The Frogfish Files
- Thread starter gregt
- Start date
All Frogfish fans should check out this month's Coral Magazine!
young&broke
New member
I am very interested in these fish and have been researching them for about a month now.....i was very pleased to find this thread, as i have learned a lot more here then anywhere else......i do have one question though, since i do not have time to read ALL the posts.....What is a healthy sized tank for just one to live in......I have a 25g and a 12g both empty at this time......i would prefer to put one in the 12g but i just feel that it just is too small....i was hoping to keep the 25g for more fish as the frogfish must live alone........but will keep on in there if needed.....
thanks in advance for anyone who has any advice for me and i am glad to find many more people that enjoy these amazing fish, since people i work with (at a LFS) and friends in the hobby seem to not care for them.....
thanks in advance for anyone who has any advice for me and i am glad to find many more people that enjoy these amazing fish, since people i work with (at a LFS) and friends in the hobby seem to not care for them.....
young&broke
New member
ok thanks uberfugu, i was thinking of the 25 so that is what i will do......and yes a was gonna have a zoa farm in there too..........i didn't think of ricordea but that sounds pretty nice so i think i may look into doing that too.....
bobafett
New member
Here is a pic of my male (top) and female (bottom) frog fish. They are pigs when it comes to eating. I wasn't comfortable with the using a feeding stick based on how they grab the food. What I use is a long pair of tweezers (about 12" long). I wave the food in front of them (both shrimp and silversides) and when their tassle starts to wave I release the food in front of them as if the food was going after the tassle. They immediately lunge foward and grab the food. The female started eating frozen after about two weeks. The male took about five weeks. Now they both readily accept frozen.
bobafett
New member
I do have a question on my froggies. Above are pics of them. The last few days I noticed that the tiny white specs (easier to see in the top pic) have multiplied especially in the female. Is this normal or do my froggies have ick. They also developed a white velvety film. I don't have a pic of this yet. I read that froggies can change color based on their surroundings. Since most of the rock is still white, I'm wondering if this has something to do with it or are my froggies coming down with something. They are by themselves in a mini reef but share the same sump with my large reef and all my fish in the large reef are healthy.
montanabay
New member
firing up a 50gal
firing up a 50gal
So I'm new to frogfish and I'm planning on setting up this tank for them. It's 50gal, SSB, LR, Sump, Skimmer going into week three with just a clean up crew at this point. My question is what can I use for a cleanup crew (if anything???) and other tankmates? I was thinking a couple frogs and a lion (too much bioload for 50gal?). Let me know what your thoughts are, species of recommendation (both frog, mates, and cleanup crew).
Cheers,
firing up a 50gal
So I'm new to frogfish and I'm planning on setting up this tank for them. It's 50gal, SSB, LR, Sump, Skimmer going into week three with just a clean up crew at this point. My question is what can I use for a cleanup crew (if anything???) and other tankmates? I was thinking a couple frogs and a lion (too much bioload for 50gal?). Let me know what your thoughts are, species of recommendation (both frog, mates, and cleanup crew).
Cheers,
elvn
New member
Boba their skin condition doesn't sound good to me. Does it look like they are experiencing labored breathing? 
They might have ick or other parasite. I've read that they are also very sensitive to copper so if you ever used that in your system or were planning on medicating the frogfish be certain to avoid that. Check the tank's temperature also.
I suggest making a clean batch of saltwater and putting them in their own tank with an airstone and a few rocks for awhile, as soon as possible. (I'd pre-clean that tank with really hot water and/or vinegar first and flush it completely away, and wipe it out). I did that with my frogfish once when he wasn't looking so good and it perked him right up. High oxygen conent and very clean tank. He's actually still in that tank now, a 20long and is very happy.
Be careful transferring the frogfish betw tanks since you really shouldn't expose them to air or even the surface of a water container as they could ingest an air bubble. Anything they might be infected with will make the trip with them anyway so moving some of the existing tanks water along with them to the hospital tank prob won't make much difference anyway.
When I put him back into his 20high its going to go barebottom this time, and have an air stone for extra oxygen content. Its also going to be in the sump room where its cooler , but facing out into the main room (I installed a 'portable' floor AC unit in there which blows its exhaust outside of the house so its much cooler). When I had the 20h tank setup on a bookcase it would easily overheat, and probably related to the heat get mild cyano outbreaks. I had two remora hang on skimmers and one or two small powerheads in the tank with a few normal aquarium lights and the tank would get so hot that I had to shut off a powerhead and a skimmer.
I still might run into heat vs skimmer and powerhead issues so in the long run I may get a plumbed tank to integrate into the reef circulation system like you had been doing, so that the frogfish tank can share the filtration and temperature conditions of the main system. Of course then the tanks have potential to share any other problems like parasites and other nuisances/outbreaks.
They might have ick or other parasite. I've read that they are also very sensitive to copper so if you ever used that in your system or were planning on medicating the frogfish be certain to avoid that. Check the tank's temperature also. I suggest making a clean batch of saltwater and putting them in their own tank with an airstone and a few rocks for awhile, as soon as possible. (I'd pre-clean that tank with really hot water and/or vinegar first and flush it completely away, and wipe it out). I did that with my frogfish once when he wasn't looking so good and it perked him right up. High oxygen conent and very clean tank. He's actually still in that tank now, a 20long and is very happy.
Be careful transferring the frogfish betw tanks since you really shouldn't expose them to air or even the surface of a water container as they could ingest an air bubble. Anything they might be infected with will make the trip with them anyway so moving some of the existing tanks water along with them to the hospital tank prob won't make much difference anyway.
When I put him back into his 20high its going to go barebottom this time, and have an air stone for extra oxygen content. Its also going to be in the sump room where its cooler , but facing out into the main room (I installed a 'portable' floor AC unit in there which blows its exhaust outside of the house so its much cooler). When I had the 20h tank setup on a bookcase it would easily overheat, and probably related to the heat get mild cyano outbreaks. I had two remora hang on skimmers and one or two small powerheads in the tank with a few normal aquarium lights and the tank would get so hot that I had to shut off a powerhead and a skimmer.
I still might run into heat vs skimmer and powerhead issues so in the long run I may get a plumbed tank to integrate into the reef circulation system like you had been doing, so that the frogfish tank can share the filtration and temperature conditions of the main system. Of course then the tanks have potential to share any other problems like parasites and other nuisances/outbreaks.
elvn
New member
Montana frogfish don't play well with others.
Other things pick at their skin or will eat/tear off their lure. The frogfish's only defense is camouflage and it can't move quickly.
The frogfish will most likely (eventually) try to eat anything even if it can only fit part of the target into its mouth. Its designed to hold the prey into its tract also so it can be damaged internally if it locks onto part of a large animal that manages to tear itself away.
A lionfish could eat the frogfish. Lionfish also have venom barbs that could sting the frogfish when it tries to swallow the pretty lionfish 'streamers' moving so tantalizingly. The lionfish could also be a big problem in trying to feed the frogfish, taking the food off the stick or destroying the frogfish's lure (thinking its food), or gobbling the entire frogfish (oops). I wouldn't risk it.
A frogfish will gobble the head of an eel or fish longer than itself and just hold them in if it can.
A frogfish can swallow snail and crabs including their shells which might not turn out so well for the frogfish in the end.
Even two frogfish in the same tank have a high probability of trying to swallow each other at some point.
Large omnivorous starfish will pester the frogfish and may try to eat it. Frogfish do not move quickly in general.
The only thing I would put in with a frogfish is some soft corals without sweeper tentacles.
Other things pick at their skin or will eat/tear off their lure. The frogfish's only defense is camouflage and it can't move quickly.
The frogfish will most likely (eventually) try to eat anything even if it can only fit part of the target into its mouth. Its designed to hold the prey into its tract also so it can be damaged internally if it locks onto part of a large animal that manages to tear itself away.
A lionfish could eat the frogfish. Lionfish also have venom barbs that could sting the frogfish when it tries to swallow the pretty lionfish 'streamers' moving so tantalizingly. The lionfish could also be a big problem in trying to feed the frogfish, taking the food off the stick or destroying the frogfish's lure (thinking its food), or gobbling the entire frogfish (oops). I wouldn't risk it.
A frogfish will gobble the head of an eel or fish longer than itself and just hold them in if it can.
A frogfish can swallow snail and crabs including their shells which might not turn out so well for the frogfish in the end.
Even two frogfish in the same tank have a high probability of trying to swallow each other at some point.
Large omnivorous starfish will pester the frogfish and may try to eat it. Frogfish do not move quickly in general.
The only thing I would put in with a frogfish is some soft corals without sweeper tentacles.
elvn
New member
For a feeding stick I use what others have suggested.
You take a length of small diameter rigid airline tubing, and cut a short length of flexible airline/vinyl tubing which you stick on the end of it. You then run a lenth of thin fishing line through it, so that around 1/4 inch of the fishing line is sticking out of the bottom of the flexible airline end.
Here is a picture of the feeding end of the stick. (The rigid tubing part is longer than the picture shows).
You could modify the length and gauge(thickness) of the fishing line hanging out, and the length of the flexible airline tubing depending on the size of your frogfish and its food item if necessary.
I tie off the other end of the fishing line onto a makeshift 'handle' at the other end which is attached by rubberbands. This allows me to actually pull the handle if I have to, retracting the fishing line into the tubing to free the food item completely.
You take a length of small diameter rigid airline tubing, and cut a short length of flexible airline/vinyl tubing which you stick on the end of it. You then run a lenth of thin fishing line through it, so that around 1/4 inch of the fishing line is sticking out of the bottom of the flexible airline end.
Here is a picture of the feeding end of the stick. (The rigid tubing part is longer than the picture shows).
You could modify the length and gauge(thickness) of the fishing line hanging out, and the length of the flexible airline tubing depending on the size of your frogfish and its food item if necessary.
I tie off the other end of the fishing line onto a makeshift 'handle' at the other end which is attached by rubberbands. This allows me to actually pull the handle if I have to, retracting the fishing line into the tubing to free the food item completely.
