If fish have 20sec memory...

[Eleonora]

... then why does it take 1or 2 days for fish to settle in the their new home?

Everytime I get new fish, they're always just hiding or floating in a corner for a day or so, then they venture out and explore the rest of the tank.

My new angel fish, which I bought tuesday afternoon (+10GMT-AUS), are just now (1pm Thursday) swimming around the whole tank not scared of anything. Before they would all just hang out at the bottom of one corner.

 

[drobbins27]

I odnt tihnk all fish have 20 sec memories...If so, its still onger than mine

What was the topic again?

 

[rollntider]

that is an old wives tale. If you watch the show myth busters they proved that wrong by training gold fish. (BTW they did give a brief thumbnail about setting up a new tank, because one of the guys didnt cycle properly) Anyways myth busted, they have longer than 20 second memories.

 

[UncleFahaka]

Then is there a site that tells the memory of certain fish? i'd be curious if they could even measure that. How would you? (Look something almost interesting to talk about!)


Justin

 

[Socrates]

I think when they say that fish have short memories they are talking about Declarative memory and not Procedural memory.

Now I'm no psychologist, but I'm pretty sure just about everything with a brain can be conditioned to have procedural memory.

But procedural memory, if I understand it is just an imprinting in the brain of how to do things and in response to what. I'm pretty sure you could almost say it's like learned instinct. It's subconcious, but it is learned.

That kind of memory isn't something that would allow the remembering of faces, places, etc. That would be Declarative memory.

Procedural memory would be like remembering how to ride a bike. Or you could think of how easy sports stars make the little things look. It's commited to instinct for them, they don't think how to kick the soccer ball at just such an angle they've conditioned it into their subconcious.

Here's some links that explain some concepts. I'd like to fins some articles on fish memory and behavior some time.

http/www.neurosci.pharm.utoledo.edu/MBC4...4420/memory.htm
http/library.thinkquest.org/~C0110291/ba...onditioning.php

 

[Eelzor]

Fish don't seem to have a 20sec memory as once, I accidently bumped my tank, and my clowns sped off into their home. They hardly came out and were pissed off at me for a week.

1 week later they finally returned to there normal selves. (cute happi-clowns )

 

[Lateral Line]

The reason that so many of this kind of myths abound about fish, no memory, can't feel pain etc. etc., is because they can't scream.

If they don't scream, and you can get the poulation to believe they "can't feel pain", are "senseless, mindless automatons", etc., then nobody kicks up about the barbaric way they are hauled out of the sea, gutted alive, etc.

A similar argument exists for whales - if they could scream, whaling would be stopped overnight.

If fish have a 20 second memory, why do they flock to the right place in the tank when the lid is opened? They should dart for cover.

 

[Nikb]

I'd love to know how they 'determined' fish had a 20sec memory. There's no realistic way to measure it IMO. I think they have a reasonably good memory and certainly feel pain. Until recently it was believed that even cats and dogs didn't feel pain! Some vets will still tell you they don't - which is disgraceful IMO. This is one of the central arguments against tail docking in puppies because it was believed that it caused no pain or distress to the pups - as if!

 

[Big_al_d]

Until recently it was believed that even cats and dogs didn't feel pain! Some vets will still tell you they don't -

what vet is this? are you sure? I will personally pay this vet a visit if you can name the idiot

 

[finius]

I don't buy that 20 second memory stuff. For instance, I can net any fish ONCE easily enough. After that they get better and better at evading.

 

[Eelzor]

If fish have a 20 second memory, why do they flock to the right place in the tank when the lid is opened?

That prooves that fish memory is at least 1 day, or as long as feeding time is.

 

[Dwarfs]

If my fish have a 20 second memory, how do they know I'm the one that feeds them every day? Why does my ram try to follow me every where? Why does my gudgeon only beg me and my dad? I think fish only remember imprtant things like who feeds them, who scares them, things to steer clear of, and types of food etc. Other than that, they don't remember when you got them or when you go away or specific moments in their life.

 

[diVer]

I think my fish have pretty good memory. They always wait in the same spot at the same time for me to get up and feed them. But then again, if I wait a while to feed them they're still in the same spot so they probably figure they should wait in one spot until they're full.

can't feel pain etc

I found a great article in one of my scuba diving magazines that shows some good points for fish not being able to feel pain, one of the best that stands out in my mind is that they do not posess the part of the brain that senses pain.

 

[carrcn]

Until recently it was believed that even cats and dogs didn't feel pain! Some vets will still tell you they don't - which is disgraceful IMO. This is one of the central arguments against tail docking in puppies because it was believed that it caused no pain or distress to the pups - as if!

Actually, it has something to do with them being newborn puppies. I've watched my Mom dock the tails off puppies and they don't so much as wimper, and yes, they can wimper plenty. But she does it the day after they are born. Heals up in less than a week. Their system may not be able to tell pain like a full grown dog does until a few days after they are born. It's also a very sharp, specialized pair of scissors. It's not like they're sawing back and forth to cut them.

Don't get me wrong, I take great pride in giving my little guys all they need to live a happy life. I don't condone animal abuse at all, but there are some things that need to be done. Like cutting the horns off of cattle! There's one to light the fire! I do so like to play the devil's advocate at times.

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

Tail docking is not required on domestic dogs, it is however if they are being bred for work.

To dock a non working dog is just silly and pointless in my view.