Can Cichlids Hold Grudges?

[DMD123]

That's associating the rough handling with you, just like associating the OPs hand with run away! If you were the one feeding her for a few weeks after I'm sure she went back to normal

I know, but it was funny to see that behavior. The Pearsei went back to normal pretty quickly, her stomach got the best of her.

 

[neutrino]

To what extent varies with species, but they can certainly learn and make associations-- ime including not just behaving differently because they can distinguish between me and a stranger in the room, but they can also learn the difference between me approaching the tank with a net as opposed to a container of food. From what I've seen they can sometimes develop what could appear as a grudge, whether based on territoriality or some other instinct or based on a learned association with a particular fish or type of fish. For example, if a particular fish bullies or fights with them, I've seen them become fearful of or aggressive toward fish of the same or similar looking species. On the other hand I've seen smaller fish that are nervous at first around a larger fish that can eat them (and would eat them in other circumstances) calm down after figuring out this particular fish isn't going to bother them.

 

[Mythic Figment]

I'm wondering if cichlids are an intelligent enough family of fish that they have decent long term memory and can hold grudges against even people. Reason I'm asking is because I have a breeding pair (with fry) of cutteri cichlid in my 75 community. They've been really aggressive to my other fish and several times I had to stick my hand or even arm in to chase him away from my other fish. I realized that it's more my fault since I should've known they'd get aggressive and I will be getting them their own tank very soon but. I don't want my cichlids to get scared of me every time I get near the glass or stick my arm in the tank from memory that I used to (have to) chase him around with my arm. When I first got them they'd come right up to the glass to watch me, once they spawned they stayed away from me and up until a few days ago the male would bite the glass when I got to close. Now they have no reaction when I come up to the glass. Just asking the question since looking back it was my fault I made them slightly less friendly but I don't want to make my cichlids permanently bitter and I want to give cichlids another chance since again, it was my fault I viewed them as bad fish for a while. And yes this is a serious question.

Animals don't have brains that work like a human's would. It's not completely understood how different shaped brains work, but we can safely assume they don't think or even feel in the same ways we do. What we do know is that the vast majority of animals who have the ability to learn (which is almost every living organism larger than the tip of a pen) process thoughts in conjunction with emotion (human do this as well, but with the added benefit of intelligently rationalizing events). So things that make them feel good entice them to be relaxed and comfortable while things that scare them or they don't understand will cause the opposite behaviors. So being terrorized by your arm could very well cause them to be shy towards you. This behavior can be undone with positive reinforcement by rewarding them for coming out while you're present or by associating the arm that chased them with treats/food to "over write" the bad emotional "memories" with good ones.


Sent from my iPad using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

 

[Drstrangelove]

Fish can remember a number of different events that have no instinctive background. However, a grudge is an emotional response related to indignation. I'm fairly certain that few animals, especially fish, take personal affronts.

 

[cichlidfish]

The things they do are instinctual not emotional.

Pretty sure anything they do has nothing to do with hurt feelings.

Yup it's all about instinct. They will learn where food comes from, but that is it. It is instinctual for them to fear something bigger that might hurt or eat them. Cichlids adapt to their environment better than most other fish sp., so that may be why they seem more intelligent and even hold grudges.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

 

[divemaster99]

Got him to handfeed frozen bloodworms tonight so apparently he isn't as scared of me as I thought . Hopefully transferring the pair with fry to their own 20 tall tomorrow, assuming I see no ammonia or nitrite spikes (just set it up tonight and has other cutteri fry in it but I have a preseeded sponge filter and got all the gravel from my 75 gallon).