Fish Petting: Good for you but what about your fish?

JDarling · Feb 21, 2020

I had a triple red cockatoo (apistogramma cockatadis) that loved it. He would swim up to glass every time I walked by the tank and would wait for me. If the want to be petted then I see no harm in it as long as not to often. Definitely don't chase them.

mtnrunner · Feb 21, 2020

I think the fish is reacting to the petting like it would to a cleaner wrasse or shrimp. We just don’t want to mess with the mucus coat. We all put our hands in our tanks and should have clean hands anytime we do that, so same applies to “petting”. Overall I think it is pretty cool!

FishDoc · Feb 21, 2020

revhtree said:
So I spied this really cool "fish petting" video from @IranAquaria on IG and I loved it so much I think we should talk about it. Well, not the video but about petting your fish! Who does, is it bad for them, do you have photos stuff like that! So let's chat!

1. Do you have fish in your tank that allows you to PET them?

2. Do you think it harms the fish to PET them?

Bonus: Share a photo or video of you petting your fish. (only photos of live fish please)

The fact of the matter is that while it is generally not going to pose a direct threat to the health or safety of the fish it can expose the fish to potential contaminants, irritate the skin of the fish (especially if scaleless), and negatively impact the slime coat of the fish. This can in turn lead to negative effects as an indirect result. So as much as my koi and some select other fish to crave contact, I won’t entertain it unless I’m moving the fish for transferring purposes.