--- title: Goldfish and pond fish: the three-second memory myth — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Goldfish and pond fish: the three-second memory myth», a lesson of the biology course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: People joke that a goldfish forgets everything after three seconds, so swimming round a bowl is always a new adventur --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [Biology](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/) / Goldfish and pond fish: the three-seco… # Goldfish and pond fish: the three-second memory myth Lesson 204 of the biology course of Mova's primary school: 16 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/0/) — People joke that a goldfish forgets everything after three seconds, so swimming round a bowl is always a new adventure. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/1/) — It is a myth: goldfish can learn tricks and remember them for months. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/3/) — They come from a dull greenish carp, can live for over twenty years and grow as long as a pencil or longer if they have the space. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/4/) — Watch the fish in a garden pond in winter: they sink to the bottom and barely move, because cold water slows their bodies down and the deep water stays a little warmer. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/5/) — Looking after goldfish well means a big tank or pond, clean water full of oxygen, and never letting them go into rivers or down the toilet. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/6/) — The three-second memory is a myth: goldfish have been trained to push levers, swim through small mazes and come to a sound at feeding time, and they remember for months. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/7/) — A small round bowl is too small for a goldfish: goldfish can live over twenty years and grow as long as a pencil or more, and they make lots of waste. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/8/) — Many places no longer give goldfish as fair prizes, because a fish in a small bag is stressed and often dies soon after. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/9/) — All goldfish, gold, white, black and spotted, were bred long ago in China from a dull greenish wild carp, and goldfish released into ponds and lakes can turn dull again and grow huge. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/10/) — Koi are colourful carp bred in Japan, and some koi have been reported to live for over a hundred years. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/11/) — In winter pond fish slow down and rest near the bottom, because the deepest water of a pond stays slightly warmer and does not freeze solid. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/12/) — Herons stand very still at the edge of garden ponds to catch fish, so pond owners use nets or give the fish places to hide. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/13/) — A goldfish gulping at the surface is usually short of oxygen; a partial water change and a filter help. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/14/) — Goldfish colour depends partly on light, so a goldfish kept in the dark can turn pale, and wild fish also change colour to match their surroundings. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/15/) — Flushing a goldfish down the toilet is not kind and does not set it free; released goldfish can harm wild rivers, and a fish swimming home to the sea through the pipes, like in Finding Nemo, is cartoon fantasy. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/16/) — Some chasing among goldfish is play or feeding, but too much is bullying; fish recognise each other and keep a pecking order, a ladder of who is boss over whom. - ← previous: [The fish tank: water, gills, heaters and the right neighbours](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/203-the-fish-tank-water-gills-heaters-and-the-right-neighbours/) - next →: [Budgies and canaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/205-budgies-and-canaries/) - ↑ back to [Biology](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/)