Fish Instincts: Do they have any??

[lpardshark]

I just got a blue mandarin. I didn't even think about the pnk tip anemone that is in the tank
What I need to know is>> Do fish have the instinct, not to swim into anemones???
I'm starting to get worried.He has been swimmin very close to it, and I haven't seen him since I got home today.....

Anyone Know????

 

[dogstar]

IMO, most fish do have this instinct if they know they are there...
however, many small, weak swimmers and bottom dwelling type fish do fall victim to those tenticals. Many new fish, not familiar with whats in the tank can get spooked or just exploreing their way to their end as well....Anemones can catch and eat fish, shrimps, ect. its what they hope to do.

 

[mdeth]

I believe, BELIEVE, ive read on WWM that the dragonettes have no native anemones to their natural reefs. So therefore HOPEFULLY, he'll learn his lesson and stay away. Unfortunately I've heard bad things about this...
Hopefully he just got stung a bit and is hiding (he'll look whitish). If you see him and he is discolored, I would take him or the anemone back.

 

[30-xtra high]

Originally Posted by LpardShark
I just got a blue mandarin. I didn't even think about the pnk tip anemone that is in the tank
What I need to know is>> Do fish have the instinct, not to swim into anemones???
I'm starting to get worried.He has been swimmin very close to it, and I haven't seen him since I got home today.....

Anyone Know????
he'll know, that would be like you walking into your backyard and seeing a grizzly bear, you just know not to touch it..

 

[xdave]

Originally Posted by 30-xtra high
he'll know, that would be like you walking into your backyard and seeing a grizzly bear, you just know not to touch it..
I'll have to disagree with that logic. When I was 10 I didn't know not to catch a copperhead. We didn't have poisonous snakes were we lived.
Mandarins and pink tips are a bad mix. Mandarins, being poor swimmers, tend to get blown into them, and they are as sensitive to stings as they are to chemicals and medications.

 

[05xrunner]

would a mandarin be safe with a sebae anemone