My wife plays with a cat toy across the room that is literally just a wire with a bell on the end and the bass go nuts in their tank.
The Brains On These Fish
- Thread starter Serpentine
- Start date
I'm always looking for toys for the brainy fish and games that I can play with them. They seem to really enjoy it, especially the single wet pet specimens that don't do well with other fish. We humans are all they've got. For an intelligent animal, being stuck in a tank with no interaction, toys or enrichment must be terribly boring and lonely.
I wonder what mayhem we might unleash if we could build mobile aquariums like the one below for them. If a goldfish can figure out how to drive one and book it straight for the door, imagine what a particularly smart cichlid might do?
I suspect they would follow us around, ram into our legs when they're hungry and gleefully terrorize household pets. A fish chasing a cat would be a sight to behold... but not much fun for the cat.
I suspect they would follow us around, ram into our legs when they're hungry and gleefully terrorize household pets. A fish chasing a cat would be a sight to behold... but not much fun for the cat.
Starting with OP's cool Red Texas' cool 'bait & switch' talent, there's some impressive examples of fish intelligence here.
Of course there are different types of intelligent behaviors in fish; most I see are food, survivor or escape motivated, all natural tendencies among fish but some take it to another level, as with Caligula.
However, when it comes to creative intelligence and doing something for simple pleasure instead of survival, I think my ~2 yr. old Kamfa Flowerhorn is pretty hard to beat, which I've posted about in another thread with video, https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/fish-can-be-artists.712708/
I'll admit to being a doting dad but imo he demonstrates a quite amazing sense of alignment, geometry and design that I've never seen to this level in another fish (though there could be examples I haven't come across) -- it's clear he has a plan in his head for each design and then executes it. When it's done he might make an adjustment or two afterwards (if I don't destroy it), but mostly he leaves them alone, he's content with his work and not doing it out of boredom (if it were boredom he'd keep re-designing his designs, which he never does until I re-pile the rocks).
Imho Flowerhorn and Red Texas are pretty much the overall smartest aquarium fish (fire away
)
Of course there are different types of intelligent behaviors in fish; most I see are food, survivor or escape motivated, all natural tendencies among fish but some take it to another level, as with Caligula.
However, when it comes to creative intelligence and doing something for simple pleasure instead of survival, I think my ~2 yr. old Kamfa Flowerhorn is pretty hard to beat, which I've posted about in another thread with video, https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/fish-can-be-artists.712708/
I'll admit to being a doting dad but imo he demonstrates a quite amazing sense of alignment, geometry and design that I've never seen to this level in another fish (though there could be examples I haven't come across) -- it's clear he has a plan in his head for each design and then executes it. When it's done he might make an adjustment or two afterwards (if I don't destroy it), but mostly he leaves them alone, he's content with his work and not doing it out of boredom (if it were boredom he'd keep re-designing his designs, which he never does until I re-pile the rocks).
Imho Flowerhorn and Red Texas are pretty much the overall smartest aquarium fish (fire away
)
Whoa, I need to get Caligula something to create things with and see if he goes for it!
He does move gravel around his tank but it's for a specific purpose. He has moved all the gravel from around the lava rock right down to the glass so that any fry hiding beneath it will show up as reflections. He has also dug a sports arena so that he can roll his ball around without it getting hung up on hills and divets.
Creating art for art's sake... that's waaaaay up there.
He does move gravel around his tank but it's for a specific purpose. He has moved all the gravel from around the lava rock right down to the glass so that any fry hiding beneath it will show up as reflections. He has also dug a sports arena so that he can roll his ball around without it getting hung up on hills and divets.
Creating art for art's sake... that's waaaaay up there.
