Conditioned fish

Did one have a Purple String Leash on the other? :laugh: :laugh:


:joke:

I think goldfish do. My son's goldfish sometimes sleep on the bottom of the tank and are always side by side, very close to each other. They swim together, too. I actually think -- from what I've see with these guys -- that goldfish should be kept in groups of 2 or 3, like clown loaches.

Just what I think.
Roan

My goldfish swim side by side too. It makes me think that fish love is a real thing. They even have fights sometimes where they chase each other away (usually right after feeding time when they are trying to find some crumbs in the gravel). Other than those fights they are best of friends.

Pat, on the second question animals tend to fall into habits. A big cat when released from a cage it's lived in its whole life will pace the same dimensions as its cage, even though it can move more freely. I think your fish knew the dimensions of their old home and knew how far they could travel without bumping into the glass.

Mark

patoloco said:

2- When introduced, they kept swimming in a samll portion of the tank that was almost the same size of their previous tank. took them about 2 days to understand they had more room to swim.

I wonder if fish really make bonds with a partner like these two? Also, is it normal for fish to turn around where they think there is a glass wall?

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My pl*cos who were kept in very cramped conditions, tolerated eachother because they really had no other choice short of killing eachother. When we upgraded to a 20G, they swam in the same footprint size as the other tank. It took about 3 days and one chasing the other to realize there was no glass. Yes the chasey tried to turn up at where the wall was supposed to be.

It is learned behavior, conditioning - although with a negative reinforcement. Like when you walk through your bedroom in the dark - you know the spots to avoid and when to lift your feet higher to avoid certain items (or animals sleeping by the beds/doors). Move one of those things and you will still avoid it - put it in another spot and SPLAT!