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Hi pete, or Leslie
Now that I\’m getting a larger tank, I would like to add some livestock. You know how picky and careful I am with what accompanys my seahorses. I have been fascinated with anglers almost as long as I have seahorses. I always knew I couldnt have both and never dreamed I would bite the bullet for a tank large enough to hold an angler. I have done all my homework as usual, and I am very confused. My LFS has a dwarf frogfish. He is a beauty, they have had him for 3 months. I have seen him eat ghost shrimp,
I insisted on it, since I know alot of these guys dont eat well in captivity. He is about 1 1/2 inches,and hasnt grown much at all in the 3 months I have been watching him, from what I understand they only get 6 cm or 2 inches if they are dwarfs. I have heard of people keeping leafish with seahorses. I personally ruled this out when I found out they were in the scorpion family and practically cousins to the infamous Lionfish. The frogfish is an angler, it is a bottom dweller, and it supposedly doesnt sting. The only bad thing is they all (dwarfs included) have a horrible reputation for being voracious eaters (If they eat). I am having a hard time imagining this little guy being large enough to consume even my smallest seahorse, at 3 1/2 inches, much less the others. I have also read that anglers can consume fish twice their size, and the mouth can open to twelve times its size? I cannot decide whether to rule him out or not. I really want one bad, but not at the horses expense and the only other thing I know to do is go to the store and buy him a feeder fish the size of my horses to see what he is really capable of. Have either of you ever had any experience with these? Thanks for being there.Dear Saint:
I’ve always been fascinated by the unusual lifestyle, remarkable feeding habits, and appearance of sargassumfish, frogfish, anglers and the like. How wonderfully weird is it to have a fish that angles for other fish, tempting them within striking disputes by using its own built-in fishing rod and lure to attract them? Anglerfish and frogfish are indeed bottom dwellers that spend most of their time lurking motionless on the bottom or slowly "walking" along the substrate on stubby, limb-like fins, and they are not at all poisonous or venomous. They do not sting.
I’m not familiar with the dwarf frogfish, but everything you have heard about the eating habits of these amazing animals is based on fact. They have cavernous mouths with an incredible gape, bottomless appetites, and can easily consume prey as large or larger than themselves. (Some deep-sea anglers have distendable stomachs that can stretch to enormous portions, allowing them to swallow fish several times their own size, intact and whole.) Most other anglerfish lack the same sort of stretch-belly but they also manage to consume gargantuan meals by the simple expedient of allowing half of their latest victim to hang out of their mouths while they digest the other half. Sargassumfish and anglerfish are known to include seahorses on their menu, so I would have a very hard time trusting any sort of frogfish with my seahorses.
That doesn’t mean you have to do without the frogfish, but I would strongly suggest that you consider setting it up in a smaller specialty tank all its own. That would be the safest way to proceed and safely explore your interest in both the anglerfish and the seahorses.
Best wishes with all your fishes, Saint!
Respectfully,
Pete GiwojnaThanks Pete,
Once again you are exactly right. I couldnt believe my eyes. I went to the LFS tonight, I specifically asked if they had fed the dwarf frogfish today? When they answered no, I begged them to let me purchase a 2-3 inch feeder fish. The largest they had was approx. 1 1/2 inches about the same size as the angler. I carefully watched (morbid maybe, but safety first) to see if I could get an idea of just how large a gulp this guy could swallow. To my amazement I was standing there as the fish hit the water, the frogfish began laying down on his side acting as a leaf on the bottom of the tank, you could see his eyes carefully but skillfully watching the innocent feeder. I thought this may take a while he is waiting for dinner to come to him. NOT>>> This guy soared to the top of the tank, how big his mouth was? I have no idea I missed it. The feeder was gone, and I didnt see a thing. Never would I put this little guy in the tank. I cant believe I was told it would be possible. I am, now even more fascinated with him and after I finish my new horse tank, I may have to convert one of the holding tanks to a dwarf angler residence. I guess we can place him at the top of the incompatible list for seahorses. No seahorses were harmed during this experiment.
Cindy
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