Marine fish space stress, like many results of stressors, are not seen or observed by humans.
What some people are missing is the information gathered on fishes under stress. Blood components indicate stressors from no apparent source other than space, in some fishes. These unpublished studies are not sponsored by the big $$$ in aquaculture. The main reason the aquaculture industry doesn't care about space issues is because they raise fish for food for the short term. They don't branch into studies of long-term effects of anything outside of fattening up and keeping the fish healthy until it's sushi time.
A space stressed marine fish has a shortened lifespan and, as Herefishyfishy has noted, are more susceptible to pathogens and conditions.
This Forum, (like most forums by definition) is a place to exchange thoughts, opinions and information. I find Yellow Tangs in 10 gallon nano tanks, but it looks 'happy' to the owner who doesn't understand about personification anthropomorphism. That's an opinion and it is up to the reader to decide if that is a useful opinion.
Fish don't express feelings the way humans do. And (obviously) they don't talk. So to understand what may or may not be going on with fish behavior takes an ethologist or someone who can diagnose stress from blood samples. But, there is a third way.
In the case mentioned above, small Tangs present stress when maintained in small places in a few ways. Rarely they express this to humans by behavior we easily recognize, although I have seen some acclimated Tangs that, between meals and swimming about, will spend some time pacing either back and forth (along the aquarium wall) or up and down (in a corner, for instance), which has physiologically been correlated with stress. Necropsy is another help in identifying stress. I've performed necropsy on Tangs held in small displays and large displays. In large displays the same sized fish show mature or properly maturing sexual organs. The others don't. This is a means for me (who isn't an ethologist, and isn't one that performs blood tests) to see if there has been a stressor present in the captive life of that fish. From my experience, I conclude space to the be stressor in some cases.
Not all fishes require the same swimming space, even though they may take long swimming journeys in the wild. Many fishes in the wild are capable of being under no detectable space stress in 4 or 5 cubic feet of water. Others don't. We just go by what is perceived the optimal space.
But if a person brings to this Forum a question of what is optimal, then there may or may not be a definitive answer but we can provide what we believe to be true.
I for one believe that, based upon my experience, that Tangs given 6 foot lengths don't exhibit or very rarely exhibit space stress; those given less length usually do.
joker577, You've been given opinions. You should make your own choice rather than continue the argument here.
What some people are missing is the information gathered on fishes under stress. Blood components indicate stressors from no apparent source other than space, in some fishes. These unpublished studies are not sponsored by the big $$$ in aquaculture. The main reason the aquaculture industry doesn't care about space issues is because they raise fish for food for the short term. They don't branch into studies of long-term effects of anything outside of fattening up and keeping the fish healthy until it's sushi time.
A space stressed marine fish has a shortened lifespan and, as Herefishyfishy has noted, are more susceptible to pathogens and conditions.
This Forum, (like most forums by definition) is a place to exchange thoughts, opinions and information. I find Yellow Tangs in 10 gallon nano tanks, but it looks 'happy' to the owner who doesn't understand about personification anthropomorphism. That's an opinion and it is up to the reader to decide if that is a useful opinion.
Fish don't express feelings the way humans do. And (obviously) they don't talk. So to understand what may or may not be going on with fish behavior takes an ethologist or someone who can diagnose stress from blood samples. But, there is a third way.
In the case mentioned above, small Tangs present stress when maintained in small places in a few ways. Rarely they express this to humans by behavior we easily recognize, although I have seen some acclimated Tangs that, between meals and swimming about, will spend some time pacing either back and forth (along the aquarium wall) or up and down (in a corner, for instance), which has physiologically been correlated with stress. Necropsy is another help in identifying stress. I've performed necropsy on Tangs held in small displays and large displays. In large displays the same sized fish show mature or properly maturing sexual organs. The others don't. This is a means for me (who isn't an ethologist, and isn't one that performs blood tests) to see if there has been a stressor present in the captive life of that fish. From my experience, I conclude space to the be stressor in some cases.
Not all fishes require the same swimming space, even though they may take long swimming journeys in the wild. Many fishes in the wild are capable of being under no detectable space stress in 4 or 5 cubic feet of water. Others don't. We just go by what is perceived the optimal space.
But if a person brings to this Forum a question of what is optimal, then there may or may not be a definitive answer but we can provide what we believe to be true.
I for one believe that, based upon my experience, that Tangs given 6 foot lengths don't exhibit or very rarely exhibit space stress; those given less length usually do.
joker577, You've been given opinions. You should make your own choice rather than continue the argument here.
