# My latest fish training video :)



## FishyFaceFriend (Feb 23, 2013)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... iRhOr4ihk4


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## b3w4r3 (Dec 14, 2012)

Nice work! He gets so excited he had me laughing. When are we going to see a floating hoop with him breaching the surface like Shamu?


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## badspellar (Oct 14, 2009)

I love these videos. smart fish. unfortunately, I don't think I'm smart enough to train one. my dog successfully trained me for years.


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## vann59 (Jun 20, 2011)

African cichlids have been called the worlds smartest fish. Maybe they are.


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## FishyFaceFriend (Feb 23, 2013)

b3w4r3 said:


> Nice work! He gets so excited he had me laughing.


Yes!!! I'm so glad you said so! Most people can't tell he gets excited, but you guys on cichlid forum know your fish body language. If you want to see excited, check out the video I posted tonight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZbnybjk ... Gw&index=5

Isn't he the cutest! I felt bad because I raised the criteria too quickly. Still, lots of fun and enrichment. I noticed twice when I end the session (marked by the filter switching back on) that he dashed around scratching his side like he had an itch or something, but then I read it was a sign of dominance and aggression. I wonder if he was upset that the game was over!

Breaching: I don't think it's a very safe skill for a fish    I wouldn't want him hopping overboard. He enjoys being closer to the bottom anyway.

I believe he is a smart fish. But even a goldfish can learn these behaviors, if you use the right training. I saw a video of a cockroach that was trained to do an obstacle course. Vertebrates learn in a very similar way, through consequences.

If any of you want to learn the principles of training I am using, read Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor. It is a very easy, fascinating read.


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## FishyFaceFriend (Feb 23, 2013)

This morning: swim through three hoops


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## b3w4r3 (Dec 14, 2012)

Enjoyed the last two vids very much. I know he does it better when the hoops are close, but I'm not convinced he understands the goal that way. Hoping to see him using all three hoops over more distance in the future. Keep up the good work 

How is the cycling coming along? Are you getting nitrites yet?

Also what is his behavior like when he is not training? Does he hide, or is he always out swimming around? Most mbuna are pretty shy when in a tank by themselves, and even sometimes in crowded tanks. I'm guessing that having so much interaction with him makes him pretty comfortable with his surroundings.


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## FishyFaceFriend (Feb 23, 2013)

I'm glad you're enjoying the videos!



b3w4r3 said:


> what is his behavior like when he is not training?


He never hides when people are around. He solicits food actively and swims about. This is not a shy fish at all. He's fearless, always inspecting anything that enters his tank, be it training gear or fingers. He is trained to follow the tip of my wand, and he CHASES it with vigor, biting and even colliding with gusto. He's very gregarious.

Tank still stands at zero on all levels, and I do PWCs.

I agree about the three hoops. Baby steps! I think I'll start with the two larger hoops close together and gradually separate them. Third hoop can come in the future.

I made two more video since the last one. Here you see him flashing his colors and being happily dominant (I think):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwqbzGMN ... Gw&index=7

And here he is mellow but cheery:


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## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

Erasmus you are such a lucky fella...your trainer is great and obviously spends lots of time with you. I think you belong in the Guinness Book of World Records for "smartest fish".


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## FishyFaceFriend (Feb 23, 2013)

cichlid-gal said:


> Erasmus you are such a lucky fella...your trainer is great and obviously spends lots of time with you. I think you belong in the Guinness Book of World Records for "smartest fish".


 :fish: Raz says thank you, and agrees that he is very smart. He also pointed out that I'm the lucky one. He's so full of himself!


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## AlCzervik (Oct 6, 2012)

I linked your videos here

http://forums.eastcoastcichlids.org/sho ... post122743

Great site if you haven't found it yet.


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## FishyFaceFriend (Feb 23, 2013)

AlCzervik said:


> I linked your videos here
> 
> http://forums.eastcoastcichlids.org/sho ... post122743
> 
> Great site if you haven't found it yet.


That's awesome, Al. Boy those guys are a skeptical bunch. I just posted a reply.

Here is the latest compilations of the behaviors my little guy knows:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... AsUsWoU8Q#!

He gets pink with excitement when we train (he's albino). I'm really enjoying him a lot. I'm thinking of new things to teach him. I have a lot of hoop work I can do, but He LOVES to shove things and chase things. Got any ideas?


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## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

I love the weave...awesome and the ball games.

I'm sure you have looked at tons of possibilities as far as tricks/learned behaviors. Taking my lead from agility training, how about some type of ramp thing...where he has to start at the base of the ramp, swim up, push a ball to the other side and then swim down a ramp...or something like that. You could start by building it in a modular way where other pieces of the "track" could be added on. You could use anything made with plastic but its the paint you would have to watch. Others here could maybe tell you how to seal your designs so that they are "fish" safe. Anyway, just a thought (I have this picture in my mind of something like a rollercoaster layout with different tricks spread out along the way).

OH...and he doing so great with his training...simply amazing


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## AlCzervik (Oct 6, 2012)

That little guy it incredible!


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

I loved this!


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## FishyFaceFriend (Feb 23, 2013)

The latest: a creativity game for getting him to offer new behaviors. I gave him a (fish safe) rubber band. Look what he came up with!






This game builds confidence because I reward all of his ideas, and he learns that coming up with new behaviors is a good thing.


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

As always, very entertaining to watch!


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## FishyFaceFriend (Feb 23, 2013)

The very latest!!! Notice the last behavior.. you guys will be able to appreciate it!


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## b3w4r3 (Dec 14, 2012)

Excellent as always. He's really getting big!


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## dwmoss (May 10, 2007)

Great work! I love watching the unedited videos the most for some reason.


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## FishyFaceFriend (Feb 23, 2013)

Thank you! I know, he's so big!!!



dwmoss said:


> Great work! I love watching the unedited videos the most for some reason.


I know what you mean. I feel the same way. I think it makes it easier to see him think and get excited, which is the most fun part. You know what, I'll make another unedited one in your honor. Stay tuned.


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## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

Sitting in front of one of my tanks last night, trying to figure out how to catch a holding female that had gone to ground in a huge huge rock pile without removing all the rocks and decor (I just wasn't feeling up to doing it), I thought to myself...I wonder if Erasthmus has been taught to swim into a net? Now that would be one trick I think that every fish owner would love to know how to do!!!!


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

It goes to show, even one of the most simplistic and first invertebrates can exhibit memory, learn and 'be creative.'

I remember reading here on the forum about Malawi cichlids evolve at a rate of 1000x times faster than typical animals(or fish, I don't remember). Wonder if that has something to do with what Erasthmus can do? And yes, he is growing like a weed? I really liked the water boil/splash at the floating ball. Cool as heck!


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## FishyFaceFriend (Feb 23, 2013)

cichlid-gal said:


> thought to myself...I wonder if Erasthmus has been taught to swim into a net? Now that would be one trick I think that every fish owner would love to know how to do!!!!


Definitely!! It is possible. I would use a safe tupperware and make a fish elevator. I really want to train that, but not sure what to use as a container. 
Is tupperware safe? I expect it would take a few months to train.

It would be tricky to get a holding female to come out of hiding. She won't take treats, and she wants to hide. It would be easier to train the rest of the fish to evacuate. Or find a way to isolate her without disturbing her, like adding a glass partition until the babies are grown.



Iggy Newcastle said:


> It goes to show, even one of the most simplistic and first invertebrates can exhibit memory, learn and 'be creative.'
> 
> I remember reading here on the forum about Malawi cichlids evolve at a rate of 1000x times faster than typical animals(or fish, I don't remember). Wonder if that has something to do with what Erasthmus can do? And yes, he is growing like a weed? I really liked the water boil/splash at the floating ball. Cool as heck!


Interesting about rapid evolution. I know that cichlids found themselves pretty much alone in a huge body of water, and so there was an opportunity for them to adapt to and fill many different niches. There was a boom in variety, but I'm not sure that means they are smarter than other fish. Maybe, who knows.. I expect that some types of cichlids are smarter than others.

It's possible to train other types of fish. YouTube is full of trained goldfish and bettas (none as fabulous as my fish, of course  ) 
Some traits will make an animal easier to train: loving food, being brave, and being fast-moving. My cichlid fits all three. The environment has to be as ideal and stress-free as possible, too, because a fish won't try new things if he's afraid.

We have a lot in common with fish. We share a basic body plan. We also share some basic "emotions" - seeking, fear, rage, aggression, lust, play, even care (mouthbrooders for example), and we share the basic way we learn.


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## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

FishyFaceFriend said:


> cichlid-gal said:
> 
> 
> > thought to myself...I wonder if Erasthmus has been taught to swim into a net? Now that would be one trick I think that every fish owner would love to know how to do!!!!
> ...


Not sure about the container thing but as for the holding females. Yes they hide or stay out of the main fray but when I feed, even the holding females come out and swim around like they are eating, but of course they are not. I have seen some of my younger females, new to holding, actually take in some food while holding also. But the urge to eat still exists its just that the "holding" makes it difficult to impossible. I'm not sure if they were trained to "go to net" whether that would be achievable if they were holding or not? Great question :wink:

Another question....once the fish is trained in a particular "trick", do you have to repeat that trick regularly in order to keep them doing the trick correctly or does the fish simply remember the trick once he has mastered it? maybe you have answered that before but I have forgotten.


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## FishyFaceFriend (Feb 23, 2013)

[/quote]
I'm not sure if they were trained to "go to net" whether that would be achievable if they were holding or not? 
Another question....once the fish is trained in a particular "trick", do you have to repeat that trick regularly in order to keep them doing the trick correctly or does the fish simply remember the trick once he has mastered it? maybe you have answered that before but I have forgotten.[/quote]

I still think a net would be too hard because there will be bodily contact that will freak the fish out (unless you spend a LOOOOOTTT of time training it). Teaching them to get into some kind of confinement chamber would be easier.

Once you teach a trick it's there forever, in a way. The problem is that just because a fish can swim through a hoop today doesn't mean he can do the same next week when the water parameters, the angle of the light, the color of your T-shirt, or the precise height of your hoop is slightly different. Animals use a lot of environmental cues. The good news is that if a fish knows how to swim through a hoop for food, he will "re-learn" it very quickly.


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