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

[weamdog]

I've always read this is bad. Fish tend to have a coating of slime on them to protect them from bad bacteria and is their first line of defense. If you rub it off with your hands i believe that would leave the fish at risk for both parasites and bacteria.

 

[don_chuwish]

Looks like a grooming response, like what they'd do with a shrimp. Cute, but I think functional in the end.

 

[champyeti]

Couldnt find a pic of my current neon but here is my first saltwater fish (may he RIP) hanging out. Both neons will just come and chill on my hand while I work in the tank. My original fire shrimp also would clean my hand but my current one has not hopped on yet.

None of the others let me pet them. I think if the fish initiates contact it's fine. Think neons just like trying to clean the big moving thing in the tank lol

 

[damselindistress]

I have had a betta that seemed to enjoy pets, when he'd had enough he'd move on. My two clowns swarm my hands but I've never tried to pet them bc I'm afraid they'll bite me. I feel okay petting a fish gently on the snout if they seem open to it. I would be afraid of damaging their slime coat if I touched their sides.

 

[Timfish]

I would say it depends on whether the fish likes it. The above concerns about the slime coat certainly do need to be taken into consideration. Fish do need to be socialized though just like our cats, birds and dogs.

 

[Shelby]

I do it with my GS maroon clown. She is very sweet - totally unlike the typical evil maroons we all hear about.

My maroon tries to bite me all the time! Goes after the magnetic glass cleaner too when I use it on her side of the tank.

 

[Gino]

I keep my hand out of the DT unless is necessary. But if I introduce my hand my Desjardini Tang is always there for a little petting time.

 

[Schnizzle]

This has come about inadvertently in my tank. I hand-feed my cleaner shrimp and crabs from time to time and in doing so I can now feed and even pet my clowns, cardinal, filefish and even the solorensis wrasse. Thankfully the foxface has not made an attempt yet!

 

[JeepTj]

I got 2 juvi true perc clowns I can hold In my hands but I thinks that’s to hide from the 2 mature ocellaris clowns haha and I can do almost anything with my fairly large sail fin tang as long as I have nori in my other hand

 

[Mical]

Personally I don't pet my fish - I have a foxface who would probably "spike" me, heck the clowns attack the glass scraper but here's a guy who caught a six line by hand. Yes you read that correctly, but you'll love how he did it...

Catching a six line easy

So I just came back from drinking (3:20 am), and I remembered that early today I had to turn off my lights off before scheduled because I had added my 8th and probably final fish to my 40 gallon (unless I exchange a fish, note: all my fish are less than 4" max size and are smaller than that...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Quietman]

You know...anyway we can interact with wild life is pretty cool. I wonder though...any concerns with health to fish? I know our natural skin oils will remove/degrade the slime coating fw fish rely on to prevent skin infections/parasites?

 

[MombasaLionfish]

My maroon tries to bite me all the time! Goes after the magnetic glass cleaner too when I use it on her side of the tank.

+1 My maroon will chase the algae scrubber bite me if I get to close to her area and steal food from the anemone.

 

[MombasaLionfish]

My maroon tries to bite me all the time! Goes after the magnetic glass cleaner too when I use it on her side of the tank.

+1 My maroon bites me when I try to feed the anemone chases the algae scrubber and chases my hand if it is out side the tank but I love her to death because she is the only reaming of my original fish due to to velvet outbreaks.

 

[StatelineReefer]

Actually, from what I can tell, Its mostly fish that are "Ich Prone" that enjoy a good petting, and they may be doing it because it feels natural for them to be groomed by other animals. Tangs for sure seem to exhibit this behavior more readily, but some wrasse as well enjoy a good fin rub.

 

[H3rm1tCr@b]

Freshwater related, but my betta fish really likes to swim through my fingers. It’s pretty cute when I stick my hand in to feed her and she’ll shimmy over and rub against my hand!

 

[flsalty]

I'm picturing someone chasing their fish around the tank screaming, "Why won't you love me."

 

[paparoof]

I've always read this is bad. Fish tend to have a coating of slime on them to protect them from bad bacteria and is their first line of defense. If you rub it off with your hands i believe that would leave the fish at risk for both parasites and bacteria.

This is my understanding too. Always heard this in relation to musky fishing around here too - don't touch the fish unless absolutely necessary, use special nets that don't scrape off the slime coat etc...

 

[siggy]

I've always read this is bad. Fish tend to have a coating of slime on them to protect them from bad bacteria and is their first line of defense. If you rub it off with your hands i believe that would leave the fish at risk for both parasites and bacteria.

As a fisher person it is believed that you should wet your hands first before handling fish, so not to remove the slime coat if you plan to release them. True or false ?

 

[Thespammailaccount]

My yellow tang Sunny and my lyretail anthias Sherbet love when I put the long feeding syringe in the tank they both follow it around and want petted Sherbet will float on her side and wait for me to move her around with it

 

[Steve9333]

Hahaha I have a Huma Huma. He won’t let me pet him. We usually fight he bites me and I flick him back. He’s brave until a net ends in the tank