The Frogfish Files

[james30ct]

Found this at the LFS today. Nice color. Shop owner said its an Antennarius Multiocellatus. Any info on these. Do they get big? It was around 5cm.

This says around 13cm at best.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...diwsfNM5Ue7WqPcHOC7gA6A&bvm=bv.71778758,d.aWw

 

[uberfugu]

Antennarius multiocellatus are the Western Atlantic version of A. pictus. Their size and habits are very similar. I think they generally do well in moderate sized aquariums. They've been hardy and relatively long-lived for me.

 

[uberfugu]

Here is a little guy that Rachel Arnold says is an undescribed species closely related to Antennatus rosaceus.


<a href="http://s13.photobucket.com/user/uberfugu/media/biocellatus_profile_zps510a6347.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a264/uberfugu/biocellatus_profile_zps510a6347.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo biocellatus_profile_zps510a6347.jpg"/></a>

 

[uberfugu]

And here are some Antennatus tuberosus. The little jungle gym is made from 35mm film canisters (remember those?) super-glued into a pyramid.


<a href="http://s13.photobucket.com/user/uberfugu/media/PSX_20140812_221002_zpsdjbsapg_edit_1410842478683_zpsrlhgovz5.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a264/uberfugu/PSX_20140812_221002_zpsdjbsapg_edit_1410842478683_zpsrlhgovz5.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo PSX_20140812_221002_zpsdjbsapg_edit_1410842478683_zpsrlhgovz5.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s13.photobucket.com/user/uberfugu/media/PSX_20140811_195037_zpsf8hdydk_edit_1410842591646_zpsjib6f4bi.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a264/uberfugu/PSX_20140811_195037_zpsf8hdydk_edit_1410842591646_zpsjib6f4bi.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo PSX_20140811_195037_zpsf8hdydk_edit_1410842591646_zpsjib6f4bi.jpg"/></a>

 

[geckoejon]

uberfugu, nice tuberosus! i really like the little jungle gym as well. lol i won't try putting more than 1 frogfish together again though....

i have had my warty frogfish for months, and saw a fun manchu lionfish at the lfs. they were right at the same size, and the owner of the lfs assured me they would be fine together.... i fed the warty a handful of shrimp, tossed in 3 chromis, and then added the lionfish. 3 days later, i came home to the warty with a huge belly, and the lionfish gone!!! the warty's belly was so fat that it could only touch one fin at a time to the sand! it was like a weeble wobble.... i thought i was going to lose him....

a week later, he is doing alright. i am seriously glad that i didn't lose the warty, but i'm bummed about the fu manchu....

moral of the story, be very... very.... very... careful if you are thinking about putting anything in with a frogfish. mine was well fed and still ate a poisonous lionfish... it was my fault for adding it. i'm just glad it survived... i won't add anything else again...

 

[uberfugu]

Really sucks for the lionfish Jon. Frogfish are gluttons.

 

[uberfugu]

More Antennatus sp.
<a href="http://s13.photobucket.com/user/uberfugu/media/My%20Frogfish/PSX_20141110_233531_zps7tuz18zj.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a264/uberfugu/My%20Frogfish/PSX_20141110_233531_zps7tuz18zj.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo PSX_20141110_233531_zps7tuz18zj.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s13.photobucket.com/user/uberfugu/media/My%20Frogfish/PSX_20141111_153659_zpsr0jxg0uq.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a264/uberfugu/My%20Frogfish/PSX_20141111_153659_zpsr0jxg0uq.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo PSX_20141111_153659_zpsr0jxg0uq.jpg"/></a>

 

[uberfugu]

and another Antennatus tuberosus:

<a href="http://s13.photobucket.com/user/uberfugu/media/My%20Frogfish/PSX_20141102_190911_zps1ww1libf.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a264/uberfugu/My%20Frogfish/PSX_20141102_190911_zps1ww1libf.jpg" border="0" alt="Antennatus tuberosus photo PSX_20141102_190911_zps1ww1libf.jpg"/></a>

 

[geckoejon]

it's a sad day.... my frogfish died today....

i'm pretty sure it was sudden angler death syndrome. it ate a couple chromis saturday. yesterday it was breathing very hard all day, and today he was gone...

i think i am going to try to have him mounted. he was an awesome fish and will be missed a lot.....

 

[Sweeper13]

I've been following the topic thru every split and turn. I just picked up a Pictus and have had him for a week, setup is 12g eclipse tank. The sand and live rock are from established tank. When I first got him he hid in the live rock for 2 days. Now he's on top/ side of the Marineland heater just hanging out. Staying away from the bottom of the heater element. He hasn't been on the rock since. The live rock is about 6lx5wx4h inches, it does have bristol worms in the rock. Could the worms be bothering him ,that's why he's staying off the rock? Thanks for the help.

Also sorry for everyone's loss on there Frogfish. Sad to see them go.

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

This thread needs a bump. Here's my very own shadow monster:

 

[Sweeper13]

Cool

 

[Psychedelic]

http://mlp.rwsentosablog.com/2013/10/21/babies-of-the-s-e-a-frogfish/

This might be of interest.

 

[fessoclown]

it's a sad day.... my frogfish died today....

i think i am going to try to have him mounted. he was an awesome fish and will be missed a lot.....

Did you do it? What a great idea. Please say you did it, post pics if you did.


I just finished reading through this thread. Thanks to everyone who has posted, there is a wealth of info here!

I just added a 30G tall tank to my system, it looks so empty right now and I am thinking of turning it into a frog-fish habitat.

I noticed that a lot of you keep your frogs in fuges attached to your main systems. Do you think there would be a problem with a reverse light cycle? I am running an ATS at the top of the tank.

I am planning of finding some live rock that is fully encrusted with coralline algae and a bunch of different macros to spruce up the habitat. I think I may go bare bottom to be able to syphon out waste easily or perhaps very course crushed coral. Do any of you run barebottom or do frogfish prefer sand?

I am undecided of the type of frog I want, a lot will depend on what is available when I am ready but I am leaning towards either A. pictus or A. maculatus but if a colourful Lophiocharon comes in I will totally go for that. I am fallow right now so I still have at least 60 days to get the tank set up, it's plumbed in and ready to go now though just needs decor.

 

[JoeVandal49]

I just joined the club.

There has been a frogfish in at the local Petco for a couple months. It came in as a "colored angler". I have no idea what kind it is and this site just confused me more... lol.

http://www.frogfish.ch/species-arten/all-frogfish-species.html

Anyways, he had been in the petco for several months( aquatics manager said no one ever even noticed her) and i have been wanting one as the only inhabitant for my 55 g display refugium, and since this one has been eating well and i thought he was a great looking fish, i snagged it. He is about 3 inches currently, and a moss color, with what i am calling "Lichen" spots and little tassles.

Great fish.

 

[JoeVandal49]

I just joined the club.

There has been a frogfish in at the local Petco for a couple months. It came in as a "colored angler". I have no idea what kind it is and this site just confused me more... lol.

http://www.frogfish.ch/species-arten/all-frogfish-species.html

Anyways, he had been in the petco for several months( aquatics manager said no one ever even noticed her) and i have been wanting one as the only inhabitant for my 55 g display refugium, and since this one has been eating well and i thought he was a great looking fish, i snagged it. He is about 3 inches currently, and a moss color, with what i am calling "Lichen" spots and little tassles.

Great fish.

So i have been tirelessly looking at these photos etc.

Looking at the anglers mostly(not sure if this is the best way to ID) i have narrowed down what i beleive to be my likely options based on the angler and other similar body characteristics.

These are the two that i feel most closely match the fish i have.

-Antennatus dorehensis
-Antennatus nummifer

What are the odds one of these is what i have(commonly collected? etc)?

Are their any additional species that i should be looking at with similar characteristics and angler?

I will try to get someone over to the house to take a good photo ASAP. I cant seem to get any photos that would be worth posting.

 

[Sweeper13]

Get some photos up on the forum and hopefully some peeps can reply. Just google angler/ frogfish and see if something comes up in the images. How much did you pay for him?

edited...Cancel looking for images...I see you did that..lol

 

[JoeVandal49]

Get some photos up on the forum and hopefully some peeps can reply. Just google angler/ frogfish and see if something comes up in the images. How much did you pay for him?

edited...Cancel looking for images...I see you did that..lol

$49.99 -20% since they are having a sale.

 

[uberfugu]

Do you think there would be a problem with a reverse light cycle?

I don't think there'd be any problem with a reverse light cycle. The only thing I have ever noticed is that under bright MH lamps, frogfishes tend to hide... Perhaps avoiding bright light levels.

Do any of you run barebottom or do frogfish prefer sand?

I've done/do both. Doesn't seem to matter. They do appreciate L/R to perch upon.

I am undecided of the type of frog I want, a lot will depend on what is available when I am ready but I am leaning towards either A. pictus or A. maculatus but if a colourful Lophiocharon comes in I will totally go for that. I am fallow right now so I still have at least 60 days to get the tank set up, it's plumbed in and ready to go now though just needs decor.

Very nice set-up. Having a habitat plumbed into a larger system is a great idea. Gives a much more stable environment for the frogfish.

 

[uberfugu]

These are the two that i feel most closely match the fish i have.

-Antennatus dorehensis
-Antennatus nummifer

What are the odds one of these is what i have(commonly collected? etc)?

Are their any additional species that i should be looking at with similar characteristics and angler?

Picture is worth a thousand words!

That whole nummifer complex are superficially similar. Where I'm at (SF Bay Area), A. nummifer, A. coccineus, and A. sp. nova (Rachel Arnold's undescribed species) are readily available.

They are certainly less popular than frogfish in the Antennarius pictus complex but, when closely examined, have a charm of their own (much like that quiet girl sitting in the back of the bar).

Barring some good pictures, you may want to head over to fishbase

http://www.fishbase.org/Nomenclature/ScientificNameSearchList.php?

And compare some of the Antennatus species.