Wasp fish I believe...are they typically very expensive?
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Paul B
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I don't know why people can't keep them a long time. I have 2 but I only have one for maybe a year and the other one a few months less and I find them a very easy, no maintenance fish that should live 10 or 15 years. of course I will be in my 90s then and probably to senile to notice.
I don't use any pellets or dry foods and I don't dip, medicate or quarantine so that may be a factor. I don't know. Both of mine did hide for a couple of weeks when I got them but now are always in the front of the tank waiting to get fed.
Even if I don't see them right away, as soon as food hits the tank, they come to the middle of the front glass. Very nice fish and I want more.
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livinlifeinBKK
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Read up on the waspfish and they sound far from expert level as some would say...they have two at a shop and I'll visit today... probably only grab one even if they have both a male and female though...
sheel be right
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we have a waspfish/scorpianfish common to Australia "Centropogan australis"
which highly resembles the "paracentropogon zonatus", they are both apart of the Scorpaenidae, in fact we used to sell these at the shop i work at. they went for about 15 Australian dollars or so and where only about 2-3 inches in size. if you have any questions about feeding or behaviors' feel free to ask.
which highly resembles the "paracentropogon zonatus", they are both apart of the Scorpaenidae, in fact we used to sell these at the shop i work at. they went for about 15 Australian dollars or so and where only about 2-3 inches in size. if you have any questions about feeding or behaviors' feel free to ask.
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livinlifeinBKK
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I appreciate that! I just googled that species and all the pictures show them being mostly white instead of Red though so I think it's the species previously thought
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livinlifeinBKK
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What's your advice regarding feeding them initially? The shop that got them a few days ago said they won't eat frozen so they haven't been eating because the shop won't give live food. Will they initially eat copepods until my Grindal worms culture comes in a day or two?
sheel be right
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they should be fine with frozen mysis or brine, usually they readily accept it, ive also had luck with the vitalis pellets, we never fed worms to ours. i think i may have tried feeding freeze dried blackworms once and they never ate it.
just watch out if the shop says they have not ate it could be problems.
I don't know why people can't keep them a long time. I have 2 but I only have one for maybe a year and the other one a few months less and I find them a very easy, no maintenance fish that should live 10 or 15 years. of course I will be in my 90s then and probably to senile to notice.
I don't use any pellets or dry foods and I don't dip, medicate or quarantine so that may be a factor. I don't know. Both of mine did hide for a couple of weeks when I got them but now are always in the front of the tank waiting to get fed.
Even if I don't see them right away, as soon as food hits the tank, they come to the middle of the front glass. Very nice fish and I want more.
They can be difficult to initially feed and can be temperamental going on and feeding, they can also suffer from nutritional deficiencies that affect other Scorpaenidae. A diet high in thiaminese and absent or lacking in proper fats takes it's toll within several months to a year. Many times people assume they are getting enough to eat while seeing them snag a morsels or two from broadcast feeding , and they just wither away over time. They need to eat on a gorge/fast routine just like other scorps, not grazing on a moral here and there, their metabolism doesn't work that way. Regardless of what I say people will treat them like other small reef fish because they may get them to adapt initially, but if not cared for as a scorp, they usually don't last. And yes they are very sensitive to any chemicals which would include most meds, tank cleaners, and pest eradicators.
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livinlifeinBKK
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Hey! Thanks for commenting! I was hoping you would! I read your posts you pasted btw. Do Grindal worms sound sufficient? Similar to white worms? I believe I read in your write up that the live worms catch their eye...maybe it was someone else's comment on your thread you posted for me to read, I can't remember...the Grindal worms are probably a great size for them and I've cultured them previously. I was considering brine shrimp but they die in saltwater and would add a tremendous amount of nutrients if uneaten. I don't use any chemicals aside from AF KH solution to maintain salinity and now decided to use kalkwasser instead.
I'd imagine I could gut-load the worms with a special diet if it's inadequate but I had assumed live worms would likely be highly nutritious. I'm not worried about having to dedicate extra time to feeding them...I'm the kind of guy who feeds each polyp of his sun corals at least one mysis shrimp daily with tweezers so I'm no stranger to giving special care and time to certain delicate creatures.
I don't recall what your recommendation regarding food source was in the write up but would greatly appreciate it if you'd remind me. I have no plans to feed exclusively frozen or even primarily frozen. I believe I recall you mentioning that you feed once every two days though. Is that correct?
Sharkbait19
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Mine went for 150 - I got it for 75 with a lot of store credit. That seems to be the usual price I see.
Mine are well in qt (at least it would take ghost shrimp religiously), but once I got it in the dt it just didn’t eat well.
If I could do it again, honestly I would keep it in a nano so I can pretty constantly monitor it.
Mine are well in qt (at least it would take ghost shrimp religiously), but once I got it in the dt it just didn’t eat well.
If I could do it again, honestly I would keep it in a nano so I can pretty constantly monitor it.
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livinlifeinBKK
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Mine will be in a nano actually! This shop's price is actually really good even considering fish are generally far cheaper here. Another shop was asking twice the price they're asking. I think I already mentioned the price...not sure how Paul B only paid $30 for his...
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livinlifeinBKK
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I have the choice actually to get a male and female. I'm not sure how wise that would be though...what's your opinion @lion king
Initially they would be happy to start out on pods, preferably amphipods; and yes those worms would be fine as an addition. Live ghost shrimp(that;s we we call them), a Palaemon species shrimp that can range from salt, brackish, and fresh waters; if you can find them small enough. You can target feed brine but not the best food, these are not pelagic fish and do not normally eat from the water column. To eat from the water column they would post up as an ambush predator and wait for a fish to swim within striking distance, they don't swim, although they may launch themselves from one position to the next, or hop up to snag a piece of food floating by.
If you read through the 2 threads I posted, all your questions will be answered. I even included vids of 2 methods of feeding. I talk about their social attitudes, while juveniles they hung out more, now they are mostly solitary and only occasionally hang. Whether those two will be a bonded couple is a guess.
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livinlifeinBKK
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I'm unsure I can find amphipods here...I know that sounds crazy. The shops here really couldn't care less about their fish honestly including if they are starving as long as they're sold before they die...I'll have plenty of copepods in my tank and the Grindal worms cultures should be here within 2 days. They're probably very hungry right now. What would your advice be? Should they be ok with copepods until the worms get here?
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