Intelligence/Memory?

[nono]

Hi all,

I noticed something extremely fascinating about my discus. I feed my discuses TetraBits and I usually leave the bottle beside the tank where the fishes could see. The bottle is yellow in colour. Sometimes I love to play around with my discuses, you know fiddling my fingers in front of the tank. They usually don't give me much attention.

However, the moment when my hand touches the bottle of tetrabits, they rush to my hands like I have a million dollars to give away.

After which I put the bottle down and went out of sight for awhile and came back. This time I tried using other objects which I usually leave lying beside my tank where the fishes could see. Things like my torch or the bottle of OxyCure I use to treat the water. And you know the bottle of oxycure looks really identical to the bottle of tetrabits, except it is of different colour.

You guess it, no response from the discuses. Then again I touched the tetrabits and like a torpedo they came to me. Any similar encounters from you guys?

[Phathead6669]

From my knowledge of Discus they will become very active when they see their "feeder" come in the room and even more so when they think/know you are going to feed them.

I've noticed this at a friend's where myself or my buddy can be watching the Discus and they just swim around a sort of respond to our actions, but when his Father comes in the room they all swim together towards him and will follow his finger around and such.

[nono]

I see, so I guess they kind of recognize people and stuff.

[elvip]

Hi,
I have noticed the same thing - as soon as I come into the room, my discus go crazy thinking they will get a feed.
Who says fish are stupid?? :wink:
Cheers
Elvip

[Merrilyn]

Discus have very good eyesight, and can see right into the room. I think they recognize faces too, and mine definately know if I approach the tank with dry food (which they eat, but are not thrilled with) or if I approach holding a packet of frozen beefheart (which they absolutely love).

I'm convinced they do have some kind of intelligence, maybe not an intelligence like our own, but definately something.

Sometimes I think these fish are a bit too smart for their own good :P

[Bill T]

I'm amazed at the way they swim backwards! That's got to mean something, like "Oh, let me just back off here and reassess the situation", or "darn, where did I leave my mobile phone?"

I'm working on a submersible touch screen - teach 'em to spell.

Perhaps they could even start to talk through such a device..."Hello, my name is Xzzzfshblub. My owner is very boring. He just sits and stares at me....freaky!"

[Merrilyn]

I had a pair of young discus that were just starting to pair off in the community tank. They had laid eggs once before, but because they laid on the back of a piece of driftwood, I wasn't able to see if the male had fertilized the eggs properly. If I moved to the side of the tank, they moved too. If I stared at them for too long, they would both peep out from the back of the driftwood, and stare me down.

I thought I'd be sneaky and slip a small mirror up under the backdrop, so I could have a clear view of the back of the driftwood. I mean, after all, I'm the human, and they are only fish, so I'm smarter than them .... right?????

True to form, the pair started cleaning the back of the driftwood again, but this time I could see what was happening. The female began making runs up the wood, followed by the male, when suddenly she caught sight of the mirror, and what must have been my reflection. SPRUNG :shock:

If that little fish could have put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot, she would have. She was furious. She swam up and down the tank as if she was scolding me, then retreated to a corner and sulked for a week.

I later raised several spawns from that pair, but she always laid eggs on the back of the breeding cone, and she would stop if she thought I was too close, and wouldn't resume until I had moved back to what she considered a 'respectful' distance.

Can you train fish ? I don't know, but this little fish sure knew how to train me :lol:

[DiscusMad]

maybe she was shy????

[nono]

Ha ha, very funny and interesting input from you guys. And who says domestic pet fishes cant be smart? Maybe some rich guy one day could bring a discus for a MRI or something to scan for brain activity...

Well... ok maybe thats gone too far..... :lol:

[sammigold]

Sometimes when I come into my lounge room and sit on the couch, I look over at my tank and all my discus are right up at the front staring out at me as if saying "Come on! please feed us! we are starving!"

If I stand up to go out of the room they all rush to the back of the tank thinking they are going to get a feed. (They usually do... lol) :-)

[gro]

talking of training fish have any of you guys seen this ..........bummer its a wmv file, i can't post it, and pretty funny, anyone know how i can post it?

it is pretty amazing

[sammigold]

if its not too big you can upload it to photobucket or similar and then post the link...HTH

[gro]

http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/gro_photo/?action=view&current=trainthegoldfish.flv

ok - first time using photobucket hope this works

[martraci]

very funny

[DiscusEden]

Very cool. Now I've got a project until I get another dog. Could you use them to herd cardinals do you think?

[the german]

hey gro that's great,very funny

[Hearthemchainsdiscus]

Entertaining :) Does anyone know how to train a wife :lol:

[DiscusEden]

I think you've got more hope with the fish. At least they're not trying to train you at the same time. But they might still have better luck than you will.

[scott bowler]

Entertaining Does anyone know how to train a wife
dont even try you have more chance holding back the tide , i find just do as you want and fight about it later , just dont lie then you dont have to remmber any thing good luck with that