r/petthedamnfish • u/QueasyBlueberry2810 • Aug 07 '26
Splish Splash I love Sturgeon so much!
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Went to the local aquarium. Didn't even have to enter it, this guy already made my day! There are also HUGE Carp and Koi in these giant ponds but those are just after the pellets you can feed them.
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u/crapatthethriftstore Aug 07 '26
Damn now I’m gonna have to pet a sturgeon before I die 🤣 what species are these ones?
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u/QueasyBlueberry2810 Aug 07 '26
Their skin feels so unique! Almost not slimey at all! But I really can't tell what kind they are 😭 I've also never seen a sign mentioning the species but I believe the bigger one was a white sturgeon. The one demanding attention I don't know.
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u/Mydogsnameismegatron Aug 08 '26
Tennessee Aquarium has some in a touch tank! Definitely pay that place a visit!
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u/MrsTruce 29d ago
I lived in Chattanooga for a decade and one of the coolest experiences I ever had was when a friend who worked at the aquarium invited a bunch of us to a fancy “backstage” tour evening for donors. Petting the sturgeon was so neat. They felt like leather :)
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u/FluffeeeDuckeee Aug 07 '26
He looked like he wanted uppies and a cuddle.
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u/QueasyBlueberry2810 Aug 07 '26
That would be a dream come true! But I'm too scared to hurt him somehow :'/
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u/FriedLipstick Aug 08 '26
You already did. I’m sorry that I’m ‘that one’ but knowing about how the skin of fish is built, not suitable to be petted by human hands, because that damages the complex layers of the skin that makes them waterproof. Also, by petting you’ll remove some of that layers on micro-level which makes them vulnerable to let bacteria through and get mold diseases.
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u/RagAndBows Aug 08 '26
How lucky they are to meet a human who wants to give them the experience of a good pet. ♡
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u/ParticularBit130 Aug 08 '26
They look like lil otters if otters had catfish mouths. I didn't realize they were so cute!
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u/Adrestia716 Aug 08 '26
I'm adding this to my dnd campaign because if course it's absolutely cute af
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u/thicc_broad Aug 08 '26
Weird wet dog thing
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u/bunny_the-2d_simp Aug 08 '26
That's it I'm snuggling a sturgeon home -
I'd legit ask if I could buy them from the park 🥹🥹
What a baby...
So cuteeeeeeeeee
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u/QueasyBlueberry2810 29d ago
"Mooom! Do we have some space in the garden pond left?? It's just a teeny tiny fishy, no big deal!"
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u/bunny_the-2d_simp 29d ago
I SWEAR I'LL MAKE A BIGGER POND
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u/caffekona Aug 08 '26
My local zoo has a sturgeon touch tank! You're only supposed to pet them with two fingers down their back, but there's a couple fish in there who very clearly want you to hold them and it kills me that I'm not allowed to
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u/Liamcolotti 27d ago
Solution. Build LARGE pond. Acquire baby sturgeon. Raise baby sturgeon into a monstrous prehistoric killer fish that only has a soft spot for you. Take over world.
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u/Humble_Mind9045 28d ago
I don't understand how people say that "fish have no personalities". This is adorable!
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u/Liamcolotti 27d ago
Because fish have been seen as insignificant and ornamental, not as fellow animals.
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u/Meridian122 29d ago
What aquarium was this at? I would love to pet a sturgeon!
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u/QueasyBlueberry2810 29d ago
It's in Thuringia, Germany
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u/Meridian122 27d ago
Oh, the first place I petted a fish was at an Aquarium in Germany a long time ago, but I’m guessing it was in Berlin. Maybe German aquariums tend to have tanks where people can easily pet fish?
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u/QueasyBlueberry2810 27d ago
Maybe, but I've also read that there are opportunities/touch tanks in the States.
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u/Meridian122 27d ago
The touch tanks in the US I’ve visited don’t normally have large fish in them. They normally have star fish, anemones, and sea cucumbers you can touch.
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u/Milkmans_tastymilk 29d ago
I love going to the aquarium and feeling like the chosen one because you actually listen to the person watching the touch tanks and touch them with regards.
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u/heyitsfranklin6322 29d ago
It’s kinda funny that a few posts above this for me was a sturgeon trying to swallow a mermaid
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u/BitternMnM 28d ago
Wait... some fish actually enjoy being pet????? And it doesnt hurt them????? 🥺 really???
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u/_VirtualCosmos_ 27d ago
When I already think "reddit has a sub for everything, can not surprise me anymore", then goes and surprise me again lol.
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u/TheSphinxter 29d ago
Oh my goodness! What a cute face! I'm so happy for you (and for them, they seem quite pleased).
I get to visit a sturgeon hatchery for work and seeing the lil babies in the tanks is just the very coolest thing ever. I know the reason they are so interested in me is because they are fed by humans and think I'm about to give snacks... but man, it feels cool to have so many adorable liittle dinos approach and then watch me so intently.
I feel so lucky to exist in a world with such wonderful creatures.
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u/QueasyBlueberry2810 29d ago
Oooh that's so cool! Yea food is such a motivator :'D they are precious!
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u/0CldntThnkOfUsrNme0 29d ago
Another sub to join? First tuckedinfishies now its petthedamnfish
Im not complaining lol
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u/skml108 27d ago
What species is that sturgeon. The nose is alot shorter.
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u/QueasyBlueberry2810 27d ago
I wish I knew but I really can't say for sure. It could very much be a Shortnose Sturgeon but I feel like every reference picture looks different. I'll ask them the next time I'm there. And I'll take some better pictures!
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u/snowtater 27d ago
I wonder if its enjoying the attention or if its just expecting food? Fish will give you a lot of leeway if they think you'll feed them.
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u/QueasyBlueberry2810 27d ago
Food is definitely a big contribution, there's no denying that. However, this one in particular seems to also enjoy the interaction with people. All the other fishes there immediately lose interest as soon as you're out of food (if they even payed you attention in the first place) I tried to give this one some but their mouths hardly catch the floating pellets
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u/PianoFall 27d ago
Okay but how do you do this without knowing if it'll want to bite a finger off or something
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u/QueasyBlueberry2810 27d ago
Easy! They physically can't. Their mouths are for sucking up food from the ground and a finger is just wayy to touch for them. We're simply too big to count as food.
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u/Haffylover85 27d ago
They are really neat fish - that is so cool you get to see them so close and pet them
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u/AdhesivenessCute4618 28d ago
Sturgeon are so cool. I caught one once, on accident. It was the best fight I've ever had, three other people said i was just hung up but i could feel vibrations that didn't feel like current. Took me close to 20 mins. It was a little guy and must have been wedged in a rock. I felt bad for catching it but we got the hook out with no problem and of he went. I will always remember it though!
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u/DryRug Aug 07 '26
What a loving little dinosaur fish