Can You Tell If A Fish Is Happy?

[puddle_inc]

I have been wondering this since i had my first puffer. the puffer sadly died because of amonia poisoning

anyway, he seems to always look happy until he was sick, then he was kind of just plain face.

can a fish be happy? my puffer would swim to the top and see me all the time and he would always seem to look happy and kinda smile like.

i was just wondering. and how would you keep a fish happy? are there things that can make there lives better, like turning some music on for them to hear or something? i have heard that about other animals and wondered if the sound in the water would be comfortin or something. and is seeing there owner alot and like setting there whatching them make them feel happy?

i was just curious if fish can tell that type of stuff, and if they can be happy, and how to make them that way.

thanks for replies, and sorry if i sound like some lunitic.

 

[mikey12421]

Nah, you don't sound like a lunatic. I think every fish owner wonders about this at one time or another. I don't really think music or anything like that would really be the way to go.

This may sound lame, but I think the best way to make a fish happy is to first make sure that the water chemistry and temp is just how they need it. No one would want to live somewhere that made them sick or hot or cold all the time with no relief. Second, I would try and recreate their natural habitat as best you can given how you want the tank to look, how much money you have to spend, etc. If you can at least give them hiding places, places to swim, places to breed (if that's your bag) then you have done your job.

And I would also say that to keep them happy you need to put them with like minded fish. A neon in with an oscar is not going to be a happy fish.

But thats just my two cents -

Mike

 

[Rhiannon]

Mike had a good answer.

I think feeding them a variety of foods (mine get 3 different meals per day) and going and sitting there and visiting them and talking to them makes them happy.

My little fella's always come up and stay at the front of the tank when I sit there.