Training to not be skittish

[Hart24601]

Here is a video of how I feed the fish, I knock on the glass and the lid, make movement in front of the tank and move my hands over the tank between the LEDs and the surface creating shadows. I started just little taps when feeding and now I make a lot of noise and movement. I also tried to get pic of the butterfly fish eating some hikari discus food as I alternate but they like the pellets. It has really helped the system, they don't freak out hardly ever even when I vacuum or have a party or lots of movement.


https://youtu.be/KbxJITSL4dY

[Daniland]

I have attempted this but was afraid the juveniles would just refuse to eat instead of becoming desensitized. What size were your fish when you got them and what size when you started "training"?

[Hart24601]

I let the settle in for a week or so and then started lightly tapping. Got them at 2-2.5". IMG_8503.jpg

[ssevasta]

I let the settle in for a week or so and then started lightly tapping. Got them at 2-2.5". IMG_8503.jpg

That was definitely wise to start your experiment while they were young. My fish are extremely inquisitive when I have my hands and arms in the tank. It's gotten to the point of being a minor annoyance the way their always pecking at me while I'm cleaning the tank. The only times they really end up getting spooked is when one of them gets too close to the sucking end of the siphon tube or the glass lid slips and makes an awful sound. They rebound from the spook almost instantly though.

[rickztahone]

I have been telling people to do this for quite a while now. When my group was really young, I would tap the top of the tank and soon they associated that noise with feeding, rather than scurrying off. My discus were in a super high traffic area and even when you came from around the corner, they wouldn't freak out. That is why I always tell people to never tip-toe around your discus. If your discus are healthy, they will rarely dash wildly.

[Clawhammer]

I have been telling people to do this for quite a while now. When my group was really young, I would tap the top of the tank and soon they associated that noise with feeding, rather than scurrying off. My discus were in a super high traffic area and even when you came from around the corner, they wouldn't freak out. That is why I always tell people to never tip-toe around your discus. If your discus are healthy, they will rarely dash wildly.

**** once they have settled in