Foxface Rabbit fish

[ElGuappo]

just wondering how poisonous the barbs on the dorsal are? is it life threatining if you get stung ? is it commen for them to "become deffensive" when putting hands in the tank?

[Treebeard]

When I bought mine I was told that it was very painful, but not life threatening. He does not get defensive at all when I put my hands in the tank and he very rarely gets his back up.

[Keri]

Ditto

Mine avoids my hands in the tank.
I've been told to be more cautious if you have severe reaction to bee or wasp stings, tho I don't know if the venom is the same at all.

[mark]

Read that hurt like a bee sting.

I'm not worried about sticking my hand in the tank with mine, just mindful that I'm not startling or trapping in a corner. It just moves to the other side of the tank.

[justinl]

Originally Posted by mark

Read that hurt like a bee sting.

I'm not worried about sticking my hand in the tank with mine, just mindful that I'm not startling or trapping in a corner. It just moves to the other side of the tank.

and there ya go. basically like a strong bee sting, probably a bit worse. If you are known to be allergenic take extra care. but really, just so long as the fish isn't trapped and feels threatened you should be in no danger at all.

[Lance]

I was quite wary of my foxface when i first got him. Now I realize he is not a problem, when I'm working in the tank. He stays out of the way. I can hand feed him as long as my hand stays out of the water. The second my hand goes into the water he backs off. Like Mark said, just make sure you don't corner him.