Can I keep a Angler/Frogfish in my tank

MetaKnight101

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 28, 2018
Messages
261
Reaction score
103
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Can I keep an Angler/Frogfish in my tank or will it eat my small tanks mates? Specifically the "Assorted Angler/Frogfish". Also, will they eat my corals?
 
OP
OP
MetaKnight101

MetaKnight101

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 28, 2018
Messages
261
Reaction score
103
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
They are known to eat anything smaller than themselves. But your corals would be fine.
So the only fish I could possibly see it eat in my tank is the royal gramma but if I had the assorted frogfish at a young age and it grew up with the royal gramma, the royal gramma should be a decent size that it can't be eaten right? Adult size royal gramma - 4in. He's currently two in right now.
 

lion king

5000 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 3, 2016
Messages
6,797
Reaction score
8,654
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
An angler will eat anything up to the same size as themselves, and will try to even eat larger than themselves. Anglers really are best kept in a tank alone or very select tankmates that would be too large for them to eat and would not cause any harm. Because of their sedentary nature and the fact they actually have a lure to mimic food, they can get picked on. They have pretty challenging feeding requirements also, so a good bit of research is advised. Anglers don't make friends with anyone that can be food.
 

Mariette

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 5, 2019
Messages
1,769
Reaction score
2,510
Location
Ontario
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So the only fish I could possibly see it eat in my tank is the royal gramma but if I had the assorted frogfish at a young age and it grew up with the royal gramma, the royal gramma should be a decent size that it can't be eaten right? Adult size royal gramma - 4in. He's currently two in right now.

Not sure I understand your comment about them growing up together. If gramma is too big for a baby frogfish to eat, it will be safe. For now. No amount of not being eaten now will prevent it from being eaten when the frogfish grows up. They’re not like raising a cattle dog with a heard of sheep. They won’t form a bond. Does that answer you question?
 
OP
OP
MetaKnight101

MetaKnight101

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 28, 2018
Messages
261
Reaction score
103
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Not sure I understand your comment about them growing up together. If gramma is too big for a baby frogfish to eat, it will be safe. For now. No amount of not being eaten now will prevent it from being eaten when the frogfish grows up. They’re not like raising a cattle dog with a heard of sheep. They won’t form a bond. Does that answer your question?
Ah yes it does, I have another question can they eat tomini tangs? Since tomini tangs are a bit tad smaller than a full-grown adult frogfish. If so are there any peaceful frogfish/anglers?
 
Last edited:

Mariette

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 5, 2019
Messages
1,769
Reaction score
2,510
Location
Ontario
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Ah yes it does, I have another question can they eat tomini tangs? Since tomini tangs are a bit tad smaller than a full-grown adult frogfish. If so are there and peaceful frogfish/anglers?

I dunno about the tang.
Peaceful ones? There aren’t any herbivore ones and they’ll all eat anything smaller than themselves.
They sure seem like an awesome fish to have though. Would you consider keeping one in its own tank? I’m starting to think I might but my husband might just leave me lol
 
OP
OP
MetaKnight101

MetaKnight101

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 28, 2018
Messages
261
Reaction score
103
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I dunno about the tang.
Peaceful ones? There aren’t any herbivore ones and they’ll all eat anything smaller than themselves.
They sure seem like an awesome fish to have though. Would you consider keeping one in its own tank? I’m starting to think I might but my husband might just leave me lol
To be honest, I'm kinda lazy in setting up another tank but it be cool to keep one if they were peaceful;)
 

mward

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 11, 2019
Messages
627
Reaction score
217
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
I had one eat a gobies longer than he was. I saw it happen, it was actually amazing to see.
 

Captain_Glass

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 19, 2018
Messages
85
Reaction score
61
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Mine ate a blue head wrasse that was easily double it’s size he looked pregnant for a couple weeks and I saw him poop and it was actually insane to see the size. I honestly thought he would die from eating something so much larger than himself but he made it through
 

GK3

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 16, 2017
Messages
1,852
Reaction score
1,339
Location
Cincinnati
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
So the only fish I could possibly see it eat in my tank is the royal gramma but if I had the assorted frogfish at a young age and it grew up with the royal gramma, the royal gramma should be a decent size that it can't be eaten right? Adult size royal gramma - 4in. He's currently two in right now.

Even if you got the wartskin angler that maxes at 4-5”, that gramma is 110% eaten one day. I Am on my second angler. My angler was about 3” long and I had to feed him a chromi when my lfs was out of ghost shrimp. He’d try to eat the chromi, but would have trouble because of size. He stalked that thing for days until he finally got it at the right angle to make a meal. So any angler is going to try to eat your gramma until one day it does.

Something else I’ve seen happen is if the angler eats something too big, it will die in the anglers stomach and the angler will spit it back up.

Regardless, gramma is a no no.
 

GK3

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 16, 2017
Messages
1,852
Reaction score
1,339
Location
Cincinnati
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
Ah yes it does, I have another question can they eat tomini tangs? Since tomini tangs are a bit tad smaller than a full-grown adult frogfish. If so are there any peaceful frogfish/anglers?

Is the tomini full size? If you had A 3”-4” angler, I don’t see it eating a full size tomini...not to say it wont repeatedly try. If you get the anglers that get larger than 5”, it will totally eat the tomini.
 
OP
OP
MetaKnight101

MetaKnight101

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 28, 2018
Messages
261
Reaction score
103
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Is the tomini full size? If you had A 3”-4” angler, I don’t see it eating a full size tomini...not to say it wont repeatedly try. If you get the anglers that get larger than 5”, it will totally eat the tomini.
Well, he's nowhere to full size, looks like I can't keep angler *Sigh*. At least there are plenty of other options!
 

Robert McCreary

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 20, 2017
Messages
461
Reaction score
397
Location
central Cal
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
agreed if I choose not to turn my next build into a wrasse and anthias mixed reef I would have it with a few aggressive fish. I think a lion and colored Angler would be pretty neat along with a eel of some sort.
 

Reefing threads: Do you wear gear from reef brands?

  • I wear reef gear everywhere.

    Votes: 16 16.5%
  • I wear reef gear primarily at fish events and my LFS.

    Votes: 5 5.2%
  • I wear reef gear primarily for water changes and tank maintenance.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I wear reef gear primarily to relax where I live.

    Votes: 17 17.5%
  • I don’t wear gear from reef brands.

    Votes: 51 52.6%
  • Other.

    Votes: 8 8.2%
Back
Top