Da Flea
I'm not trying to tell you "zomg, this thread says different!" or anything like that, but since you're going by a somewhat scientific approach, you might be interested in this
Happiness Theory
Basically it's suggesting that your fish will not heart you for the exact item you just changed but will give a heart to indicate their overall status. Of the 3 settings - light/music/temp - they will give a heart if they like at least 2 of the 3.
I have tested this with my lone goldfish. For a while I just thought she was happy with absolutely any setting, but I decided to start with the idea that of all settings, boiling was likely to be one she wouldn't like. Then I went through the music track by track. On Reef Riff, I no longer got a heart. With more testing, I found that indeed, on any other song, she will always give me a heart, no matter what the temperature, because she still likes the light/music. However, on Reef Riff, she will no longer heart me on Freezing, Hot or Boiling water, which means she doesn't like those.
Under that theory, it would mean that if I had her on Reef Riff and moderate temp., she'd gain 2 happiness points, because she's mostly happy but not entirely. On any other song and a moderate or chilly temperature, she's likely to give me four points of happiness because she likes all three settings. It'd take some time to test this fully (to see if I can change how much I get a day) but it might be a way of explaining why some settings appear to be +2 and others to be +4 happiness. It also means that it would take much more effort to determine what the fish like and don't like. @_@
I'm also going to test a goldfish on a mule tonight to see if that one reacts the exact same way or if it's possible different fish of the same species have different preferences.
EDIT: My mule's goldfish appears to have the same settings. Doesn't like Reef Riff or Hot, Boiling or Freezing water. Anything else is good. I left him on Reef Riff and Boiling for tonight to see if it affects the point gain in the morning.
I had no idea what the hell you just said until i followed the link to the other explanation lol. So, the idea is that, fish start the day with a possible four points of happiness and every setting applied to the aquarium that they dislike will reduce their score by two. For fish that like all of the settings applied, they gain all four points. For fish that dislike one of the settings applied, they get two points. For fish that dislike two settings, they don't gain any points for the day. Then, for fish who prefer a certain lighting, if they dislike all three settings they will lose two points.
You're also saying that choosing settings that will result in a score of zero points for the day (or negative two points) is what results in a heart appearing next to your fish when you adjust your aquarium.
It does make a lot of sense and adds complexity to what fish like and dislike. With Natural light, in Moderate water, with Reef Riff, Goldflish and Arrowfish gain two points, but with the Conch Song they'll gain four points. Neither fish has a preference as to what kind of light they're in, so it means they definitely like Moderate water and the Conch Song. Also, it makes sense of all the problems with Cuttlefish. Since they like two songs and two temperatures and have a light preference, they're harder to please.
It doesn't require any more effort to understand their preferences than what i've alread done though... You just need to pick a light setting, pick a temperature setting, then cycle through each song with both of those on and watch your fish's response. Once you've tried every song, change your temperature, and start over. If a fish has a lighting preference, you'll see a combination of light and temperature where they aren't happy regardless of what music you play. That means you've immediately found what they don't like in terms of temperature and light. To find out what music they prefer, switch the lighting to their preferred setting, keep the temperature on the setting they dislike and cycle through the songs. The songs that cause the little heart to not appear are the ones they don't like.
If a fish doesn't have a preferred lighting, there won't be a temperature resulting in them disliking every kind of music. There will, however, be a temperature where they like every kind of music. A temperature causing this, is one they prefer. To find out what music they like, switch to a temperature they dislike. The songs that still cause a heart to appear are ones that they really like.
This also means that the information that guide you linked to is missing is that Starfish prefer Hot, Moderate, or Chilly water, prefer The Conch Song, Seashell Shock, Ballad of the Overseer, and Coral Love, but don't have a preference in terms of the light in your aquarium. It also means the short rant preceding her list is a little unwarranted. Having developed a theory on a point system, she should understand how it might seem confusing, especially when she (and other lists) say "this is what fish like". When you "like" something, it means you "dislike" something. If a fish dislikes something, it's not unreasonable to assume that it'll make them unhappy. She just established that fish happiness is not that simple. That being said, she should be a little understanding of people questioning her. If i'm reading a guide and my fish is happy with a setting it says they'll dislike, i'm more interested in seeing their proof than providing mine.
Instead of ranting, she could have just said: "these are the things that fish
prefer. follow these settings and they'll gain four points a day. ignore one setting, and they'll gain two. ignoring two settings will keep them from gaining points. three settings that aren't in their preferred list will result in them losing two points."
ANYWAY, thank you for sharing this information! I'm going to use my research to change my aquarium settings. If all my fish go up by four tomorrow, then i'll have to adjust the way my guide is laid out.
