Frogfish

Has anyone kept frogfish? Would they eat hermit crabs or snails? Are they capable of taking down creatures that are the same size as they are? Is a pacman or budgetts frog a good comparison in eating habits, for you guys familiar with frogs?

Ive never kept them but AFIK they will not eat hermit crabs or snails. They will eat any shrimp or fish that can fit in their mouths and they have pretty large mouths.

I have no idea about eating habits. Do you know the species names for them?

I want to keep antennarius maculatus the wartskin.

They will some times try to eat fish larger than themselves, so they are pretty similar to pacmans.

Ok that helps. I have an idea of the size difference a creature has to be for a pacman not to try. It has to be crystal clear to the pac man that he cant, or he will try.

Frogfish rock!

Mix up their diet. Silver sides, krill, sand eels. You can try squid as well, but often times it gets ignored. Last I read up on them the experts were saying you only need to feed them every 2-3 days, but these things change as we learn more about them. You often will have to dance the animals in front of your fish to get them to snap and never expect them to pounce on demand.(IE don't sell tickets to a feeding and be disappointed if they don't perform)

Keep a very close eye out for parasitic isopods.(these guys are benthic and very vulnerable.

Never lift them into the air or leave food floating on the surface. They often gulp down air and can never expel it and just die. Their bodies are not built like flying fish and their skeletons and not built to withstand their own weight when lifted into the air. So repeating what should be obvious to anyone who has read this and any "expert" aquarist... don't lift these animals in the air.

They will try to eat just about anything. Even if you had a massive fish no animal would be dumb enough to try to ingest like a huge unicorn tang or a full grown angelfish, those animals like to eat sponge and will peck at just about anything occasionally... and your frog fish may look inviting.

You may want to consider looking for a mated pair. Unlike deep anglers the male doesn't become attached to the female. That being said it isn't easy or cheap to get a pair.

Hey, I've got a ton on info in my head about frog fish. Let me know if you have other questions.

Sweet! Great info. So dont ever net these guys, use specimen containers and never let them be exposed to air.

What is the difference between the Indonesian and Vanuatu wartskins?

What is a sand eel and where do you get them?

Do the isopods come in on the frogfish, or do other animals or live food carry them?

Are the distinguishable male/female? If I cant find a pair do I have a chance of pairing them? Even if they are paired will they eat each other?

Thanks again for the info!