Allenbatrachus Grunniens

[Fella]

I recently bought one of these, and am keeping it at an SG of 1.005. I'm quite pleased with it, as I've never seen them for sale before so had to snap it up when I got the chance.

A few things I've noticed

1. The noise it makes, is absolutely terrifying.
2. It is reluctant to eat

Now, I'm assuming he's going to eat probably when the lights are off and all the other fish in the tank are docile. So, what would be the best foods to feed him? Mussels? Sand Eels? That kind of thing?

He's currently with a green chromide, a figure 8 and a pair of longfin gobies. Would he pose a threat to any of these fish? I had quite a small figure 8 in with him, but moved him out in order to err on teh side of caution. Realistically, could a freshwater lionfish eat one of these, small or large? My other Figure 8 is a monster, larger than you see most GSP's so I'm trusting he'll be ok?

Also, they're described as venemous. What kind of venemous are we looking at? Wasp sting venemous, or hospitalisation venemous? I'm assuming the former.

Many thanks for any advice, photos to follow.

 

[CFC]

Watch it with your other fish is the first thing i will say, only today has mine eaten one of my m/f pair of topaz puffers and they are (were) not small fish at around 4 inches each, it also ate my 3" GSP last year after i thought it would ok and is probably responsible for the disaperance of two small morays last year as well. From my experience i now know that they should not be trusted with fish less than 2/3rds their own size, our original one is a fat chunky 10" and got big fast, notice how i said original one, last weekend my mrs bough 3 more of the bloody things because she thought ours was lonely so now i have 4 of the savage gits.

They are difficult to get off live foods and many starve rather than eat dead foods, i had success in weening our one by impalling the food on a skewer and waving it about in front of its face but until you get it feeding well live river shrimp is the way to go. Our one now eats all manner of frozen foods and will come out of the rocks to grab food on the sand.

The venom im told is similar to that of SW lion fish, it hurts like hell and you will consider cutting your hand off to ease the pain but it doesnt last long and if you are in good health it wont kill you, in the event of a sting stick your hand into a sink of the hottest water you can tollerate and leave it there till the pain subsides.

On a last note invest in some ear plugs to wear in bed, mature adults call for mates all night long and are LOUD. the main reason luce got the 3 new ones is the hope that the sodding thing might shut up and give us some peace in the evenings.

 

[Fella]

Watch it with your other fish is the first thing i will say, only today has mine eaten one of my m/f pair of topaz puffers and they are (were) not small fish at around 4 inches each, it also ate my 3" GSP last year after i thought it would ok and is probably responsible for the disaperance of two small morays last year as well. From my experience i now know that they should not be trusted with fish less than 2/3rds their own size, our original one is a fat chunky 10" and got big fast, notice how i said original one, last weekend my mrs bough 3 more of the bloody things because she thought ours was lonely so now i have 4 of the savage gits.

They are difficult to get off live foods and many starve rather than eat dead foods, i had success in weening our one by impalling the food on a skewer and waving it about in front of its face but until you get it feeding well live river shrimp is the way to go. Our one now eats all manner of frozen foods and will come out of the rocks to grab food on the sand.

The venom im told is similar to that of SW lion fish, it hurts like hell and you will consider cutting your hand off to ease the pain but it doesnt last long and if you are in good health it wont kill you, in the event of a sting stick your hand into a sink of the hottest water you can tollerate and leave it there till the pain subsides.

On a last note invest in some ear plugs to wear in bed, mature adults call for mates all night long and are LOUD. the main reason luce got the 3 new ones is the hope that the sodding thing might shut up and give us some peace in the evenings.

I seem to have severely underestimated how predatory they are, I've come home from work to find that he has consumed one of my pair of longfin gobies, who were constantly breeding (the female was a bit worse for wear though, the male had been chasing her almost continuously for the last few weeks so that may have contributed). The male is terrified of the lionfish, and the other fish won't go near him either. I think the chromide bit him last night as his lip swelled up and went white, but that has subsided now and he seems fine.

I had no idea this fish was going to be such a disaster/or predator. The advice I was given didn't match what I've seen and it goes a bit beyond what I could remember reading about these on the internet.

Sorry about the brackish algae, I don't think you can have a good brackish tank without a bit of the green.

So, where do i go from here? I've moved a small figure 8 into a 15g, Im worried the bigger figure 8 is no longer safe, I've got a goby that's terrified of the lionfish, and I've got one brackish tank. I'll loathe to replace the lionfish on the basis I travelled a long way by train to pick him up, and I don't really want to keep the figure 8s in fresh for long if I can help it, nor the goby.

Any ideas?

 

[nmonks]

How big is the toadfish?

The usual rule with that sort of thing is not to keep them with anything less that about two-thirds their body size. I haven't kept this species, but I've kept coldwater scorpionfish and their pretty benign when kept with stuff their own size. We usually kept them with large flatfish, gurnards, etc. Since they move around hardly at all, I'd have thought even a 30 gallon would be adequate for one, if not exactly ideal. Or else in a fish-only marine tank with puffers, triggers, etc. too large to be eaten.

Schaefer says they can be adapted to dead food dropped in front of them or held with forceps at the mouth. No personal experience so hesitate to comment.

Cheers, Neale

 

[CFC]

Sounds like its time for another tank then so you can stick the toadfish in a species tank where it cannot do any harm, one blessing is that they hardly move so a 3 foot 30 gallon tank is pleanty of space for a single full grown adult.

Poxy bloody fish arent they, look like a little cute ewok and then devour all your fish the minute your back is turned

 

[Fella]

yeah, I do like the fish, so i think whats going to happen is I'm going to end up returning the majority of my freshwater fish, turn my 40g into a brackish tank for my figure 8's and gobies, turn the biggest tank into a high brackish tank (maybe get a big moray to add some interest to the tank with some other big schooling brackish fish, scats, monos etc).

I'm glad Im buying my first house at the end of the year, then i can do away with all this nonsense and just have a fish room.