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Corys!-My corys do a breakfast dance for me in te morning when I walk into the room. The other day I saw two of my giant schwartzis helping a tiny panda to find the food, if it went the wrong way they would push to the tablet. (This cory had shorter barbles but it came like that from my lfs, so that is probably why it couldn't find the food.)Also like Calis story about the red spaghetti and the pencil fish stealing it!

Platys in some ways, some not at all though- My platys swim to the front of the tank when ever I walk in front of the tank, they don't do this to anyone else. Also when it is feeding time, I can stick my hand in the tank right next to them and they won't run away. I can also pat them and they won't mind, and they eat out of my hands!

Gouramis-My gouramis know exactly where there is food, they remember where I normally drop the cory tablets and they are always waiting there in the morning. I once was putting a freeze-dried tubifex sqaure down to the bottom of the tank for the corys and thge gouramis came and just grabbed it out of my hand!

I don't really know about cichlids as I haven't kept them, but I believe they are pretty smart, as I have a book that had a story about a cichlid and its babies.

Wow this thread is from the archives! I feel like I should blow the dust off it before I post.

I'd like to cheat and say the devilfish.

OK so its an octopus. They are still pretty cool.

oscars and other cichlids seem to be fairly intellagent my oscar seems to know when feeding time is (around 9) cus around then he always hangs up toward the top of my tank.. also paradise fish seem smart... mine jumps through hoops cus i trained it to sign of smartness (it can be trained..)

If you can call them fish, Octopus hands down are the smartest with the cuddle fish at close second.

But as far as "real" fish goes I'd have to say puffers in general are extremely intelligent. Some more than others but the smartest of the species far exceeds any cichlid.

They have been labeled as aqua-dogs. And this from a cichlid fan.

Larger predators, of course. Most cichlids, especially the South Americans, show considerable intelligence, as do a number of the 'oddball' predators, like bichirs, gobies, etc.

the cuddle fish i think is the most inteligent fish absolutely amazing at what it can do

haven rasied alot of speices of fish id say catfish n cichlids n labrynth fish r the most inteligent fishes that r focused on this site

elephant noses r very inteligent n have a much larger brain size then most fish

as well as piranhas
mine cut paths in the vegitation n move the tank decor around to suit there ambushing needs
they also have a distinct feeding order n social attitudes
they can work fine solitarily or as a pack hunter
to me they r the aquatic wolf n deserve/demand respect

The smartest fish I know is my old teacher's Red Devil named Bruno. My teacher would put a book up next to the tank and he would swim over to it and "read" it. He was so smart that he actually got on the news and in a magazine although I can't remember which one...

In my tank the smartest fish has to be my Green Severum. He definitely rules the tank and is very aware of what is happening around him. If I am in my room most of the time he will be on the end of the tank watching me. He also knows which fish to push around and which fish to leave alone based on which ones are meanest, and he also breaks up fights between my firemouth and zebra cichlid.

just about any puffer seems to have alot of intelligence, for a fish

elephants noses

I don't exactly have the broadest experience with different types of fish, but of all my fish, I'd have to say the bettas are the most intelligent. Guppies, danios, black neons... they're all pretty stupid compared to the bettas. Cories can be pretty sharp sometimes, but I still think it's the bettas.

I can pet my girls, have them jump for food or eat from my hands... they dance when they see me come in the room, but not for anyone else. I've seen them greet every newcomer in the tank with curiousity, but rarely violence. The one violent newcomer (another betta girl) chased my two most dominant girls around the tank... and they kept getting in between the aggressive girl and my more docile girls, so that THEY were the ones to take every nip and dive. Both wound up with the fishy version of a black eye (pop eye, from hitting the gravel in furious attempts to escape) and scrapes, but the girls that wouldn't fight back were protected and escaped with nipped fins at the most.

I think they know when I'm mad at them, because they sulk. Unlike the cories, who sometimes still think I'm going to murder them, the girls will follow my hand around the tank, playfully nip at my finger tips and twine between my fingers. Of course, they're not terribly bright when it comes to gravel vaccing... they like to dive bomb the tube when they seem bits and pieces float upwards.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

It depends how you measure intelligence. I would say quite a few species of cichlids and some labryinth fish are about on the same level and well above average. My paradise fish would swim about the tank eyeing everything and you could just see him thinking about what to do with this object. If he didn't like the fish/snail/plant he'd suddenly take a nip at it then swim on to the next thing. My johanni cichlids observed and reacted to their environment in much the same way. My tetras and cory don't seem to notice or care and only react to things that directly affect them like the net or food. They don't observe their environment and try to control/change it like the paradise fish or cichlids do. Every fish I have will wiggle and come up for food and every fish can recognize me as the one that feeds them instead of the rest of the family. I would consider that normal fish intelligence/behavior.

I was thinking about this earlier and it a question occured to me about fish intelligence. We all know that fish do not have a 30 second memory , but which are the most intelligent fish. A few people I know say Cichlids or Catfish.

I would like your opinions on this matter.

The Angel fish at work seems to be the most intelligent fish, then the gourami, then the New Guinea Rainbow fish.

The Angel always goes to the top of the tank if anyone approaches, but if I go over (I feed them all), she does this sort of excited sort of tail flicking and swims back and forth quickley.

If I hold a flake just above the water she'll poke her nose out and grab the food.

The Gourami will hide most of the time at the back of the tank and only come over when I look into the tank. When he is coming over to feed he usually chases off the other fish (except the Angel).

Let me know

Work Aquarium 110L
(not my choice of fish but look after)
2 New Guinea Rainbows
1 Angel (needs to be moved before it gets big and eats tetras)
6 Neon Tetras
3 guppies
4 Corrie
4 small Golden Chinese algae eaters (need bigger home soon)
1 Red Dwarf Gourami

porcupine puffers

I'd say oscars. They can be taught to ring a bell for food or throw rocks at the side of the glass when they want attention. They can also be pet.

- DJ :88)

I honestly have no idea which fish would be the most intelligent...but here are my thoughts based on what I have or have had:

Guppies, what other fish could would "think" to have a million fry at a time to be sure that it's bloodline carries on. Also I've had fry survive when no plants were available, you know that must take some brains.

Goldies, because they can sense when you are going to be coming home or coming into a room, and move to see you...Of course my goldies also prayed to a fake log

Cichlids, In my tank, they all know that Bubba has to be the first to eat, or greet me with a nibble to my fingers, otherwise I will be disappointedOk let's face it he'll start a fightbut, he's not a bully

C. Hasbrosus (Dainties) What other fish can swim to the airstone and dive bomb it in such a speed it amazes all, and just before you're sure they'll hit the stone itself, they about face and fly to the surface

Then of course the bettasLeslie managed to train her betta, Gofish to flair anytime he saw her...of course Gofish is a little crazy:%)but we love him anyways...

Let's just put it this way, fish have a lot more intelligence than a lot of people I have met

Heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

I'd have to say a F8 puffer is the most intelligent fish.

It might be a cichlid or predatory catfish, solitary predators seem to be the most intelligent fish out there.
I agree with Molly, the wolf cichld is certainly very intelligent. Oscars and red devils are pretty smart too, though I'm sure there are mur smurter cichlids to be found.

Last edited by sirbooks at 29-Mar-2005 10:43

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Anyone else ???

Me? Heck no. A 36" cichlid that can't really be housed with anything else? I don't exactly have room for a 400 gallon tank. But they are indeed very cool.

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

Dude,

Just checked this out on internet, that is one cool looking Cichlid, you got one ??