Wartskin Angler in a reef tank

[fiji4118]

Hey all,

So I have been looking at adding an angler for a while. Always been a bit hesitant since most of them seem to be semi reef safe. Today I was looking at Divers Den and saw one that they say is reef safe. Compared it to others on the site that show as cautious to add and I saw that it is a different species. Anyone know anything about Antennarius pictus? Love to hear from an angler expert if we have one. It would be going in my 150. Nothing small enough for one 4-5" to eat but there are some active fish (angels, tangs, clowns).

Cheers!

Adam

 

[namxas]

Adam,

I dislike being "that person", however, you asked for an opinion...

Anglers are really best kept in single species/specimen setups. Not only can they swallow fishes that are twice their size, but they are also generally picked on by browsing fish (tangs, angels, rabbitfish, puffers, etc). Additionally, they will eat ornamental crustaceans, so your shrimp and crabs would be toast.

A. pictus (painted angler) generally maxes out at 6" - 6.5", and is closely related to A. maculatus (wartskin angler) and A. commersoni (giant angler). In fact, as juveniles, they can exhibit similar coloration, and can be difficult to ID to a "non-angler" person. In fact, many angler afficianados refer to these fish as the "pictus group" or "pictus complex". This is important because you could end up with a 10" Commerson's when you're expecting a 4" warty or a 6" pictus.

Anglers tend to be very sedentary, and have very slow metabolisms. So slow, in fact, that if an angler eats too large of a prey item, or just too many, that the food can actually begin to decompose in the fish's GI tract, which ends up killing the angler. Often when an angler swallows a tankmate, you lose both fish. That being said, adult anglers should be fed about twice a week, while small juvies should be fed every-other day until they get some size on them.

Finally, anglers can be prone to a little-understood malady known in angler circles as "Sudden Angler Death" (SAD). A seemingly fine fish begins acting agitated, darts around the tank, bloats, floats, and dies. I've had this happen with new fish as well as established fish...no reason, no rhyme that anyone I've spoken to knows of.

As for "active fish (angels, tangs, clowns)"...about 42 secs into the video:



In the wild:



The bottom line is that anglers are really cool, interesting fish that deserve their own setup.

 

[fiji4118]

Thanks Greg. Thanks for the feedback. I'll refrain from adding an angler to my system.