Big Waste Producers

[atmmachine816]

I am shooting for bare bottom soon yes. Easier to keep clean.

Snails should be fine, but most other motile inhabitants of a reef envrionment (other fish and shrimp etc) are a no no. I am unsure on hermit crabs as to whether the frog would go or not.

p.s. I just talked to my friend and told him about getting a frog fish and he says he doesn't think it's a good idea since the smaller species can still reach lenghts of 4.5" and it's only a 5.5 gallon tank? What do you say about this?

With all respect, your friend knows very little about frogfish, here are maximum sizes for a number of species that do not reach 4.5" (And this is total length, nose to tail - sourced from Reef Fishes Volume 1 by Scott W. Michael):

Antennarius dorehensis - 3"
Antennarius randalli - 1.7"
Antennarius pauciradiatus - 1.7"
Antennarius maculatus - 3.9"
Antennatus strigatus - 3.1"
Antennatus tuberosus - 2.8"

Of these, I would be loathe to keep A. maculatus in anything less than a 10 gallon, but the Antennatus spp and Antennarius randalli should be fine in a small tank. Just remember the usual caveats about keeping smaller marine tanks such as keeping a very close eye on temp and salinity as these will change quickly.

I would recommend a water change after each feeding, and possibly consider around 0.5 gallons per day water change to ensure water quality to start with and maybe lengthen it to 1-2 gallons per week in total.

One thing I haven't pointed out yet is that although these things have an amazing ability to consume comparatively large prey, it isnot best practice to test that. A couple of smaller feedings per week should be fine, feeding a couple of prawns around the 0.5 to 0.75" mark. and other similar sized food.

Yes I guess my friend doesn't know much about frogfish, which is why I asked you, I don't think he's actually ever kept one though he has other fish. I guess what I'll do is buy sand at a store near me, research frogfish more while my tank is cycling after a week or two and I've decided if I can keep one/find one then I'll either add the sand or return it so I'm not pestering you with questions.

O so for feeding you feed like every other day then?

Thanks

On Andy's advice (it was a chain of PM's; you guys didn't see it, but maybe I should post them as they were very informative), I am going to try keeping a smaller Antennarius in my ten gallon tank. I can gain access to a larger tank if by mistake I get an A. commerson or other large species.

Here are some pictures of my set up, still in the cycling phase.

-Lynden

Hmm. that would be nice to post that I shall follow your journal

 

[andywg]

Andy i have read that a frog fish will eat its self to death if you let it and that it digests food slowly.
On RC they recomend 2-3 silversides a week.
What do you feed?

A frog will eat too much in that the food rots before it can be digested.

I tend to feed 2-3 times a week. What I feed depends on the fish. As the fish is growing (so my A. striatus when I first got it) I tend to feed every other day. Once the fish is about half max length I slow it down to sometimes once a week. These things can go weeks, if not months, without feeding in the wild.

I used to feed more to my A. striatus but that is a larger frog (getting to around 8-9" in the wild). I mix my diet so will feed prawns, muscles and whitebait, but I always soak the food in a vitamin supplement to ensure the frog gets all the necessary vitamins.