Clown loach teeth?

[LeahK]

So, for the past few months I've been trying to get my clown loaches to not look so startled when I approach the tank. To that end, I started patiently holding an algae wafer below the water surface, to see if they'd come eat it from my fingers.
Well, they quickly grew from shy to very very bold.:grinyes:
Now, they'll easily come nibble at the algae wafer when I hold it in the water, which is cool, but they also seem to feel the need to nibble at my fingers every so often just to remind themselves that I'm not edible. Now I read online that clowns only have teeth in their throats, but there is definitely something sharp in my clowns' mouths. It feels like a beak. I get a little skittish when they nibble at me because I think they could do some damage if they actually decided to take a bite. What is that in their mouths?

 

[emptywallet]

their barbels maybe?

 

[LeahK]

I don't think so. I can feel the barbels, too--they feel soft and ticklish, which is kinda cute.
But whatever is inside their mouths definitely does not feel cute. :headshake2:

 

[groovitudedude]

I hand feed the 5 loaches in my 100G, and it doesn't hurt as much as you guys say it does. They occassionally nibble me, but it doesn't really "hurt". It is just felt.

 

[LeahK]

Maybe your clowns are just nicer than mine.

 

[groovitudedude]

Maybe your clowns are just nicer than mine.

Maybe. How big are yours?

 

[Lupin]

Yes, I felt what seems to be their "beak" considering almost all loaches, mostly the clowns and yoyos, are handfed. I have 8 clown loaches here with largest approaching 5 inches ever since I bought them at 2 inches size last year.

 

[fishorama]

I'm not sure but it seems like they have a sort of really hard suction & whatever the opposite is called. I think of it like the "click" intensified. Seeing the shreds they leave of big shrimp pieces & veggies make me a little nervous offering food by hand. Mine have never taken food from me but we're all a little nervous about it. I don't think I want any U shaped holes in my fingers.

 

[Lupin]

Fishorama, they don't give nasty bites (well, except my tiger loaches). Think of their "beaks" as only a blunt knife rather than those of the puffers.

 

[LeahK]

My largest is also in the 5 inch range, and the other three are about 2.5 to 3 inches. It's the three smaller ones that are the most aggressive toward my fingers. They seem convinced that there'd be more food in there somewhere if they could only get a good bite. And now, when I flinch and pull my hand back, they don't even run away anymore--they chase me! They're like, "Hey! Live food!"