everytime i walk in the room they come to the glass and look at me for food and as soon as i open the top they come up to the top? i have heard that goldfish have no memory and only remember things for a min so how come they remember that i am the one who feeds them? they dont do this for my husband (he never feeds them ) and they wont do it for guest in fact when we have company they hide in the back of the tank.. any ideas? or anyone else have a gold fish that acts like it knows you?
2006-11-20 20:22:20 · 12 answers · asked by crazyme 5 in Pets ➔ Fish
It really depends on what sort of memory you are talking about. Fish don't have brains like us, or memory like us. They have very poor attention spans. Most fish "forget" about something in a matter of seconds after the event occurs. For example if you are trying to net one stop count to 10, and try again. He'll have forgotten he was being chased.
This is not to say they have no memory at all. Fish respond to conditioning like all animals. If the same person feeds them all the time. They will respond to the person, and the tank opening up. I've trained my fish to come when I "ring the dinner bell" (stick in a finger and swirl it around). When I need to net a fish. I stick in the net, wait 3 seconds, stick in a finger and swirl. Now the big trouble is getting only one fish.
2006-11-21 08:24:12 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I always enjoy hearing people ask this question. The goldfish memory story is a misconception. The tale that goldfish cannot remember is a story madeup to justify keeping them in too small of a tank "gold fish can swim around their bowl and by the time they get back to the other side they have forgotten they were there"- It's not true at all. Goldfish have great memories and have been shown to remember things such as tricks for months and can recognize things (such as feeders) for years.
2006-11-21 12:12:42 · answer #2 · answered by weebles 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My goldfish act the same, both the ones I have in a tank and the over 100 I have in my outdoor pond. They see me coming and they all swim to the surface to get fed. Maybe their memory is only food related?
2006-11-21 04:24:54 · answer #3 · answered by auburn 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Goldfish are actually quite smart. I have seen proof from my own fish that they are capable of long-term memory. Goldfish can also be taught tricks, believe it or not. They're not stupid at all.
2006-11-21 06:10:14 · answer #4 · answered by Jason 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The association between short memory and goldfish is completely false. Take a look at...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldfish#Behavior
The second paragraph is word-for-word pretty much exactly what you're describing.
2006-11-21 04:36:24 · answer #5 · answered by iamjohnbeck 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't believe that their memory is that short.I've had goldfish that seemed to know me as well.They would come to the glass to see me,but ignore strangers.they would also take food from my fingers.And I even had one who appeared to know her name,as she would swim around as if she was excited when I would talk to her or say her name(Ethel).Scientists can't know everything.
2006-11-21 04:33:21 · answer #6 · answered by Dances With Woofs! 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dont thinkt that 'statement' was proven...I think that it is more of an expression than an actual fact. Its cute that your fish can identify you. My sisters siamese fighter should do the same.
2006-11-21 04:25:58 · answer #7 · answered by Taurus 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well first of all getting food is an instinct and i dont think the short memory is true because i have seen people teach fish to do tricks adn they rememberthem
2006-11-21 06:22:59 · answer #8 · answered by Skittles 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Every animal in this world has base instincts, fish are no exception. Their immediate memories are not affected.
2006-11-21 04:27:24 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
That "one minute memory" is one big lie. We all know that.
2006-11-21 06:18:45 · answer #10 · answered by Sasha 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋