New tiger angler acting weird

[dulim]

I recently purchased a tiger angler from LFS. I love these things. Their so ugly! Well, I've got it housed in a 20 gal with a hang prizm skimmer that is up to 100 gal capacity and 15-20 LR. Its been acting really strange. It likes to float at the surface of the water upside down as if it is dead. But when I go to touch it, its still alive. Is this common? He has been eating live guppies.

[Reefcherie]

dulim,

No that isn't normal behavior for an angler at all. I've seen mine upside down holding on to macro algae occasionally, but never just floating that way.

Guppies are a really poor long-term food for your frogfish. Continued feeding of any freshwater fish will lead to the early death of this angler. Ideally, you'll train him to eat dead silversides and krill, but in the meantime, you need to get healthy (quarantined) marine fish and shrimp for him.

For lots of info on hobbyist experience with frogfish, check out a thread here on RC http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=266993&highlight=frogfish+files

Cheri

[FMarini]

dulim-
I'm not sure what a tiger angler is, but it sounds like he ingested air and the air is counteracting his bouyancy or he has a swim bladder infection. Does he spend anytime rightside up and on the bottom?

[Reefcherie]

FWIW, at least one online store refers to A. striatus as a "Striated Tiger" and A. hispidus could also fit that same description.

I was wondering about whether it might have ingested air...but I didn't know that could result in upside down.

Do you know of any possible causes for swim bladder infections?

Cheri

[dulim]

Thanks for the replies. I looked at the angler today and I noticed that their is a bubble on the top of his head. It was trying to swim to the bottom but couldn't stay down. How do I treat it? Reefcheire, what kind of marine fish and shrimp are good to feed that won't kill my bank account. Are their any that I can easily breed? How about accimating mollys? I've been eye balling the same wartskin yellow angler at my LFS the Reefcherie has, but its overpriced $105. How much did you pay for it.

[Wee Man]

definitely sounds like it has ingested air, frogfishs should NEVER come in contact with the air so dont take it out of water. well i jate to be the bearer of bad news but when frogfish ingest air, they usually die within 3 days of ingesting it. one good idea is to maybe gently push it down to the bottom of the tank and maybe he can get a grasp onto something and he might burp up the bubble. if this dosnt work you may want to try to hold him in a position where his head is acing the surface, the deeper you hold him the better. the idea is to try to make the air bubble jet upwards and come out his mouth, but both of these scenarios are very unlikly, but i hope it works. Reef Cheerie its not unlikely for frogs to float upside down as thier stomachs are located below the spine and it is natural for the air to want to get as close to the surface as possible.

btw how many guppies have you fed it, frogs will overfeed and if given the oppertunity causing gas to get trapt in the stomach cousing them to float, how big is the frog and how much have you fed him.

[Wee Man]

btw the best live feed for them is probably ghost/grass/glass shrimp all are sold but they are pretty much the same thing. they are cheap nad when gutloaded with selcon or flake food they make good frogfishh food.