2007-03-19 09:00:25 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
This does sound like a good "Mythbuster" topic. I wonder if anyone will ever know the actual answer, considering scientists are just now studying their memory. Their memory has been shown to be longer than a few seconds - even a few minutes. It's at least 24 hrs: http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/permalink/goldfish_have_no_memory/
To several days, from a study by Shippensburg University student: http://webspace.ship.edu/gspaul/animal%20behavior/startpage.has.the.word.title.in.it/hoa.mark.complete/hoa.mark.title.html
They appear to have a concept of "time", and they can adjust when a "learned" behavior no longer benefits them: http://nootropics.com/intelligence/smartfish.html
And, if you can believe this site, a goldfish can be taught to play poker: http://www.prleap.com/pr/44364/
2007-03-19 11:56:53 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is an urban legend that a goldfish's memory is just a few seconds. This is not true. The Mythbusters (show on Discovery Channel) did an episode where they were able to teach Goldfish a way through a maze, proving that they do indeed have a long term memory. The fish were able to greatly increase their time through the maze to get to food at the end, evidence of their having learned and remembered.
2007-03-19 16:09:02 · answer #2 · answered by Tim 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A goldfishes memory is just as good as ours, but more acute. They don't rember when they were born or anything like that, but they can remember how and what they need to do to survive, and can pick up paterns.
For example, if you have a 20 gallon tank, and start putting in the food on the left side everyday, just dropping the food in on the left, after a few days it will pick on the fact that when you feed it, it has to go to the left side to get the food.
Good luck on the project!!
2007-03-19 16:14:59 · answer #3 · answered by ♥Petlover♥ 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
11 seconds
2007-03-19 16:07:38 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
the standered thinking is 3-5 seconds.....but myth busters did a show where they tested that theary and they traned goldfish to swim through holes marked with red tape to get food and the fish did it every day...so.....
2007-03-19 16:09:11 · answer #5 · answered by Rhylie and Paiyden 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
about 3 months.check out these sources.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/health_science/articles/2003/12/02/the_chemical_mind_binds_us_together/
http://nootropics.com/intelligence/smartfish.html
2007-03-19 16:08:24 · answer #6 · answered by Mark W 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
3 seconds i believe.
2007-03-19 16:59:21 · answer #7 · answered by crystal_serina_granger 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋