Does your fish recognize you?

[gwand]

Experiments show wild fish can recognize individual divers

For years, scientific divers at a research station in the Mediterranean Sea had a problem: at some point in every field season, local fish would follow them and steal food intended as experimental rewards. Intriguingly, these wild fish appeared to recognize the specific diver who had previously...

phys.org

 

[anewbie]

My wild caught discus definitely treat me different than strangers when they enter the room

 

[Back in the fold]

I saw a show on PBS about a guy watching a Sperm Whale and that whale looked for him so I think it recognized him . A whale’s not a fish I know but animals recognize people the same as we recognize them . My lone Angelfish always comes up to the glass and watches me and not just at supper time .

 

[MaloK]

Oh yes, some are more than recognizing you... They missed you and show it.

Goldfishes are notorious for kidding. And many gouramies showed me their dissatisfaction of my maintenance procedure and where mad at me after I left them too long lying on their side during a big water change...

And they can be resentful for a while.

 

[GaryE]

When I walk through the fishroom, the fish ignore e and go about theor business. But if a new person comes by, the tanks look empty.

I don't know if it's visual, or from vibration and my gait, but they recognize someone different. I should show them photos.

 

[MaloK]

They have a good visual input.

I don't know how they see the world trough the glass of a tank.

But I scared the Sh*t out more than a betta showing my face freshly shaved after Stanley's cup.

 

[fishorama]

Some of my fish have recognized me & who feeds them the good treats with begging; husband is just OK. A petsitter had a roseline shark jump out once. I think she moved in a different way that scared them. She just picked up the fish & returned it to the tank, it was fine. But I do think fish can tell 1 person from another whether by looks or movements...or facial hair?

 

[Essjay]

Years ago I had a betta which seemed to be able to tell the difference between me and my son; he flared every time he saw my son but came to the front of the tank for food when he saw me. When I did an experiment I worked what was really happening.
Our son was going through a phase of wearing nothing but black. I wear coloured clothes. I was just about to do the ironing, so I put on his black shirt so it covered my clothes, and he held up my brightly pattered shirt in front of his black one. Then we walked past the betta's tank - and he flared at me but not my son.
The betta was reacting to the colour of our clothing, rather than recognising our faces. I did ask if my son had ever taunted the betta so that he associated black with something he didn't like, but son denied doing anything like that.

 

[seangee]

When I walk through the fishroom, the fish ignore e and go about theor business. But if a new person comes by, the tanks look empty.

I don't know if it's visual, or from vibration and my gait, but they recognize someone different. I should show them photos.

May be vibration / gait. My pond fish all come dashing to the surface for food as soon as I set foot on the decking. Everyone else they completely ignore.

 

[GaryE]

They do have that super sensitive lateral line for vibrations. Cichlids are very visual, but other families have other skills. I've never kept blind cave fish, or Mormyrid electrical field fish. That would be interesting to try.

 

[Uberhoust]

I swear my angels recognize me. I am the only one that feeds them and looks after them. My wife walks past the tank and they ignore her, when I walk past they follow intensely. They might not love me but they do know I provide the food and care.

 

[BigDog]

My fish seems to know me

I’m the only person around to feed them and take care of them.

Once in awhile my wife will help me out

There was a fish that took a great deal of liking to my wife

It was a black belt cichlid

This fish would not come out for nothing

Not to even feed

My wife who never came in contact with this fish ever before or any other fish

She walks up to the aquarium and all of a sudden

The black belt cichlid and her where inseparable felt like

This fish would only eat and only enter act with My wife

Until he passed a way

 

[Oldspartan]

Do not if they recognize me but they surely recognize I feed them. They are a line at the glass at dinner time. it is amusing. I do think the Betta recognizes me. I hand feed him and he comes when I call him.

 

[Jim Cooper]

Experiments show wild fish can recognize individual divers

For years, scientific divers at a research station in the Mediterranean Sea had a problem: at some point in every field season, local fish would follow them and steal food intended as experimental rewards. Intriguingly, these wild fish appeared to recognize the specific diver who had previously...

phys.org

Back in the 1970's, I had the chance to meet Guy Jordan and his Cichlasoma dovii "Pablo"... Pablo definitely recognized Guy and a few other people, and it wasn't just a matter of clothes color. In my years of fish keeping back then, I also had a few other cichlids that definitely recognized me, and not just as a food source. So I would say yes, some types of fish can definitely learn to recognize a person.

 

[MuddyWaters]

My angels always come to me- like has been said, not just for food. I'll be videoing other fish and the angels will just barge on in the front. They are hams.