Petting Fish

[StephenA]

Ok, this one is out there.

How many of you pet your fish?

My naso loves to be rubbed, my trigger tolerates it and the cleaner shrimp loves my hand.

[Polkster13]

I let my cleaner shrimp clean under my fingernails and eat any dead skin on my hands. But it is not a good idea to touch fish as this can damage their slime coat which is their first line of defense against parasites and other water-born nasties that will attack a fish where it is most vulnerable. I know of a lot of people who do but it is just not a good thing to do with fish. If you want to pet something, get a dog or cat.

[StephenA]

I know that, but the naso insist on it! I try not to touch him that hard.

I have a cats and dogs, the fish like me more.

[Polkster13]

LOL. Well just so you know the risks.

I have had friends that had Oscars that thought they were dogs. They would come to the surface and splash you with water when you walked by and didn't come over to "scratch" his head. They were like little puppy dogs begging for attention.

[StephenA]

I know it's bad! They have a slim coat for a reason.

[Polkster13]

Yeah, but unfortuantely most people don't know this. I didn't want someone that didn't know about the slime coat to read this post and think they could go home and start petting everything in their tank. Then they would be posting on the Emergency Forum wanting to know why their fish were sick or dying.

Reminds me of the scene in "Finding Nemo" where the little girl comes running into the dentist office and starts tapping on the tank, freaking out the fish (BAM, BAM, BAM). Or her shaking the bag to "wake up" Nemo.

I know You know better and I know that I know better, but other lurkers may not, hence my postings. I didn't mean to imply that you didn't.

[Jenn]

I do the same thing with my cleaner shrimp Frederick. Its pretty cool.
My naso actually swims around with the cleaner hanging on - its pretty fun to see how long he can hang on.

[Reef69]

I pet my percs, they LOOOVE it (al least i think they do..lol) they swim up and nibble on my hand, the famale jumps out of the water like a dolphin, its pretty funny and weird at the same time. Sometimes she skips like a rock on the water...

[Polkster13]

Yeah, it's cool until he pinches a soft spot between your fingers! Ouch, that hurts. Almost as bad as a paper cut. When I worked at Petco, I would try and see how many cleaner shrimp I could get on my hand at one time. I think I got up to eight once. The customers all thought that was really neat.

[Jenn]

the famale jumps out of the water like a dolphin


Now thats cool!

[Reef69]

Ill try to snap a pic..

[C.Mydas]

This is exactly why I want a dogface puffer. I want friendly fish! I love my wrasses but they are not exactly the most trusting of fish. :cry

[BA]

our stars and stripes puffer loves to be petted!

[MikeP]

I can get my hand pretty close to my two hawkfish and they don't freak out but have never tried to pet them. My old copperband I traded to Josh would eat out of my hand.

The harlequin tusk I have will eat from my hand, heck he would eat my hand if he could!

[wkopplin]

Just don't pet your lionfish. Learned that the hard way ;) j/k

[StephenA]

Ouch!

[pilot_bell777]

I had a two foot zebra moray that loved to be pet. When I would feed him with a shrimp on a stick he would attack it like a rabid dog, when I would hold the shrimp in my hand he would come and take it very gently. Then if I was doing something in the tank, he would always come out and rub against my hand. If I would move him away, he would come right back. Crazy Eel.

[wkopplin]

That is cool.