The Frogfish Files
- Thread starter gregt
- Start date
thecichlidpleco
New member
After feeding a couple while volunteering at the zoo, would a 20 long suffice, and would there be any suggestions on an easy species, is LA divers den a good place for one. Any good starter info.
elvn
New member
Hi again. I'm glad to see this thread alive.
I've had a few frogfish over the years. I've had my current one, a pictus, for two years and nearly 6 months.
I have him in a species only tank as far as mobile animals are concened. There are a few soft corals in there with him, with a single pc actinic and a single white no bulb above.
I wouldn't recommend any crabs or fish with a frogfish because for one thing they can damage his esca (lure) by trying to eat it, and large fish could nip, tear and bully the smaller frogfish, or end up half-in the mouth like others have related depending on size. The other obvious reason is blockage or internal damage to the frogfish. Another reason is that lionfish and scorpionfishes can damage their lower jaw, which is a very sad thing to happen. (Similarly, however cool it might be to feed live food to a predator, many snake and large lizard owners only feed dead mice and rats in order to minimize the chance of damage to their pet). I've also had trouble with large hawaiian starfish trying to eat one of my frogfish before. Microstars are probably fine, but I wouldn't trust any predatory starfish. As for snails I've had a much oversized mexican turbo in with my frogfish but I wouldn't put anything he could even think of putting in his mouth (even enough to damage his jaw) in the tank.
As for feeding I feed my frogfish and my dwarf lionfish (in a different tank) every 3 or 4 days. I vary their diet between uncooked shrimp and ocean fish from the grocery store that I cut a chunk off of. Once in awhile I'll feed them krill but thats rarely. I never feed any pieces larger than I think their gut would be, and definitely not anything larger than 1/2 the length of the fish I am feeding - more like 1/4. I always soak the food in a tiny bit of rodi or tankwater with a drop of selcon directly on the food for awhile before I feed.
I use a feeding stick someone suggested on rc to me a long time ago. I posted a picture of it in this thread somewhere. It is a thin rigid airline tube with a short section of flexible airline tube forced onto the end of it. A fishing line fed through all the tubing until just a quarter inch or so of fishing line is sticking out. On the other end of the tube you can make some type of handle to tie the fishing line off on. I tied it to a piece of larger tubing that I rubberbanded to the side of the rigid airline tube. The way to use this feeding stick is to spear the food with 'hair' of the rigid fishing line sticking out of the end of the tube. You stick the fishing line 'nub' through the food. The whole feeding stick is pretty clear, especially in the water so it works pretty well with a bit of puppeteering of the food. The soft section of flexible airline tubing helps prevent damage to the predatory fish's jaw if he tries to gobble the stick accidentally. You can also pull the handle you tied the fishing line off on with your other hand if you have to , which will retract the fishing line from the food item.
The other thing I think is most important is water changes and keeping the water clean. Most people keep frogfish in a small species tank which doesn't take long for the frogfish to end up living in his own unflushed toilet. This becomes even worse if you are feeding coral in the tank periodically like I do, and have live rock with its own bio-mass. I've been planning on getting a drilled tank so that I can plumb my frogfish tank into my main reef tank's sump so that it will benefit from the large water volume, skimming, and easy water changes.
I've had a few frogfish over the years. I've had my current one, a pictus, for two years and nearly 6 months.
I have him in a species only tank as far as mobile animals are concened. There are a few soft corals in there with him, with a single pc actinic and a single white no bulb above.
I wouldn't recommend any crabs or fish with a frogfish because for one thing they can damage his esca (lure) by trying to eat it, and large fish could nip, tear and bully the smaller frogfish, or end up half-in the mouth like others have related depending on size. The other obvious reason is blockage or internal damage to the frogfish. Another reason is that lionfish and scorpionfishes can damage their lower jaw, which is a very sad thing to happen. (Similarly, however cool it might be to feed live food to a predator, many snake and large lizard owners only feed dead mice and rats in order to minimize the chance of damage to their pet). I've also had trouble with large hawaiian starfish trying to eat one of my frogfish before. Microstars are probably fine, but I wouldn't trust any predatory starfish. As for snails I've had a much oversized mexican turbo in with my frogfish but I wouldn't put anything he could even think of putting in his mouth (even enough to damage his jaw) in the tank.
As for feeding I feed my frogfish and my dwarf lionfish (in a different tank) every 3 or 4 days. I vary their diet between uncooked shrimp and ocean fish from the grocery store that I cut a chunk off of. Once in awhile I'll feed them krill but thats rarely. I never feed any pieces larger than I think their gut would be, and definitely not anything larger than 1/2 the length of the fish I am feeding - more like 1/4. I always soak the food in a tiny bit of rodi or tankwater with a drop of selcon directly on the food for awhile before I feed.
I use a feeding stick someone suggested on rc to me a long time ago. I posted a picture of it in this thread somewhere. It is a thin rigid airline tube with a short section of flexible airline tube forced onto the end of it. A fishing line fed through all the tubing until just a quarter inch or so of fishing line is sticking out. On the other end of the tube you can make some type of handle to tie the fishing line off on. I tied it to a piece of larger tubing that I rubberbanded to the side of the rigid airline tube. The way to use this feeding stick is to spear the food with 'hair' of the rigid fishing line sticking out of the end of the tube. You stick the fishing line 'nub' through the food. The whole feeding stick is pretty clear, especially in the water so it works pretty well with a bit of puppeteering of the food. The soft section of flexible airline tubing helps prevent damage to the predatory fish's jaw if he tries to gobble the stick accidentally. You can also pull the handle you tied the fishing line off on with your other hand if you have to , which will retract the fishing line from the food item.
The other thing I think is most important is water changes and keeping the water clean. Most people keep frogfish in a small species tank which doesn't take long for the frogfish to end up living in his own unflushed toilet. This becomes even worse if you are feeding coral in the tank periodically like I do, and have live rock with its own bio-mass. I've been planning on getting a drilled tank so that I can plumb my frogfish tank into my main reef tank's sump so that it will benefit from the large water volume, skimming, and easy water changes.
thecichlidpleco
New member
So most snails, besides large turbos, would not be recommended as a cuc?
elvn
New member
I forgot to mention in my last post that I always have an airstone in my predator tanks if they aren't in a loop with big skimmer and tumbling overflows. I always heard that eels benefit from increased oxygen and I carried that habit over to my frogfish tank.
In regard to snails as I said I wouldn't put anything in a tank with my frogfish that he could injure himself on or that could injure my frogfish. That eliminates most things. Other animals can decide to pick at the frogfish's skin or rip off his lure. The frogfish itself can damage its jaw or internal tract trying to eat things it shouldn't. I figure that a turbo snail is big enough to avoid most problems, unless it mistakenly decides that the frogfish's skin is algae or something and pesters it.
I keep a 65w pc light + a NO light above my frogfish tank and have been growing a few soft coral frags in there with him.
In regard to snails as I said I wouldn't put anything in a tank with my frogfish that he could injure himself on or that could injure my frogfish. That eliminates most things. Other animals can decide to pick at the frogfish's skin or rip off his lure. The frogfish itself can damage its jaw or internal tract trying to eat things it shouldn't. I figure that a turbo snail is big enough to avoid most problems, unless it mistakenly decides that the frogfish's skin is algae or something and pesters it.
I keep a 65w pc light + a NO light above my frogfish tank and have been growing a few soft coral frags in there with him.
fussoverthis
New member
Hey, guys,
I'm slowly reading this entire thread. Wanted to know if you all thought about this photo. To me this fish looks gravid (if that's the correct term).
http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?ddid=22488&siteid=20
Thanks,
Melissa
I'm slowly reading this entire thread. Wanted to know if you all thought about this photo. To me this fish looks gravid (if that's the correct term).
http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?ddid=22488&siteid=20
Thanks,
Melissa
I doubt it - to me it looks like they just fed it a large meal. When they're gravid both sides seem to swell up fairly large as seen in this video (best video capture of a spawning occurrence IMO):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKBo05GoY5w
Mr. Ugly
New member
smoney
Active member
Ok, I went to the LFS and bought another Angler, which was a red Antennarius maculatus. I put it in the tank with my yellow Antennarius maculatus and may have misjudged the size a bit.
My Yellow is about 3.5" and the red is maybe 2-2.5" will they be fine together or is the red one fish food?
I Fed the yellow before I added the red one.
Good? Bad? YIKES?
Its been about 6-7hours so far and no problems.
My Yellow is about 3.5" and the red is maybe 2-2.5" will they be fine together or is the red one fish food?
I Fed the yellow before I added the red one.
Good? Bad? YIKES?
Its been about 6-7hours so far and no problems.
lucy.lou.glass
New member
has any on eseen the giant froggy at the shedd in chicago???
i just went last weekend what a great suprise.
i just went last weekend what a great suprise.
Last night I was examining gonad morphology when I noticed the frogfish I cut open (these have all been long dead, no worries) had some type of worm within its gut cavity. Further examination showed infestation around the heart as well. This prompted me to write here and advise everyone to make sure they de-worm their frogfishes, as this is far from the first frogfish I've run across that's been infested with some type of worm. Frogfishes within the aquarium and in the wild have been parasitized by these things. I am not sure if it's all the same type of worm or not- if I have time I'll try follow that up some more. I do not know all the types of de-wormers available for fish, but I did order some not too long ago named Praziquantel that I was only able to find at pondrx.com (medication added to water (fine for a reef tank!) vs. food, but I think the recommendation was to find one that was added to the food, which would be easy for a frogfish if it's eating dead items). I have no idea how well Prazi works, not having tried it on frogfish myself, but I have added it to my display tank as a precaution with no adverse effects. The guy at PondRX (Ted) is really nice as well.
Reefcherie
Premium Member
What makes you so certain it is "fine for reef tanks?"
