Well, for one, you aren't going to be able to tame it.
Depending on what you're calling a spotted eel, it may not be a good idea to pet it ... at all. Seriously. But since you're already risking your fingers, petting some morays when there is no food smell in the water isn't really that hard. Small ones, like your juvenile, are iffy though imo. The bigger ones seem more placid when it isn't feeding time, as they aren't always looking to eat anything like a growing baby. Babies are probably more nervous too, as they are prey to more animals and could perceive you as a threat. Petting an adult sitting on a full belly with hands that don't smell of food is the best way to go. But again, some eels just aren't good about playing nice so you need to know your fish.
I wouldn't bother with the light gloves. Either wear gloves that actually offer some protection or just your hands. If you know the eel well enough and can see how it reacts you should know if you need gloves or not anyway. And since all eels are at least a bit unpredictable (being wild animals and all), unless you're going to wear gloves 100% of the time and not just for acclimating it to you, it's a little useless. Either way I'm not recommending it, but it's doable if you accept the risk and actually pay close attention to how the fish is reacting.
Unfortunately by hand feeding, you -might- be associating your hands with food. May want to stop that...
While still young, you can "train" him to get used to you by cleaning the tank.
lol. im going to see if i can get him used to me being in the tank ( cleaning and such).
. The risk is worth it to me, but I still don't touch them with my dominant hand as I need all those fingers for writing and drawing. You can never trust them completely, no matter how well behaved they may seem.
