Wasp Fish

[MojoDex]

i saw these in BAS in bolton said they were brackish and the very little information ive turned up online confirms this, my question is, will these live with an archer fish and a dragon goby in the 52 gallon tank im going to set up posted here- http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=179924 and if they would be ok how many would live in a tank this size.

ive read there venomous but the question is how venomous? will it kill me or will i barley notice it if they sting me? i really liked them and id love to have maybe 4-8 of them but i figured check there ok first because i want the archer and dragon goby more

 

[nmonks]

There are many species of waspfish, but the one in question is probably Neovespicula depressifrons, sometimes called the butterfly goby (though it isn't a goby). Provided you can feed it without other more active fishes stealing its food, it isn't difficult to keep at all. Live shrimp and earthworms are favourite foods, though livebearer fry are another option if you happen to be breeding guppies or mollies. Frozen foods are taken, but you may need to wean it onto them first. This is easy enough if kept on its own, but trickier if other fish (such as scats) are so active they eat every scrap of food before the poor waspfish gets a chance.

http/homepage.mac.com/nmonks/aquaria/bra...4.html#waspfish

Yes, they sting. No, generally not fatal. Like all these venomous fishes though, if you are allergic to bee stings then there is every posibility you would react badly to a fish sting too. When keeping a venomous fish, it is ALWAYS a good idea to make sure the Latin name of the fish is written down somewhere handy (e.g. close to the aquarium) so that if you get stung you or the person caring for you can tell the Dr exactly what stung you. That is EXTREMELY important for dealing with serious reactions because some treatments will work better with certain types of venom. This is absolutely standard practise for people keeping venomous snakes, spiders, etc.

Cheers, Neale

 

[CFC]

I would imagine the venom is similar to that of lion fish venom (they are the same family) in that it causes extreem pain but is non lethal apart from to the sick, very old and very young, but its normally best not to get stung and find out in the first place.

 

[MojoDex]

thanks for the replies so will they live with an archer and a dragon goby? i fogured there a middle dweller archers tend to be top and dragons goby bottom i thought it would be a nice mix

also would a breeding pair of mollies be a viable optionwith these fish i figured they would feed everything with there fry but im new to brackish so gotta ask

 

[MojoDex]

anyone

 

[jtipton]

I know this is an old post, but I thought it deserved a response. You can keep livebearers with your waspfish. They will only be predatory toward the fry, which is what you are after. The archer will work once the waspfish is a little larger, but I wouldn't mix a large archer with a small wasp. He may not eat him, but may get stung in an attempt.