Classically conditioning Loaches or Fish?

[LoachOrgy]

Just wondering, at my community I see the turtles and fish sit by the bridge and mooch for food all the time. I was wonding if you could classically condition the loaches to come out say when they hear you lightly tap on the glass a few times? Would this be cruel? I don't think it would be cruel I would just use it to maybe get them to come out here and there when i want to see them. I have already realized that when they beg, they sit in a certain spot. I think it is because I usually drop the food near this spot. So could I have classicaly conditioned them to go to that spot when they want food?

This would later play into the part of regulating their feeding or even getting them to come out of their hiding places when you want to see them. I notice my laoches try to be on a different schedule than I am on. They timed it to where they hide until I leave. I was catching them here and there but the addition of the blue moon light screwed up their hiding times. This morning they were out and about.

[Emma Turner]

Loaches come out when they want to.

[cybermeez]

Loaches come out when they want to.

Heh, heh, heh. Just like cats those stubborn Loaches.

[mistergreen]

yeah, you can train fish.
tapping is ok. or you can splash the water surface. Or using a visual cue.. Just keep the routine consistent. And always back up the action with their favorite food.

[AwesomeCoolstein]

I find that having the food in a brightly colored container will sometimes work. They can see the color and will associate it with the food.

[Mad Duff]

In my experience Loaches can quite quickly get used to certain routines, I feed my clowns on a morning when I first get up and on an evening after my tea and they are now used to this and all come out to receive their meal.

In my other main Loach tank the Kubotai's, Rostratas and Striatas do the same, the Dario's don't seem as bothered they only come out once the food has gone into the tank everything else is there waiting

The Sidthimunki are different again, as soon as the lid id touched they all shoot off and hide and you wouldn't think there was one in the tank never mind 36 but as soon as the food goes in they are out like a pack of little wolves attacking the food.

[LoachOrgy]

Hey Duff,

Yeah I notice certain routines as well. I may try splashing the water a bit before I feed them now. Just to see if I can get them to come out once in a while when they aren't around.

[wasserscheu]

Hi LO.,

... I would not trick them, they are sensitive creatures , mine do sense it when I´m relaxed, they often lay on the side then... even in the open water... I would not think of calling them without rewarding them.

But, yes, c. conditioning is no problem, with some fish you need to be more patient than with others... my LFS-keeper showed me... raising the (rather large) food-can (flakes) about 10 feet away from a tank - the fish started to gather on the surface - already fighting for "good position". There was NO other call for awareness, just raising the can... means fish are watching you ...

...here my training clowns regarding hunting shrimps
http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=5009

Cheers

Wolfram

[joitoy]

i bought some betta bites for my betta in my 10 gallon, only to discover they were too large for him. Rather than waste them and throw them out, I had noticed hte other fish took a liking to them, so I throw a few in with the flakes and sinking pellets.

The weather loach seems to like those betta bites more than the pellets and flakes. He'll swim all the way to the top to circle around and grab as many as he can only when I drop those in. He won't be bothered to surface if there are only flakes, or only sinking pellets.

[Dave_2133]

Most of my clowns come out when i open the ldi as 9 times out 10 i give them food when its open. The tiger barbs go crazy when the lid opens as well but they're just greedy.

[fishnose]

At my LFS, the guy had some kind of big predatory fish, it was a while ago and I can't remember what it looked like except that it was big and brownish. It stayed in the back but then the dude there asked me if I wanted to see something cool. He went across to the other side of the room and stuck a net into the feeder fish tank. The fish came up to the front and just looked at him. The guy started to walk toward the fish's tank and the fish went crazy! He zoomed up to the top and pushed against the glass and splashed water over the side with his dorsal fin while the guy was still about 6 feet away. when he dropped the unfortunate goldfish in, it never hit the water.

[LoachOrgy]

i have been splashing the water lightly around before every meal this week. i havn't tried to see if they come out when i do it yet without food. but the loaches are getting braver by the day. they have been adapting to the new tank so far.