Are fish happy? I was just wondering...

[ximmy]

A quick story… I had a customer come into our shop that had a goldfish she had kept in a tank in her kitchen for around 8 years. She called me up, quite upset, because she had to move back to Germany to be with her family for a couple of years, and needed to find a good home for her pet. We agreed to take her fish and put him in one of our ponds. She brought him over to our shop one morning, and we put her goldfish into a tank with a bunch of other goldfish, until we could move him into our pond at home later that week. A few days later she came back to the shop to see her pet one last time before she left for Germany. She walked up to the tank and immediately her fish came up to the front of the tank and just stayed there looking at her and swimming at the glass. Her goldfish seemed vibrant and happy! All of the other fish were behaving normally, just swimming around the tank as usual. Tears welled up in the lady’s eyes, and they spent around half an hour gazing at each other before she had to go. I was amazed by seeing this, and after she had left I went up to the tank but the fish was not interested in me at all. It was clear to me that her fish remembered her, and was actually happy to see her.
https://thefishworks.wordpress.com/2012/02/12/first-post/
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My bettas and goldfish did the same thing whenever anyone was around,hoping for food.

But my convicts and oscar would/will only swim out when I was around and appear to "watch" me and swim up to the top for food.I could even pet my oscar (I miss him) on the head.But when other people were around,the oscar and the convicts hide and stay around the bottom of the tank.It appears these guys recognize me as their food bringer! http://www.paw-talk.net/forums/images/smilies/new0107/giggle.gif

I know oscars can be pretty smart fish too and can be clicker trained and such,so I fully believe my oscar recognized me,since he hid away from anyone else who came in the room.I have two convicts now and they act the same,are always out and about when I am there,but when someone else goes near the tank,they either hide or stay at the bottom of the tank.

I think fish are smarter then people give them credit for.

http://www.paw-talk.net/forums/f77/do-fish-learn-to-recognize-their-owner-55933.html

[mick silver]

that a hard one ximmy . I guess if you feed the fish everyday it would know you but happy don't know about that

[Horn]

Its possible that some part's of her soul were swallowed by the fish over so many years,

such that she were only really smiling at herself...

http://s3.amazonaws.com/media.wbur.org/wordpress/1/files/2009/10/1002_twilight-zone-serling.jpg

[Hitch]

that a hard one ximmy . I guess if you feed the fish everyday it would know you but happy don't know about that

I agree, though when I was a kid, I had an aquarium with piranhas in it. Those were the angriest meanest fish I've ever seen. So, I suppose if some fish can be angry, could other fish be happy? Don't know about that either.

[ximmy]

I agree, though when I was a kid, I had an aquarium with piranhas in it. Those were the angriest meanest fish I've ever seen. So, I suppose if some fish can be angry, could other fish be happy? Don't know about that either.

Maybe piranhas have the MAOA gene??

[StreetsOfGold]

This sounds like the type of response you will get from ANY animal (fish in this case) which is USED TO you feeding it.

Thus the saying goes, a dog will not BITE the HAND that feeds it

[Hitch]

Maybe piranhas have the MAOA gene??

LOL, could be true. I do sort of feel bad now, because this thread is about a happy goldfish. I use to feed the piranhas goldfish actually. Those were definitely not happy goldfish.

[Hitch]

This sounds like the type of response you will get from ANY animal (fish in this case) which is USED TO you feeding it.

Except for piranhas. They will bite the hand that feeds them (yours) and take a chunk out of it.

[midnight rambler]

a dog will not BITE the HAND that feeds it

Wrong. I've had at least two that wanted to kill me. One was nearly a fight to the end until I got the upper hand (thank God I had a pinch collar on him otherwise he would probably would have killed me), the other I outsmarted before it got dire (due to experience with the prior one). The second one got the needle in about an hour after he bit me pretty good.

[mick silver]

I know one thing I am happy we had fish tonight for dinner

[Camp Bassfish]

Not sure about "happy" but they can certainly learn. Smallmouth bass school together and when one is caught and returned to the water they give off a scent warning the other fish that danger lurks nearby. That's why I always livewell them until I've had my fill of rod bending..... then back they go.