Biting Clowns and others...

[Mouse]

I always read of clowns and other fish biting when you are preforming maint on the tank. I also read about fish responding to your being near the tank anticipating feeding, so, Has anyone tried hand feeding the fish in order to prevent their aggression when your in the tank?

 

[Hzuiel]

Some people hand feed certain fish at the top of the tank, but i think holding onto food while your hand is in the tank is likely to just result in you getting bitten anyway as they miss the food and get you instead. Also they'd probably expect feeding every time your hand goes in the tank after a while leading to more nipping if you don't have any food. I would think logically that if you feed them and then do your business while they're busy chasing down food, you'd probably get nipped at less.

 

[reefer_mon]

Some people hand feed certain fish at the top of the tank, but i think holding onto food while your hand is in the tank is likely to just result in you getting bitten anyway as they miss the food and get you instead. Also they'd probably expect feeding every time your hand goes in the tank after a while leading to more nipping if you don't have any food. I would think logically that if you feed them and then do your business while they're busy chasing down food, you'd probably get nipped at less.

I always hand feed my tangs kelp. No nipping from them then I put my hands into the tank for other stuff other then feeding. Only get nipped by my clowns webbingey near their nems.


Currently:
125G 6 ft. GLASS + 55G LONG SUMP/REFUGIUM

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[DustyReefer]

I've got a clown that will literally hunt me down when my hands are in the tank. I've tried everything but in the end the only thing that works is keeping him at bay with a net... Its sad when you have to be scared of your own fish haha, but I dont see his behavior ever changing.

 

[Mouse]

My thoughts were more that your hand in the tank would be a positive thing, reinforced by the food to prevent the nipping from the clowns.

 

[Wolverine]

Hand-feeding gets them to associate your hand with food, so it has the potential to increase biting with some fishes.