What's The Smartest Aquarium Fish? The Dumbest?

[@saltybrackishfresh]

DWS Darius easily the most chill fishtuber

[@Zachary360Games]

Dumbest fish I’ve owned was also the silver dollar. They always seem to panic running into everything damaging themselves. Then the smartest fish I’ve had was a female convict that knew how to bring sinking pellets to her cave since the male was terrified to leave it.

[@dwsdarius]

Wow, feeding the male...that's awesome!

[@jaymantisgaming]

a fish with social anxiety? thats adorable but tragic

[@saltybrackishfresh]

That was super insightful that Tetras behavior is dependent on large groups so they SEEM dumb, but really we don’t know because they aren’t in the conditions the species has evolved for

[@dwsdarius]

Yes if I had an extra 10 of my 350 gallon tanks, one of them would have 50-100 tetra...then you'll see their true potential

[@zabisaboori6301]

after years of experience, the most intelligent fish I had was the Blood Parrots cichlid

[@TruthAndTattoos]

Puffer fish are some of the most intelligent fish in the hobby! I'm an avid puffer lover bc they are so unique & highly intelligent which makes them absolutely fascinating to keep. Puffer fish of all kinds, crazy smart fish!

[@dwsdarius]

Yes they are, I completely forgot about them will making this video

[@hvtataglia5589]

I have 4 clown loach , 1 banded leporinus , 3 mosaic corydoras , 1 flying fox algea eater in 80 gallon fish tank is it good or not ?

[@dwsdarius]

They are good for now, but eventually the leprinus will get too big and most likely too aggressive for the rest

[@saltybrackishfresh]

dam I haven’t even watched the video yet and I know it’s about to be AMAZING

[@Fumango]

I still find hilarious that my electric blue acara seems aware of people, he's pretty friendly towards me and my family however everytime people come to see the tank he just hides in his cave and looks from far away. Not even food will get out even tho hes a voracious eater ig he doesnt like guests

[@aurora_dawn123]

The smartest fish I've kept are largemouth bass, bettas, and an oscar.

[@whyisthomyorke]

Having kept fish in every category (besides oddballs) I agree completely with your list. The smartest fish I’ve ever kept were my convict cichlid hybrids, another amazing thing with cichlids is they have a social pecking order and they establish territory. Also it’s cool how they will pair off in breeding pairs. My bettas are definitely a step below, they also establish territory and explore the tank a lot. My guppies had the curiosity aspect where they explore and try to eat everything. My goldfish were.. curious but derpy. My tetras are just confused 24/7. I like to think that each fish in smart in their own way lol

[@dwsdarius]

lol, yes the tetra are great in numbers...keep a huge school and you'll witness smart feeding behavior (in theory)

[@cichlidstrainhunter3607]

Looking good I see that red Devil I sent you turned out to be a stunner great job all the fish look great🔥💯✔

[@dwsdarius]

Thanks, yes looks like a nice nuchal hump is coming in!

[@cichlidstrainhunter3607]

@@dwsdarius and most of all the Labial's on him make him a great representation of the Labiatus.

[@saramckee6611]

Love your videos Awesome fish and tank setups

[@1773mauri]

I found that fish intelligence really depends on the individual fish. I have had a few goldfish and some are super shy whereas others are insanely curious. The curious ones are generally smarter and definitely more playful. Now I have two Angelfish and a few panda Corys. I must say that they are all pretty smart, even the Corys who have a pretty bad reputation intelligence-wise. Whenever I feed them (the Angels) I put the lid of the fish food onto the aquarium lid. I guess this causes some vibrations in the water so that whenever I do that the fish (including the Corys because they eat the food scraps as well as their own food) all immediately get super excited. The Angels swim to the top of the tank temporarily distracted from their life goal of swim around being lazy and looking pretty ;) The Corys start to busily scavenge the areas on the floor where they know the food will fall. They are so cute! Also, even though they aren't fish, I must say that Mystery snails would have to be the least intelligent of all. 8o

[@Dave-to5it]

Great vid, I was hoping for more in depth on which cichlids are the smartest. Cichlids are clearly the smartest but it would be cool to see them ranked

[@dwsdarius]

Thank you, maybe I can talk about my smartest cichlids, but I think with cichlids it gonna be the individual fish being smart and not so much the type. For example I keep multiple peacock bass but my large Orinoco makes the rest look dumb

[@Dave-to5it]

DWSDARIUS FISH TANKS that’s so true now that I think about it. Cichlids are so different from one another like humans in a way.

[@PULAG]

Never even thought about this, saw it while looking at substrate vids. Def caught my interest though.

[@fauxfox7209]

That is awsesome. I had no idea cichlids like to aquascape! I imagine they like the smoothness of the glass bottom.

[@dwsdarius]

I notice that when they dig they make some what of a fort with the gravel...however perhaps they do like the smooth bottom also because that's where they prefer to lay eggs

[@farnorthhobby6319]

You listed loaches, then skipped over them in the listing.... Where would you place them?

[@dwsdarius]

In the middle of not that smart, not dumb. My clown loach communicate well with each other and are very organized...but mine have scratches on their body from trying to squeeze into spaces obviously too small

[@maltahighjacker9842]

As a sliver dollar connoisseur for 10 years I can confirm, they are dumb.

[@jodeena1]

I've watched quite a few of your videos and smiled straight away when you added Bettas as being up there as I haven't seen any in your room. I love cichlids and agree tetras on the scale. I have Bettas clever and unique individuals

[@dwsdarius]

Thanks, I've had 3 betta's in the past and they sure are smart!

[@stonesaquatichomes6825]

What about puffers?

[@mikeb1189]

I like that I can watch this and have no idea what you look like bc you didn't "mug" me by making me watch you talk into the camera, you just showed fish!!!

[@georgeleiter6277]

You may be right with the Tetras. I have a species tank with Tetras. They seem pretty smart, however, in a recent 10 gal build I have five Gold Pristella Tetras, and it is hard to get them to eat. They are so skittish. I have Bristlenose Plecos in the same tank, they seem very happy.

[@dwsdarius]

Thanks, yes they function better in big numbers

[@jmp216]

By far the smartest fish I’ve ever had is a Wolf Cichlid. He’s 3.5” and lives with a 7.5” and 6” red devil cichlids, 5.5” Texas cichlid, and a 5”Red Tiger Mota. I’ll have a video posted soon.

[@OffTheDeepEndAquatics]

Great setups bro

[@dwsdarius]

Thank you...been watching your video of your 1100 build, almost ready to try my plywood tank

[@OffTheDeepEndAquatics]

@@dwsdarius that's awesome I look forward to following your build progress! Hoping to start my second tank next spring

[@michigancichlidfinatic2581]

Nice video my boy. I definitely agree with you.

[@rondecaro]

For my tanks the betta fish are very responsive, playful and of course beautiful. I have a 5 inch blue gourami in my 38 and my koi placket betta is still the boss. I also find my plecos (green phantom, rubber lipped & albino bristle nose) are very thoughtful about every movement they make. My lyre tailed Mollys are the dumb ones here.

[@jstnhnt28]

While not “fish,” or necessarily all that “smart,” my axolotls are extremely AWARE. They notice and look at things outside of their tank, and are able to recognize me apart from other people in the house. They respond to me, and a few hand signals that I “taught” them. Love it 🥰

[@dwsdarius]

The interesting, another commenter said they were the dumbest aquatic creatures they kept...makes me want to see for myself!

[@jstnhnt28]

DWSDARIUS FISH TANKS the most difficult thing is just keeping the water cold 🤷🏼‍♂️ they are incredible!

[@paulmasters8666]

Betta's are very smart because they have to be problem solvers the natural waters they come from in Thailand can get very shallow in the dry season and sometimes they have to jump and wriggle across land to get to another puddle of water this is another reason why they are super aggressive to other males that small puddle is their territory and cannot be shared. Betta's are also super inquisitive and interactive with their surroundings, I had a red veil tail Betta that would swim into my palm when i dipped my hand into his tank and then when i lifted my hand above the water he would wriggle off and drop into the water, i am convinced he did this because it was fun for him, he would also sink to the bottom of the tank and balance on his mouth with his tail and fins extended it would form a sort of circle, he only did this when he was young after 4 years (when he died R.I.P) his fins and tail became more of a hindrance for him creating drag making it difficult for him to get to the surface.

[@dwsdarius]

Yes that makes since, their natural habitat is changing frequently so that have to be smart to survive

[@Darryl1768]

Hi DWSdarius. Why do you keep putting more peacock bass into your tank? Won't they fight eventually?

[@dwsdarius]

Hello, I need a colony. The rule is you can keep 1, a mated pair, or a colony. Mine fight so much because I broke this rule, once I have a full colony the aggression will balance better

[@michaelsnyder3577]

Hello DWRDarius!!! I need your expertise please. As always I love your videos. I cannot decide between a Male Buttikoferi or Male Black Nasty for a single wet pet with crazy personality. Which fish do you think would be the best glass biting tank buster? Thanks!

[@dwsdarius]

Hello, I've never kept a black nasty so I can't say much about their personality. I have kept a Buttikoferi who was an amazing wet pet... on top of that I personally prefer the color (although as adults they fade) and the tall body of the buttikoferi

[@garyduncan6657]

You didn't mention live bearers. I know you had a Planted platy tank at one time lol. I love my platy tank but I have a cichlid tank too.

[@dwsdarius]

I left them in the middle, not smart but not dumb. I hate how they are willing to eat their babies almost immediately after they are born, but they do easily associate us as their source of food

[@garyduncan6657]

@@dwsdarius I have nothing but sunset wag platies in my 40b heavily planted but mine dont mess with the fry at all. I have so many fry I continually give platies away lol.

[@clearwaterbeachhomesearchm5957]

Your tank scrapes look great

[@dwsdarius]

Thank you!

[@TheGruvChannel]

I think maroon clownfish are up there. The whole hosting an anemone, feeding it, and aggression towards you makes you feel like there’s someone there.

[@dwsdarius]

Yes no doubt most marine fish are very smart. The clown fish I kept reminded me of cichlids with their personality, my six line wrasse also was intelligent

[@jordanyang3066]

Bettas get trined to eat outta your hand really fast. it only took my one day, their are definitely one of the smartest imho. my baby peacock bass are still afaird of me but they got the point that when I come around its time to eat in just a day as well. I also found a baby african cichlid in my pbass tank hiding under the smallest rock as well. super smart fish and agree they get the top spot.

[@dwsdarius]

Yes the African cichlids are probably the best at surviving from young ages in the toughest conditions

[@AquariumThoughts]

Interesting to hear about the behaviour on the Silver dollars. I had cardinal tetras do the same thing when I was trying to catch some other fish and not them. However, a month later I was trying to catch them and it was the exact opposite. This group said knew when I was going to be feeding them as well. Makes me think they were only trying to create a distraction to let the other fish go free. But that' could be complete coincidence. But I think you made a great point on their behavior in the wild compared to that of in the Aquarium. Schooling fish do more collaborative thinking as a group as opposed to individually like that of cichlids. But I do think you have you order right. Though, I'm not sure if any fish is as dumb as some people think they are.

[@dwsdarius]

It those seems that way, when I actually try to catch them its never that easy

[@stephenschulte455]

Info on point man

[@stvnivan925]

it's been a while to see all your fishes. great job man! try get asian arowana like the gold arowana/hbrtg ans etc. then mix it with South American Fishes.

[@dwsdarius]

Thanks, Asian Arowana are illegal here!

[@ironicvertigo]

Agree with cichlids and labyrinth, I think third place goes to loaches though. Absolute bottom below tetras if you allow me to open the nominations to other aquatic creatures has to be axolotls. I have marveled at the fact they have survived so long on Earth they are the stupidest creatures I've ever kept.

[@dwsdarius]

Lol, I have yet to keep axolotls but this makes me interested

[@richardmaloney5566]

In my opinion, yes Cichlids are number one, Oscars and Peacock Bass win this one alone. Yes people, Peacock Bass are Cichlids. They have a ton of personality and awareness and often learn the face of the person who feeds them. Change stresses them more than any other fish and not too many other fish develop a hierarchy.

[@IsabellaM._]

You're right,Malowi cichlids are smart. Great video.

[@dwsdarius]

Yes they have some unique tricks that most cichlids haven't developed

[@matthewzito6130]

I would generally place catfish ahead of Cyprinids in terms of intelligence, since catfish exhibit more parental care. PS) I believe Labyrinth fish is pronounced like the David Bowie movie, not the female bodypart.

[@dwsdarius]

Yes I thought about my bristle nose pleco's and how great they are but catfish in general are so mysterious to me because of their nocturnal behavior. And yes, it Laby-Rinth did sound weird

[@matthewzito6130]

@@dwsdarius I know some North American catfish species will guard their eggs. Some people take advantage of this behavior to catch them by hand.

[@AmiJurgl]

Great video👍☺

[@dwsdarius]

Thank you 👍

[@Platypus_Warrior]

Tursiops are also very clever air breather fish(ish)

[@dwsdarius]

Yes they are on a completely different level of smarts

[@Platypus_Warrior]

@@dwsdarius lmao I never thought you would see that stupid comment man. Great channel, cheers

[@jakeschreiner9348]

my betta i smart enough to just swim into the cup when ever i have to move him since he knows ill just take the whole tank apart to get him but if you want something eerily smart get puffer they watch and learn just floating there, menacingly. Jk they are lovely little orbs

[@zafishguy5166]

I don't know my current fish are either very smart or stupid no in between.

[@gzuspeterson4748]

Puffers definitely are up there intelligence wise

[@dwsdarius]

You know I forgot all about puffers...no doubt the pea puffers I kept were very smart, the way they hunted those snails

[@wabalaka1565]

The smartest fresh water fish in my opinion is the flowerhorn. I do believe my FH is as smart as my dog maybe a tiny bit smarter even because my dog IQ is below average dog's IQ😂

[@dwsdarius]

Lol, its possible...

[@wtfmrb293]

The fish I think that are the smartest. Well the ones I have had, are cichlids and the Betta. Interesting that you rank them the same. So I was right I guess lol

[@dwsdarius]

Lol, they do seem to be at the top

[@Darryl1768]

For the smartest fish, I love gouramis. My favorite is Opaline Gourami.

[@dwsdarius]

Yes gourami are awesome, very personable

[@fishiontanktics9356]

Alright

[@community_collab_society]

Very beautiful

[@bambulance2174]

The smartest fish is the julidochromis cichlid that's a fact

[@زيادمصطفى-غ1ت]

The dumpest fish ever is iridescent shark

[@MikeLovesLifeAquatics]

DWS Darius I enjoy watching your videos!! I just started making Videos of my Aquatic Life journey. I wanted to see if you would check out my channel and maybe help me out with some pointers or advice for beginners!! Either way I love your channel homie!!

[@dwsdarius]

Thanks, will do

[@shawnbennet432]

The dumbest fish in my opinion are catfish..😂

[@siddharthasaxena200]

Predators are smartest and prey is dumbest

[@dwsdarius]

It seems that way