Handling our wet pets.

[esoxlucius]

I'd say for the past 12 months or so now I've been trying to get a little closer to my giant gourami. He'll feed out of my fingers which isn't a big deal really but what I really wanted to do was to be able to get to the stage where he was comfortable with me stroking, tickling and holding him.

I give him treats whilst the tank is refilling at water change time. He recognises this and now, without fail, he'll come to the surface for his regular treat. It's at this point where, very slowly over the past few months, I've started getting him used to my hand in the water and giving him the odd stroke on his head. He didn't like it at first but in time accepted it.

Fast forward a few months and not only is he fine with tickles and strokes but he now allows me to go down his full flank so my fingers are tickling his belly. This he seems to love.

So, come on, show us your pictures of your fish handling skills.

Footnote: Always make sure you wash and rinse your hands/arms thoroughly before dipping them in your tank water.

 

[Tunabish]

omg that is so awesome! A couple of my dwarf gurami let me pet them but nothing like that! So cool ?

 

[Kelly_Aquatics]

My oscars let me touch there back and stuff but I cant hold them like that!

 

[Jexnell]

I tried to clean his tank.... this is what I got

Don't think I will try and go down the petting route....

 

[___James___]

I tried to clean his tank.... this is what I got
View attachment 1463891
Don't think I will try and go down the petting route....
View attachment 1463892

What fish is that

 

[Jexnell]

What fish is that

He's a cousin of Midas and Red Devils, Amphilophus Saggitae, no common name


In the wild they inhabitant the open water portions of lakes. I got him near three years ago from TUIC

 

[jjohnwm]

esoxlucius , that is a stunning Giant Gourami. I'm a fan of the species, had one for many years, but he was just a grey slab. Yours is a beauty.

This thread is very apropos for me. I don't normally have any interest in fondling my fish, although I do encourage them to take food from my hand as this tends to make it easier to capture them for transfer if required. But...a few months back I purchased an Apurensis Jelly Cat, since I had one once that I very much enjoyed (even though back then I didn't even know its identity). It took only a few weeks for him to come to the front/top to be fed, and even less time than that for him to switch from frozen smelt and silversides to Massivore pellets. He's an easy keeper, and has probably gained a couple inches in the time I have had him.

Someone, I believe it was thebiggerthebetter , mentioned that this species has a unique and pleasant-feeling soft skin when handled. I tested this once, and sure enough, it felt neat...but the fish resented this familiarity and retreated to his hide. I mentioned it to my wife, who calls the Jelly the same name she used for the original one back when it was a mystery to me: she has christened it the Lump'o'S**t Catfish.

A couple weeks ago, I flew out for one of my out-of-town work gigs and my wife took over caring for my fish, as usual. Yesterday, our evening phone conversation went something like this:


me: Hi Honey, how's everything at home?

her: That #$%%$#$%^#$# catfish grabbed my $%*&^$$%# hand when I tried to feed it tonight!!!

me: Yes, I love you and miss you too! Is the fish okay? How were you "trying" to feed it?

her: Yeah, I'm fine, thanks. I was dropping in pellets when he was at the top...

me: ...and he grabbed you? You didn't yank your hand back and hurt him, did you???

her: Oh, he's just fine...for now. No, he ate all the pellets as soon as they hit the water, just like he was supposed to, and you mentioned how his skin felt so I thought I'd see for myself. I just dipped two fingers in and barely touched his side, and the ^%#@#^$^ thing spun around like a rattlesnake and grabbed me!

me: Rattlesnakes don't spin around, they compress their bodies into a coil and then...

her: I don't give a %^#$$%@#$ what %$$#@^%&^&%^$# rattlesnakes do!!! I'm taking care of that miserable %$#%^@$#$%^$#@# fish and I should at least get some respect. What the #$%$$#@^ is wrong with him? I thought you said you touched him just a few days before you left????

me: Well, I did...but I didn't say he liked it...

...silence....click!

me: Okay...love you too...talk tomorrow!


Ah, she'll be fine. I just wish the phone service was better up here, I get a lot of dropped calls.

 

[The Masked Shadow]

My Congo’s eat from my fingers, as well as my rosy barbs. Nothing special.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

I loved the Esox's report - great job and an interesting bit. Lovely red tail GG. GGs are quite intelligent for fishes, perhaps in the top tier. Catfish are the opposite, very much primitive.

JJ's add-on must have made my month!!! This is too funny. Yes, I played with our Jellys enough and I reported their unexpected feel. I used to offer this experience to all our visitors when the catfish were in the 240 gals, both the feeding and the touching, and many partook.

JJ's Jelly merely thought this was a continuation of the feeding. It was doubtless a feeding grab of the missus' fingers. Sorry to laugh but this is way funny at your wife's expense. This is exactly what not to do when trying to feel Jelly's skin and body. Unknowingly, she's done everything wrong! I loved it though that she had the curiosity to try - this is heartwarming and commendable despite the ensuing adrenalin spike

 

[Punjabiking1500]

M

I'd say for the past 12 months or so now I've been trying to get a little closer to my giant gourami. He'll feed out of my fingers which isn't a big deal really but what I really wanted to do was to be able to get to the stage where he was comfortable with me stroking, tickling and holding him.

I give him treats whilst the tank is refilling at water change time. He recognises this and now, without fail, he'll come to the surface for his regular treat. It's at this point where, very slowly over the past few months, I've started getting him used to my hand in the water and giving him the odd stroke on his head. He didn't like it at first but in time accepted it.

Fast forward a few months and not only is he fine with tickles and strokes but he now allows me to go down his full flank so my fingers are tickling his belly. This he seems to love.

So, come on, show us your pictures of your fish handling skills.

Footnote: Always make sure you wash and rinse your hands/arms thoroughly before dipping them in your tank water.

View attachment 1463890

My oscars always let me pet them
I don't do it in regular basis as it a somewhat harmful for their slime coat when done regularly