Is it just me....?

[Loves severums]

Is it just me or do bichir seem to sniff the food then look for it?
are they blind?

 

[GarNiac]

do you mean sniff?if so, yes they do that, n sometimes they just skip the food as like they're not interested in.

 

[Loves severums]

do you mean sniff?if so, yes they do that, n sometimes they just skip the food as like they're not interested in.

^yeah mine do that he pass right by it.

 

[vaipulu]

our spoiled fish are worse than our kids

 

[we4wieners]

My Senegal does it all the time.

 

[ocellatus]

My dels and senegals never pass on food. The ornate is picky, and won't eat with the lights on, the lap will sometimes pick a pellet or 2 though he's big enough to take 6 or more at a time.

All make good use of their sense of smell though, and will rise up on their pectoral fins as soon as food touches the water, then start nosing around on the bottom until they find it.

Pretty comical when they miss.

O

 

[eatingleg4peanut]

I think they use the barbels on there face, and I think they process smell/taste slow or something because mine will often go face to face with a pellet, seems like it doesnt realize its food, pass by, then do a quick 360 and grab it.

 

[geronimo69]

I read somewhere that they have very poor vision, but a highly developed sense of smell. Mine know exactly when food hits their tank.

 

[VRWC]

I read somewhere that they have very poor vision, but a highly developed sense of smell. Mine know exactly when food hits their tank.

Thats correct.

I occasionally time mine to see how long it takes them to smell it from the time it hits the water. The pleco smells it almost instantaneous, the dels about 6-10 seconds later and the ornate about 20-30 seconds later.

 

[ancientfins]

sniff sniff sniff munch munch munch...like that