This fish with often orange scales is a gregarious animal. It means that it likes to live in a group and gets bored if it is alone. So, don’t hesitate to make him live with other little playmates. But be careful, you can’t put him with just any fish.
For example, if you put him in an aquarium with guppies or neonates, he could eat them! You also need to put him with fish that live in the same water as him.
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Can fish get bored?
Indeed, fish can get bored, especially in the case of goldfish that are often kept in a jar. The main reason for boredom in a fish is its lack of sociability. The obvious solution would be to find one or more friends to add to the fishbowl.
Of course, there are other reasons why fish can become bored.
How do you know if a fish is bored?
For common pets, such as cats, dogs and rabbits, a bored pet tends to be a destructive pet. It’s hard to imagine a fish destroying your furniture, so what kind of behavior might a bored fish exhibit?
Behavioral changes due to things like poor water quality or disease are usually fairly easy to spot, but the stresses we’re concerned about here tend to cause more chronic problems. Identifying these means knowing what the typical behavior of the species is, and recognizing when an individual is acting out of character.
This could mean aggression in a peaceful fish, increased fear and frightened responses in a calm fish, or constant hiding in a bold fish, for example. If a fish is known to reproduce easily under healthy conditions, it probably won’t do so when under severe stress.
A fish acting aggressively might need to be in a larger school, or it might need more hiding places that it knows it can retreat to.
How to prevent your fish from getting bored?
Give him some space
Contrary to popular belief, goldfish cannot live in a jar. Too small for him, it not only prevents him from swimming as he wants, but it can also block his growth. Indeed, its size varies according to the environment in which it lives. The more space it has, the bigger it grows. For example, the Orandas can reach up to 30 centimeters in length.
Generally, it is recommended to choose an aquarium containing at least 50 liters of water. Some species will be happier in a tank.
Provide a varied diet
There are also more proactive things we can do. Food in general is one of the best approaches we have: if you can, present it in a way that mimics how the fish would encounter it in the wild, such as hunting for food in the water column or searching for food in the substrate. Live foods that need to be hunted are great, but just having a varied diet is helpful.
Give him crumbled vegetables or small worms to vary his diet. Do you like a variety of meals? So does he! So don’t hesitate to diversify his food.
Provide him with better quality water
As far as water is concerned, make sure that it is at the right temperature, i.e. around 20°C and that its ph (acidity level) is neutral. As for any other fish, make sure that the water is clean. To do so, use a pump and change only a quarter of the water, once a week. This small fish also needs to breathe underwater. It is therefore important to avoid overcrowding your aquarium.
Before you start, don’t hesitate to think with your family about the number of fish you want to have. For the decoration, choose natural plants and a floor chosen in a pet shop, which is much less dangerous. Some pirate ships or small houses can make your aquarium pleasant to look at, but could be harmful to your little companion because it could get stuck inside.
So be sure to choose decorations that don’t take up too much space and don’t have tight spaces. You can also install a bubbler that will provide the oxygen he needs.