how do fish find food?

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rich311k said:
I think they smell it. Look at how many fish are nocturnal.

I think its smell too.

however, electric fish like ghost knife and elephant nose who small electrical current to detect food.

and fish with feelers (gourami and angels) use it to help find food too.
 
Smell, or the chemical detection equivalent on "feelers". Just watch your fish cruising around the bottom, and do tighter circles till they zero in on a shrimp pellet. Watch the cories and plecos reverse direction when they have swam by food. Definitely more than sight.
 
I'd say a combo of smell/taste. I know my pleco knocks into things like he's blind when he's hunting a shrimp pellet, then chomps down the instant it hits his lips. I'd say that's pretty much the norm for bottom feeders.

Other fish seem to use smell/taste to determine if something is food, then sight to actualy target the bite. Top feeders rarely miss on the first strike, so they've got to be using sight to line up thier lips.
 
It varies from species but smell,taste are a major part of it some use vision others weak electronic fields.Also the laterial line can be used if the food is live-Anne
 
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