guppy07

Can fish smell?

0morrokh

Yes

Richard

There's actually a particular smell a tank will get after a fish has had fry.

COBettaCouple

Definitely. Quite a lot of fish find the scent of garlic juice to be enticing.

guppy07

Your answers were great. I should have been more specific in my question. My question was more if the fish itself can smell things in the water like food. Or does it rely only on sight. Thanks for the answers to the previous question and I look forward to this one!
hahaha

jsalemi

As anyone who has ever snorkeled or gone scuba diving can tell you, visibility under water isn't anywhere near as good as it is on land, due to the denser medium. So they can't actually see that well, but they sure do have a great sense of smell. In addition to nostrils, all fish have an organ that runs down the side of their bodies called the lateral line. It serves as a combination sense organ, picking up the 'taste/smell' of chemicals in the water, as well as enhancing their sensitivity to vibrations.

So yea, the smell of food attracts them much more than seeing it. Drop a Hakiri sinking wafer on the other side of the tank from a bunch of corys, and see how fast they find it.

Of course, that's not to say that they DON'T use sight to find food -- if they're close enough to it, they'll see it floating in the water (see the feeding time frenzy for details ). It's more that they use a combination of senses when the food isn't quite so obvious.

COBettaCouple

They do smell food and other odors. That's why garlic soaked food is good for fish with weaker sight as well as a trigger to the fish to stimulate appetite. One of our Bettas LOVES the smell of Fish Protector. LOL.