A True Oddball

[Valkyrie]

I recently bought a freshwater Stonefish (Toadfish) not terribly long ago, and I know he looks weird, but I'm still getting used to his strange habits. I don't often see him during the daytime--he prefers to lurk around and grumble to himself--but during the night, there is no telling in what weird place you'll find him when you switch on the lights. Once, I found him somehow clinging to the sealant two thirds of the way up to the top of tank. How he did it--or what he was doing there--I have absolutely no clue. Then, this morning, after I had flipped on the lights to my room and was getting ready, I noticed something poking out of a small hole in the top of a large, hollow aquarium ornament that serves as his "lair". Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was, in fact, the tip of his tail--he had somehow backed up inside the ornament and was now lurking in there upside-down with his tail sticking out of the roof. I have known my other fish to do weird things, but so far, I think this fish may just take the cake.

 

[fishing4exotics]

Sounds like a cool fish

 

[CatLover]

Haha, doesn't sound too weird to me. Just a fish being him fishy little self. I've never seen a stone fish before, but he sounds interesting.

 

[astroboy]

i believe they are brackish

 

[Lynden]

Some are brackish, but all will survive in freshwater.

I remember when i had mine; he was the coolest fish ever, and he would take goldfish half his size from my hand! He was so awesome; up until the oscars killed him.

Now how do you kill a fish with venomous spines? Especially if you're another fish with big lips and bad aim?

P.S. another story of strange night habits, my saltwater cowrie snail is basically still during the day, but at night, he moves around very quickly. Every morning i come downstairs to find my powerhead off of the suction cup holding it up; turns out its the cowrie, every night it goes to the powerhead and climbs on it, and his mass causes the powerhead to fall off of its suction cup.

 

[astroboy]

They may survive but not thrive.

I believe they are in the same boat as "freshwater" moray eels. They will live a short life in FW due to stress and illness caused by wrong water parameters

 

[-cAtFiSh-]

oh cool do you have any pics!
i am intrigued by this

 

[The-Wolf]

Batrachus trispinosus.
Freshwater stonefish or whatever they call them in your neck of the woods come from tropical areas where rivers flow into the ocean (estuaries). This means they live in brackish water. When the tide goes out, they live in freshwater. When the tide comes in, they live in river water mixed with ocean water (brackish water).
so unless you can simulate the ebbs and tides of an esturay, it is best to keep them in brackish water.

 

[Valkyrie]

Yes, I am well aware of that--I do my research, believe me, especially when it comes to a fish like this, and he is currently in a brackish setting. Nevertheless, despite the fact that it is brackish and should be kept in brackish water, it is still known as a Freshwater Stonefish (though it is a misleading name) probably to differentiate it from its better-known saltwater cousin.

For some good pictures of Batrachus trispinosus, go here.

 

[SamUK]

sound sijilar to my ADF's.


they seem to swim upwards as high as they can then swim side ways as far as they can before they hit the bottom again.

and when they hit the bottom they hit it hard lol.


they also jus seem to stop in weird positions.

like with one foot on a leaf and the rest of the body stretched out like there still leaping.


hard to xplain but its funny!

 

[andywg]

Some are brackish, but all will survive in freshwater.

I remember when i had mine; he was the coolest fish ever, and he would take goldfish half his size from my hand! He was so awesome; up until the oscars killed him.

Now how do you kill a fish with venomous spines? Especially if you're another fish with big lips and bad aim?

Could it be your keeping a brackish fish in freshwater had more of an impact on his death than the tankmates?

As already stated, the fish are brackish, they need salt to survive, and IIRC they are towards the higher end of brackish tolerating close to (if not the same as) full marine salinity.

 

[astroboy]

Yes, I am well aware of that--I do my research, believe me, especially when it comes to a fish like this, and he is currently in a brackish setting. Nevertheless, despite the fact that it is brackish and should be kept in brackish water, it is still known as a Freshwater Stonefish (though it is a misleading name) probably to differentiate it from its better-known saltwater cousin.

For some good pictures of Batrachus trispinosus, go here.

Good to hear its in BW, its a really cool looking fish