# Training Fish...



## Manoah Marton (Feb 17, 2009)

Hi everyone,
I'm wondering if I'm the only one training my fish. I recently purchased a young male kribensis for my all but empty planted 5 gallon corner. (Total occupants are 1 kribs, 1 kuli loach, and 1 gold mystery snail.) After a few weeks of settling in, I've begun 'training' him. I've started with a simple 'eating from my hand' but hope to accomplish something some of my friends have done. Getting your fish to jump out of the water to take a treat. Am I the only one attempting to train my fish, are there other easy tricks, and what is the best way to go about it. So far, he's almost done 'eating from my hand' and I'd like to give him something harder.
Thanks so much!

Manoah Marton


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## Manoah Marton (Feb 17, 2009)

23 views and no replies?


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## SidGuppy (Sep 9, 2002)

it sounds funny, but it's not fair fetched, actually

training fish is easier than you think and it's also sooner done than you think

most 'training' even happens by accident.

for example; many people with a regular job or study feed their fish at a certain time. 
within weeks fish will wait patiently at that very same time near the front window to be fed

another thing is that fish usually get scared when someone approaches the tank.
but after a fairly short time they will know that "someone approaching = food to come" and they will completely reverse instinctive behaviour......

it sounds basic, but it's not. to go 180' against their very flight instinct is no simple matter. even wildcaught fish will show this behaviour.

also: they won't unlearn fast! wich puts the myth about fish having a memory of 30 seconds right there in the bin with the other busted myths.

a few years ago some of my students (i'm a teacher) wanted to do the same research that has been shown on the Mythbusters' Show on Discovery:
the one where Adam and Jamie train goldfish to swim through a maze for food.

they set up 2 small tanks. 
1 tank with sand, plants, filter and 4 goldfish;
1 without furniture, but with clear plexiglass walls with openings in them at different places; a maze. 
these walls could be replaced and exchanged, so the fish had to learn to find the hole in the wall, not just to memorize the lay out of the maze, for that could change......

during the first testrun it took the smartest goldfish about 25 minutes to reach the food.

after 6 moths of training with 2 or 3 trainingsessions a week it took the dumbest goldfish about 12 seconds to run that maze!!

another consequence was that the fish actively dived into the net to be transferred to the maze tank.....  :lol:

have fun training your Krib; it might be smarter than you think!


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## Manoah Marton (Feb 17, 2009)

He sure is! He already,

Asks for food,

And eats from my hand!


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## Tracy191 (Apr 1, 2009)

OK, so we all have a little too much time on our hands! Far better than watching the news!
I had not really thought about it, but I tap the tank very lightly with my fingernail and the female Krib comes to the spot I tapped. She will eat from a frozen brine shrimp cube in my fingers. Now that you raised the subject - game on! Let's see what all we can teach them to do?!!


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## Manoah Marton (Feb 17, 2009)

You guys are on!


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

Of course you can teach fish tricks, haven't you been to Sea World? :lol: I've only been there one time years ago when there was one in Ohio. I was so amazed and in awe I cried


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## Paleo fish (Feb 21, 2008)

Anyone having any luck? I haven't tried training the cichlids, But i have trained my female betta to jump for food lol.


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## SidGuppy (Sep 9, 2002)

Sea World?

isn't that with dolphins and killer whales and all that?

those are mammals, mate, no fish :lol:


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