Goldfish Have Much Longer Memories Than You Think

How Long is a Goldfish’s Memory?

Goldfish have memories that last several months, not a few seconds like many believe. Believe It or Not! scientists say the popular pets can remember things that happened as long as five months ago.

Researchers conducted multiple studies, conclusively debunking the notion that goldfish are as forgetful as popularly conceived. In a one study , scientists introduced a lever into a fish tank for dispensing food. Over time, the goldfish adeptly learned to manipulate the lever, specifically engaging with it when hunger struck.

Demonstrating a more sophisticated level of cognitive retention, the researchers further trained the goldfish: the lever now dispensed food exclusively within a designated one-hour timeframe. Astonishingly, the goldfish comprehended this temporal constraint, returning consistently each day at the appointed hour to obtain their anticipated snack.

In another study, researchers played a specific sound when they fed the fish, teaching them to connect the sound with food. The scientists then released the fish into the wild. The fish came back to their original feeding spot five months later when they heard the sound.

They Also Have Fairly Long Lives

There’s something else you may not realize about goldfish, and it has to do with their life span. If you win one at a carnival, you may be watching it, cleaning its tank, and feeding it for many years. If you properly take care of a pet goldfish, it can potentially reach the age of 10 and a few lucky pet goldfish have lived for decades!

Siblings Matthew and Hayley Wright won two goldfish in 1977 at a funfair in Brockworth, Gloucester, England, naming them Splish and Splash. When the kids grew up and moved out of the house, their dad Richard Wright took over their care. In 2015, one of them, Splash, became the oldest living goldfish at 38 years old!

Still, Splash does not hold the record for being the oldest living goldfish of all time. That honor goes to Tish, who died in his fishbowl at the age of 43 in 1999. His owner, Hilda Hand, said at the time, “I’m sure Tish recognized me. He always knew when it was feeding time and I used to talk to him.”

Tish’s story is similar to Splish’s and Splash’s. Hilda’s son, Peter, won Tish and another goldfish, Tosh, at a funfair in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England in 1956. When Peter left home to get married, Hilda and her husband took over pet duty. Tosh died in 1975.

You would think a fish that old would be pretty big, but Tish was just 4.5-inches long. It’s a myth that goldfish grow only as big as their tanks. Their size is based on genetics , not the diameter of their fishbowl. “Tank suitable” goldfish generally get as big as 10 inches long, while “pond suitable” goldfish can grow up to 18 inches long.