How much do our fish know realize whom is their keeper?

[Saltysocks]

I'm currently on vacation after about 1 1 1/2 years of starting my reef with 2 clowns in a 20 gal. I've been having my mother "house sit" and taking care of the tank. I've told her to feed flakes. So she called yesterday for an update as the female isn't eat alot (she a sweet sweet fish she keeps me safe from the other closing during wc). She decided to feed then then sneak into the corner of the room and she began to eat. She's never had this behavior when im home. In fact she's very dominant about food, and certainly not shy. So it got me thinking, how much do you guys think our fish or "pets" recognize their keeper?

 

[dvgyfresh]

They can definitely recognize/associate. Same thing happend with my snakes , they would be out and be at peace but if someone new came over they would not trust and hide / stare menacingly

 

[Saltysocks]

They can definitely recognize/associate. Same thing happend with my snakes , they would be out and be at peace but if someone new came over they would not trust and hide / stare menacingly

It's hilarious because my woman swore the fish didn't like her and at first I thought she had it in her head. Now I'm wondering LOL

 

[dvgyfresh]

It's hilarious because my woman swore the fish didn't like her and at first I thought she had it in her head. Now I'm wondering LOL

My false water cobra named Eve hated all other women especially, my fiancé said she wanted me to herself lmaoo she would hood up in women’s presence but not any guys haha

 

[Timfish]

Fish definitely will recognize individual people and show prefferences. You're girlfriend is probably right.

 

[GrapevineReefs]

i have a trio of very large fish in one of my reefs that will only come out for me. they are a Yellow tang, Blue Hippo Tang and a Foxface all are over 6 years old and are in a tank in my fish room that the family isn’t in constantly so if my children or wife are in the room they are ghosts when it’s just me they are out and about and very very trusting. also when my warty angler sees my face he starts dancing his lure thinking food is about to come in. he does not do this to anyone else who looks at him so i 100% am sold on the idea that certain fish can and do recognize us

 

[Gup]

All these replies are so right. The Clown's especially get excited when I come up to the tank, always thinking it's feeding time. The Dorsal fins and even map to true the top of the water. On the flip side, purple Firefish duck for cover even when I approach. One comes out of his hiding hole after I'm away from the tank.

 

[Mical]

They know...

 

[Saltysocks]

They know...

Maybe this is why Gup's Firefish ducks for cover LOL

 

[Splinter]

Maybe this is why Gup's Firefish ducks for cover LOL

Any of you guys want some cookies?

 

[Saltysocks]

Any of you guys want some cookies?

I do love the taste of chocolate chip starfish.. I meant cookies

 

[Trever]

My fish definitely recognize when I'm carrying something.

I have two bicolor angels in a fowlr dedicated to them. The tank is right next to my desk.

If I come in the room with a banana, they absolutely freak out. They get so scared, I avoid bringing a banana in the room. It must be the yellow color and size / shape, but bananas give them an unmistakable full on life threatened panic.

They are also scared of my brushed aluminum laptop, though it's not nearly as extreme as their fear of bananas.

They seem to recognize my food containers, since they queue up for feeding when I come with the food containers in hand.

The obvious reactions to colors I guess could be explained, and may not be the same as recognition, but my wife rarely enters the room and in both my tanks, the fish act differently during her rare visits than when it's just me, since I'm there ever day all day working. Same thing other visitors.

I don't think they have a concept of water, tank, keeper, etc., so recognizing our major role in their lives- no way. Do they know they are alive and will one day die? Presumably not. So keeper? They aren't thinking. They may signal each other as mates, but they clearly don't have language. But they recognize my blob of a body that feeds them versus other objects, and they do pseudo "beg"- i.e. come and stare at me, go up to feeding ring, stare again, etc. But this seems a much more primitive behavior than a dog (say). It seems more like trying to ascertain if food will appear, because they associate me with food. Whereas a dog clearly knows we're feeding them- gimmie more now kind of thing.

 

[Tamberav]

My fish definitely recognize when I'm carrying something.

I have two bicolor angels in a fowlr dedicated to them. The tank is right next to my desk.

If I come in the room with a banana, they absolutely freak out. They get so scared, I avoid bringing a banana in the room. It must be the yellow color and size / shape, but bananas give them an unmistakable full on life threatened panic.

They are also scared of my brushed aluminum laptop, though it's not nearly as extreme as their fear of bananas.

They seem to recognize my food containers, since they queue up for feeding when I come with the food containers in hand.

The obvious reactions to colors I guess could be explained, and may not be the same as recognition, but my wife rarely enters the room and in both my tanks, the fish act differently during her rare visits than when it's just me, since I'm there ever day all day working. Same thing other visitors.

I don't think they have a concept of water, tank, keeper, etc., so recognizing our major role in their lives- no way. Do they know they are alive and will one day die? Presumably not. So keeper? They aren't thinking. They may signal each other as mates, but they clearly don't have language. But they recognize my blob of a body that feeds them versus other objects, and they do pseudo "beg"- i.e. come and stare at me, go up to feeding ring, stare again, etc. But this seems a much more primitive behavior than a dog (say). It seems more like trying to ascertain if food will appear, because they associate me with food. Whereas a dog clearly knows we're feeding them- gimmie more now kind of thing.

What about the videos and recordings showing that fish make sounds and vocalize.

Probably not as primitive as us humans assume.

 

[homer1475]

My fish 100% know it's me. When I walk up to the tank, all the fish are out and looking for food(assume I'm associated with food).

When anyone else walks up to the tank, all the fish hide.

I say it's a pavlonian(sp?) response to associating me with food, more then a higher thinking. My shape and figure my fish have associated with food, if anything other then my shape and figure walks up to the tank, they know it's not food and to hide.

 

[MaxTremors]

What about the videos and recordings showing that fish make sounds and vocalize.

Probably not as primitive as us humans assume.

Yeah, I think they’re probably more intelligent than we give them credit for. It’s very difficult, even with all of our ‘intelligence’, for us to even comprehend how animals communicate, what they communicate, what they think, and how they experience life/the world. There are many fish that have very complex behaviors, from breeding and courting behaviors, to simple tool use (using rocks to break shells), to ‘play’ behaviors, to the begging behaviors we see in aquaria (fish know what time to line up at auto feeders, some fish come to the surface and spit water at their owners, etc), and they have ways of experiencing the world that are completely different than ours (for example having a lateral line, living and navigating in three dimensions, etc). They’re obviously less intelligent than a lot of other species/classes of animals, but I think they’re definitely more intelligent than we give them credit for.

 

[Kostas G.]

I have a pair of Asian Arowana in our living room 3500l tank. These are like dogs with me. They come watch us all day with interest, they like to play with our cats, they beg for food, they know when I am coming with food or not, they like me being around them and let me do anything to them, pet them everywhere, even lift them, they are extremely calm with me. Anyone who knows Arowana know that they are not naturally calm animals but rather flighty. But they are definitely pets to me. They recognize family and let both me and my wife pet them, even though she is a bit afraid of their teeth…

Our large Panaque L27 Araguaia also know me very well and are very trusting. When I got them they were in awful condition coming from the wild, very skinny and parasite ridden. I had to handle the male sometimes for treatment and manual removal of anchor worms. It took 6 months to come around and start getting any weight on them. Since then they are very trusting. When I moved them to a bigger tank 4 years later, I just caught them by hand, without chasing. When the female got a plastic zip tie around its head, I just reached in, got her out, and she sat patiently for me to remove it above one of her eyes. No flinch, no flick, nothing, perfectly calm for me. After removing it, my wife came to take a picture of her. She flicked its bristles towards her, but not me. And she remained calm with me till I placed her in the tank again. I had to get her out once more a year later for dislodging a wavemaker cover from her head. She is quite curious…

These fish have power, teeth and big bristles but choose not to use them when I am handling them

Different fish have different qualities and some are smarter than others. Generally the bigger the fish, and the longer lived it is, the more intelligent it is.

Tangs, Angels, Triggers, Puffers, Groupers and other bigger fish are quite owner responsive and know more than meets the eye. Each fish shows it differently though. For example tangs that like to swim good distances might swim a few rounds between showing you they like the food or like getting petted

 

[andiesreef]

The inhabitants of my 20g long seem to recognize me. When I come near the fish come out of hiding and swim right up to the acrylic to "beg" for food. The cleaner shrimp crawl to the front too. It happens to the greatest extent with me, although it does happen with one or two other people who are around a lot and/or have fed the fish before