Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help How can a fish tell time?

I have a feeder that throws fish pellets every day at noon. After a few weeks the fish have learned to congregate below the feeder just before it goes off. The funny thing is, they don't come 5 to 10 minutes before the feeder goes off. Every day (unless it is stormy) you can see the ripples as they swim towards the feeder within 60 seconds of the time it is going to go off. Sometimes its within 30 seconds. They congregate at just below the surface and even start hitting anything that is floating within seconds of the feeder spinning.

Can somebody please tell me how a fish tells time?

Interesting observation Evinrude. I suspect that you would like a real answer. I expect that you will get any thing but a real answer. If one of the experts gets here you'll get a good answer. Otherwise hang on, and remember to maintain your sense of humor, it's probably to be a rough ride.

My sense of humor is tough skinned. And, I realize that no one could possible have a real answer to this question. You'd have to be a fish to know. But, I wonder if anyone else has seen fish exhibit such an accurate sense of time? I first thought they must be sensing some sound transmitted into the water by the legs of the feeder. So, I moved the feeder back until it's legs were completely out of the water. It's not on a dock. It's a modified deer feeder with a directional throw timer mechanism that I use for feeding the fish.

I'm stumped!

1. Sun Angle

2. Empty bellies

3. Those neat, waterproof skindiver watches

4. Dialing the local Time & Temperature number. This is also how they know when the water is warm enough to spawn.

P.S. I would not discount sound transmission via ground into the pond. Several of us believe the fish can hear us walk up to the pond based on ready-to-feed behavior.

They count zooplankton floating by. When they reach nine million four hundred thousand six hundred forty-three, they know it's been twenty-four hours and it's time for the yummy pellets to start flying into the water from the weird humans.

Mine are trained to expect food at 7am and 7pm and anytime in between if they hear the Kawasaki pulling up.

Other strange things I've noticed: My kids start salivating one exit before the exit to McDonald's. My employees start gathering outside my office every Friday when they hear my Dot Matrix printer printing payroll. (I've nicknamed them the "Wheredachecks".) Strange world. George S.

I'm going with sun angle.

When you think about it, the ability to tell what time of day it is would be extremely crucial to survival of a species.

Time of day would be a very important factor in location of zooplankton within the water column.

Yes I see that behavior and our feeders are on a dock or above the water not in it. They hear me walk on the dock and congregate even if its not feeding time (as I usually feed them extra anyway).

All good ideas!

And I've thought about the idea that the ground coulb be transmitting some kind of vibration from the feeder. But for the life of me I can't hear it making any noise in the minute before it goes off even when I'm right next to it. They certainly know to come to the sound of a 4-wheeler or my old jeep (because I always feed them extra).

I guess I'm going to go with the plankton count idea. Hmmmmm... they must carry little calculators as well.

I think the batteries take a deep breath before firing out the feed. I have actually heard them do this. The fish also jump on the feed from the feeder sooner and with fore vigor than when hand thrown.

They can sense the electromagnetic impulses transmitted by the timer as it contacts the pin and pushes the microswitch inward a minute before the feed motor is activated.
Honest.

I think it is more likely that they hear your footsteps coming on the side of the pond. Mine can.

A word of caution. If any of the guys on here drop by to see you, don't let them anywhere the runoff area during a rain. That could easily over fertilize the whole works leading to a disastrous dissolved oxygen crash.

No idea how they know time I do not pretend to be that smart. However this is common on about every lake we have with feeders. You are 100% correct 5 mns b/f nothing right before ready to go. It is survivial instinct to know this stuff. FYI ducks and geese have it down as well. They fly in a few mins before it goes off. ALso herons have it down I watched a GBH in S.C. fly by he landed by the feeder it went off secs later and within about 30 secs he caught a BG. He then flew back by me to other side of pond. Sure enough there for about 2 mins feeder went off. I watched him do it once more on adjacent lake then got bored/pissed and went back to work.

Ultimately this will probably be one of those mysterious events that we never know the true answer to. Very similar to the strange and unexplained phenomena of Tom G showing up at the beer fridge just seconds before the beer reaches optimum consumption temperature. No one knows exactly how it happens but it happens none the less.

At first I think, "Evinrude's using an automatic feeder and doesn't have to walk to the pond." Then, I realized that whenever he has observed the fish anticipate the feeder going off, he has walked to the pond. In short, he has changed the outcome by observing it.

My hat's off to you, DD. Leave it to a good ole' boy from Muleshoe to apply Von Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle to pond management! (The first example of what shall be known as "Quantum Fishing".)

I know the answer,and the exact scientific dialog to explain it.But,as it is a closely gaurded secret and a matter of national security I cant devuldge this information.
Besides,if I tell I'll have to fight to get the first beer.
On the other hand,the fish do tell time by the sun.Remember,in the old west nobody had a watch,but everyone new what time it was.

When my kids were younger we had a couple of house cats (which probably weren't any smarter than most fish) that would sleep on their beds at night. On Friday or Saturday night when the kids would stay up later, the cats would sit on the stairs leading up to their bedrooms with that pissy "you have disappointed me once again" look on their face. So I guess cats can tell time also, but not the day of the week.

[quote=Bullhead]we had a couple of house cats (which probably weren't any smarter than most fish)

Duh!!! Sorry.

Another observation: I've heard the fish attempt to communicate with Raccoons. On a quiet night, if you listen really closely, you can hear the fish -- "Pssst---you with the mask-- can you help a bluegill out? Spin that silver wheel one more time!"

True story.

I personally feel that bluegill should not be allowed to carry calculators.

Biological clock could be one of a few factors and it doesn't just apply to sleep. All animals have a biological clock including us. Ever notice how you automatically wake up at the same time as your alarm if you don't set it? (That is if you didn't stay up all night or were on some drunken binge.)

http://www.crystalinks.com/biologicalclock.html

My biological clock is so broken, I'll never have a normal sleep pattern again. Working the midnight shift does that to you though.

No kidding, they multiply fast enough as it is.

GROAN!

Well I was hoping for a famous patented Theo rim shot, but I'll settle for a groan.

Thanks Theo. After (or if) I finish my research to figure out just what you're talking about, I'll respond.