Is anyone familiar with the Red Bandtail Waspfish?

[michellejy]

I saw this guy on Diver's Den tonight, and I am in love.

Here is the picture since I know they eventually disappear.



I have only ever had peaceful fish, aside from tomato clowns, who aren't exactly predators. Can something this small live with peaceful fish like clowns, or is it similar to an angler where it will eat anything that fits in its mouth?

 

[rayn]

@Lionfish Lair

If anyone knows scorps or wasps it is her!

Most wasps have smaller mouths. That said they are generally peaceful and can go with clowns and other peaceful fish. One thing to be wary of, fish that pick or are algae eaters may pick on certain scorps or wasps because of their flowing appendages. Other issue is getting them to eat sometimes. Make sure a wasp or scorp goes into QT and observation. This gives you the chance to wean it from live to frozen foods. Most don't come in eating frozen anything. Sometimes you get lucky.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

If anyone knows scorps or wasps it is her!

Says the guy who has shared the same stocking list as me

I would have snagged him, except I didn't have a tank ready. This guy is super peaceful. You won't have to worry about tanks mates with him, unless you keep like those little clown gobies and such. Like Doug said, their mouths are super small when compared to others. It IS a waspfish, whose venom is a step up from a scorpion or a fish. It won't kill ya, but I imagine it hurts quite horribly.

 

[michellejy]

Says the guy who has shared the same stocking list as me

I would have snagged him, except I didn't have a tank ready. This guy is super peaceful. You won't have to worry about tanks mates with him, unless you keep like those little clown gobies and such. Like Doug said, their mouths are super small when compared to others. It IS a waspfish, whose venom is a step up from a scorpion or a fish. It won't kill ya, but I imagine it hurts quite horribly.

My new clowns are TINY (like clown goby size). I can't say I am not tempted to try it, but the more I look at your thread with the lionfish and reef, the more I am tempted to do a similar set up down the road. I have to get my nano up and running before I can start ANOTHER project.

 

[rayn]

Welcome to the addiction of scorps! There are reasons many scorp owners have MTS! Keep looking, scorps are some of the prettiest fish that are often over looked.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

When those clowns get a tad bit bigger, the waspfish would make an awesome nano tank candidate. I bet they are too big now, but I can't truly say that without seeing them. That waspfish was listed under 2" and when they are listed at that size from DD the fish will come smaaaaaaaaall. Sometimes almost too small.

 

[michellejy]

So as far as behavior, are they bottom dwellers or do they hop around on the rocks? Aside from algae eaters (which I don't plan to get), would anything else pick on them? Are they ever territorial at all? What order should they be added in as far as tank hierarchy?


My nano plans are (maybe were? LOL)

• 2 Picasso Percula Clowns (my avatar photo)
• Goby/Shrimp pair (was leaning towards Wheeler's or Yasha, but I could go with Green Banded which doesn't pair with a shrimp anyway). I think they are all pretty tiny in the goby spectrum though, aside from the Wheeler's which still maxes out at 3". If I understand correctly, it is best not to have any shrimp in a tank with a waspfish.
• Citron Clown Goby, which you already said is a bad idea
• Black Cap Basslet (originally planned a Starcki Damsel, but I was worried about potential aggression with the peaceful fish I have planned)

I could swap out the goby for a jawfish. Blue Spot would have been my preferred one, but the cold temp option isn't going to work with my plans. I'm open to pearly, but I don't know how it would be with the waspfish.

Really, my only set in stone is the clowns. I just have to work around a 28 gallon nano cube, and I would like to have fish that swim at different levels of the tank. I am totally open to suggestions.

 

[michellejy]

Welcome to the addiction of scorps! There are reasons many scorp owners have MTS! Keep looking, scorps are some of the prettiest fish that are often over looked.

I have always been fascinated by them, but I was under the impression that they had to be fed live fish. Did you see my freakout when my clown wasn't acting right? I know I am not a person who could intentionally feed live fish.

 

[eatbreakfast]

So as far as behavior, are they bottom dwellers or do they hop around on the rocks? Aside from algae eaters (which I don't plan to get), would anything else pick on them? Are they ever territorial at all? What order should they be added in as far as tank hierarchy?


My nano plans are (maybe were? LOL)

• 2 Picasso Percula Clowns (my avatar photo)
• Goby/Shrimp pair (was leaning towards Wheeler's or Yasha, but I could go with Green Banded which doesn't pair with a shrimp anyway). I think they are all pretty tiny in the goby spectrum though, aside from the Wheeler's which still maxes out at 3". If I understand correctly, it is best not to have any shrimp in a tank with a waspfish.
• Citron Clown Goby, which you already said is a bad idea
• Black Cap Basslet (originally planned a Starcki Damsel, but I was worried about potential aggression with the peaceful fish I have planned)

I could swap out the goby for a jawfish. Blue Spot would have been my preferred one, but the cold temp option isn't going to work with my plans. I'm open to pearly, but I don't know how it would be with the waspfish.

Really, my only set in stone is the clowns. I just have to work around a 28 gallon nano cube, and I would like to have fish that swim at different levels of the tank. I am totally open to suggestions.

Waspfish stay at the bottom, so don't rock hop too often.

I would be willing to wager that your clowns are already big enough not to be eaten by the bandtail.

A full grown pistol won't be on the menu of this species, though some of the tiny ones that are frequently sold probably would.

If you were to go with the bandtail wasp I would skip the yasha and green banded goby, but the wheelers should be fine.

I have a red pygmy rooster waspfish in a tank that uses sinking pellets from an autofeeder. A minute or so before the feeder goes off he camps out underneath the feeder in anticipation of the food.

 

[michellejy]

I just read in the Diver's Den link that these like cooler tank temperatures. It recommends 68-75 degrees, and I generally keep my tanks around 78 or 79 degrees. Unfortunately, I can't really find any information about them from other sources to double check.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I just read in the Diver's Den link that these like cooler tank temperatures. It recommends 68-75 degrees, and I generally keep my tanks around 78 or 79 degrees. Unfortunately, I can't really find any information about them from other sources to double check.

It's listed as a tropical species on the references I saw(fishbase, IUCN), so unless this one was collected in a specific subtropical location, I would say tropical temps should be fine.

 

[michellejy]

It's listed as a tropical species on the references I saw(fishbase, IUCN), so unless this one was collected in a specific subtropical location, I would say tropical temps should be fine.

That would be nice. I think they are stunning, and I would give up the clown goby and other goby to have one in my tank...although I will feel better when my clowns grow just a bit more. (They really are very small now.)

 

[rayn]

They may need live food to begin with. Most can be fed live ghost shrimp that are fresh water. Feed them flakes first and gut load them with good saltwater fish food. Then feed to the wasp or scorp. Look for smaller ghost shrimp that will easily fit in the mouth of the pred. Once readily eating live ghost, you can start freezing them and working towards regular food.

It isn't that hard, just takes patience. I can't count the times my arm went numb trying to get a fish to eat off the stealth stick.

 

[michellejy]

They may need live food to begin with. Most can be fed live ghost shrimp that are fresh water. Feed them flakes first and gut load them with good saltwater fish food. Then feed to the wasp or scorp. Look for smaller ghost shrimp that will easily fit in the mouth of the pred. Once readily eating live ghost, you can start freezing them and working towards regular food.

It isn't that hard, just takes patience. I can't count the times my arm went numb trying to get a fish to eat off the stealth stick.

So they always have to be fed using a stick and won't eat out of the water column?

 

[eatbreakfast]

So they always have to be fed using a stick and won't eat out of the water column?

The waspfish I have dealt with all ate frozen mysis right away w/o needing to resort to the more 'dedicated' methods.

 

[michellejy]

The waspfish I have dealt with all ate frozen mysis right away w/o needing to resort to the more 'dedicated' methods.

That would definitely be nice, but I'll read up on the stick method just in case.

 

[rayn]

They may eat from the water column, that is sweet if they do.

Any preds I had/have I stick fed. This way I know each gets fed and gets fed enough. Just cause they pluck one piece from the water column doesn't mean they are getting enough. But if I can feed them three pieces and see a slight belly bulge, I know they are.

 

[michellejy]

They may eat from the water column, that is sweet if they do.

Any preds I had/have I stick fed. This way I know each gets fed and gets fed enough. Just cause they pluck one piece from the water column doesn't mean they are getting enough. But if I can feed them three pieces and see a slight belly bulge, I know they are.

Makes sense. Since I am doing the whole AIO with a lid, I was worried about accessing enough of the tank to stick feed through the opening. Obviously, I can open the lid, but after having jawfish, I have paranoia about jumpers.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Your tank will be so much cleaner if you feed with a stick. When you pour food in, not everything gets eaten.

 

[michellejy]

There is another one for sale today. This is why I worry about my clowns being eaten though.



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