Sunstar Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 I am going to tentatively post this in hopes that other Gumdrop Owners may step forward and post their experiences, and other materials on keeping this particular fish. In my researching I found fairly little material regarding this tiny fish. I have learned they are essentially the couch potato of the reef, waiting until food all but walks into its mouth. I have learned (through research not experience) they sting a bit stronger than a bee or wasp (I have been stung by bees and wasps) I hope that other keepers can indicate what can be kept with them, what shouldn't be, and other useful info found through experience. I just got my fish so I am hoping to heck it survives. My understanding from where I bought it they had no idea if it was eating. I have had it eating, but it appears somewhat thin. Mine is grey-brown. Meet Fugu (named after the pufferfish sashimi) In Isolation until I can decide if it will eat frozen Link to comment
Tamberav Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Nice I look forward to your experiences with this fish. I have never owned one of these but I did own a fish that I needed to target feed pretty hardcore, I used large mysis + tweezers and would touch his nose with it. It was a good way to know what he was eating but not have excess food all over the tank. Goodluck! Link to comment
jamescstein Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 My wife has a pair of them. When we got them it seems like they would spit water at the food we tried to feed them and push it away. They were actually trying to eat, but we stupid about it. At first we basically had to squirt the food into their faces. Tweezers might have worked be we didn't use any. Patience, alot of mysis and then sucking the extra out of QT. Eventually they started eating well. Now they will actually propel themselves a good 3-4 inches after mysis at feeding time. Other than that they pretty much just sit there. Hers are in her sump. Not because of being picked on but because she didn't want to lose them in her 125g reef. Most fish, except maybe clown gobies and maybe smaller neon type gobies are going to be too big for them to consider food. Though if you have a fish that has to get every bit of food it can get it might accidentally get grabbed it it happens to be in the way of the food the croucher is going after. As far as the sting goes, they are not aggressive fish. They are covered in short spines like a seed covered in burrs. I have never been stung by them and I've grabbed them by hand a few times. I think you'd have to squeeze them pretty hard to be stung. I wouldn't use a net on them as they are likely to get trapped in it. Link to comment
Sunstar Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 They appear to be rather dumb. How in the wilds did these things ever survive to this point. I will assume things like sexy shrimp are out of the question. I was under the impression the dorsal spines are the stingers. So a small plastic cup would likely work as a net. Link to comment
Perched Urchin Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 They appear to be rather dumb? They are training you to put food into their mouths and pamper them. Who's the dumb one? ? Link to comment
FlamingPrawn Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 I was considering one of these bad boys for my Cad 4. This or a flaming prawn goby. Looking forward to following your journey! Link to comment
Sunstar Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 They appear to be rather dumb? They are training you to put food into their mouths and pamper them. Who's the dumb one? You have... an excellent point there. Oh well, As I said somewhere else, its a bit like marriage and feeding my spouse. Link to comment
Sunstar Posted March 27, 2016 Author Share Posted March 27, 2016 Plastic coral has been a hit with the gumdrop - now in his QT tank. Link to comment
jbb Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 Requested feeding info from divers den on how they treat these guys at their facilities and got the following response, maybe it will be useful to someone. "We feed the Gumdrop Coral Crouchers enriched Hikari brine shrimp mixed with cyclops. We feed small amounts multiple times per day with a syringe and let the Crouchers eat it off the bottom of their containers." Link to comment
Sunstar Posted March 30, 2016 Author Share Posted March 30, 2016 Mine seems to dislike the brine shrimp. blows it away, but it loves the shrimp, but insists I give it directly to it and I am a sucker, I comply. Mine was off his food for a day in the QT, but has been eating well since. edit: I am afraid of giving it too big of bits like mysis shrimp. Link to comment
ReefWeeds Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 mine will pull the mysis out of the pipette and now swim to the pipette for food. One is more reclusive than the other. Link to comment
spectra Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 mine will pull the mysis out of the pipette and now swim to the pipette for food. One is more reclusive than the other. You mean one is lost or did search and rescue find Bob? Link to comment
ReefWeeds Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 You mean one is lost or did search and rescue find Bob? Still lost - but I think I spied his tail swishing around when I was feeding them. Link to comment
spectra Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Still lost - but I think I spied his tail swishing around when I was feeding them. Probably just stuck in a coral somewhere and can not figure out how to get out Link to comment
ReefWeeds Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Probably just stuck in a coral somewhere and can not figure out how to get out ha. After JBB's post, I looked in the eductor just to make sure. Link to comment
Sunstar Posted April 22, 2016 Author Share Posted April 22, 2016 mine is a very eager feeder. I put the stick in and he swims over and NOMS! Wait until he gets into the mysid shrimp - he will be OMnomNomnomnomnom on htere. Link to comment
ReefWeeds Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 mine is a very eager feeder. I put the stick in and he swims over and NOMS! Wait until he gets into the mysid shrimp - he will be OMnomNomnomnomnom on htere. Mine are finally doing this as well! They eat right out of the pipette and as soon as they see it go into the tank they'll swim right over and go to town Link to comment
Sunstar Posted April 22, 2016 Author Share Posted April 22, 2016 I still have mine in QT. I had to treat the tank for Cyano, so I did not want to move it until that was cleared. I may be m oving it within the next week. Its shown no signs of illness, the fins which were a bit tacky when I got it seem nice. Edit: Oh I identified mine as Caracanthus unipinna Link to comment
Sunstar Posted April 25, 2016 Author Share Posted April 25, 2016 I am starting to release the fish into my main display. its cute as a button, looks rreally healthy, fins have grown in nicely since I got it. I am removing one of my hermits, Tarzan I am leaving in for the time being Wish little Fugu luck. Link to comment
Sunstar Posted May 8, 2016 Author Share Posted May 8, 2016 Fugu is doing extremely well. He has found himself a favourite day time spot, which is fortunately in view of me when I sit at the computer. Just when I lean in to take a look, he hides his little face. He sits on my frag rack, in the corner. So its easy to feed him. As far as feeding goes, he has rounded out nicely, actually toward the fat end of things. My tanks is/was/has a huge population of mysid shrimp, and he goes out after dark and hunts them. So he actually does swim. So adorable <3 Link to comment
seahorsedreams Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 I call my video, "Have you seen my Coral Croucher? Me neither." Link to comment
Sunstar Posted July 24, 2016 Author Share Posted July 24, 2016 Mine camps out on the frag rack, so I see it all the time. Link to comment
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