r/Aquariums • u/lizardlogan2 • Apr 28 '24
This Spanish Hogfish at my job will lay on its side to get pet whenever you put your hand in the water Saltwater/Brackish
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I’ve never seen a fish do this?? Sometimes he’ll even try and bite your hand if you stop petting him 😭 No one else who works here knows why he does this, but it’s admittedly pretty adorable
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u/Confident_Virus5799 Apr 28 '24
What a cutie!
My local zoo has a touch tank full of smallish sharks. When I've been there, the sharks rush to be pet by anybody who sticks their hand in the water. I have a favorite shark too because he's always sticking his head fully out of the tank, and when I asked the zookeeper about it, she was like, "Oh, him? Sharks are smarter than people think, but we've noticed he's unusually curious. He's always looking for something new." It's my favorite part of the zoo now. 💕
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u/lizardlogan2 Apr 28 '24
That’s so adorable oh my god 😭 Do you know what kind of sharks they are? I’m a big shark enthusiast LOL
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u/Confident_Virus5799 Apr 28 '24
Dogfish sharks. They're at the Indianapolis zoo, if you ever come visit!
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u/con098 Apr 28 '24
It seems kind of fitting that their names are dogfish
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Apr 28 '24
I was curious after reading this how they actually got their name and found this:
"Having earned their name after a group of fishermen reportedly observed the species chasing down smaller fish in dog-like packs"
Little disappointed that it wasn't due to them going up to people wanting to be pet like dogs, ngl 🙁
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Apr 28 '24
Interesting. In some languages including mine (Italian) dogfish is just a generic colloquial term for any shark.
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u/RileyBean Apr 28 '24
I went there a few years ago and somehow missed this!! Guess I have to go back now
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u/SpeethImpediment Apr 28 '24
I have no idea why my brain made this leap, but I completely misread your comment as “I went there … somehow missing my arm. Guess I have to go back now.”
🤭
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u/Whitebushido Apr 28 '24
Ahhh! When you mentioned this I immediately thought of this zoo. Anytime I go to a new area with a friend we check out the local zoos and we absolutely loved the Indy zoo! We have like 20 minutes of video at that pool because it was so fun. I'm literally wearing my 8 year old shirt from that trip because it is my favorite shirt(This poor thing is so faded and thinned out. I went back a couple years ago and just ran in to the gift shop to replace it and they didn't have the same one).
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u/Confident_Virus5799 Apr 28 '24
I thought you might also want to watch them feed the stingrays in the same touch tank. .
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u/lizardlogan2 Apr 28 '24
oh yes our place does the same thing! We have multiple feeding times where guests can hand feed our cownose rays, such a fun experience every time. One of our female rays, Gracie, gets super excited before every feeding and will intentionally splash us if we don’t feed her first 😭
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u/Confident_Virus5799 Apr 28 '24
Gracie sounds adorable! Do you guys use targets to feed them too?
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u/lizardlogan2 Apr 28 '24
Nope! All we do is put some food in our hands and the rays know to come up to us and eat. The guests feed the rays this way too :)
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u/noonegive Apr 28 '24
I'm a scuba diver, and stingray petting tanks are one of my favorite things in the world.
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u/jubsie88 Apr 28 '24
In Honolulu we have this massive outdoor mall (Ala Moana) which has huge water fixtures filled with Koi fish. There is a guy who comes with his two dogs and one of the pups sits at the edge of the fixture with his nose right above the water. The Koi recognize him and they all swim up to him and take turns kissing his nose! It’s the coolest thing to see. He literally is tail in the air wagging and sniffing at these fish as they all jump out of the water to touch his nose with their noses.
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u/Birguslatrolatro Apr 29 '24
Many years ago, some coworkers and I trained a nurse shark pup to a target, then to a submerged platform we built and padded with neoprene, then gradually raised that platform until he was sliding out(pec fin walking) with as much ease as a dolphin. Was a great way to get him accustomed to being pet during school tours and educational shark talks and also to hold still for a physical! Salmon roe was a high value treat. He did not cooperate for everyone, though, definitely had his favorite people, and I'm glad to have been one of them! ❤️
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u/Affectionate_Star_43 Apr 28 '24
I was one of these people that fed the sharks at Key West. The aquarium shark took the tongs right out of my hands! I also fed the rays and the butterflies, because I like feeding everything apparently.
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u/longulus9 Apr 28 '24
I wonder if they have a symbiotic relationship in the wild with parasite cleaners.
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u/coconut-telegraph Apr 28 '24
Spanish hogfish themselves are, as small juveniles, cleaners of larger fish.
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u/i_hate_fanboys Apr 28 '24
There have to be smaller fish all the way down
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u/noonegive Apr 28 '24
They're also very curious in the wild. I've had a juvenile clean my hand, and the adults will shadow you hoping you might distract something to eat.
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u/Unhappy-Fox1017 Apr 28 '24
This is great. I have a lot of home aquariums and a few of my fish, 2 blood parrot cichlids and a feather fin catfish, are like this too! They like to play a game where they swim into my palm and I kind of toss them through the water making them dive forward really quick. They’ll do it over and over again if I let them. It’s not something I do often, as I am careful to mind their slime coat! But, they def enjoy the interaction and recognize me anytime I’m near. People don’t even know how much personality some fish can have!
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u/Unique_Frame_3518 Apr 28 '24
careful to mind their slime coat
You'll make a redditor very happy one day
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u/SimilarSquare2564 Apr 28 '24
Used to have betta splendens who liked swimming into the half closed palm and lay there. Hopefully ppl in video mind the slime coat.
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u/averagemethenjoyer Apr 29 '24
I have a blood parrot cichlid we named Ron Perlman and he's the cutest lol guy ever. If you're doing something like rearranging the tank he always needs to be right near your hand and see what's going on lol, he will also intentionally swim into nets which is funny. Such a sweet fish
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u/RandyButternubber May 06 '24 edited May 06 '24
You are alone, child. There is only darkness for you, and only death for your people. These ancients are just the beginning. I will command a great and terrible army, and we will swim to a billion worlds. We will swim until every light has been extinguished. You are strong, child, but I am beyond strength. I am the end, and I have come for you, user u/averagemethenjoyer.
Or at least that’s probably what your fish says based off of his namesake
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u/captaincrudnutz Apr 28 '24
That's amazing cuz my parrots just wanna eat my hand every time I get up in their business haha
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u/MaplestoryAddict Apr 29 '24
I have a bunch of featherfin catfish and I hope to be able to interact with them that way some day! Did you have to train them? Or did it just happen one day
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u/KaiBunBoi Apr 28 '24
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u/Asticot-gadget Apr 28 '24
I heard that touching fish like this isn't super good for their scales, but this is freaking cool! I've never seen anything like this
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u/lizardlogan2 Apr 28 '24
You’re not wrong! Fish have something called a slime coat that covers their body and is generally used to prevent diseases. Rubbing/touching a fish can remove some of this slime coat, but a healthy fish can regenerate it just fine. Touching a fish for long periods of time however, can remove too much of this slime coat, and should be avoided.
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u/viperfan7 Apr 28 '24
I had a betta that loved to lay down in my hand, or wrap himself around my fingers.
Even let you pick him up just out of the water
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Apr 28 '24
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u/Advanced-Average130 Apr 28 '24
A humu-Humu trigger fish at my job did this as well, never seen anything like it.
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u/OrgasmicKumquats Apr 28 '24
humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa, YEA BITCH!
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u/Prudent_Win_3953 Apr 28 '24
Nailed it
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u/punchinglines Apr 28 '24
This brought back High School Musical memories I thought I had repressed.
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u/Dragonlibrarian7 Apr 28 '24
One of my friends in high school had a Betta he called puppy, who would swim to the top of his tank as soon as he got home for a few finger pets. Wouldn't do it if he'd been home all day, but if he'd been gone for a few hours, he'd be sitting there waiting as soon as he saw him.
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u/MrYoshinobu Apr 28 '24
You are not the first to experience this. It's time for us to recognize that fish and other sea life are sentient beings and capable of intelligent interaction with humans.
Check these videos out!
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u/BalkanbaroqueBBQ Apr 28 '24
What is this about that so many protein sources are sentient ugh…just waiting for news that beans have feelings too.
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u/Usepe_55 Apr 28 '24
While it's disheartening, we do still have to do it to survive, so the best course of action I have for it when eating something that came from an animal is to appreciate the story behind the meat and enjoy the meal to the fullest, because if we've sacrificed it, the most respectful thing one can do is to make it worth it
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u/Eskipony Apr 28 '24
I'd imagine every kind of life form has a sort of "stress response" to being damaged or hurt. How they express it and to what extent they can "understand" it varies.
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u/MightBeEllie Apr 28 '24
Do you work at the Boston Aquarium by any chance?
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u/lizardlogan2 Apr 28 '24
Marine Science Center over in Florida
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u/MightBeEllie Apr 28 '24
Gotcha! It was just a tiny bit of the tank that was visible and it reminded me of Boston. I was fascinated that the rays actually came up to us and liked being petted. Sadly, my aquarium fishes are less enthusiastic ;)
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u/Chose_la Apr 28 '24
But does it purr?
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u/Capybara_Chill_00 Apr 28 '24
Very cool!
I had a fish that sought out human touch - a gigantic pleco that liked belly rubs. I think it’s pretty unusual but apparently enough fish do like it.
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u/Falcon-Unique Apr 28 '24
Isn't he just playing dead cuz he's scared?
Note: I don't know anything about fish.
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u/Fit_Ranger_3058 Apr 28 '24
I am too lazy to look up.
Can someone tell me how and why fish like pets?
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Apr 28 '24
He can have lice and the petting helps clean him
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u/Nozinger Apr 28 '24
could also be totally healthy and ust likes the touch.
We humans are pretty spoiled when it comes to life. Imagine having an itch somewhere but nor arms or hands to scratch it. Yeah that's most annimals out there. And even those that can technically scratch themselves often can't reach the area well. Like cats and dogs and their bellies.
Helps if you got some human taking care of that for you.
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u/bunnyprincesx Apr 28 '24
Stop, this is too cute. quitting my job and pet fish occasionally is gonna be my next life goal🐟
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u/Onlii-chan Apr 28 '24
My beta does this tho he only does it with me when I stick my finger in. He also brushes up against my finger due to the size difference
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u/Underhive_Art Apr 28 '24
Had a Picasso trigger and blue spotted rabbit fish both enjoy scritches over the years at work.
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u/International-Ad3051 Apr 28 '24
I dont even know you can pet a fish...never done that before in my life lol
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u/goreyEww Apr 28 '24
Cute fish and cool video. On an unrelated note, dude, I can smell your friendship bracelets from here…
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u/Senzo_Tanaka Apr 28 '24
It's a "clean me" response. Cleaner shrimp will set up cleaning stations where fish, turtles, etc visit for a quick inspection for external parasites.
In a way, yes, it enjoys being touched.
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u/tonysopranosalive Apr 28 '24
Where do you get your bracelets from?! I feel like I’ve been searching for these for years.
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u/Jabbiz Apr 28 '24
So why did the mods remove this post? Why does everything that's good and great posts get removed by reddit mods?
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u/Sunrisebetweenpines Apr 28 '24
This is likely a tonic immobility response to reduce its chance of being eaten by a predator who doesn’t consume dead prey
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u/Jury_Infamous Apr 28 '24
How do you justify catch and release when you see this? Hooking their mouth and throwing them back gotta hurt right? I mean he sitting their looking for pets
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u/Icy-Savings6932 Apr 29 '24
My great grandmother had an Oscar who would do this. He would demand pets and often would splash water to get attention. He was well loved
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u/lizardlogan2 Apr 30 '24 edited Apr 30 '24
UPDATE: I’ve read all of your comments and after some more observation on this particular hogfish, I’m still not 100% sure what the cause may be. The suggestion I find the most likely is that it’s wanting to be cleaned by my hand, or something else that may be bothering the fish. Occasionally I’ll see him rub himself against the sand, which can be a sign that there’s a something that’s slightly irritating it’s scales. With this, maybe he’s learned that our fingers are good at reliving some of this irritation. Another thing I want to point out, I really do not think he’s playing dead. It’s hard to see in this video, but whenever we do go to ‘pet’ the hogfish, he’s still moving his body, and sometimes he’ll even continue swimming forward while we pet him. I’m unsure what the cause of this is for certain, but I’ll definitely keep an eye out and update you all if I make any major discoveries! I’ve also seen several people ask about some of the other animals in this tank. We have 5 cownose rays, 2 Atlantic rays, a clear-nose skate, 4 white spotted bamboo sharks, a squirrelfish, common snook, a bluestriped grunt, 2 Spanish hogfish, several sergeants majors, 3 Atlantic horseshoe crabs, as well as several urchins and sea cucumbers. I may make a post soon showcasing the entire tank! :)
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u/DescriptionNearby585 Apr 28 '24
That sounds fascinating! Perhaps it finds being petted very comforting, so it seeks it out
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Apr 28 '24
That’s pretty awesome. Has your work given it a name or does it have a nickname that only you and your coworkers call it by?
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u/space_POTATOE99 Apr 28 '24
I had a fish that lay on its side like this because another fish would attack it whenever they got close. It would stay at the surface everyday on it's side just like that.
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u/Zestyclose-Emu-549 Apr 28 '24
Is it scared and the the fight/fight/freeze instinct causes it to freeze?
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u/Zorin419 Apr 28 '24
Misread the title and thought it said hagfish on first watch. I was thinking “these people must have REALLY good soap”
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u/vanderbubin Apr 28 '24
These type of fish are commonly observed playing dead so the worms (your fingers in this case) get comfortable so he can pounce. It's a clever adaptation to kill parasitic/carrion worms
Source:I made it up
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u/Quetzacoatel Apr 28 '24
You shouldn't pet fish. They have a cover on their scales that protects them against infections that you rub off. Also, it's possible that it's terrified and playing dead...
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u/TandrDregn Apr 28 '24
There’s a zoo in my country (Czechia), it’s in the city of Zlín. There is a stingray tank, and those lil’ shitd are such attention hogs. They constantly plap against the wall pushing and shoving each other over who gets the most pets and treats (they actually give you food for then if you buy it, and you can hand feed them these tiny bits of meat), and they’re absolutely adorable. So yeah, this doesn’t seem that rare for fish judging by the other comments and my experience with the stingrays.
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u/SignAfterAgreement Apr 28 '24
So does this kind of dish not need to swim to breathe? I don’t know enough about fish gills but a quick google search told me about ram ventilation-
Any other more knowledgeable people out there confirm this fish is holding its breath just for pets alone?
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u/Alprolol_ Apr 28 '24
I kinda think that's not it wanting to get pet but scared of dying so it acts dead to survive?
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Apr 28 '24
Sometimes we don't give other creatures credit for their intelligence.
Then there's you... You, whoever is reading this... You don't deserve credit.
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u/dogandcow Apr 28 '24
The way lil buddy rolled over on its side, woulda thought it was a dogfish haha
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u/yuva-krishna-memes Apr 28 '24
Fish mindvoice
"Wow this predator is confused if I lie this way and it is unable to eat me
Whenever I see such creature, let me repeat that"
/jff
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u/MajorGravy Apr 28 '24
Stingray jumpscare at the end!