Blue Hippo Tang... Is it really a Dory?

[gnorman]

hey all, i herd today that Blue hippos do in fact seem to forget stuff rather quickly. like it goes in one ear and out the other so to say. is this true? do they really forget things just like dory in finding nemo? thanks for your help. I'm hoping this turns into a fun little thread to discus this

 

[fedukeford]

Mabey they do forget stuff easily, but is there anything for a fish to forget?

 

[1journeyman]

I doubt it.
For years people would say goldfish had such short memories that they couldn't even realize they were swimming around in a cycle in a small goldfish bowl.
I think these "fish are stupid" myths come from people trying to justify keeping them in sub-optimum conditions.

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by fedukeford
Mabey they do forget stuff easily, but is there anything for a fish to forget?
My fish sure remember me and my feeding cup.

 

[catawaba]

Fish are SMART!
They 'recognize' me and the 'collection cup' and the 'tongs'
They also seem to know when it's 'bedtime'....when the first set of lights go off, they all start going to their 'sleeping' areas and stay close.
And, Like 1journey said--they sure understand feeding time and what side of the tank to be in....

 

[seannmelly]

I this is a interesting question. I really don't think fish remember anything except when it comes to feeding!! As stupid as it sounds, I think fish remember "familiar objects" that feed them, and anything else is something they don't recognize. For example: We had a Vlamingi tang in our 125 Reef at work and this thing ate like a pig. All the customers would come up to the tank at look at the corals and the fish and he would hide and turn dark as they sometimes do. When me or the other guy I work w/(whom fed the fish) came up to the tank, he would swim up to us as if begging for food. Or another example: My own tank. My fish will try to bite our fingers because we sometimes hand feed them especially the Sohal tang. When our friends come over they all hide except the chromis. So there for I think they remember Shadows but other then that I don't think they remember much especially being fed because they are always looking for food!
Melly

 

[ruaround]

i thought that the hippo tang was commonly caught by the use of cyanide... it stuns the fish and makes the dense and slow... thats how the Dory character got its personality...

 

[seannmelly]

Originally Posted by ruaround
i thought that the hippo tang was commonly caught by the use of cyanide... it stuns the fish and makes the dense and slow... thats how the Dory character got its personality...
Not that I know of. The one fish that sticks out in my mind being caught by cyanide is the Flame Angel.
M

 

[ruaround]

" One of the other problems associated with Hepatus Tangs is their tendency to become sickly. They have a strong propensity to contract a variety of parasitic infections, especially marine Ich or Cryptocaryon. This infection is so prevalent with this species that many people refer to this fish as the “Ich magnet”. There is another health concern with this particular fish. There is a practice in some parts of the world, namely the Philippines and Indonesia, of collecting some fish using cyanide to “temporarily anesthetize” the fish and make it easier to catch. I put these words in quotes because it does far more than that. The cyanide does permanent damage to the fish and many times while they survive the initial exposure, death is almost certain later."
this is about 3/4 down the page of this article...
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taken from Fenner's site
Sorry, great site but we can't allow links to it...

 

[scotts]

Originally Posted by GNorman
like it goes in one ear and out the other
Do fish have ears? :thinking: :help:

 

[ruaround]

Originally Posted by Scotts
Do fish have ears? :thinking: :help:

they do... but, they are internal...

 

[gnorman]

hmmm interesting debate. thanks to all that have participated. the reason i ask the question is b.c i went to a friends house today to look at their tank. they have a blue hippo that always hides in this rock cave. the blue hippo always backs itself into its home. the owner of the tank calls it her/his "garage". the hippo always comes out when the owner is the only one around but when strangers come to the tank it always goes back into its "garage" we were looking and talking about the tank while the fish was in its home, we left the room for a little bit and then came back and the blue hippo was out and swimming about. when it saw me it headed for its cover and for some reason acted as if it didn't know how to get into it backing into it like it always does. it kept on trying but just couldn't do it, it was kind of funny but sad at the same time. the fish seemed frightened and there was noting i could have done but walk away from the tank. when this happened. the owner of the tank told me that her LFS said that the myth about dory is true. anyways just a little fun thread i wanted to start. again, thanks to all who have taken the time to read.

 

[akbuuur]

i think hippos in general are missing a couple key brain functions...

I have on in QT with my purple tang and for some reason the purple tang is angry right now and will bite anything near him, including me so i decided to put eggcrate inbetween the two. my hippo, being only about 2 inches, can get through a certain part of the eggcrate and often does... then he regrets it with in seconds then i have to grab him and put him back to his side... and in general if u look at the way they swim it seems that way..

 

[1journeyman]

For anyone who watches "Mythbusters" they did a show where they trained goldfish to go through a set of rings to get food. One of the guys even commented he had trained a pet fish to ring a bell when it was hungry...

 

[gnorman]

that would have been really interesting to watch. but then again, that was a goldfish, not a hippo tang. no pun intended, just trying to make sure it stays on topic

 

[sepulatian]

I am sorry, but I find this thread just a nill point. Fish most certainly can hear, think, act, react, etc. I don't need to say more.

 

[gnorman]

Originally Posted by sepulatian
I am sorry, but I find this thread just a nill point. Fish most certainly can hear, think, act, react, etc. I don't need to say more.
i totally agree with you on that. but maybe some fish have more intelligence than others. it was just a question, a little fun topic to see if anyone had any comments on it. i mean, why did pixar use a blue hippo as dory... was there a logical reason to it?
maybe fish are like dogs i don't know... some dogs are smart and other are just dumb as a nail. anyways. thanks to all that have participated.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by GNorman
i totally agree with you on that. but maybe some fish have more intelligence than others. it was just a question, a little fun topic to see if anyone had any comments on it. i mean, why did pixar use a blue hippo as dory... was there a logical reason to it?
maybe fish are like dogs i don't know... some dogs are smart and other are just dumb as a nail. anyways. thanks to all that have participated.
I believe all animals are intelligent. Would you consider a person who has no common sense at all dumb as a nail? Have you watched that movie? Very little of the characteristics of the fish in question are true to their live counterparts. Dori is played by Ellen Degeneris............need I say more? :joy:

 

[d0 thy d3w]

fish cant be simply "stupid" because of their species..if a fish is "stupid" or "forgetful" than it had to have suffered an inherited abnormality or defect..or may be simply just be that way cuz he didnt stay in school..lol..just like people..were all the same species..yet some of us are smarter than others..

 

[gnorman]

good points. anyone else have some comments on intelligent or not so intelligent blue tangs that have been in your aquariums?