We know some species of fish learn to recognize their owners/ feeders. My Uarus know when I'm going to feed them and when it's time to clean the tank! But I'm observing something new with one of my other fish, a columbian shark to be exact.
I had two in a brackish community tank. They'd chase each other in the tank, but they each had their own spots where they swam against the currents. So it was strange to see this particular shark on the opposite end of the tank. During feeding time I noticed he wasn't eating and then I also realized the other Shark was missing. Sure enough, there it was on the floor behind the tank! It was very dry, but I was able to flush water down his mouth and it was responsive so I put it back in the tank while I was preparing a 'lung machine' (I'll explain that later.) To my amazement, the stressed shark, seemed to be comforting the near-dead shark.
So I rigged a gravel cleaner to a pump and put the shark in the gravel cleaner so water would run through and around it. (My lung machine) Again, the stressed shark would swim next to the shark, and would swim in the exiting current, as if it could smell his friend. The shark eventually died and was discarded. And I did a major water change.
Today during observation, I watched the lonely shark sitting in a dead spot in the tank. Not swimming in a current, but just looking right at me. When I fed the rest of the fish, it moved out of the way since it was in the spot where most of the food collected. But it did not eat. Could this normal social fish be mourning? Are we underestimating fish intelligence?
I had two in a brackish community tank. They'd chase each other in the tank, but they each had their own spots where they swam against the currents. So it was strange to see this particular shark on the opposite end of the tank. During feeding time I noticed he wasn't eating and then I also realized the other Shark was missing. Sure enough, there it was on the floor behind the tank! It was very dry, but I was able to flush water down his mouth and it was responsive so I put it back in the tank while I was preparing a 'lung machine' (I'll explain that later.) To my amazement, the stressed shark, seemed to be comforting the near-dead shark.
So I rigged a gravel cleaner to a pump and put the shark in the gravel cleaner so water would run through and around it. (My lung machine) Again, the stressed shark would swim next to the shark, and would swim in the exiting current, as if it could smell his friend. The shark eventually died and was discarded. And I did a major water change.
Today during observation, I watched the lonely shark sitting in a dead spot in the tank. Not swimming in a current, but just looking right at me. When I fed the rest of the fish, it moved out of the way since it was in the spot where most of the food collected. But it did not eat. Could this normal social fish be mourning? Are we underestimating fish intelligence?
