Playing with a fish is a delightful job for fishkeepers or lovers like us. If you are such one and don’t know how to play with fish, I am here to explain some simple tricks and training steps that will help you play with your fish.
Let’s explore the world of fish and discover simple yet effective steps to guide us in playing with our fish.
Remember, playing with fish needs consistency and perseverance. If you have such patience and consistency, you can play with your fish by following my tricks and steps.
Here are the Simple Tricks and Training Steps
Keep in mind that a fish is a pet like any other pet. Therefore, playing with them requires training followed by some tricks as well. Believe me, these simple steps will unlock their hidden talents.
Make sure your fish are in good condition. What I mean by good condition is that they are stress-free, well-fed, and have no unwanted spots in their body.
Below are the steps to help you prepare your fish to play with you.
1 – Teach Your Fish to Follow Your Finger:
Keep your finger near your fish just outside the tank so that your finger can grab their attention. When your fish are looking at your finger, give them food. If they don’t pay attention to your finger, just shake it for a moment and keep your finger there until they respond.
As soon as your finger gets attention, reward them by providing food. This is how you can get their attention and help them follow your finger.
Repeat this process regularly at the same time and in the same way. After some days, you will find that your fish will recognize your finger, as fish can recognize humans and their owners.
Remember, if you want to play with your fish, you must train them and care for them so that they feel happy. Only a happy and stress-free fish can be trained. Therefore, first, observe whether your fish are happy.
2 – Teach Your Fish to Swim Through Hoops:
The second step is to train your fish to swim through hoops. Before going to train your aquatic friend, select a suitable hoop.
I recommend you select a big hoop fist so that your fish can swim through it easily. You can take a hand ring, bracelets, or earrings to make a hoop. Or you can make your DIY hoop using a plastic pipe.
But remember to clean it to avoid bacteria or any kind of germs that can infect your aquarium water or fish.
Hang the hoop with a tie or thread in the tank water. Don’t dip your hand in the water, as your hand can have bacteria or germs. Wash it properly if you want to dip your hand to place the hoop.
Hang the hoop just beside the tank glass to grab your fish’s attention through your finger, as you have already trained your fish to recognize your finger.
Now, move your finger across the glass and encourage them to follow your finger. When you see your fish following your finger, try to swim your fish through the hoop.
Repeat this process daily with patients as it is one of the toughest tasks for a fishkeeper to play with their fish after giving them training.
When you see your fish learn the art of swimming through the hoop, reduce the hoop size gradually.
This is how you can train your fish to swim through the hoop, and once you are done, you will play with your fish at your leisure.
3 – Create an Obstacle Course for Your Fish:
Transform your aquarium into an obstacle course. For this, you can use plants, hardscapes, and hoops. But don’t use those plants that can harm your fish, as there are many plants that can kill your fish.
When you are able to teach your fish to swim through hoops, you will definitely teach your fish to swim across any obstacle. Just guide your fish to do so. For this, you need patience. Give them some time in this regard.
Use your finger to lead them to this obstacle course; as you have already mastered them, to follow your finger.
You can also use a stick. But you need to train them to recognize the stick as your finger. In this obstacle course, the stick will lead your fish around the tank better than your finger.
Try this trick regularly at the same time, and when your fish complete the job, reward them by providing food.
I assure you that after training, you can play with your fish easily when you want to play.
4 – Teach Your Fish to Jump:
To teach your fish to jump, you need to feed your fish in your hand. Remember, a pet always recognizes its feeder and its hand. Fish are not exceptional. If you feed your fish in your own hand, they must recognize your hand.
At the time of feeding, first, drop a small amount of food into the tank and keep your hands just over the water surface.
You will see your fish will come to the surface water, looking at your hands or fingers.
Take a grain of food and keep your hand just over the water. You will find your fish trying to snatch it from your hand.
Do this repeatedly, and you will find your fish are jumping from the water at the time of feeding.
Train your fish to swim in the surface water by grabbing their attention at your fingertips, as you have already trained them to recognize your finger.
When you see your fish following your fingertips, reward them with a small amount of food. But don’t overfeed them, as overfeeding may harm your fish.
When training your fish, don’t turn your TV on thinking that fish can watch TV. This may distract your fish’s attention, and you will lose your patience. This is how you can play with your fish.
More Tricks to Help You Playing with Your Fish
Here are more tricks that may help you amuse your fish and also help you to play with your pet fish. You can try these tricks.
1. Keep a ping pong ball in the tank:
Keep a colorful ping pong ball inside the tank. The fish will push this here and there. In this respect, you can insert some food in the ball. That will help you play with your fish more easily.
2. Use a mirror to watch your fish flare:
A simple and effective way to entertain your fish in play and training is by keeping a mirror up to the side of the tank. You can use any mirror, whether handheld or created for pet birds.
3. Introduce floating decorations:
Another way to enhance your fish’s territory is by adding floating decorations, such as natural or fake plants. These plants will provide more stimuli to explore and interact with, stimulating them to swim around.
4. Draw on the fish tank with dry-erase markers:
Try to amuse your fish by doodling outside the tank glass. If you see your fish watching your drawing, you can do much to play with your fish.
5. Stick Post-its or other pieces of paper on the tank:
You can amuse your fish by attaching Post-its on the side of their tank or making paper shapes for them to see. For example, you can cut out a fish shape for your fish to interact with.
6. Place new items outside the tank for your fish to explore:
You can entertain your fish by keeping new objects outside your fish tank. For instance, putting papier-mâché outside the tank can stimulate your fish to “dance” or interact with the object.
How Much Time You Will Need For Training
As I already discussed all the steps of training for playing with aquarium fish, there is one thing to remember, and that is time. To train your aquatic friend to play with your fish, you must spend 5 to 10 minutes daily.
Don’t think that you will train your pet fish overnight. If you increase your training time, your fish will hide themselves and lose their attention to you, and they will not notice you anymore.
Conclusion
These are the introductory doctrines for training your fish to perform simple tricks. You can gradually introduce more progressive and advanced tricks if they respond positively to interaction.
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Thanks,
