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by flizzera on August 24th, 2004

flizzera

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Do goldfish really have a 3 second memory span or is this just a myth?

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Answers. 36 helpful answers below.

  • by JollyMommy on August 25th, 2004

    JollyMommy

    The Myth Busters TV show proved this one a myth. They taught fish to swim through a maze, showing that their time got faster and faster. Thus proving they remembered where the holes were.

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  • by Daz_2006 on October 29th, 2006

    Daz_2006

    I read,in a goldfish carers guise, that a Goldfishes Memory span is Not 3seconds but actually 6 months!

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  • by Cabbagehead on March 11th, 2006

    Cabbagehead

    I have 40 or more goldfish (comets) swimming around in a man-made pond measuring around 35' x 50'. Every evening I stand on my "feeding rock" and before I throw the food on top of the water, every goldfish in the pond comes to where I am, waiting for dinner.

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  • by Elgoldfish on January 23rd, 2006

    Elgoldfish

    I saw that episode too! i have taught my fish to eat from a certain spot so they both get equal amount of food =)

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  • by StickChick09 on January 17th, 2005

    StickChick09

    I just did a science project about this, and they have a much better memory span than that. Google it, you'll find tons of articles about it!

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  • by PocketNut is as sure as a peanut on January 27th, 2008

    PocketNut is as sure as a peanut

    It's absolutely false!! Goldfish (as has been said) have a memory in excess of 6 months, the ones I trained remembered food stimuli for over a year!
    A number of fellow Aquarists (Fish keepers) have noted that their fish will move tank decor back to its original position whenever it is moved!!
    It is true to say that the ATTENTION SPAN of a goldfish is very short, and that they become very quickly bored with anything that doesn't fit in their mouth!
    My theory is that attention span has somehow been confused with memory.

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  • by Galeanda on August 16th, 2007

    Galeanda

    We trained our goldfish to come to us for hand feeding only at a certain place at their pond. I think that shows a longer memory than 3 seconds. And some goldfish live for many many years and get to know their owners.

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  • by sasha1977099 on November 30th, 2005

    sasha1977099

    No, some people say they have a three second memory, but they actually have a memory span of up to 3 months, so they are not as dumb as they may appear!

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  • by wickedwillie on February 28th, 2005

    wickedwillie

    It is often said that goldfish have a memory of only a few seconds, but this is not entirely true. Goldfish have what could be called a selective memory, that is to say they have some kind of concience of what has happened on previous occasions, but are not sure what it was. They can be trained to do simple tasks such as eat from a certain ring inside their bowl, This is because they instinctively know that something good is in that area, they are just not sure what. If a predatory animal such as a heron is around, they will hide away through instinct for quite a while, but they do not know what it is they are hiding from, they simply know it is worth avoiding.

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  • by Anonymous on October 23rd, 2008

    Anonymous

    of corse not my fish knows what time i feed him when it gets to 5:30 he swims to the top of the tank and opens his mouth! also if i put my finger on top of the water he comes a nudges it as i tought him to! It's "common knowledge" that a fish has a 3 second memory, but... I'm currently doing a uni assignment on fish memories, and all of the information I have found suggests that they have very good memories and are capable of learning, and remembering things even 11 months later! A scientist called Ava Chase even taught her carp to distinguish between classical music and the blues!!

    a three secound memeory would not serve a fish very well, since three secound after first recognizing what a predator is and looks like they would forget, and they would likely be extinct by predation. furthermore, memory is the foundation for much common sense and wisdom, which is required for being able to lay ones eggs in such a way as to not have them eaten or otherwise destroyed (the memory of the predator and maternal protection compulsions combine to form a thought like "i should protect my eggs from the predator by hiding them, since that is what i do (which is another function of long term memory)".

    I agree that the 3 second memory is either a myth or it is based on short-term memory. Repeated events can be converted to long-term memory even with a short attention span or short-term memory.

    Also, the insticts that animals have, like to run away from a predator, are based somewhat on memory. Animals can even lose their sense of danger over time. For example, in the 16th and 17th centuries (and even on to today) when humans discovered small islands with no human inhabitants, the animals on that island often exhibited no fear of humans and would approach them quite easily. Unfortunately for many of them, this led to humans thinking they were dumb and easy to hunt. Case in point, the Dodo. Travellers found it so easy to hunt and kill them that they did so until the Dodo was extinct, at about the year 1670.


    i hope this answered your question if i havent here is a good website

    http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=2424

    have fun!!! :-)

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  • by Starmaster on May 28th, 2008

    Starmaster

    Yes they do. In a recent test they performed better than Paris Hilton by 1.75 seconds!

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  • by Ruby Doomsday on April 16th, 2008

    Ruby Doomsday

    No. It's simply not true. I have my own goldfish and a pretty elaborate tank set up. Brand new goldfish are always disoriented when first introduced, but they figure out where the best hiding places are, how to navigate the tank quickly, which goldfish are good to school with and which are aggressive, and so on. I also tap their food into a small plastic ring at the top of their tank so that they know where all the food will be and if will not spread all over the tank and get wasted and foul up the water. They learn to find the ring usually within a couple days, and remember where it is even if I quarantine them in an isolation tank for a few days (if I suspect they are sick). I think it is possible that they have a three second attention span, but not a three second memory.

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  • by Route 66Truckerman on April 16th, 2008

    Route 66Truckerman

    Seriously, MythBusters, Did a show on that subj. It turns out,it's a myth.

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  • by Little baby... on January 7th, 2008

    Little baby...

    Gold fish do not only have 3 second memories. actually there memory is really good and they can be trained to do each other and feed at certain times of day they can tell time and have sex too.

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  • by jord on August 16th, 2007

    jord

    i love my gold fish i have had them both for about 5 years now. and get this they are from the CARNIVAL!

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  • by Anonymous on March 13th, 2006

    Anonymous

    It depends on the species of fish. for some species, yes, this is true and for others, no, it is not.

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  • by angelzz on January 17th, 2009

    angelzz

    You should watch the Mythbuster's video for it.
    it was great.
    No, they do not have 3 second memeory span.
    Basically what the Mythbusters did was they made this "maze" but not really just this route the fish had to swim through to eat. Whenever they fed the fish they swam through the route easily and knew exactly where to go.
    :D

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  • by -ashley- on August 5th, 2008

    -ashley-

    No it is a cold hearted lie that we tell ourselves to make us feel better about trapping them in a 3 gallon fish bowl. Mythbusters proved it wrong. They can actually be trained to wring a bell (by Jamie on Mythbusters). They are much more intelligent than we give them credit for (as are most animals)

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  • by Tirry_Bby on August 5th, 2008

    Tirry_Bby

    It's actually been proved that fish can remember things from 11 months past which was proven with blind mexican cave fish.

    Fish also map their surroundings which rules out that of a hamster.

    Plus, when you go up to the tank majority of goldfish go crazy when they notice their owner n start darting about for attention. Mine like to nibble and my finger etc. They can also be sad if some one else tries to feed them and will go into a "sulk".

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  • by Zandalee.Lonely.Lunatic.3yrs-here on April 16th, 2008

    Zandalee.Lonely.Lunatic.3yrs-here

    It is a myth.

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  • by car audio crazy on April 16th, 2008

    car audio crazy

    mythbusters did a show on gold fish memory. they had to swim through differt places in a big tank to get food and after a few days the fish was still remembering the way to the food. so it is only a myth.

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  • by Route 66Truckerman on April 16th, 2008

    Route 66Truckerman

    Not unless they download it on to their PDAs

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  • by Bubblehead on February 13th, 2008

    Bubblehead

    Sorry, can you repeat the question

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  • by LANGIE on August 16th, 2007

    LANGIE

    carnt remember but think it`s five.....er .....er what was the errm.......eerr er mmm

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  • by cantubury on August 16th, 2007

    cantubury

    according to SAS the computer people, a goldfish only has a span of 3 seconds
    http://www.sas.com/goldfish
    Is this ad agency fantacy or did the author of the ad drink "like a fish" the night before he/she wrote this "truthiness" fact.

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  • by littleknown on March 8th, 2007

    littleknown

    Read about Pavlov's dog theroy. They test them same as any animal. Light on, normal.. light off(shock wave)

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  • by DA BEN DAN yanggui zi on January 17th, 2009

    DA BEN DAN yanggui zi

    I don't think so. I have a large pond (about 10'x2') on my balcony. I have 8 goldfish in there that are conditioned to come to one end to be fed when I splash the water..It may be Pavlovian..but that is a form of memory:)

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  • by Anonymous on January 17th, 2009

    Anonymous

    i tried it and it did not work ,fish did not even come close to the hole.

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  • by kirababe on May 28th, 2008

    kirababe

    that's definetly just a myth. fish have actually been found to have similiar central nervous systems to humans and other mammmals, meaning that they can feel and understand many of the things we do. the whole memory thing is really just a stupid myth!

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  • by CesareBorgia on January 17th, 2009

    CesareBorgia

    It is a myth, but it isn't that far off. They have pretty terrible long term memories, and there short term isn't much better. But they certainly can remember simple processes over much longer periods than 3 seconds.

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  • by Greekgod on October 23rd, 2008

    Greekgod

    not sure what was the question

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  • by Starmaster on January 17th, 2009

    Starmaster

    They do. They beat Paris Hilton during a memory span competition by 0.73 of a second (just a joke, not to be taken seriously)

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  • by Anonymous on April 15th, 2009

    Anonymous

    Myself I beleive this is a myth becos if you think about it (if you own a goldfish), it remembers when your near it gets food, so mine often come to the top when they see me.
    Also they remember how to breed e.c.t.

    x

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  • by EelKat on February 21st, 2009

    EelKat

    it's a myth; goldfish are highly intelligent creatures with long memory spans and are able to remember "obstacle courses" (much like the ones used for mice and rats), as has been proven in science labs. In one study the fish learned to solve the course after just 3 tries and never made a mistake again, to prove this was memory, the fish was not used again in the obstacle course for 11 months, than they put him in the maze again, and he remembered it even though 11 months had past since he had last been in it.
    .
    additional, lots of pet owners teach their goldfish tricks, with basketball playing being one of the more popular ones, to the extent that many pet shops now sell mini basket ball equipment to add to your tank.

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  • by Teresa on February 17th, 2009

    Teresa

    Goldfish, like all or at least most animals, have the ability to learn information that is repeated to them, especially when they are encouraged to learn it through treats.

    They probably do only have 3 seconds or so of memory in the sense that they won't remember an isolated incident. I mean, if I look out the window, and I see someone walking down the street, in an hour from now I'll remember doing that. A goldfish wouldn't remember.

    But both myself and a goldfish can remember where to go to find food, if food is repeatedly available there, even if getting from here to there is somewhat complicated.

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  • by wo0kie on January 22nd, 2010

    wo0kie

    It's simply a myth as a good few dozens of people already said.

    This myth was created to tell little children that it's ok that they live in small fishtanks, by the time the goldfish completes a circle it wont remember its already been there!

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More Questions. Additional questions in this category.

You're reading Do goldfish really have a 3 second memory span or is this just a myth? - which can also be phrased in the following ways:

  • How do we know how long a fish can retain recent memory for?
  • You know how goldfish have 3sec memory? Yeah um after 3 secs does it just forget EVERYTHING?

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