What are the freshwater aquarium fish kept privately that are most lethal to humans?

The April FOTM Contest Poll is open!
FishForums.net Fish of the Month
🏆 Click to vote! 🏆

Blackwater guru

Fish Fanatic
Joined
Dec 22, 2019
Messages
129
Reaction score
126
Location
Sweden
I have been keeping fish since early january this year and if there is one thing I have noticed when it comes to freshwater aquarium fish keeping it's that there are fish that are dangerous or even deadly to humans whether it's fish that are extremely toxic or fish that have sharp teeth.

What I would like to know is this , what are the top ten freshwater aquarium fish species that are usually responsible for the deaths and injuries of fish keepers in this hobby?

There are some obvious ones such as electrical catfish and Goliath tigerfish, but what other species are there that are less known but just as deadly?
 
Do you mean fish that can kill that’s in the aquarium or a fish that humans keep that if found in the wild could kill you?
I have been keeping fish since early january this year and if there is one thing I have noticed when it comes to freshwater aquarium fish keeping it's that there are fish that are dangerous or even deadly to humans whether it's fish that are extremely toxic or fish that have sharp teeth.

What I would like to know is this , what are the top ten freshwater aquarium fish species that are usually responsible for the deaths and injuries of fish keepers in this hobby?

There are some obvious ones such as electrical catfish and Goliath tigerfish, but what other species are there that are less known but just as deadly?
 
Most of the big fish aren't commonly kept in captivity so are unlikely to be involved with injuries to people. In fact very few freshwater fish harm people.

I suppose electric eels could be considered dangerous, however very few people keep them.
Freshwater stingrays can whip you with their tail and that can cause a lot of pain and potential infection.
Bullrout is a freshwater fish found in Australia and is similar to the saltwater stone fish. The bullrout does injure people out in the wild and so do stone fish.

Out of all the fish I have ever handled or kept, loaches and catfish are the ones that cause most injuries, from stabbing you with their pectoral fin spines (catfish), and spines on the face (clown loaches).

In an aquarium, the most damage I have suffered was from tiger barbs and female Betta splendens that used to bite the hairs on my arm when I was cleaning the tank.

The only other fish that ever caused problems was an Oscar cichlid that use to bite anyone who put anything in the tank and it scared the crap out of you because he would sneak up and grab your finger. He never did any damage to your hands but the heart got a good workout.
 
If a child fell into a large aquarium with very large catfish species like a gnooch it wouldn’t be fun
 
Most of the big fish aren't commonly kept in captivity so are unlikely to be involved with injuries to people. In fact very few freshwater fish harm people.

I suppose electric eels could be considered dangerous, however very few people keep them.
Freshwater stingrays can whip you with their tail and that can cause a lot of pain and potential infection.
Bullrout is a freshwater fish found in Australia and is similar to the saltwater stone fish. The bullrout does injure people out in the wild and so do stone fish.

Out of all the fish I have ever handled or kept, loaches and catfish are the ones that cause most injuries, from stabbing you with their pectoral fin spines (catfish), and spines on the face (clown loaches).

In an aquarium, the most damage I have suffered was from tiger barbs and female Betta splendens that used to bite the hairs on my arm when I was cleaning the tank.

The only other fish that ever caused problems was an Oscar cichlid that use to bite anyone who put anything in the tank and it scared the crap out of you because he would sneak up and grab your finger. He never did any damage to your hands but the heart got a good workout.
I was once whipped around the wrist by a 'ray, wouldn't recommend it :lol::lol:
 
If someone (Like Vector from Despicable Me) had a pet shark, they would most likely die... ;) :rofl:

I guess the most serious thing you could bet looking at, is a wound on the hand. Some Arowana may think its live food or something.
 
Imo the most dangerous aquarium fish is any aquarium fish. You start with one in the home and they just start to multiply like parasites until you realize your wallet has been ravaged.

Other than that the only dangerous fish I've kept is my single betta, who nips at my wrist if I mess up his bubble nest. Very sensitive fellow
 
Imo the most dangerous aquarium fish is any aquarium fish. You start with one in the home and they just start to multiply like parasites until you realize your wallet has been ravaged.

Other than that the only dangerous fish I've kept is my single betta, who nips at my wrist if I mess up his bubble nest. Very sensitive fellow
One of my Betta's kicks off if his nest is damaged too! My other one didn't appreciate plant matinence this morning either!
 
Piranhas have sharp teeth, but they are very shy and don't normally bite. Like other people have mentioned, freshwater stingrays can cause some pain, and maybe an arowana. I don't think there are many, if any, fresh water fish kept in aquariums that could actually kill you.
The most physical pain I've experienced from a fish is when my betta jumps out of the water to nip my fingers while I'm cleaning his tank. But, it also hurts when he flares at me for something I don't even know I did. He just seems so angry at me...:-(
 
Hahaha netting cories and accidentally getting poked by a barb. Super super sharp and very painful, like a wasp sting. Very prone to infection, even from just a tiny prick.

I suppose in a very rare case, injection from their sting could cause sepsis and death, but odds are you will just have a painful wound, at worse need some strong antibiotics.
 
I think you're more likely to be injured or killed by fingernail clippers than any tropical fish in an aquarium! ... And if there's any aquarium fish that's lethal to humans, I've sure never heard of it.

There is the electric catfish also known as the electric eel which is not actually an eel but a fish.

This fish can send out enough electricity to cause heart failure or at the very least high amounts of electricity which will be very painful but luckily you won't see it in most peoples homes not only because of it's huge size but also the sheer danger of keeping them which means they should only be handled by professionals with rubber suits and rubber gloves to avoid electrification .

Some are dangerous because they have very sharp teeth such as snakeheads or goliath tigerfish that can bite off fingers very easily if they feel threatened so these are also fish that should only be kept by professionals with huge aquariums and lot's of space .

Alligator gars are also monster fish that can pose a threat to humans because of those huge teeth.

Piranhas also deserve a mention but these guys will only pose a threat to a fishkeeper if they are not fed enough food because if they starve they will go for anything that moves even if that means cannibalism or shredding the hands or fingers of an unfortunate fishkeeper and if that happens it usually means the fishkeeper is not skilled enough to keep them in the first place.

What is more likely to cause fatalities though are certain types of corals in the reef keeping hobby because when handled incorrectly for example while cleaning they can release toxic substances in the air which can turn fatal quickly if not treated immediately

When it comes to popular fish kept by common folks the piranha is the most likely to cause severe injury but only when neglected and letting it starve which might happen under the care of a new fish keeper who got a piranha because it's "cool" because they saw some movie about piranhas and how ferocious they are which is usually not the case and only under certain conditions.

Even though the pufferfish might seem like it's only dangerous when eaten unprepared the truth is that pufferfish have very sharp teeth which are used to eat hard shelled creatures like clams but that also means if they bite you they will tear pieces of flesh off.

In conclusion anything that has a large amount of teeth large enough to harm you and the agressive nature to back it up such as goliath tigerfish or anything toxic enough to kill a human are fish that should be cautioned keeping unless you are an expert with the right tank setup and the right type of gear.
 

Most reactions

trending

Staff online

Members online

Back
Top