Jones, Nick A. R. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6031-7507
Spence-Jones, Helen C. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2331-5510
Webster, Mike http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9597-6871
Rendell, Luke http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1121-9142
Funding for this research was provided by:
Fisheries Society of the British Isles (PhD Studentship)
Article History
Received: 25 November 2020
Revised: 9 February 2021
Accepted: 12 February 2021
First Online: 22 February 2021
Declarations
:
: This research was approved by the University of St Andrews Animal Welfare and Ethics Committee (AWEC). No procedures required U.K. Home Office licensing. All tanks were enriched with gravel and plastic plants for cover. All fish were retained in the laboratory after the study period to be used in future projects. Handling was kept to a minimum, and when fish had to be moved between tanks, they were caught using two large hand nets to reduce the likelihood of extended capture periods. In the experimental tanks, fish were kept singly in a volume of at least 125 l. Archerfish are not considered a social species. There are no published studies on the effects or preference for any social context and or isolation in this species, but several previous studies have maintained archerfish in isolation with no reported ill effects or perceived likelihood of stress (Gabay et al. CitationRef removed; Gerullis and Schuster CitationRef removed; Newport et al. CitationRef removed, CitationRef removed). During our study, we closely monitored each fish, specifically for signs of reduced feeding rate, responsiveness, stereotypic behaviour and colour changes. We observed few instances of these signs: all of the instances of short-term colour change occurred immediately post-transfer between tanks and reduced feeding rate for the first 12 h post-transfer.
: All authors consent to publication of this article.
: The authors declare no conflict of interest.