Does anyone hand feed their Tangs?
- Thread starter WuTanMang
- Start date
Hand feeding a tang is NOT a good idea... they can be VERY "Curious" but if suddenly spooked you may be in for more than you've bargained for.
I know some people will feed with some type of "feeding stick" but placing your hands in close proximity to your tang repeatedly is just asking for pain and problems.
*** PS I updated the name of your thread***
I know some people will feed with some type of "feeding stick" but placing your hands in close proximity to your tang repeatedly is just asking for pain and problems.
*** PS I updated the name of your thread***
kathywithbirds
Well-Known Member
I do - but yeah, be careful!! I handfeed my CBB and I really watch it, even though the fish really seems to like me. 
insanefishguy
New Member
Checked out your pics and thats cool, but definitely beware. Twice now my female clown has looked like a razor blade was taken to her side. I guess one of my tangs got a little too close to her eggs and they had a standoff. I never thought she would survive the first gash. It was through her side fin and down her side and bulging belly and pretty deep.
BTW, I would also be careful around that foxface...
BTW, I would also be careful around that foxface...
johnmaloney
Well-Known Member
hand feeding i think is good to some extent too, because they can be easily trained onto other foods. the juvie french angel i have is big on fern caulerpa, but when i offer him other algae by holding it he will nip at it, and in some cases accept that food as well. sometimes he wont, but when I just put lots of different algae in the tank he would just pass them over, not sure if he knew it was food or not.
BigJay
Well-Known Member
It doesn't take long for fish to realize your hand means food no matter what. It can become an issue when your attempting to do other things in the tank. For instance the other day I was applying aiptasia X to some Aiptasia and I couldn't keep my fish off the syringe.. the reason I feed them from a glass feeding tube.
Fish are very easy to train but they do not "reason" well.
Fish are very easy to train but they do not "reason" well.
johnmaloney
Well-Known Member
True enough! My porkfish takes my hand meaning food literally .I will be in there moving things around and here he comes to keep biting my hand He thinks he is helping me stay clean, I am worried I will bump him or something, but I just try to be aware of him when I am messing around in the tank. The angel is smarter, he doesnt go near me unless I am holding something, does a few passes to check it out and will then nip at it to see if it is something he can get into. In my FW days I had to worry about fish venturing into the Python, they loved schooling near that thing, would scare me plenty.
seafansar
Well-Known Member
My tenneti and orange shoulder tangs think anything I hold is food. They are friendly and have yet to tail swipe me or do anything painful. My dad had a purple tang that was mean and would try to tail swipe you. It never actually stuck anyone though.
I had a orange shoulder tang before my current one, who needed to be quarantined cause he was really weak (long story, he died shortly after) so I caught him with my hands, and right before I put him into the QT he got me! It hurt a little and bled, but it wasn't that bad. I, however, was freaking out thinking I was just poisoned, and quickly called the LFS who told me I'd be okay.
I had a orange shoulder tang before my current one, who needed to be quarantined cause he was really weak (long story, he died shortly after) so I caught him with my hands, and right before I put him into the QT he got me! It hurt a little and bled, but it wasn't that bad. I, however, was freaking out thinking I was just poisoned, and quickly called the LFS who told me I'd be okay.
I only have a sailfin tang, perc. and a sixline wrasse (yellow clown goby is in QT cuz it's new) and I do feed by hand a bit. I always wash well before and after. If I want to just work in tank, I wear yellow gloves and the tang is apparently afraid of the gloves because he hides when I wear them. On the downside of hand feeding for me, I had the perc. in an emergency HT about 7 months ago when he was sick and he developed the habit of eating from my fingers and now prefers to eat that way so it's a bit time consuming at feeding time for him but worth the effort. I love this hobby!!