noobie question

[dixie2oscar]

hope this is were i post this.....i have read a lot of threads were people are redoing their tanks or putting corals in thier and the clowns attach them. well my question is does it hurt when they bite your hand?? i figured i would ask instead of going to a tank and putting my hand in it to find out lol. also is there anything you can do to stop them from biting your hand?

 

[reefnut1]

I have a clown that enjoys biting anyone brave enough to stick their hand in the tank. I dont think it hurts at all, but someone with really soft fingers might feel it more.

 

[dixie2oscar]

do they have teeth?? or is it more lips??

 

[BLKTANG]

My friend has a 5+" maroon in his reef that draws blood.

 

[dixie2oscar]

good grief....i am not sure i want to get a clown now. what about the smaller ones?

 

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

My female ocellaris took a small chunk of my husbands hand. She haven't tried to bite us since we bought her a male but I am still afraid of her.

 

[MJI]

Yeah, depends how big the teeth are and the mouth they're in!

But don't let that put you off owning one of the most endearing fish in the hobby!

 

[garygb]

I've had my ocellaris bring a tiny bit of blood. If you wear gloves, even the thin surgical ones, you will probably be spared any real damage.

 

[andygb54303]

Dont make it make the decision for you tho. They are mostly pertective of there Anemone, but they are in my opinion the coolest fish in the hobby, most personality. I cant even get close to feed my anemone with out the female attacking me. It hurts when she gets you between the fingers!

 

[dixie2oscar]

good grief...... i know you said don't let it put me off but they can draw blood!! that is dedication to this type of fish. i will have to thinks long and hard on this. i am not a fan of owning something that bites me.

is there anything you can do?? is there thicker gloves you can wear and were would you get these gloves?

 

[MJI]

Really, i wouldn't let it affect your decision so much.

You will find that you will have plenty of time if you start with juvenile fish before they even begin to defend a territory or partner, and you'll learn their habits over this time so will be able to prepare for any aggression.

Gary's suggestion of gloves is a good one should any aggression occur, and you don't want to take any risks, but if you respect the animal for what it's is only doing out of instinct, and act accordingly, you'll have very little problems.