Redfin Waspfish question

[fessoclown]

I saw 2 Japanese Redfin Waspfish at a local LSF today. I am completely smitten by them and came home to research before I pull the trigger.

My tank is 60 G mixed reef. I currently have 4 chromis all bigger then 1 inch and 3 PJ Cardinals also bigger then 1 inch. The Waspfish are both around 1.5-1.75 inches. Will I need to get rid of them to safely have the Waspfish? I also have a mated pair of coral banded shrimp. I like my fish but the more I read threads on things that sting the more I think I want to change the direction of the tank. I figure the Waspfish would be a good starting point.
After reading up here I think I should jump on these beauties as they seem to be a pretty rare find. They are a mated pair.
Thoughts please....

 

[namxas]

Redfins are great fish, they stay on the small side (3" or so for males). If you get a pair, you'll want to try and get a M-F pair, as males can be a bit cranky sometimes. They have small mouths and your other fish will be perfectly safe, not to mention that the waspfish are bottom dwellers, so their paths won't necessarily cross anyhow.

I'm not sure how juvenile fish can be considered a "mated pair" when they're really not even mature at less than 2"...they may have been captured in the same vicinity, but how would a LFS even know that?

Post up some photos and I can probably help you with sexing them if they're old enuff. I'll need to see a profile of their dorsal fins.

 

[fessoclown]

Thanks Greg, you were the guy (or your wife) who I was fishing for a response from... I've read through most of your posts and found Lion's Lair... great site! I showed it to my wife and she is a little weary of the stinging part but is completely sold of the beauty and uniqueness of some of the scorps and lions.
Like I said before I never really considered this direction before but I yhink I may be hooked....

LSF guy told me they were 1 male 1 female. The male is slightly larger and is much redder. They were in the same tank so I assumed that meant "mated"... my bad there. (The LFS is a high end Reef shop and I trust the opinion and knowlage of the owner/operator.)
He also told me that they are already eating frozen mysis. I will head back there tomorrow and see if they are still there... I am not an impulse fish buyer, I like to know what I am getting into and can provide a nice place to live.... I hope they are still there! They are $60 each BTW. I think that's good.

 

[fessoclown]

And would they be alright with coral banded shrimp?

 

[namxas]

Thanks for the kind words.

Coloration really isn't the key to sexing them, and these fish will change coloration back and forth. However, this species is the easiest waspfish to sex accurately, IMHO/IME.

Here's a male...note the long, deeply-incised, backswept dorsal spines:

Same fish, showing color variation:

The female, shorter, shallowly-incised dorsal spines:

These fish won't harm your CBS...I'd actually worry more about a cranky CBS grabbing the fish, altho the CBS I kept for close to 10 years wasn't a problem with bottom-dwellers.

As for being venomous, you'd really have to work hard to get poked by a redfin...like put your hand directly on it.

They're really great fish, have small mouths, and I've never seen them bother any other fish.

HTH

 

[fessoclown]

Thanks for that! The owner said he knew the sexing and this confirms it! The M/F fins match perfectly with your pics. I actually bought them before you posted that.... whew!
I picked up a male and a female, I got a deal for the pair. Turns out they have been in the shop almost a year and the owner only feeds them flake! He showed me.
They sure are beautiful!
I will post some pics later, I am floating them in the sump and setting up a QT. ATM.

 

[namxas]

Awesome! That's really great that they're established already. Altho they're eating flake, I'd mix their diet up a bit...add some meaty foods like mysis if nothing else.

And please do post some pix!

 

[fessoclown]

Here's a pic from the top, can't really see much.

 

[bluekoi]

Hey guys, I'm hopping on this thread because I grabbed one of these cool characters, of course without much research - I know....I should research my purchases BEFORE THE PURCHASE....I'm humbly sorry..... Are these guys brackish? I haven't seen my guy out very much so I'm a little concerned....
thx!

 

[jarrod13]

No they are not brackish... Why do you ask?

 

[namxas]

They're a bit shy at first, and your fish is most likely hunting pods, esp. if you have a stand of macro algae in the tank (waspfishes love macro to chill in). As your fish becomes accustomed to the new digs, it will show up more and more, esp. at feeding time. You'll usually see them near a bolt hole when they first start to venture out.

A few of the waspfishes can be found in brackish water, particularly Neovespicula depressifrons (Leaf Goblinfish), which has reportedly been found in FW on occasion.

 

[bluekoi]

Thanx for the info! I asked about the brackish thing because I read that they were brackish somewhere on the internet - (meaning it has to be true! right!?!) - JUST KIDDING THERE!
I did see him/her last night, I put some mysis in the tank and he/she? started gobbling them down. The tank is pretty established but I will put some more pods in.
He or she has been very busy blending in with the surroundings. I almost picked him up trying to look for him in the tank..... which probably would have been painful

 

[namxas]

That woulda hurt for sure...waspfishes (and stingfishes) actually possess one of the more potent toxins in the fish world. Just a notch down from stonefish venom, genetically speaking, but not deadly.