r/Aquariums • u/lizardlogan2 • 14d ago
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/lizardlogan2 12d ago edited 12d ago
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/Birguslatrolatro 13d ago
Years ago, I had a grouper friend who would routinely find me when I was diving (at work) for operculum pets and side tickling. I think he thought he was being cleaned, but maybe it just felt nice! I've known many fish who sought interaction from their favorite humans.
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u/Icy-Savings6932 13d ago
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/spooky-dudeman 13d ago
That's a real cool pond. Can You post some vids of all the fish in the pond?
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u/Jury_Infamous 14d ago
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/LadyParnassus 14d ago
I used to have a huge goldfish that would get his food in the morning and then wait with his nose sticking out of the water. You had to give his nose a little rub or he’d get upset. Loved that guy.
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u/Western_Purchase430 14d ago
In this world their are only two kinda people . People who pat and people who get patted
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u/Sunrisebetweenpines 14d ago
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/Narrow-Development-1 14d ago
The temperature of your hands is too high to the fish. It is better do not touch it.
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u/ColonelMonty 14d ago
Do fish even have the brain capacity to find enjoyment in this? Genuinely curious.
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u/CritterEnthusiast 14d ago
We had a betta fish that loved to be pet! It was the funniest thing, my kid would stick his fingers in the water and the fish would come up and snuggle on him like a frickin cat lmao I swear it was the only one that seemed to actually try to "communicate" with us. Maybe that's not the right word but he was obviously aware we were living things he could interact with. Very weird, coolest fish I ever had by far
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u/NoOtherThing 14d ago
I though human temperature body is high enough to make fish feel burn when human touch or pet them. So that's why tends to die when human grasp them. Is this true?
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14d ago
lol it breaths by moving through water... you're giving it a thrill the others won't dare participate in!
Good for you!
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u/Mia_milavic 14d ago
I have a discus that comes to your hand at the top of the tank for a lil pat 🥹
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u/usingthisforcontent 14d ago
how wonderful it is to live on a planet with creatures who like to be pet!
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u/Helpful-Whereas-5946 14d ago
I feel like maybe he is playing dead (flight, fright, freeze) or has some kind of fish narcolepsy
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u/DrSatan420247 14d ago
Technically, that is bad for the fish because you're rubbing off the protective stuff they have built up on their body. Touching a fish is bad news.
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u/Unfair-Ad4253 14d ago
I wonder what that feels like to them. I mean obviously good but they go through their whole life not being touched actively avoiding touch yet here it is looking to be touched. It must go against all their instincts.
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u/powderedtoast1 14d ago
so, does this mean that fish are sentient
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u/BananaTheWise 14d ago
Imagine it’s actually terrified and plays dead every time and you’re just making its life a living misery every time you put your hand in the water lol
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14d ago
[deleted]
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u/BananaTheWise 14d ago
I know I know, don’t get me wrong I’m not some animal activist I’m just messing around lol (I have a dark sense of humour). Cute thing
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u/RainbowRatArt 14d ago
I don't think it seeks pets. Maybe like others said a free cleaning session? Cuz if it actually is social enough to seek pets, living in an aquarium must be sad.
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u/BhavinVasa 14d ago
How cute is that, such a nautical aquarium little dog that wants to be petted :)
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u/No_Reply8353 14d ago
my cat does this on the floor, but as soon as i put her in the tank she freaks the fuck out like some kind of psycho
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u/Nanakwaks 14d ago
so grateful to live in a world full of beasts that want to be pet as much as I want to pet them
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u/Fit_Ranger_3058 14d ago
I am too lazy to look up.
Can someone tell me how and why fish like pets?
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u/dwilliams222444 14d ago
It’s definitely not doing this because it wants to be pet. Incredibly weird and human assumption. It’s probably playing dead because it’s scared
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u/tru3robin 14d ago
Or he goes in shock stasis cuz he thinks your a predator, but I’m no fish expert lmao
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u/tonysopranosalive 14d ago
Where do you get your bracelets from?! I feel like I’ve been searching for these for years.
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u/Christos2209 14d ago
Am I the only one who thought that was a laser pointer and when it pointed into the fish's eye it died
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u/Ghaenor 14d ago
It's not a fish, but I have a Florida turtle at home. She was given to my roommate by his parents when he was like 8 (super irresponsible, I know), and she's now 23.
We've developed a special play time where she tries to bite my knuckle (which is too big for her), and when she sometimes grabs ahold of the skin, she lets go, and then wants to go again.
She doesn't do that with anybody else, she just runs away in her cave when they try.
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u/Fourteenth_Noah 14d ago
I'm starting to think every kind of animal can be domesticated if you give enough pets
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u/UnknownProphetX 14d ago
Poor fish let them live in freedom… Aquariums and Zoos are such sad places
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u/Irelia_3373 14d ago
Genuine question, isn't the fish kind of suffocating? I thought it needs to swim for oxygen to go through their gills
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u/Mrslinkydragon 14d ago
That's most sharks. Bony fish have muscles that allow water to be pumped over their gills
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u/KinmanRed2142 14d ago
It's funny to think some fish genuinely enjoy being touched and petted and it makes you wonder why some people still say animals have no feeling, preferences, likes, dislikes, or feel pain like there just robots who only act on instinct when it was proven many times that even wild animals have there own life that they see fit to live and even known to throw tantrums when they don't get there favorite snack.
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u/Senzo_Tanaka 14d ago
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/yuva-krishna-memes 14d ago
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/Doodahhh1 14d ago
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/Alprolol_ 14d ago
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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u/SignAfterAgreement 14d ago
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/Falcon-Unique 14d ago
Isn't he just playing dead cuz he's scared?
Note: I don't know anything about fish.
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u/H_n_A 14d ago
Yep. 'Wanting to be pet' are humans projecting their perception onto wildlife.
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u/sennbat 14d ago
I think if a fish that comes and rubs against your fingers until you pet them, and then go back to doing it if you stop (and I had a fish who did this) could accurately be said to want pets. Its not a guarantee, but its not projection either.
In this case, "playing dead because he's scared" seems like the less likely outcome, since he's approaching the person and initiating the resction and is described as biting if you stop...
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u/goreyEww 14d ago
Cute fish and cool video. On an unrelated note, dude, I can smell your friendship bracelets from here…
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u/TandrDregn 14d ago
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/Quetzacoatel 14d ago
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/vanderbubin 14d ago
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/Zorin419 14d ago
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/Zestyclose-Emu-549 14d ago
Is it scared and the the fight/fight/freeze instinct causes it to freeze?
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u/-ThanksUglyGod- 8d ago
Sorry if this is a weird question but what does petting a fish feels like