Puffed Frogfish!

[Pufferpunk]

Package arrived about 11:30 this morning. I appreciate everything done to keep it nice & warm but I'd like to offer some constructive critisizm on packing fish...

1st of all, everything arrived alive!

It is my impression that heatpacks need air to work & the shipper it wrapped in bubblewrap. The pack was hot but not the outside of the plastic wrap. When you put foil over the frags, it prevents the the pack from keeping them warm--they frags were cold but are all open now, no biggie.

My biggest conccern was the frogfish. The bag was collapsed inside the thermos. There was barely any air in it & the poor gal was totally puffed up like a pufferfish! Her mouth was hanging open & she was really in distress. I put the bag in the tank & opened it right away & started splashing a little fresh tank water in it to airate the water she was in. I didn't want to shock her further by immediately adding her to the tank but after doing that for about 10 minutes, I scooped her out (I figured since she was already puffed, exposing her to air at this point would matter much). I tried burping her a little & some air came out. It took about 5 minutes for her to expel the air/water in her. I took lots of pics (puffed & unpuffed).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Pufferpunk/40gCornerTank/PuffedFroggie.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Pufferpunk/40gCornerTank/LessPuffedFroggie-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Pufferpunk/40gCornerTank/PartiallyPuffedFroggie.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Pufferpunk/40gCornerTank/Hithere.jpg

Good friends already!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Pufferpunk/40gCornerTank/FroggieFriend.jpg

[Recty]

Wow, I had no idea they can puff up like that? Do they swell with water normally or is this a freak thing and it was just gulping air?

How do you burp a frogfish, I've seen how to do it with puffers but isnt this fish much harder to touch?

[Pufferpunk]

I wasn't aware they could puff either, until the seller warned me not to expose it to air, that it might puff & that could kill it. I burped her just like I would a puffer. Only a little air came out & since I didn't want to stress her any further, I let her expel the rest of the water on her own.

[danorth]

Crazy. I guess they are pretty soft and all like a puffer.

[Pufferpunk]

Definately looks like a frog in the 1st pic.

[Mentat]

Congrats and good job handling situation, you saved that fish life. It's a beauty too!

[Elysia]

Pufferpunk, how is the frogfish? I hope okay. It has beautiful coloring.

[Pufferpunk]

She didn't eat the 1st day & yesterday, just a couple of ghost shrimp. Today I just bought some guppies but I have to feed THEM 1st.

*edit* She just ate a dozen guppies, gut-loaded with blackworms soaked in Selcon & marine vitamins!

[LisaD]

nice frogfish. where did you get her?

[Pufferpunk]

From a reefer on R2R.

[BSchaible]

wow! nice fish!

are these hard to care for?? reef safe?? temperament??

[Pufferpunk]

Not reef safe as far as anything as large as itself or smaller, fitting into it's hUGE mouth. Otherwise, they can be trusted with corals & are vey mellow fish, walking around on it's "feet". May be difficult to get eating dead foods.