popeye sea goblin

[namxas]

Dood...I know you're learning the ropes on these fish, but cut the food up a bit. One reson your fish may not be as eager for the food is that is may be intimidated by the size of the pieces. I'd go maybe 1/3 of that size max, and probably a bit smaller. With a fish the size of that in its gut, it will take a few days for it to digest, as goblins have super slow metabolisms. To be honest, I'd cut that fish in half for our adult P. volitans (a 13" fish).

Given a choice, scorps prefer smaller prey items to larger food, and it's better for them to get 3 smaller pieces than one large piece, as the smaller pieces allow more surface area for digestion to take place.

I think if you offer smaller pieces, you'll find the fish more eager to eat.

HTH

 

[rayn]

I will cut it up smaller from here on out. Both times I have fed frozen now the pieces were about a inch or so long and he went right for them. Glad I got the vid and learned from it though.

 

[ashtree68]

Yea, also it may not really make much of a difference, but I've seen some get really picky, if you cut it at approx. 45* you can make it look like a little head so it looks like a smaller fish instead of a tail end of one.

 

[rayn]

I see DD has a pair of these today! Oh if I had the room for two more I would.

Update on mine. Eating every other day and doing well.

 

[ashtree68]

They were in my cart then I remembered rent was due. Boo

 

[silentcivilian]

So, im caught up on this thread!

Sorry I missed all the fun! Awesome, I was worried on page 2 what page 4 would hold with all the not eating stress.

For what its worth, my stone would only eat mollies for awhile, and one day I just got frustrated so I pushed a silverside against his mouth, after like 30 seconds, he half bit it so it would go away, then ate the whole thing and I think he ate it simply so it wouldnt be pushing on his mouth anymore.. only to go.. oh.. this is food.. and its good! Never looked backed after that.

But awesome fish, and even better now that you got him eating what you want him to be eating!

 

[namxas]

The question is whether these two fish were collected as a pair, or just aren't going at it yet. Inimicus aren't sexually dimorphic/dichromic, so there's no way to really tell if they're a true M-F pair.

I do think that the price is a tad high for fairly plain-looking fish (the one in the bottom photo has some interesting markings/coloration tho), altho if they are indeed a true pair, it might be worth it.

All that being said, IMHO, Inimicus is one of the "must-haves" for anyone who collects Scorpaeniformes, and are really great fish. Perfect for that "medium scorp" tank. They do have large-ish mouths for their size, so smaller tankmates might be a risk with them.

 

[rayn]

Would a matted filefish make it in this tank, or call it the aptasia eating filefish. I'm guessing it is a risk, but I am starting to get overrun with aptasia in this tank, rock, sand, filters, they are everywhere.

 

[seahorsedreams]

The goblin won't eat a mature bristletail. The filefish could potentially pick on the goblin while grazing. We never had an issue with it, though.

 

[rayn]

I didn't really think of the filefish possibly picking on the ghoul, hmmm. I would love to move mine over, it did a wonderful job eliminating them from my reef tank.

 

[seahorsedreams]

We're having a problem with appies. Big ones...

 

[rayn]

Check out majanowand.com they have the shocker that kills them off nicely. I think they are like 70 bucks though. I haven't got one yet, but it is in the plans.

I just edited the name. It is majanowand. Sorry.

 

[seahorsedreams]

I have the shocker. Bought it a few months back. I'm still looking for a solution.

 

[jarrod13]

If you decide to do it watch them very carefully and remove the file if you see one sign of him picking on the inimicus. I've lost a rhinopias and a inimicus due to tangs picking them thinking hey were food. It didn't take long either, only a day or two but it stressed them pretty quickly