Re: Fish feelings...

[Biplane10@aol.com]

I think they are affected by this. I had a pair of anabantoids who were 
regularly spawning. Dad turned out to be a great parent, and defended the 
nest well. After I moved them to a community tank, they spawned only once 
more--and the eggs were eaten by a relatively large fish, unaffected by the 
pair's attacks in defense of the nest. The male seemed to get rather 
withdrawn and they did not spawn again. He developed a fungus and popeye and 
seemed to physically deteriorate. After about 2 months, another male decided 
to spawn with this same female. The previously virile male did his best in a 
showdown to be the chosen one, but he was obviously the lesser of the two, at 
this point. 

The new *dad* had no problem, after the spawning took place, in leaving the 
nest, rather than vigorously defending it, as did the old *dad*. In fact, a 
new one appeared less than a week later, in a different area of the tank.

Okay, it could have been coincidence, or the other way around . . . but I 
think breeding is stressful on fish, and probably more so when they are 
attentive parents--having greater instinct to defend the nest and unable to 
successfully do so adds additional stress to the whole thing, I'd guess.

Sylvia

>   Can a fish get frustrated if its eggs are constantly being eaten by
>other fish, always fungusing or are pulled out, and stop breeding because of
>it, although otherwise capable?


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