Do fish get lonely?

[LilsReefTank]

I have a frag tank that I recently put a copperband butterfly in. It is the only fish. A few weeks have passed and we gotten over the touch and go phase and it is eating prepared food like a champ. It is a extremely shy fish and was hiding the first 10 days.

Will it be lonely? Do fish even experience that emotion? Should I put other fish in it? The main reason it is solo (was to get it to eat aptasia) and because I didn't want it to have any competition while I was trying to wean it on frozen foods.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

I have a frag tank that I recently put a copperband butterfly in. It is the only fish. A few weeks have passed and we gotten over the touch and go phase and it is eating prepared food like a champ. It is a extremely shy fish and was hiding the first 10 days.

Will it be lonely? Do fish even experience that emotion? Should I put other fish in it? The main reason it is solo (was to get it to eat aptasia) and because I didn't want it to have any competition while I was trying to wean it on frozen foods.

For my copperband butterfly fish, I had small peaceful fish to keep it company. Citron goby, neon blue goby, Hector's goby, bumblebee goby are all in my CBB Sanctuary Tank (new 60 gallon reboot - new build thread coming). If you culture pods, then mandarin and/or dragonet are nice but they don't tend to interact with any other fish.

raising tig pods - tiny 2.5g tank experimental culture #2

2nd attempt at raising tig pods is officially underway. Original attempt was outdoor lazy banana leaf method I found online - that is still underway but seems to be failing. Suspect Texas temperature and full day direct sunshine is too much, but that pod culture experiment still underway. 2nd...

forum.dfwmas.org

Remember fishy friends do best either as individuals or as mated pairs, but two of the same type can result in attacks, PTSD, leading to dead and sadness (even cutie neon blue gobies... and I don't think it gets any more gentle than a single neon blue goby ... okay - maybe a bumblebee goby... but they aren't as much fun to watch... bumblebee goby takes peaceful to the lethargic side lol

 

[Slocke]

Many fish feel more confident with other fish swimming around. Grouping together makes them fear predation less and be more confident.

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

Some fish will do better in groups, and you could argue that they get "lonely" when kept individually. I wouldn't worry about your copperband, they are solitary fish. It might be a good idea to add a springeri damselfish or a possum wrasse to eat pests, though.

 

[michael_cb_125]

In your case I believe the copperband will be fine.
That said, I do believe that fish experience more "emotion" than many folks think.

When my female bandit angelfish died (after 10 years with its mate) my male angel sulked around the tank for two months. Only acted "happy" when I had my hand in the tank. He would even rub on me and let me scratch him.
After about two and a half months he acted better, but was never the same fish....

 

[LilsReefTank]

For my copperband butterfly fish, I had small peaceful fish to keep it company. Citron goby, neon blue goby, Hector's goby, bumblebee goby are all in my CBB Sanctuary Tank (new 60 gallon reboot - new build thread coming). If you culture pods, then mandarin and/or dragonet are nice but they don't tend to interact with any other fish.

raising tig pods - tiny 2.5g tank experimental culture #2

2nd attempt at raising tig pods is officially underway. Original attempt was outdoor lazy banana leaf method I found online - that is still underway but seems to be failing. Suspect Texas temperature and full day direct sunshine is too much, but that pod culture experiment still underway. 2nd...

forum.dfwmas.org

Remember fishy friends do best either as individuals or as mated pairs, but two of the same type can result in attacks, PTSD, leading to dead and sadness (even cutie neon blue gobies... and I don't think it gets any more gentle than a single neon blue goby ... okay - maybe a bumblebee goby... but they aren't as much fun to watch... bumblebee goby takes peaceful to the lethargic side lol

hahaha - noted! I haven't tried a goby yet... might be next on my buy list. thanks!!