Have you ever wondered whether pet fish can love you or not?
If this is the case, then you’ve come to the right article as I’ll be answering this question for you.
After I’ve given you the answer though then you should make sure that you keep on reading as I’ll also cover a few more closely related questions where you don’t want to miss the answers too.
I hope you gain some new knowledge!
Is it possible for your pet fish to love you?
Humans can bond with fish and may even love their pets, but it’s doubtful whether fish can return these complex emotions as well.
We may never know what goes on in the mind of a fish, but higher-level functions are not likely given the simple brain structures of fish.
Fish are incapable of telling people how they feel.
They can observe fish behaviors to see the connection shared with their aquatic friends, but are the actions proof of an emotional experience for the fish as well?
Some researchers pondered the notion that fish can feel emotions.
Their goal was to assess the capacity of fish to feel and show emotion.
A group of biologists discovered that some fish recognize the face of their owners and distinguish them from other humans.
They also learned that fish can associate that person with feeding times.
It’s not possible to know if the response is love, but it is at least a type of emotional connection.
Why is it likely that pet fish can’t love you?
We may wish that our fish felt the same degree of emotion toward us that we show them, but there are a few things that separate us from fish.
The levels of interactions we share with fish are limited to feeding, and occasional petting, if the fish allows this.
We can only guess, at best, what a fish thinks or feels.
The likelihood of establishing deep emotions such as love is slim.
We can’t cuddle our fish or communicate with them emotionally or intellectually.
The stimulation and dynamics are limited to providing for their need for a clean habitat and regular feeding.
Fish show some level of emotion for one another in the water though.
Some fish rub against each other and are even known to help one another.
They seem to thrive on the companionship of another fish in the tank with them.
They have more in common with other fish than with humans.
It’s more likely that a fish will love another fish before it would feel the same emotion for a human.
Especially, if the other fish happens to be of the same species and if the fish is of the opposite gender.
Again, the brain structure of a fish is simple and probably not capable of processing complex emotions.
Therefore, the odds are against fish being able to feel love or fondness.
The video below will, however, show that fish can show some kind of affection towards humans as well.
Can betta fish love you?
Love is a strong word.
The likelihood is higher if a betta fish recognizes its owner and associates the face with feeding time.
The relationship with pet fish is more than likely based on the need fulfillments of the fish rather than being based on more complex emotions like love.
Betta fish are known to remember people even when the person is absent for several weeks.
They often swim to the front of the tank when a familiar person is nearby.
Your betta fish may come closer and show interest in you, but it’s a stretch to call the behavior an act of love.
It’s something we might never know for sure.
Fish are not capable of following you around the house or lying in your lap like a dog or cat, so it’s difficult to assess the level of attachment they may or may not feel.
Which fish species can love their owners?
Researchers suggest that Sea Bream is a species that can show emotional responses.
Their brains produce stress hormones when parts of their brains are activated.
Researchers studied the fish, tracking their interactions and behaviors and noting their responses to stimulation.
They determined that the fish’s responses could be compared to “emotional-like states”.
It’s as close as science has come to knowing if fish have feelings and can feel love.
The results do not prove though that sea breams can feel love.
How to make your pet fish love you?
There’s nothing you can do to make your pet fish love you.
Fish have an intelligence level that makes some of them trainable.
You can, for example, use fish food as a reward to train your fish.
You can train them to jump out of the water, swim through a hoop, follow your finger, or even eat from your hand.
Fish are capable of exhibiting conditioned responses.
These are instinctual behaviors that go along with the survival responses of fish.
They perform the necessary actions to obtain food for their survival, but it’s not likely that a fish is attracted to you because they love you and therefore they can also not be trained to love you.
How to make a betta fish love you?
There’s no evidence to suggest that you can make a betta fish love you.
Therefore, you cannot make a betta fish love you, but you can make them respond to your presence.
Let the betta fish see you put the food in their tank, and then the betta fish will associate you with its daily sustenance.
Your betta fish will get an emotion-like response to the stimulus of seeing your face, but it’s not likely that the betta fish will then see you as an object of affection.
Check out the video below if you want to find out how to make your betta fish happy.
How do you tell your fish that you love them?
We tell fish we love them through actions.
Pet care is an action that shows our love in ways that words cannot express.
Below I’ve summed up a few loving actions you can do for your pet fish:
- Make sure that your pet fish has a clean and healthy environment to live in at all times.
- Oxygenate the water and keep it at recommended pH levels for the fish species in question.
- Fish like to hide in caves and therefore, you should include cave-like structures in your fish’s aquarium.
- Place interesting structures for the fish to swim in and out of to prevent boredom.
- If possible, have a compatible fish species in the tank for companionship.
- Feed your fish the recommended diet in the right amounts.
- Let your fish nibble on your finger, but avoid chasing them in the tank.
- Keep the water temperature stable and at the correct level for the species.
Do my fish know I love them?
We may never know if our fish are capable of understanding or processing the emotion of love we give them.
It’s not likely that your fish is aware of your love for them, but they know that you supply the food necessary for their survival.
Therefore, they get used to trust you and they learn to respond excited and positively to your presence.
So, through their actions, you’ll be able to see that they’re at least excited whenever you’re nearby.
Conclusion
Now you know that although humans can love their pet fish, pet fish themselves are most likely unable to bond with their owners, let alone love their owners.
It is also very unlikely that fish can bond with their owners because their brains are likely unable to process any complex emotions.
