lilsoccakid

hey guys! soon i will be getting about 10 neon tetras and a dwarf gourami, and maybe some catfish (not sure which kind) i was wondering if any of these fish will form a bond with the owner. i hear so many stories of bettas bonding to there owner and being able to feed them by hand! will this happen with any of my fish?

COBettaCouple

I'm not sure.. i don't think the neons, or the cats.. but i think gourami might.

Tom

I have two dwarf gouramis, 11 B.neon tetras and I had a catfish that all have bonded with me. One of my gouramis even lets me pet it while it eats and my tetras and catfish eat from my hand.
Tom

lilsoccakid

thats incredible! does this just happen over time? or should there be a routine i follow to gain there trust?

Tom

Just when you feed them large food like sinking shrimp pellets, algae wafers, etc., just put your fingers in the tank and hold onto the food and wait, their hunger will drive them to the fingers and find out your hand is not a foe but a friend.
Tom

armadillo

I've just had the loveliest bonding moment with my mollies. They were eating from my hand, as they normally do, but then they went INSIDE my hand, on my palm. I could close my fingers and they wouldn't panick, just gently exploring.

No matter how pretty and intelligent other fish can be, I think mollies will continue to be my favorite fish because they are sooooo trusting. Here's some pics.

It's a really lovely feeling (the fact that they trust me so much) but extremely unhandy as they are always in my way when I do tank maintenance. I sometimes wish they had a more developed sense of danger!

lilsoccakid

thats so cool! i might have to get a couple mollies now! i hope my fish are just like yours!

COBettaCouple

that is pretty cool. i'd like to do that with our platys, but the little stomachs have watched jaws too many times and rank about -10 on the patience scale.. with this new food we got them, you can hear the splashes at the water surface as they literally attack their food.

armadillo

Mollies are definitely my most 'bonding' fish. I don't know if it's just mine, or if all mollies are like that, but they're really really really not scared of me, and they're really curious and nosy. It's really cool to have them around.