Losing Respect for my Fish

jkhudson · #1 12/12/2007, 06:10 PM

Used to be I could watch my tank for hours without my fish caring. Now they follow me around waiting for food. They act like my ciclids or guppies. The clowns in my symbiote tank.... don't ask. I've seen cats with more restraint when you turn on a can opener

papagimp · #2 12/12/2007, 06:14 PM

Maybe you shouldn't spoil them so much

Or better yet, make em earn it! Teach em to do double back flips and a twist for some food. Nows the perfect time while they're all hungry everytime they see you, lol.

Krbekk · #3 12/12/2007, 06:18 PM

JK that's funny. I think my fish can read the clock and they know what feeding time is.

nIx_tank · #4 12/12/2007, 06:22 PM

Whenever I get close, they always swim to one end of the tank, where I always drop in the food.

I think I need to switch it up, just to mess with them....lol

Of course, they also mess with the cats too, so they have got to have some kind of sadistic side.

papagimp · #5 12/12/2007, 06:23 PM

The last pair of orange & white occellaris I owned would actually swim up to me to feed when I grabbed the "red food can' but would ingore me when I grabbed the "blue" one. I remember reading an article awhile back on how visually oriented common clownfish really are....to the point that they can recognize individuals. My fish know I feed them, but they don't run up as much to jess. She's gotta be in there for a minute or two before they "ask" her to feed em.

papagimp · #6 12/12/2007, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nIx_tank
I think I need to switch it up, just to mess with them....lol

oh I always do that, lol. Drop the food in front of a random powerhead and let the current take it. It's funny watching my clowns and the chalk basses run around like mad wondering where the food is going to come to. They all come up to me to say "feed me" but when I grab the food, they all kinda spread out and pick their spot. Shame to admit I do this specifically to mess with em. All my other fish get a feeding ring,

Serra · #7 12/12/2007, 07:09 PM

My fish line up like a bunch of inmates. If anyone walks by the tank around feeding time they hit the chow line. The starry blenny almost stands up and begs. His front fins are on the side glass. Hawk is behind him on the ground with the two clowns above.

You can train some fish. I had a flame hawk that would swim through a hoop. I am NOT making this up!

jprince58 · #8 12/12/2007, 07:44 PM

I thought scientific studies had proven that fish only had something like an 8 second memory. I personally think mine disprove the theory, but who am I to argue with science. Obviously, my daily observations are somehow flawed.

papagimp · #9 12/13/2007, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jprince58
Obviously, my daily observations are somehow flawed.

eh, don't beat yourself up. Could be everyone else that's flawed.

I too have read articles on fish memory being really short like that, but also keep seeing various articles pop up occasionally disproving those idea's for certain species. So maybe knowbody knows for sure. i know some humans that only have an 8 second memory.

nIx_tank · #10 12/13/2007, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by papagimp
i know some humans that only have an 8 second memory.

I don't know about that, I mean we as humans have gotten to the point in which there is no way that we would not be able to remember past... hey look, a chicken!

TulsaReefer · #11 12/13/2007, 02:50 PM

It may be a difference in definition between what is considered true "memory", and a "conditioned response". We all know fish can be taught a conditioned response to food, we've all probably experienced it. It may not be what passes as "memory", but I see it every day when I remove the empty clip that hold the Nori, and the tang goes nuts until it appears again with some food attached. It my not be memory, but the tang sure knows the when an empty clip goes away for a while, it comes back full...

jkhudson · #12 12/13/2007, 03:37 PM

You may have a point there. I had a blue throat that when ever i put my hand in the tank she ate. Wether i had food in it or not!

nIx_tank · #13 12/13/2007, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TulsaReefer
It may be a difference in definition between what is considered true "memory", and a "conditioned response". We all know fish can be taught a conditioned response to food, we've all probably experienced it. It may not be what passes as "memory", but I see it every day when I remove the empty clip that hold the Nori, and the tang goes nuts until it appears again with some food attached. It my not be memory, but the tang sure knows the when an empty clip goes away for a while, it comes back full...

Well, it goes beyond just fish, as when I see a cow I salivate.

schlecht13 · #14 12/18/2007, 12:53 AM

I love how all the fish have their own 'responses'. I have to say though, having kept, reared and multiplied my clownfish pairs, my girlfriend became enammered with puffers. We have a stars and stripes, stellatus (starry), Mappa puffer, white spot toby, hawaiian blue and Valantini puffer who have out grown the 72 gallon and just picked up an order from glass cages--finally my 135 which should suite them until yet again they are too large..I guessyjay uun

We lost power for 4 days and thanks to catalytic controlle heayers, I was uanlt p k

bryon0508 · #15 12/18/2007, 12:30 PM

the only thing that anoysme about my fish is when i want to sit there and examin my tank i got my young enerjetic false perc almost doing back fips in fornt of my face to get me to feed her.

so i mave my hand to the other side of the tank to where she follows so i can enjoy my view. its like pointing at a corner and off she goes.

what tops it off is that after a few min she gets my 2 yellow tailed blue damsels into it to so i get bombarded by all three.

the only time i can sit infront of the glass is when i have my cat, in which she tries to get them through the glass.