Grooming: Hand Training

• This honestly is something I love about Flowerhorns so much, the interaction that you can have is awesome..... this was taught to me by Yoong Liow
• I have found some Flowerhorns are harder to train then others
• Usually the more aggressive they are the easier they are to train as they want attention
• But it simply starts from interacting with them to sort of flare them up make them feel comfortable with you been around the tank chasing your hand or fingers and you want them feeling undefeatable with mirror training teaching them they are tough, now some will respond better some won’t, give them time have patience
• After they are fearless of you been near the tank and are willing to chase your finger around try training them to eat out of your hand, usually first time they are timid and you may have to just simply place your hand in the tank whilst they eat so they no u don’t want to hurt them ..... if they are aggressive this step doesn’t take long
• If you feel like they are going to bite u the least painful way is to clench your hand into a fist.... but slowly open your hand and try to pat them

This may take a few goes but eventually they get comfortable to a point they will actually sit in your hand for a pat....

You can train them to respond to be aggressive when you close your fist and nice when you open, but this takes time don’t expect it to be short and fast and he will love you be patient watch him and any signs of pure stress stop and try another day

I really miss my big boy Timids, he was awesome at this and funny enough was the hardest to train (hence his name Timids) at first he sat in corner never even chased my finger then 3months later he began chasing my finger with confidence (I did it every 2nd day) mirror first which finally he responded to chase my finger

• Then I began putting hand in tank and he didn’t respond ..... about 1month he would eat around my hand but not in my fingers, then one day as he went for a pellet beside my hand I reached out my finger and touched him he went mental attacked my hand and had heaps of cuts from him

• Next time I used other hand but continued (never put a cut up hand into a fish tank, you can get some nasty infections google fish tb and you will see a major one) if both hands were ripped I had to continue with finger training outside of tank
• I continued this until one day it seemed he slowed his attacks for me to move my hand out of his way almost like a mutual respect ....
• Through patience and continuing this procedure he eventually would sit in my hand for a pat, I could lift him out of water pat him then put him back he would swim around and come back (this was convenient as I had no net big enough for him as he grew)

• Globes son that Draconis FH now has (I called Apollo) I was going to train the same due to seeing his aggression he would jump for my hand but I think his gene should be continued and he was simply the best of the batch and I believe Draconis will breed his gene perfectly

Sorry if I ended up repeating myself I got a lil reminiscing.... Timids is no longer (this is really first time I said it)