I've had a trio of little cuties for 3 years now; I've seen an explosion of interest and new additions of these guys of late. I've also seen some struggles and confusion of care and what to expect from really, a unique little predator. Yes these guys are predators, they are in the Scorpaenidae family along with lionfish, and do take special considerations in care and especially feeding. I usually post in the Predator forum but thought more would find this post here. If you have read any of my threads, most of the same rules apply to these little guys.
1st know your source, they do not tolerate copper. If your lfs runs copper in their system, this wilk cause liver damage, and eventually liver failure. This can occur quickly like after the stress of a move, or out of nowhere several months down the line. You can take the chance but just be aware that this can happen. They are very sensitive to any chemicals; that means Vibrant, Chemiclean, Flatworm Exit, any such tank cleaners of pest eradicators, etc.
Feeding, many times they will need live food initially, so be advised and prepared. If you have a good pod population especially amphipods, this will usually satisfy until you get them taking other foods. They will usually take to target feeding through a pipette within a couple of weeks or so; Pe mysis, Hikari mega marine,m and fine minced seafood combo are my favorite offering. Some live foods may include black worms, brine shrimp, very small ghost shrimp, and even guppies. For these guys to really thrive, you must target feed them. People that broadcast feed and expect these guys to fend for themselves, usually find they wither away after a few months.
Difficulty in feeding, being small they are usually not as susceptible to internal parasites as their larger cousins. The reason so many predatory fish have internal parasites is because they are fed diseased dying fish and fresh dead fish along the way. If these guys get fed by their suppliers, it's usually brine shrimp. Refusing to eat sometimes can point to interna parasites, with these guys it's more likely that the right foods just haven't been offered. But if you see stringy poo, then treatment would be necessary. Care must be taken as these guys sometimes don't even tolerate general cure, Splitting the dose into 3rds and giving at least 4 hrs between 3rds works, sometimes. You must assess their reaction as it goes.
Don't pollute, sometimes when trying to feed a fish that won't eat, we end up polluting our tanks. Black worms can quickly pollute a tank, as well as other live food that dies in the tank. As well as continually squirting some mysis in their face. Ammonia kills.
Once they are eating, offer a variety as one single food may cause a digestion issue. And you can overfeed these guys. Eventually after you fatten them up, they do need a fast period between each meal, just like their cousins. I usually feed every other day. Feed them welk on feeding day, stick with smaller food items as to not overfeed. If they don't swallow something to large, they wilk usually just refuse and not overeat. Overfeeding usually comes from feeding too often.
Here's the thread I wrote shortly after I got my trio, pics and some good info included.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/paracentropogon-zonatus-1st-impressions.699714/
1st know your source, they do not tolerate copper. If your lfs runs copper in their system, this wilk cause liver damage, and eventually liver failure. This can occur quickly like after the stress of a move, or out of nowhere several months down the line. You can take the chance but just be aware that this can happen. They are very sensitive to any chemicals; that means Vibrant, Chemiclean, Flatworm Exit, any such tank cleaners of pest eradicators, etc.
Feeding, many times they will need live food initially, so be advised and prepared. If you have a good pod population especially amphipods, this will usually satisfy until you get them taking other foods. They will usually take to target feeding through a pipette within a couple of weeks or so; Pe mysis, Hikari mega marine,m and fine minced seafood combo are my favorite offering. Some live foods may include black worms, brine shrimp, very small ghost shrimp, and even guppies. For these guys to really thrive, you must target feed them. People that broadcast feed and expect these guys to fend for themselves, usually find they wither away after a few months.
Difficulty in feeding, being small they are usually not as susceptible to internal parasites as their larger cousins. The reason so many predatory fish have internal parasites is because they are fed diseased dying fish and fresh dead fish along the way. If these guys get fed by their suppliers, it's usually brine shrimp. Refusing to eat sometimes can point to interna parasites, with these guys it's more likely that the right foods just haven't been offered. But if you see stringy poo, then treatment would be necessary. Care must be taken as these guys sometimes don't even tolerate general cure, Splitting the dose into 3rds and giving at least 4 hrs between 3rds works, sometimes. You must assess their reaction as it goes.
Don't pollute, sometimes when trying to feed a fish that won't eat, we end up polluting our tanks. Black worms can quickly pollute a tank, as well as other live food that dies in the tank. As well as continually squirting some mysis in their face. Ammonia kills.
Once they are eating, offer a variety as one single food may cause a digestion issue. And you can overfeed these guys. Eventually after you fatten them up, they do need a fast period between each meal, just like their cousins. I usually feed every other day. Feed them welk on feeding day, stick with smaller food items as to not overfeed. If they don't swallow something to large, they wilk usually just refuse and not overeat. Overfeeding usually comes from feeding too often.
Here's the thread I wrote shortly after I got my trio, pics and some good info included.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/paracentropogon-zonatus-1st-impressions.699714/
