sticking hands in tank

Mr. Limpid · Aug 16, 2018

So now that my Huma trigger has reached 4", he is very interested in my fingers. He has nipped one of them while I was netting a fish. What do you all do to prevent them from snacking on your hand?

sawdonkey · Aug 16, 2018

I have a huma trigger that I’ve had since 2003. He’s pretty harmless. I also have a Niger trigger that I’ve had for about eight years.....and he has drawn blood on my hands at least five time. He makes doing anyting in my tank super stressful.

I turn on micro bubbles and he hates that and hides. The downside is that it’s hard to see through the bubbles, so it’s still hard to get things done in the tank.

PaulK · Aug 16, 2018

Use thick nitrile shoulder length gloves:
http://a.co/9z6ubjM

They should give at least a bit of protection. Also just nice for keeping your arm dry--I use them in my reef all the time.

PaulK · Aug 16, 2018

Use thick nitrile shoulder length gloves:
http://a.co/9z6ubjM

They should give at least a bit of protection. Also just nice for keeping your arm dry--I use them in my reef all the time.

Mr. Limpid · Aug 20, 2018

Thanks those gloves will work. Wow sawdonkey you need a pair of those gloves, he is way more aggressive than my huma.

rkpetersen · Aug 20, 2018

sawdonkey said:
I also have a Niger trigger that I’ve had for about eight years.....and he has drawn blood on my hands at least five time.

I seriously laughed out loud at this video. Multiple times! I'm probably going to hell, oh well.

sawdonkey · Aug 20, 2018

rkpetersen said:
I seriously laughed out loud at this video. Multiple times! I'm probably going to hell, oh well.

That was over three years ago. He’s quite a bit bigger now. Still as mean.

LadAShark · Aug 28, 2018

Mr. Limpid said:
So now that my Huma trigger has reached 4", he is very interested in my fingers. He has nipped one of them while I was netting a fish. What do you all do to prevent them from snacking on your hand?

Solution: kevlar or chain mail.

NY_Caveman · Aug 28, 2018

I recommend gloves too. I use normal length nitrile glove a lot like when handling live rock, but I also use these cheap calf birthing shoulder length gloves over them sometimes when I am deep in the tank. They come in 100 pack and come out to about $0.13 each.

https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/1015320-neogen-ob-dairy-sleeve-glove.html?feedsource=3&gclid=CjwKCAjwwo7cBRBwEiwAMEoXPOiWL-dEvXk8Yx3hTMmIOcORpA5dKvPG-FlsWANOLVXetRBNomOCgBoC1WsQAvD_BwE

Livinlocal · Aug 28, 2018

Thanks for sharing, these are brilliant for moving smaller frags where the thick gloves are harder work with. Granted I don’t have a man eating trigger lol

NY_Caveman said:
I recommend gloves too. I use normal length nitrile glove a lot like when handling live rock, but I also use these cheap calf birthing shoulder length gloves over them sometimes when I am deep in the tank. They come in 100 pack and come out to about $0.13 each.

https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/1015320-neogen-ob-dairy-sleeve-glove.html?feedsource=3&gclid=CjwKCAjwwo7cBRBwEiwAMEoXPOiWL-dEvXk8Yx3hTMmIOcORpA5dKvPG-FlsWANOLVXetRBNomOCgBoC1WsQAvD_BwE

LadAShark · Aug 28, 2018

I was joking but yeah, I don’t myself really know what can stop my Indian trigger from taking a chunk out of me, as I doubt those gloves would do that job, buuuut, for moving my frags I would love to have some of those.

Mr. Limpid · Aug 29, 2018

LadAShark said:
I was joking but yeah, I don’t myself really know what can stop my Indian trigger from taking a chunk out of me, as I doubt those gloves would do that job, buuuut, for moving my frags I would love to have some of those.

Do you have any photos or a video. Love to see your Indian trigger.

colin obrien · Aug 29, 2018

my bursa trigger is still small but will only bite food from my hand but loves to check my fingers out anyway, lets hope it doesn't get too curious!

LadAShark · Aug 30, 2018

Mr. Limpid said:
Do you have any photos or a video. Love to see your Indian trigger.

He’s in a hospital tank together with other tank mates atm due to a disease outbreak, so the picture wouldn’t look great, but I might be able to find a good picture or video of him to post tomorrow.
He’s a nice fish, but truthfully I ordered a Hawaiin Black Triggerfish and the fish store I ordered mistook the Indian triggerfish for one and sent me of them instead. I am actually not sure if I want to keep him unfortunately.

HB AL · Sep 2, 2018

When he gets close to biting grab him and give him a little squeeze or pull him out of the water for a minute, he won’t bite you again!

LadAShark · Sep 4, 2018

HB AL said:
When he gets close to biting grab him and give him a little squeeze or pull him out of the water for a minute, he won’t bite you again!

Yeah I bet, they learn very quickly!

cracker · Sep 4, 2018

can You wave it off with a stick in the other hand?

HB AL · Sep 4, 2018

LadAShark said:
Yeah I bet, they learn very quickly!

That they do. Also you can grab it and toss them in the sump for a day, these things actually work, it might take a couple times, they associate the hand with an uncomfortable event thus they stop the hand aggression. Just be careful on the squeeze, if eyeballs pop out or such you squeezed to hard