. You can see a constant war phase in the home tank.
Absence of divider
A divider in an aquarium is a glass barrier that keeps the fish away from each other. In this way, the owners pet the peaceful and aggressive fish together.
Few water tanks lack this facility, and it is a major cause of fish jealousy. Some people suddenly remove the divider because they find all the fish in a peaceful state.
It is not suitable for fish behavior. When they find out that there are many other tank mates, and they feel split attention.
They become envious and attack other fish. Installing back the divider turn the situation normal once again.
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