The Frogfish Files

[Reefcherie]

How many days has it been since UB had a meal and what did it feed on at that time? Their digestive systems are quite slow....

That being said, my angler seems far better adapted to catching the marine shrimp I've been giving him than the marine feeder fish. When he lures for the fish, it seems to spook them and they swim away. He's not adapted for a chase. When I give him shrimp though, they aren't necessarily attracted to the lure, but at least aren't scared of it. Fuggly creeps up or just waits for the shrimp to come close enough. You may have better luck w/ yours with the shrimp.

Cheri

[frogman182]

i havent seen him lure to date. i threw in a dozen ghost shrimp tonight that he seems to have taken an interest in. i think it is going to be a week on friday, the store fed him goldfish i know, i know.

[fish_fanatik]

I have had an angler for over a month now and feeding him is getting way to expensive. I have been buying damsels at 3.50 a pop. I have been reading through this thread and noticed some people feeding their anglers guppies, mollies, etc. I have already tried frozen silversides with no success. I also feed ghost shrimp, but those are so small I feel like he is still hungry after eating 3 of them. Anyone have luck feeding them guppies, goldfish, mollies etc? Thanks

Julie

[Jordan55]

My guy loved guppies. I mostly only fed him that. I think he may have died from starvation. He was about 3.5 inches and I fed him 1/2 inch guppies 4 times a week at 1 per feeding. I think when I do another one I will give him more choices.

[Wee Man]

dont feed your angler guppies for for a long term food

GUPPIES AND GOLDFISH ARE NOT NUTRITIOUS ENOUGH TO SUSTAIN A HEALTHY DIET!!!!!!!
i dont know howmany times that has been repeated in this thread, it is simply not acceptpable.

[fish_fanatik]

Can my angler be completely sustained by ghost shrimp? I know other reefers gut load them with selcon. Why would fresh water shrimp be nutritious enough but not other fresh water fish? I am not arguing with anyone.....just curious.

[mattjk]

are guppies ok to feed?

























j/k

I've been feeding mine small damsels about once every 1 or 1.5 weeks.

[Reefcherie]

Originally posted by fish_fanatik
Can my angler be completely sustained by ghost shrimp? I know other reefers gut load them with selcon. Why would fresh water shrimp be nutritious enough but not other fresh water fish? I am not arguing with anyone.....just curious.

I suppose what makes one thing healthy or not depends upon the composition of the tissues making up the critter. I think the difference between freshwater and marine feeders is the nutrients such as the omega-3 fatty acids. I suspect more than one species of shrimp may go by the title "ghost shrimp" but I think they are naturally brackish water shrimp which can be adapted either to full fresh or full marine. I'd expect they are more nutritious than creatures that nature never designed for a saline environment. I personally stick with true marine feeder shrimp and fish. It is somewhat expensive and inconvenient, but I've got a system in place to minimize both of those as best I can. I believe it is part of the responsibility you take on when you choose to buy one of these fish.

Cheri

[Fishy1]

Stick with mollies (instead of guppies) until you get him over to marine feeders. They can be acclimated to full saltwater and are closer to the marine food he needs in composition. Feed them marine flake and keep trying to switch him over. Hold them buy the tale in front of your angler and then when he shows interest release them. After a while of doing this try holding a frozen/thawed silverside by the tale and releasing it. He may be so accustomed to receiving a live mollie that he just gulps the silverside down as it is falling in front of him. You can also take a piece of thread/dental floss and super glue it to the tale of the silverside. When I say superglue, I mean the tiniest speck (pinhead size) you can manage. When the silverside appears to be free falling in front of him it seems to be more "live". When he gulps the silverside in, most of the time the tiny speck of glue comes off the fish and sticks to the thread.......just a trick that worked for me

fishy1

[fish_fanatik]

thank you for the advice. I will try the superglue and floss thing.

[onefin]

Cool fish!!

[Wee Man]

i myself take a wooden skewer used for kabobs and i impale the silverside on it. then i chop the sharp tip off and put in the tank. my frog is such a pig he goes right after it.

[Fishy1]

I have a friend that does that too, Weeman Works like a charm for them. I just use a clear plastic feeding stick or simply wiggle it in my fingers in front of "Ollie's" face. He is so conditioned to eating that way I have no trouble. In the beginning, however, he was threatened or intimidated by the feeding stick. He wanted absolutely NOHTING to do with it. That's why I resorted to the string/superglue way of feeding him. It was out of my frustration the idea was born. Ater a few times of eating this way he was easy to switch over to a feeding stick/finger way of eating. Unfortunately frogfish can be VERY stubborn weaning off live food to thawed/frozen........I guess patience is a definite virtue when it comes to owning a frogfish

fishy1

[downset]

can you tell me what species this one is

i got him a few days ago he has been swiming around and active but he hasnt eaten anything yet,i have 3 small peppermint srimp in there with him,how long does it take for them to get settled into a tank

[Reefcherie]

Geez that frog is gorgeous!! How long he takes to settle in will vary. I hope he's got plenty of places to hide or "blend in." That will help him feel more comfortable. Do you know when he was fed last? Their digestive system is quite slow, so he might just be working on his last meal if it was too large or something hard for him to digest. I think he'll love the small Peppermint Shrimp, so he probably just needs a little more time.

Cheri

[jcigars]

Originally posted by downset
can you tell me what species this one is

i got him a few days ago he has been swiming around and active but he hasnt eaten anything yet,i have 3 small peppermint srimp in there with him,how long does it take for them to get settled into a tank

You should ask Anthony if he knows when he last ate. I lost mine that looked similar to that to a powerhead I did buy two morw to replace him....I'll try and get some pictures.

[Reefcherie]

BTW - I forgot to mention that with frogfish, "swimming around and active" isn't the good sign that it is with other fish. These are cryptic, sedentary fish by nature. If he's doing a lot of swimming around, that tends to be an indication of stress. It is far more typical for them to sit there like bumps on stumps, perhaps changing to a new ambush position every few hours at most.

Cheri

[Wee Man]

btw expect you peppermint shrimp to die soon

[downset]

Reefcherie - He was swiming aroung for the first day and a half he seems to have settled down a littel now he is the only fish in the tank,a 16 gallon just for him
jcigars- anothy said he was eating saltwater guppys i didnt ask how many and when
Wee man- thats what the shrimp are for :P

does light bother these guys?

[Reefcherie]

Originally posted by downset
Reefcherie - He was swiming aroung for the first day and a half he seems to have settled down a littel now he is the only fish in the tank,a 16 gallon just for him

does light bother these guys?

Glad to hear he's settling down. My angler is in my refugium - lit ~10hrs a day by PC lighting to grow the Chaetomorpha in there. I also once had an angler in my clam tank w/ a 250W MH pendant light, so IME these guys aren't bothered by lighting. There are varieties of anglers that live in the deep ocean that might now like it, but I think those commonly found in the hobby are mostly collected from fairly shallow water areas.

Cheri

[downset]

Got any ideas on the species?
do you have any new pics of youres?

[Reefcherie]

Identifying species of angler can be pretty tough! It generally involves counting spines, checking out the length of his illicium (the pole) and shape of the esca (the lure). Even noticing how the angler lures (circling, flicking, etc...) can all be clues. I recommend Scott Michael's "Reef Fishes Vol 1" if you want to get into the specifics of how many of what type of spine each species has. There is an entire chapter with great pictures and info on frogfish.

The most recent picture I've taken of Fuggly is posted in this thread a few pages back - he was bright yellow. Against the Chaetomorpha in his home, he was standing out like a sore thumb. He appears to be trying to turn green now (not yet successfully though) and has grown a bunch of funny little protuberances. I need to get new pictures. His newest trick is to hang upside down from the Chaetomorpha ball waiting to ambush a shrimp. It looks pretty funny!

Cheri

[BlennyBabe]

Gotta love those hungry little buggers! Im gearing up to try again with another pictus. I really miss having something to look at when Im on the computer or doing homework. Maybe sometime after Christmas..

[Wee Man]

those are some expensive meals lol

[frogman182]

quick question. i have a green lettuce nudibranch that has been injured (dont ask) and i've thrown him into UB's tank for now, will he be ok in there until tonight? thanks. i think UB is finaly eating, i havent seen any of the ghost shrimp lately