The Frogfish Files

[Bongo Shrimp]

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

[Sweeper13]

Cool

[Psychedelic]

http://mlp.rwsentosablog.com/2013/10...-e-a-frogfish/

This might be of interest.

[fessoclown]

Originally Posted by geckoejon

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...h-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]

Originally Posted by 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...h-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]

Originally Posted by 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

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

[uberfugu]

Originally Posted by fessoclown

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.

Originally Posted by fessoclown

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.

Originally Posted by fessoclown

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]

Originally Posted by JoeVandal49

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...earchList.php?

And compare some of the Antennatus species.

[JoeVandal49]

Originally Posted by uberfugu

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...earchList.php?

And compare some of the Antennatus species.

Thanks Uberfugu. After browsing i believe i have Antennatus coccineus. But i will get some photos when i have someone over that can take good ones.

[JoeVandal49]

So i have been reading mixed reviews.

I understand the dangers of fatty liver from feeding fresh water feeder fish.

My question is this, what real dangers am i looking at if i were to feed live, gut fed, saltwater converted, Mollies/guppies?

I can and do feed frozen to all of my other fish, including my eels, so i have no problem spot feeding frozen(frogfish is currently eating frozen Krill, but wont eat anything else frozen).

However, i would personally prefer to feed live once a week.

Ghost shrimp and saltwater feeders outside of chromis are not available in my area, so for those types of live feeders i would be subject to ordering online which i would like to avoid if possible.

Also, is a moderate sized feeding once a week acceptable?

I can feed as often as i need to, but im terrified of over feeding.

[uberfugu]

Originally Posted by JoeVandal49

So i have been reading mixed reviews.

Much of the information available is anecdotal. Mixed reviews are probably a good indicator that many experiences differ according to environmental conditions and the temperament of the individual animal. The higher the n number (sample size), the clearer the overall picture of what to expect in a particular species, but there are always outliers and probably too many variables to be precise with pedantic recommendations beyond the very general (good water quality, consistent water parameters).H

That is one of the great things about this thread... opinions vary and there are many ways to achieve a similar goal.

Originally Posted by JoeVandal49

I understand the dangers of fatty liver from feeding fresh water feeder fish.

Fatty liver degeneration was indicated in wild collected frogfishes. I probably helped spread this notion as it is noted in a variety of 'amateur' publications.

Through observation (not examination of gut dissection) of frogfishes in the wild is that they are opportunistic feeders. As ambush predators, they don't necessarily have the dietary options available compared to an active pursuit predator (a shark can chase after the dinner of his choice; frogfishes will prey upon what makes itself available). In short, they'll eat all kinds of strange things, some better but some possibly worse than a goldfish (Carassius auratus) et. al.

Getting to the point, from experience as a human with diabetic concerns and a general fitness interests, it makes sense to me (note the non-scientific qualifier) that a varied, marine diet somewhat approximating what a frogfish would eat in habitat would be the best for long term health and happiness.

To go on, I feed my good frogfishes (the ones that will eat this type of food item) either rotating chunks of previously frozen halibut, smelt, anchovy, squid, clam pieces on an acrylic feeding stick. I also take the above mentioned seafood buffet, blended with selcon (or similar), agar agar, and frozen into small, little fishsticks. (note: do not come to my house for frozen margaritas. I only have one blender.)

Originally Posted by JoeVandal49

My question is this, what real dangers am i looking at if i were to feed live, gut fed, saltwater converted, Mollies/guppies?

None... in the short term. It does behove you to 1) get real marine foodstuffs and 2) vary their diets. Variety is the spice of life.

Originally Posted by JoeVandal49

I can and do feed frozen to all of my other fish, including my eels, so i have no problem spot feeding frozen(frogfish is currently eating frozen Krill, but wont eat anything else frozen).

Nothing wrong with krill. Fairly nutritious and marine to boot. If you can get your froggy to eat frozen krill, I would think that, eventually, you can get it to eat other frozen foodstuffs.

Originally Posted by JoeVandal49

However, i would personally prefer to feed live once a week.

Not necessarily a better option. I had the terrible claim to fame of getting my reidi seahorses to only accept live ghost shrimp when they were raised on frozen mysis (my ex-wife might be justified using the term idiot). I think that today's frozen options are oftentimes more nutritious compared to the starved, nutritiously-inadequate live items we raise.

Originally Posted by JoeVandal49

Ghost shrimp and saltwater feeders outside of chromis are not available in my area, so for those types of live feeders i would be subject to ordering online which i would like to avoid if possible.

A visit to the local seafood counter might provide a variety of acceptable options. You just need to be patient and coerce your frogfish to eat off of a stick.

Originally Posted by JoeVandal49

Also, is a moderate sized feeding once a week acceptable?

That is what I do and I have been pretty successful as of late.

I do have some frogfishes that won't eat off of an acrylic feeding stick. Mainly my little >1" Antennatus tuberosus. They only accept f/w ghost shrimp. So I gut-load the ghost shrimp with cyclop-eez and they seem to do well.

[Sweeper13]

Dang....Now that I look at few pics from the last few pages, I think mine is a A. maculatus. UBERFUGU posted a pic on topic 937. Mine is looking exactly like the red one in pic. Now that he's got a lil bigger. I feed mine shrimp and clam. He was doing ghost shrimp at the beginning. Now he sees me coming with the stick and he's trying to jump at me. I was lucky and he was eating off stick within 33 days. Forgot to add, I usually feed him every 4 or 5 days.

[skot]

After much reminiscing ive been bit by the frog bug again. Its great to look back at all these beautiful fish.

[uberfugu]

Originally Posted by skot

After much reminiscing ive been bit by the frog bug again. Its great to look back at all these beautiful fish.

So, what are you going to get?

[skot]

I do not know. i loved my Lophiocharon trisignatus, but i think ill be very limited in what i can get in Austin TX. Ive never owned a warty but i think it will be too small for my 58g. So im more going to start talking and looking around to see whats possible. i miss my old friend....

[uberfugu]

A. maculatus are the Lexuses of the frogfish world. I'm kind of sold on the quality and guarantee of Liveaquaria. Diver's Den are wysiwyg.

[Ssteve]

Why the love loss around here?

[uberfugu]

Well, I just lost a pictus today. Didn't quarantine a new tankmate. Thought that chloroquine phosphate would have protected the animal. After all of these years, still not heeding my own advice.

I did start setting up a new IM Nuvo 20. It's the bare bones tank with a smoked glass background. Looks like it won't have any occupants in the near future (not necessarily a bad thing).

Here's a pic of one of my little Antennatus tuberosus.

[E36328i]

Anyone have a consensus on how long frogfish live in captivity? I havent heard many living beyond a year or two but from what I understand that is largely from overfeeding?

[uberfugu]

Originally Posted by E36328i

Anyone have a consensus on how long frogfish live in captivity? I havent heard many living beyond a year or two but from what I understand that is largely from overfeeding?

See http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...&postcount=904

[ReefCowboy]

By far the coolest fish in the hobby! Wish i could have one in a reef tank

[korrvalmoria]

Hello, Everyone.

I'm new to the hobby. I have read that the variable triggering the color change of Frogfish is still unknown (I read it from Wiki and other source that I forgot).

The question now is, I have my frogfish for a month now. When I bought him, he was bright orangey-yellow, but now, he became a mud (in color lol). He is a brackish water frogfish (Antennarius biocellatus). How can I turn back him to his previous color?





Thanks,

Korr


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[moondoggy4]

Originally Posted by ReefCowboy

By far the coolest fish in the hobby! Wish i could have one in a reef tank

You can as long he is the smallest fish in the tank, or he might become the largest. I had a Warty back in the 80's but it was FO tank.