aka pygmy red rooster waspfish, red bandtail waspfish. I know I said I was finished with new additions, these had been on my list for a couple of years and this trio was at a lfs, so i picked them up. I have seen questions regarding these guys from time to time, and frustratingly no one ever gives a follow up report on how they made out. I definitely believe these guys have a very high mortality rate. So far they have been very challenging to feed. These would definitely be recommended for an advanced hobbyist or someone really willing to put the effort in.
They are scorpionfish, so I opted to not use any medication at all, that also means no prazi pro or general cure. I have never successfully used any med on a scorpionfish, every time I had to remove the meds due to stress and breathing difficulties. The 2 scorps that did survive treatment died very shortly afterwards, one I had for over a year and his tankmate needed the meds. Like all scorps this will mean risking the chance of internal parasites.
They've shown no interest in dead food; brine, mysis, artic pods, reef cavier. They also show no interest in live brine shrimp. Oh yeah, these guys are tiny, about 3/4". Full size is between 2 and 2.5", These guys seem like they would right at home in a nano, 10 to 14g. So far they have been strictly bottom travelers, tucked under a ledge and just scooting over slightly elevated rocks. The male has tended to be more adventurous, even venturing into the open sand flats. They are spending most of their time in solitary, while the females have not hung out at all, they also have not shown any aggression toward each other. The male does seem to prefer 2(hehe), he has spent some time visiting both females. Their red and white coloring changes, either with mood or a type a camouflage.
While they have been difficult and shy to feed, they have eaten some live black worms. The male has eaten some very small guppies, while one of the females has tried to catch some ghosties, but they were too large. I ordered some amphipods/copepods from Aquarium Depot; this would be a good plan to have a tank stocked with these if you were to get a pair. I do see them as pairs on DD from time to time. One of the females has become quite personable, she lives in a cavern that I can barely see her, when I walk up to tank, she scoots right over the rocks and comes up me. She comes up eat the worms from tongs, it's very cure.
These guys are adorable but the verdict is out on my overall opinion. It's only been a week, and this is my 1st impressions. I'll do some follow up as they mature in their new home. Here;s some pics, 1st pic is the male, notice the spikes of dorsal fin compared to the 2nd pic, a female.
They are scorpionfish, so I opted to not use any medication at all, that also means no prazi pro or general cure. I have never successfully used any med on a scorpionfish, every time I had to remove the meds due to stress and breathing difficulties. The 2 scorps that did survive treatment died very shortly afterwards, one I had for over a year and his tankmate needed the meds. Like all scorps this will mean risking the chance of internal parasites.
They've shown no interest in dead food; brine, mysis, artic pods, reef cavier. They also show no interest in live brine shrimp. Oh yeah, these guys are tiny, about 3/4". Full size is between 2 and 2.5", These guys seem like they would right at home in a nano, 10 to 14g. So far they have been strictly bottom travelers, tucked under a ledge and just scooting over slightly elevated rocks. The male has tended to be more adventurous, even venturing into the open sand flats. They are spending most of their time in solitary, while the females have not hung out at all, they also have not shown any aggression toward each other. The male does seem to prefer 2(hehe), he has spent some time visiting both females. Their red and white coloring changes, either with mood or a type a camouflage.
While they have been difficult and shy to feed, they have eaten some live black worms. The male has eaten some very small guppies, while one of the females has tried to catch some ghosties, but they were too large. I ordered some amphipods/copepods from Aquarium Depot; this would be a good plan to have a tank stocked with these if you were to get a pair. I do see them as pairs on DD from time to time. One of the females has become quite personable, she lives in a cavern that I can barely see her, when I walk up to tank, she scoots right over the rocks and comes up me. She comes up eat the worms from tongs, it's very cure.
These guys are adorable but the verdict is out on my overall opinion. It's only been a week, and this is my 1st impressions. I'll do some follow up as they mature in their new home. Here;s some pics, 1st pic is the male, notice the spikes of dorsal fin compared to the 2nd pic, a female.
Any suitable tankmates with this species?
