Wasp Fish?

[Joviella]

I saw some interesting little fish yesterday and they were labelled as "wasp" fish.I have not seen these before,and because of the way they looked ,I am assuming they are brackish. I could be completely wrong though. Can anyone give me any info on these fish please?

 

[nmonks]

Most likely Neovespicula depressifrons. Small, predatory, surprisingly active venomous fish. Seems to do well in aquaria, but feeding may be tricky at first. Earthworms, river shrimps, and so on could be used. Seems to be adaptable as far as salinity goes, but I'd recommend SG 1.005 at least. Not a commonly kept fish, but you do see them on sale periodically.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[Fella]

As they are venemous, does that make them a particular risk for keeping with other fish?

I quite fancy these for my brackish tank.

 

[nmonks]

No risk at all (except to the fishkeeper!). Venom is expensive to produce, which is why so few animals make venom. So the few that have venom use it only when absolutely necessary. That's why venomous snakes and spiders only bite humans when molested -- they need to conserve venom for hunting. Likewise animals with anti-predation venoms have evolved systems that ensure the venom is discharged only when the animal is handled. So assuming there was nothing in the tank trying to eat the waspfish, the fact it has venom isn't an issue in general terms. Lots of other fish have mild venoms, we just don't think about them much. Scats, for example, and lots of freshwater catfish (e.g. Ictalurus spp.). I'm told that even Corydoras have an irritant in their spines that if injected into a human cause a nasty sore. Whether it's a venom or merely the proteins in the mucous that is irritating I don't know.

Cheers,

Neale

As they are venemous, does that make them a particular risk for keeping with other fish?

 

[Joviella]

Thanks for the info.x.

 

[AMS]

Neale has covered it all. I am surprised to see that Liveaquaria.com is actually selling these little guys, might be a good place to get some because your LFS might not be able to special order them.

 

[MoMa]

I hate to hijack this thread, but does anyone here have experience keeping these guys?
I've looked around for some info, which seems to be scarce.

Should they be kept singly or in groups?

 

[AMS]

I hate to hijack this thread, but does anyone here have experience keeping these guys?
I've looked around for some info, which seems to be scarce.

Should they be kept singly or in groups?

A few people on TFF own waspfish, Synirr and flaminghot are the two that I know. I don't think they would mind being kept singly, but they don't mind the company of others. I would go for a couple of them if possible.

 

[Dragonscales]

As they are venemous, does that make them a particular risk for keeping with other fish?

I quite fancy these for my brackish tank.

As far as the venom goes, as neal said, they shouldn't be unless the fish is particularly curious and coming into contact with the fish. However, as far as being a risk due to being picivorous, I would have to say yes. Anything that will fit in the fish's mouth is fair game.