new rhinopias frondosa
- Thread starter jarrod13
- Start date
Mustang Boy
New member
i have no experience with these guys but i think they are really cool and would get one if they didnt cost an arm and a leg. so what did this guy set you back?
flameangel88
New member
Very nice looking fish. How big and what's the fish eating? Please keep the updates coming.
Thanks.
Thanks.
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
your fish looks sweet. its lower lip doesn't have the common "bag rub" on it, which is a plus. how big is it?
it appears that you might have one of the "transitional fish" that has morphological traits from both R. frondosa and R. eschmeyeri. your fish lacks the suborbital appendages which are typically always found in R. frondosa, however, it does have frondosa's incised dorsal fin membrane.
i don't know if you're aware of it, but Rhinos typically change color based on surroundings, so don't be alarmed if it happens. we have an Eschmeyer's that was originally "tang yellow", and now it waffles between various shades of pink and orange because it's in a very "purple" tank.
keep the pix and updates coming!
it appears that you might have one of the "transitional fish" that has morphological traits from both R. frondosa and R. eschmeyeri. your fish lacks the suborbital appendages which are typically always found in R. frondosa, however, it does have frondosa's incised dorsal fin membrane.
i don't know if you're aware of it, but Rhinos typically change color based on surroundings, so don't be alarmed if it happens. we have an Eschmeyer's that was originally "tang yellow", and now it waffles between various shades of pink and orange because it's in a very "purple" tank.
keep the pix and updates coming!
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jarrod13
New member
Mustang- I always thought the same thing, way too expensive, so when the guy told me he was selling it for $130 I almost did a back flip. Yes I said one hundred and thirty!!!
Flameangel- he is 4" and the only thing he has ate so far was my baby Midas blenny... Oops, small price to pay though, the 220 that he will be in isn't ready yet so he's hanging out in the reef for now
Greg- You and Renee get the credit for making me fall in love with these fish, and all scorps for that matter, when I first saw your frondosa I had to have one, but never thought it would actually happen. I also use your feeding stick method with my other scorps and it works great, hopefully this guy will take to it too. I agree that it has traits of both species, I really wanted a more "weedy" one but beggers can't be choosers. I was also very excited that his lip was in good shape.
Lastly I have to give major props to my girlfriend who let the fish ride in her lap for 6 hours on the ride home
Flameangel- he is 4" and the only thing he has ate so far was my baby Midas blenny... Oops, small price to pay though, the 220 that he will be in isn't ready yet so he's hanging out in the reef for now
Greg- You and Renee get the credit for making me fall in love with these fish, and all scorps for that matter, when I first saw your frondosa I had to have one, but never thought it would actually happen. I also use your feeding stick method with my other scorps and it works great, hopefully this guy will take to it too. I agree that it has traits of both species, I really wanted a more "weedy" one but beggers can't be choosers. I was also very excited that his lip was in good shape.
Lastly I have to give major props to my girlfriend who let the fish ride in her lap for 6 hours on the ride home
same w/ me-- my first look see at the fish- I thought, beautiful R. Eschmeyeri, but on the close ups, the fish is definitely an intermediate, or transitional. Its lacking suborbitals,possess a thick maxillary mustache(all eschmeyeris traits), but its got a jagged dorsal sail, window pane pectoral fins, and oscillate pattern (frondosa traits)
For those in the know-
Rich Ross just posted a link to a successful breeding of Rhinopias at the Steinhart aquarium. The pair is a R frondosa (m) & R eschmeyersi(f)--
i suspect this is why we are seeing transitional animals- these two rhinopias hybridize.
For those in the know-
Rich Ross just posted a link to a successful breeding of Rhinopias at the Steinhart aquarium. The pair is a R frondosa (m) & R eschmeyersi(f)--
i suspect this is why we are seeing transitional animals- these two rhinopias hybridize.
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
they max out at about 8" - 9". prior to getting our newby (4.5") we have only acquired adults. my guess is they grow at about the same rate as most scorps, but i'm betting it's not one of the faster-growing fish.
we often notice our Rhinos getting "antsy" when a WC is due. are your 'trates high? also, it might be seeing some weird reflection. we have a couple of fish that act odd when certain lights are on outside the tank, and we assume it's something the fish is seeing in the panel of the tank. what size tank is it in?
jarrod13
New member
Frank- I ordered your book, can't wait to get it. By suborbitals do you mean the weedy appendages? If so he does have them, just not a lot, but they cover his body and fins. I'll try to get better pics
Greg- That makes sense, I just did a water change though. He's currently in a 37, but will be moved soon to a 220. How sensitive are they to water quality?
Another question, can they be kept with sand dwelling anemones- specificly an LTA?
Greg- That makes sense, I just did a water change though. He's currently in a 37, but will be moved soon to a 220. How sensitive are they to water quality?
Another question, can they be kept with sand dwelling anemones- specificly an LTA?
Jarrod--
suborbitals [(sub(below) orbital(eye socket)] are the 2-4 short projections in the upper region between the eyes and premaxilla -usually centered near the turbinal zone. From your photos the fish does not have any visible suborbitals- presence of 2-4 suborbitals is a keying characteristic for R frondosa & R aphanes, but an excluding characteristic for R eschmeyeri
suborbitals [(sub(below) orbital(eye socket)] are the 2-4 short projections in the upper region between the eyes and premaxilla -usually centered near the turbinal zone. From your photos the fish does not have any visible suborbitals- presence of 2-4 suborbitals is a keying characteristic for R frondosa & R aphanes, but an excluding characteristic for R eschmeyeri
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
heyas Jarrod...to help you visualize the "sub-orbitals", take a look at the growths between the eyes of this fish (not the superorbitals/"eyebrows"). in this case there are four of them...the upper two are forked and the lower two are straight.
as for 'nems, our frondosa lived with a Cerianthus (tube nem) for quite awhile with no incidents.
i'm not so sure these fish are overly sensitive to water quality, but i do know that a WC usually calms them down, even if the tests come out within "normal" readings. your fish will be awesome in the 220! lots of water volume!
HTH
as for 'nems, our frondosa lived with a Cerianthus (tube nem) for quite awhile with no incidents.
i'm not so sure these fish are overly sensitive to water quality, but i do know that a WC usually calms them down, even if the tests come out within "normal" readings. your fish will be awesome in the 220! lots of water volume!
HTH
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namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
you're welcome, Frank!
as you know, Renee is a very "visual" person, so she's huge on "visual aids". i did do the typical "lazy Greg" thing and not add an arrow or circle them tho...
BTW, i'm STILL thrilled about the Steinhart breeding project...
flameangel88
New member
Got this one in today and it's about 5.5-6" (the container is 7") and looks pretty alert and healthy. Please feel free to share your opinions as I'm totally new to rhinopias. It's in a 40 QT with roughly 70lbs of rock and (per Greg's suggestion) I added 1" sand but only to the front half of the tank as I didn't want a ammonia spike.
Couple of pics
it was holding out in the back on initial release but after 3 hours its out in the front corner.
Couple of pics
it was holding out in the back on initial release but after 3 hours its out in the front corner.
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
the frequency at which they shed their cuticles varies, but a couple of times a month is about how our Rhinos usually roll. in fact, our newby just shed yesterday (we picked it up on Sunday). they DO act a bit weird, so bear that in mind. by weird, i mean they yawn and twitch, and flare their gills all in an effort to loosen the old cuticle, especially around the head. you'll be able to recognize it easily in time, as the fish also go a bit "dull" (the cuticle gets "milky"). i can't say i've ever noticed our Rhinos "darting around" to shake it off, altho lionfish do this.
FA,
sweet-looking fish! i hope it stays yellow for you. you're going to really like keeping it.
once you get used to them, they really are pretty simple to care for. each fish does have a distinct "personality" tho...with all the scorps we've kept, the only "warning" i ever received was from our Eschmeyer's. it stood on its head and pointed its spines at me...i guess it hadn't had coffee yet and was cranky.
FA,
sweet-looking fish! i hope it stays yellow for you. you're going to really like keeping it.
once you get used to them, they really are pretty simple to care for. each fish does have a distinct "personality" tho...with all the scorps we've kept, the only "warning" i ever received was from our Eschmeyer's. it stood on its head and pointed its spines at me...i guess it hadn't had coffee yet and was cranky.
I agree w/ greg-cuticle shedding is at least a 1X/month and frequently every 15 day event, but its rhinopias dependent. They are much more frequent than "lionfish".
In the scorp family, i can only think of Leaffish that shed cuticles more frequently
BTW- gorgeous yellow rhinopias frondosa- his he yellow or orangish? I sure hope he stays that color-its stunning.
Has anyone noticed the influx of Rhinopias in the past months? is it seasonal collection or is africa just exporting these like crazy. (most rhinopias come out of sri lanka)
In the scorp family, i can only think of Leaffish that shed cuticles more frequently
BTW- gorgeous yellow rhinopias frondosa- his he yellow or orangish? I sure hope he stays that color-its stunning.
Has anyone noticed the influx of Rhinopias in the past months? is it seasonal collection or is africa just exporting these like crazy. (most rhinopias come out of sri lanka)
