Quote:
Originally posted by Drewcipher
I am not sure about seeing any signs, but "swimming funny?" Isn't that a given with these fish. Plus, as I understand it, it depends on the species. I read, for example, that histrio histrio will cling to sargussum weed and when a predator comes by, will jump up on top and out of the water for a moment to escape.
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Yes, they do swim "funny" on a good day! I guess I should have said "funnier than normal for a frogfish" such as difficulty swimming upright, difficulty walking along the bottom, hanging out at the surface....something like that.
Scott Michael does report that Histrio histrio can jump (and apparently has no issues with ingesting air). I had an Antennarius hispidus that climbed out of one side of a divided tank (using some macro as a stepping stone) and into the other side - clearly had to be out of the water for a brief period of time - with no ill effects. So not
all air exposure to all species is potentially fatal. There certainly have been reported deaths stemming from netting and air transfer though.