Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Teach your fish to track your finger
• Method 2 of 4: Teaching your fish to swim through hoops
• Method 3 of 4: Create an obstacle course for your fish
• Method 4 of 4: Teaching your fish to jump

Having a fish as a pet may not seem as fun or exciting as having a dog or a cat. However, with proper training, you can teach your fish to respond to you and do tricks - just like any other pet! The easiest fish to train include peacock cichlids, goldfish, and bettas. Male bettas are usually kept in a bowl alone, making them the most concentrated and easiest to train.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Teach your fish to track your finger

1. Keep your finger on the outside of your tank close to your fish. Your goal is to get your fish's attention and once you get its attention, reward it with food. If your fish immediately responds to your finger, reward it with food. If your fish doesn't respond immediately, shake your finger until it notices.
   • You may also want to consider keeping your finger in the tank for your fish to follow. Some fish species are prone to bite, including bettas, so do some research on your fish before sticking your finger in its tank.
2. Get your fish to follow your finger. Move your finger back and forth across the tank, rewarding your fish every time it follows your finger. Getting your fish to come to your finger is the first step, but getting your fish to follow your finger as it moves can be a bit more difficult. Move your finger up and down, back and forth, etc. Don't reward your fish before it follows your finger.
3. Use repetition and rewards to train your fish quickly. The fastest and most effective way to train your fish is to use food to reward its behavior. Through repetition, your fish will learn to associate finger tracking with being fed. Once your fish understands that it will be fed if it does what you tell it to do, you can teach it several other tricks.
   • If you have pellets, use them for training instead of regular fish food. If you use pellets for training instead of the normal food, your fish will see them as a special treat.

Method 2 of 4: Teaching your fish to swim through hoops

1. Get a hoop for your fish to swim through. You need a hoop big enough for your fish to swim through easily. For smaller fish you can use a large earring or bracelet as a hoop. If you want a larger hoop, you can usually make one from a pipe cleaner.
   • Make sure to clean the hoop so that it doesn't introduce harmful bacteria or substances into your tank.
   • Attach your hoop to a wire or rod if you don't like putting your hand in the tank.
   • Start with a larger hoop to make it easier for your fish to swim through.
2. Put the hoop in the water. Your hoop should be perpendicular to the side of the tank and close to the glass as that will be easier for you to let your fish swim through. Your fish may be immediately interested in the hoop, or it may just ignore it.
3. Let your fish follow your finger through the hoop. Teaching your fish to follow your finger is going to be useful with this trick. Just move your finger across the glass of the tank so that your fish follows it. Run your finger over the glass where the hoop is and your fish should swim through it. This may take a few tries, but your fish should get it.
4. Reward your fish with a treat every time it swims through the hoop. This helps your fish learn that swimming through hoops leads to being fed. Practice this trick with your fish daily so that it becomes a regular trick.
   • Once your fish has mastered swimming through large hoops, reduce the size of the hoops to make the trick more challenging.
   • Start by adding extra hoops for your fish to swim through for a more impressive trick.

Method 3 of 4: Create an obstacle course for your fish

1. Set up your aquarium as an obstacle course. Use hoops, arches, plants, etc. to turn your tank into an obstacle course. Once you've taught your fish to swim through hoops, it should be able to swim through and around anything with some control. Be patient when training your fish to swim through an obstacle course as it can take some time.
2. Guide your fish across the course with your finger or a reward. Your fish will likely follow your finger once it has mastered that trick, so send your fish through its obstacle course. Start with simple obstacle courses and make them more difficult once your fish master the obstacles.
   • Use a treat on a string or hook to guide your fish around instead of your finger. If you want your fish to follow you around the tank, it can be difficult to use your finger. Put a treat on a hook, stick or string and move it around the course so that the fish follows it. Don't let the fish get the treat before finishing the obstacle course.
3. Reward your fish with a treat after it has completed the obstacle course. Like all other tricks, positive reinforcement will help train your fish quickly. Give him a treat every time he completes the obstacle course. If you had the treat on a hook, take it off the hook before feeding it to the fish.

Method 4 of 4: Teaching your fish to jump

1. Hand feed your fish every day. This teaches your fish that seeing your hand means it is being fed. Make this a normal habit so that your fish becomes familiar with your hand and knows what to expect when it is feeding time. This will also help your fish develop confidence in you.
2. Train your fish to swim to the surface for feeding. Start getting your fish's attention by putting your fingertips in the water. This should make him swim to the surface. If this doesn't get his attention, hold some food between your fingers when you put them in the water. Do not let the food loose in the water, as you should not feed it before it does the trick.
3. Keep the fish food just above the water. If you have his attention, dangle some fish food just above the water. If your fish doesn't jump to the food right away, you need to encourage it. Keep your fingertips of food on the surface of the water and pull them out of the water as your fish approach. This should encourage your fish to jump out of the water to eat its food.
4. Reward your fish with a few treats as soon as it jumps out of the water. This positive reinforcement shows him that jumping out of the water means he gets an extra reward in addition to his regular food.