Nano-Reef.com » Fish Information » Frogfish
Frogfish
Scientific Name
Antennarius maculatus
Common Name
Clown or warty Frogfish/Anglerfish
Region
Indo-West Pacific: Maldives, Mauritius to Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands
Max Size
4 inches
Temperament
Aggressive, will eat any fish the same size or smaller than itself
Feeding
Live and frozen foods
Hardiness
Hardy
Notes
The frogfish is a fascinating fish that looks like an evolutionary link between fish and land creatures because of the way it 'walks' using its pectoral fins. These fish are ambush predators, and will lure prey with a lure that grows on the top of their head. When prey (basically any fish or crustacean smaller than itself) wanders close, the frogfish quickly (2-3/10th of a second) everts its mouth and swallows the prey whole. The frogfish may need to be weaned off of live food by dangling frozen meaty seafood on a feeding stick. Live shrimp and crab also make excellent food sources, but frogfish should never be fed live freshwater "feeder" fish, as this is a completely unnatural and potentially fatal food source. Because of their ambush nature, frogfish are not active and can be kept in nano aquaria easily, where they make unique and interesting additions.
Warning: the frogfish can and will eat any fish and crustacean you are likely to have in a nano aquarium!
Mike Maddox 03/20/2009
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