New Gumdrop Coral Croucher Pair

[Bongo Shrimp]

Just got my new gumdrop coral croucher pair! Hope I don't get stung.

I've read previous posts about them and a few old articles about them. Anyone else currently have one that wants to tell me about their experience with them?

Not in the tank yet:

In the tank, trying to hide:

 

[Jordani]

Awesome looking pair!

 

[Korrine]

wow very interesting!

 

[Beaun]

I've always wondered about these guys, I'm interested in any experience. Tagging along...

 

[joetbs]

i handle them on a regular basis literally by hand since they are prone to getting stuck in nets and have never gotten stung. the spines are not very sharp and i can't imagine getting stung unless you try to crush one with your fingers.

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

i handle them on a regular basis literally by hand since they are prone to getting stuck in nets and have never gotten stung. the spines are not very sharp and i can't imagine getting stung unless you try to crush one with your fingers.

Good to hear, I have heard that before- that you can't really get stung unless you grab one and try to squeeze one. Nice to hear it from a person with first hand experience rather than just reading it somewhere.

Do you have some? What do you mean you handle them on a regular basis? (if you don't mind me asking)

By the way, just fed them and they are eating. Hope they move around a bit since they are not in the best spot for viewing.

 

[IFbettas]

Those are awesome little fish! Are they a true pair or just two individuals? May I ask where you got them too?

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

They are NOT just two individuals. They are a mated pair from Liveaquaria's Diver's Den.

 

[patrick3578]

hi Bongo Shrimp,

I got one off of Diver's Den a while ago. I had it for about 2 months before it, unfortunately, got eaten by my anemone. (at least that's what I think happened) While I had him, he was VERY shy at the beginning. After a week or two,he began to come out and perch in the front of the tank for extended periods of time. It took me a little bit, but I got him to eat frozen mysis and brine shrimp. I put the shrimp in a net and he figured out how to come in and eat it. They are an awesome little fish, I hope you enjoy yours.

Patrick

 

[mitsurs01]

very cool fish

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

Thanks for the info patrick3578. Luckily my two are already eating frozen like pigs. They have a funny way of eating. They just sort of hop around trying to get a piece of food.

 

[seth&angelle]

Those are really cool. Never seen them before.

 

[kamalehi]

Caracanthus madagascariensis, usually from west africa) I have a pair now, ( not true, but they reside all over the tank) but I had one for about 2 years before he found a powerhead =/. they're an amazing fish, shy initially and after the first couple weeks they are out and about. mine ate every and anything that came into his sight, and the two I have presently are starting to get there. mysis is the best to start them off , and anything else later on. they have great personalities and you will almost always see them once they have acclimated to the tank.

 

[adtravels]

I really want one.

 

[FMarini]

Best of luck w/ them, totally cool fish- just the reports online dont give them a great rep for survival in the home aquarium. While they eat hardily, they just seem to whither.

Most folks recommend keeping them w/ acropora so they can hide amongst the branches. I read a hobbyists report about these fish that they placed a pair in his tank full of acroporas and they "disappeared"- never seeing them again, however when he dissasembled his tank to upgrade he found the pair again hidden in the corals

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

Will be uploading a video of them eating later. Oh, and thanks for the info, they are very interesting little guys.

 

[HKS]

Great little guys! I've wanted a pair for the longest time but have always found and purchased singles only...and rarely at that. They're not very mobile so they just perch or hang onto the rocks all day long. Mine currently resides in a crevice within my main rock pillar and will come out when it sees the feeding tube. Admittedly, if you get past the initial excitement of owning one, they get kinda boring as they're not the most active of fish. Beautiful patterns though!

 

[iamwhatiam52]

I would be interested to know how large a fish or shrimp they can eat.

For instance, on another thread someone reported they will not eat tiny Eviota gobies and sexy shrimp, but I'd like to hear from others who have tried it.

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

Well I don't have any eviota gobies, although I'd like some, and I've only had these guys for a few days. I do have two sexy shrimp though and I can tell just by looking at the sexys and the crouchers that their mouths are too small to eat the shrimp. I guess if you found a sexy shrimp small enough they probably would eat it.

 

[seahorsedreams]

We had one a few years back. Died within 6 months. It was really hard to feed because it hid far back in the coral.