5gal Frogfish Pico (Pic Heavy)

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

Hey Guys! 

 

After lurking for a while I finally decided to create an account and kick things off with this post.  

 

Here are a few pics of my 5 gallon Frogfish tank.  I started this guy up maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago and just added my first corals this last week.  I've got a nice little trumpet, some zoas, and a purple tip green hammer.  I'll be upgrading in a few months so that explains my prime on this tiny tank haha.  

 

I had a Frogfish a while back and absolutely love it. They're the gnarliest little things and so Interesting to watch.  If you have any questions about my tank or their care hit me with it! 

[Christopher Marks]

Welcome to the community @Capt_Rick_Dixie!

 

It's great to see a new dedicated frogfish tank, they are such fascinating predators. What do you feed yours?

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

23 minutes ago, Christopher Marks said:

Welcome to the community @Capt_Rick_Dixie!

 

It's great to see a new dedicated frogfish tank, they are such fascinating predators. What do you feed yours?

Thank you! 

 

When I first got him I had him in there with two damsels as the shop hadn't had him feeding yet.  Since then he's eaten one damsel and I've fed him f/t silversides and cut shrimp! 

[Frag Factory]

Fantastic frogfish dude!

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

55 minutes ago, Frag Factory said:

Fantastic frogfish dude!

Thanks my guy! 

[Lula_Mae]

What a neat little guy!

[ReefCap]

Be carful when feeding damsels. The have really sharp dorsal spines that can get lodged in the frogfish killing them. Try feeder/ghost shrimp (they can be aclimatded to salt water) or chromis.

 

nice set up though I looks great!

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

1 hour ago, ReefCap said:

Be carful when feeding damsels. The have really sharp dorsal spines that can get lodged in the frogfish killing them. Try feeder/ghost shrimp (they can be aclimatded to salt water) or chromis.

 

nice set up though I looks great!

I definitely agree with you.  I've never had the issue before but it can happen.  When I first got him he hadn't taken a meal at the fish store so I grabbed 2 damsels to hopefully get him eating.  Since then I've gotten him on silversides and cut shrimp.  The remaining damsel seems to have caught on and avoids the frogfish like the plague.  

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

I've picked up a few new corals and moved a few things around since I posted in here last! 

 

The frogfish is doing great.  He's started eating frozen shrimp and silversides so I don't have to worry about him getting impaled by damsels.  He's starting to go from the rust color to a black to blend in with the lava rock. 

 

My LFS was selling Euphyllia for $10 a head and Duncans for $8 a head.  I couldn't resist.  I grabbed a nice green tip hammer (that's currently very mad at me because I dropped him on the carpet when clipping him off the frag plug), a couple Duncan heads, and a smaller unnamed Acan.  The Duncan and Acan are settling in very well, the hammer is getting there.  

 

Also took the Zoas off the plug and glued them onto a piece of rock.  I hate the look of frag plugs in a display. 

 

I ended up adding a gravity fed hamster bottle ATO that I've managed to keep from being an eye sore.  It'll work for now.

 

Anyway, here are some pics!  I don't have a lens clip yet so I guess we'll just have to deal with the blues. 

 

 

    

[Gourami Swami]

Hey man, was just talking to you on MFK lol

 

Tank looks great! Frogfish is super cool, and your hammer and acan look great. Keep it up! 

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

32 minutes ago, Gourami Swami said:

Hey man, was just talking to you on MFK lol

 

Tank looks great! Frogfish is super cool, and your hammer and acan look great. Keep it up! 

I thought that username looked familiar! I see we've both found our way here as well haha.  

 

Thanks for the praise! Can't wait for things to grow in. 

 

Thinking I'm gonna grab another hammer or two for that euphyllia garden. 

 

Not really sure what I'm going to do on top of that tall rock.  Any suggestions? Maybe birdsnest or xenia?   

[Gourami Swami]

33 minutes ago, Capt_Rick_Dixie said:

I thought that username looked familiar! I see we've both found our way here as well haha.  

 

Thanks for the praise! Can't wait for things to grow in. 

 

Thinking I'm gonna grab another hammer or two for that euphyllia garden. 

 

Not really sure what I'm going to do on top of that tall rock.  Any suggestions? Maybe birdsnest or xenia?   

I like the xenia idea, looks great on the top of a rock. I've got xenia on top of the shorter rock in my tank and it looks like a bonsai tree coming off the top

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

2 hours ago, Gourami Swami said:

I like the xenia idea, looks great on the top of a rock. I've got xenia on top of the shorter rock in my tank and it looks like a bonsai tree coming off the top

I think I'll give that a shot. I do love the look of them when you've got a nice colony pulsing around.  Plus with all the LPS I'll end up with in the tank the last thing I'll need is something else sucking up all the Calcium lol. 

[Christopher Marks]

16 hours ago, Capt_Rick_Dixie said:

He's starting to go from the rust color to a black to blend in with the lava rock. 

That is seriously so cool! Glad to hear the frogfish is doing well and taking to frozen foods readily!

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

7 hours ago, Christopher Marks said:

That is seriously so cool! Glad to hear the frogfish is doing well and taking to frozen foods readily!

Thank you! 

 

I love Frogfish.  This little tank makes me want to set up an IM 25 Lagoon full of different Frogfish.  Who knows, maybe someday..

 

I plan on picking up a few more corals with the Black Friday sales and whatnot.  I'll make sure I keep this updated! 

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

Picked up a few new pieces with some of the sales going on this weekend. One ultra yellow hammer from Best Fish in Milwaukee and a green tip purple birdsnest, and a solid orange Monti cap from Big Kahuna Tropical Fish out of Madison, WI. 

 

I really need to get a lens filter to do these pieces justice. That new hammer is highlighter yellow! 

 

With the exception of a few small things here and there it's time to keep my hands out and let things grow.  Thinking about trading the Frogfish in for a smaller one as he's starting to get pretty big for the system (~4.5")  

 

FTS is right after cleaning/placement/water change so everything isn't as happy as it usually is. 

[William]

1 minute ago, Capt_Rick_Dixie said:

Picked up a few new pieces with some of the sales going on this weekend. One ultra yellow hammer from Best Fish in Milwaukee and a green tip purple birdsnest, and a solid orange Monti cap from Big Kahuna Tropical Fish out of Madison, WI. 

 

I really need to get a lens filter to do these pieces justice. That new hammer is highlighter yellow! 

 

With the exception of a few small things here and there it's time to keep my hands out and let things grow.  Thinking about trading the Frogfish in for a smaller one as he's starting to get pretty big for the system (~4.5")  

 

FTS is right after cleaning/placement/water change so everything isn't as happy as it usually is. 

If you trade your angler in, I would recommend getting a wartskin angler (A. maculatus). The wartskin stays much smaller than the A. pictus you have. 

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

2 hours ago, William said:

If you trade your angler in, I would recommend getting a wartskin angler (A. maculatus). The wartskin stays much smaller than the A. pictus you have. 

Oh  I'm well aware haha.  The issue is just finding one.  

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

Things were going fantastically until I had a freak bacteria bloom after what seemed like a pretty routine water change. 

 

Woke up to a dead damsel, performed another fairly futile water change and throw on my small UV sterilizer.  Came home from work to an even cloudier tank, some slightly annoyed corals, an acro with some bleached tips, and unfortunately a dead frogfish.  Interestingly enough all of my inverts are totally fine...

 

Letting my sterilizer do its thing and letting the bloom run its course.  Bleaching on the acro has stopped and my other corals are fine.  Not at their best but not in too much distress.  Polyps are still extended and whatnot.  

 

Once things eventually run its course and clear up I'll bring in a small Wartskin.  Until I'm confident that the bloom is gone and everything is stable once again it'll remain fishless unfortunately.  

 

Oh well.  I suppose this tank had been running far to smoothly anyway.  Something always has to go wrong 😉

[William]

Why did you have the bloom? Also if you are having a bloom, place an air stone in the tank/filter, a lot of fish die from hypoxia during bacterial blooms. 

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

20 minutes ago, William said:

Why did you have the bloom? Also if you are having a bloom, place an air stone in the tank/filter, a lot of fish die from hypoxia during bacterial blooms. 

Honestly I've been trying to figure that out.  The only thing I could think of is that when I my water change and glass scraping that maybe there was some frogfish poop tucked under a rock somewhere that got kicked up.  His poops were about an inch or more long.  I remove them as soon as I see them but maybe I missed one. 

 

Either that Orrrrrrr I neglected to empty a bit of water from my water change container the last I used it and there was bacteria already growing within the tiny amount of stagnant water in the very bottom of it.  Then when I mixed the water in that container I ended up just adding that bacteria straight into the tank.  I'm usually very thorough but quite honestly that's the only thing that would make sense to me.

 

I was trying to figure it out with a few friends over some beers the other night and that was about all we could come up with.   

[William]

What salt do you use? 

[Capt_Rick_Dixie]

Yesterday I went to check on the tank after work and things seemed...fine.  Not great, but fine.  My acro 1" ORA Frogskin completely bleached which was honestly expected. 

As I was looking I noticed a small, off-white, angular piece of material gently rolling across the sand bed.  I knew immediately that it was fish flesh.  One night after I fed the frogfish a silverside he must have regurgitated it.  It then had blown under the rock work to decay.  When I did my big water change/sand siphoning it must have set that ammonia fish-bomb off.  Went and removed the rock and found a nice little fish skull. I  vacuumed all the sand out from the area, did another 75% water change, and moved the rock a bit to provide better flow and visibility underneath.  Things should be smooth sailing for a while know.. hopefully.   

16 hours ago, William said:

What salt do you use? 

I use Red Sea Coral Pro.  My first thought was that maybe there were some issues with the salt but it wasn't a new batch or anything.  I had been using it for weeks.  

[Frag Factory]

Do a 100% water change.

 

Have you been dosing nopox or any other carbon source at all?

 

 

[William]

I would add some additional biomedia to your tank, would help in the future