PIC - My Hispid Anglerfish - (Antennarius hispidus) - using his Esca

[tanks4thememories]

http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs637.snc3/31948_105720019472481_100001034508224_52186_179348 5_n.jpg
His Name is "Blue Eyes" He is a Hispid Anglerfish (Antennarius hispidus)
In this pic he is using his lure which is the ball on the end of the rod protruding from his head. The ball part is called an "esca", The rod is called an "illicium".
If you look real hard at the little furry looking patch just under his large fin facing you in the pic: you also get a glimpls of this fish other high tech gear. You may notice his gills are sealed at the back of his head. This is because this little guy has Jet assist..lol. That little furry looking spot is the out let for his gills!! He has one on each side of his body and he can expel water whenever he needs a boost and attain short bursts of very high speeds!!!

I would not recommend this fish to the beginner as I have learned it is hard to feed. It has to be spot fed and typically only accepts Live food. In a comprtetive tank like mines this presents quite a challenge as more aggressive fish will often beat him to the draw. I compensate for this by feeding the others frozen foods first then feed the live foods and since everyone else is full he has the dinner table all to himself. I think however I will work on a containment glass that I will slide into the tank on feeding time to isolate him and his meals...lol
You can read more on this unique fish in the AC fish db (http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/marinefish/shaggyangler.php).

For more pics you can visit my SW tank Blog (http://tanks4thememories.blogspot.com/p/47-gallon-xt-sw-fowlr-predator-tank.html)
Just scroll down when you get to page.

I hate altering photographs. Sorry I had to "PhotoShop" some of the background there was some very distracting water spots there....lol

Just thought I would share. This is a fascinating fish!! This guy is very shy when it comes to flash so it took some real work to get this pic with his fishing gear in full action...lol

Enjoy!!

Happy Mothers day to all the AC MOMS!!!:1luvu:

[tanks4thememories]

PS TYVM kaimarkhirst For your suggestion of getting a frogfish!!! FASCINATING CREATURE!!!

[tanks4thememories]

Might not be tosting this weekend after this seccion, I have some visiting to do so catch you guys and gals l8tr!

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Great looking fish tanks. Hope he continues to do well. You still have the Damsels?

[kaimarkhirst]

Theyll be in there....

In the anglers tummy!!!! :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:

[HorrorShowRot]

I totally just spit up beer. OMFG I love it<3 They have always fassinated me well deep sea anglers there just odd....<3 Love ur fish we need a video;)

[tanks4thememories]

Great looking fish tanks. Hope he continues to do well. You still have the Damsels?
TYVM. All Damsels ended up as food(as planned), However,no one will eat the dominoes - too fast & smart. Its all in the journal on the link. I keep a detailed log of all: events, tests, and inhabitants in the journal (and lots of Pics!!).


Theyll be in there....

In the anglers tummy!!!! :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:
LOL Yes the laws of averages & his appetite will eventually have everything that's not bigger than he is in his stomach...lol


I totally just spit up beer. OMFG I love it<3 They have always fassinated me well deep sea anglers there just odd....<3 Love ur fish we need a video;)

Hehehe...Thanx guy. Glad you like them. kaimarkhirst got me into them and now im hooked..lol. I'm sorry I don't usually do videos cause I don't have a good camera for vid, just stills. I hate crappy media..lol So I tend to avoid things I'm not equipped to handle in a professional manner (Don't like doing things half baked). Ill see what I can come up with though.[/I]

Any details about the rig and its inhabitants are in the journal. All are welcome to visit its in my sig. & also posted link in the top of this thread.

[HorrorShowRot]

Allrighty will do. Honestly I just showed my fiancee she flipped out going your getting another tank yada yada... XD I said na im getting 2 more I gotta get my hands wet with marine tanks first;)

[tanks4thememories]

Allrighty will do. Honestly I just showed my fiancee she flipped out going your getting another tank yada yada... XD I said na im getting 2 more I gotta get my hands wet with marine tanks first;)

Sweet. Yeah I recommend not starting with this species. The feeding regimen is tricky. Also if you aren't used to piscivores it can take some getting used to the fact that you will be buying feeders on a daily basis and or breeding your own feeders...lol Other wise I recommend them highly.

You can follow along with my mistakes and successes, here (http://tanks4thememories.blogspot.com/p/47-gallon-xt-sw-fowlr-predator-tank.html) on our journal blog. Hopefully it will help you avoid any pitfalls we run into. I use journals to help me remember successes and mistakes for my own edification.

Thanx for popping in to view em!!

[HorrorShowRot]

:) Iv read your blog thoroughly atleast twice now;) What do you feed him tho? Could you not end up getting him on prepared food or even frozen food?

[tanks4thememories]

:) Iv read your blog thoroughly atleast twice now;) What do you feed him tho? Could you not end up getting him on prepared food or even frozen food?

Hehe Thanx, glad you finding it usefull.

I'm trying but it is a very long process. and most of the research I have done on this species is un conclusive (some have weened them and many haven't)

I feed him Mollys, Guppys and even though I should not do it when I run out of the above I feed goldfish and rosy minnows. General consensus on the main reason not to feed the latter is they have very low nutritional value to marine fish. An additional problem with the latter is they only last a minute at best in salt water. They spend more time panicking than swimming which means they are less likely to swim past the frogfish. Plus I don't like making any fish suffer needlessly even when its for food.:scry:

[HorrorShowRot]

Hm... I will have to see if my lfs has any books on em or knows anything about em. I would think feeding em market shrimp or somthing with tweezers would work. I had to do that with my fw eels. Fussy eaters suuckXD

[tanks4thememories]

Hm... I will have to see if my lfs has any books on em or knows anything about em. I would think feeding em market shrimp or somthing with tweezers would work. I had to do that with my fw eels. Fussy eaters suuckXD

Nope tried it. Mines only eats freshly killed (i mean with in minutes) or live food. Although I have read about others that do accept frozen the majority of reports say they only eat live. And honestly can ya blame him? Heck he has his own fishing gear!!!...rotfl

[HorrorShowRot]

Lmfao tis true. I just cant get over the fact how infatuated by your fish.....Hell I love wierd fish but this one takes the cake. Ah well in due time I will look for one how much did he run ya tho?

[tanks4thememories]

Lmfao tis true. I just cant get over the fact how infatuated by your fish.....Hell I love wierd fish but this one takes the cake.
You and me both..lol Check out my other tanks as well I'm into Odd ball and monster fish. The others are all FW though.



Ah well in due time I will look for one how much did he run ya tho?

Wife wont tell me...lol It was a gift. along with the Volitans and the Eel. I know they were on sale and I know anglers normally can be anywhere from 89.00 - 200.00 USD. But she is an incredible shopper so I know she did not pay anything near those prices.

I think you could handle it if you have good exp keeping oddballs. Just one thing I would change in hind sight which is I would have gotten an established SW breeding tank for molly's set up before I got the fish.

[HorrorShowRot]

If only my fiancee thot like ur wife:P I havnt kept SW yet but I figure with enough patience and how much reading material I have readxD Iv been to scared to dive into SW even though i have researched countless times over the past oh 2 years? Plus I set up the lfs sw tank XD Just not my own.

[tanks4thememories]

If only my fiancee thot like ur wife:P I havnt kept SW yet but I figure with enough patience and how much reading material I have readxD Iv been to scared to dive into SW even though i have researched countless times over the past oh 2 years? Plus I set up the lfs sw tank XD Just not my own.

Hehehe, well I am blessed with a wife that is really awesome and very thoughtful, but part of the reason she got my gift so early was this is a show tank in a prominent location of "Her" living room. Right next to the TV.

I think of aquariums as "Living Art" I had been procrastinating because I was debating between Discus and SW. She was complaining it was an eye sore in its empty state...lol But I was taking my time because I wanted something that was spectacular and could compete in eye appeal with the TV. So I decided on SW and as soon as I had finished my research I told her the fish I wanted. I cycled the tank with Damsels and LR. I told her when the tank was ready but I had to budget the money for the fish because they were very expensive. Secretly she had been price watching our favorite Local Fish Stores.

I really didn't suspect anything because we buy so much live feeders that we often go to visit different and favorite LFS on weekends (the kids love it...ahem...ok well I do too...lol). Anyway, while I was busy getting my SW tested (I couldn't believe it had cycled so quickly and wanted a second opinion) and oogling FW fish she was busy in the SW section getting the only Lionfish and angler they had in the store..lol She later told me it was an awesome sale and she wanted to surprise me. The rest is history as you know from our blog...lol

[HorrorShowRot]

Man im jeloouse you actually have good lfs:P The sw department is practically miscroscopic around here. Sure theres a few damsels and clowns but nothing neat:P

[tanks4thememories]

Man im jeloouse you actually have good lfs:P The sw department is practically miscroscopic around here. Sure theres a few damsels and clowns but nothing neat:P

I got a guy who ships to Canada but he prefers 200.00 minimum orders. He is wholesale so you get alot for your money. So when you ready just PM me and ill give ya the info and such.

[tanks4thememories]

Ahh A little digging in some other forums I belong to has revealed they like ghost shrimp or the SW version which is Common Shore Shrimp!! I brought some today. Filled up his tank mates on frozen food and then let the ghost shrimp free into the tank and he gobbled them up on his own. Now I just have to find an economical source or figure out how to breed them...lol

[tanks4thememories]

Ahh A little digging in some other forums I belong to has revealed they like ghost shrimp or the SW version which is Common Shore Shrimp!! I brought some today. Filled up his tank mates on frozen food and then let the ghost shrimp free into the tank and he gobbled them up on his own. Now I just have to find an economical source or figure out how to breed them...lol

Added some more details to blog.

[tanks4thememories]

http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs637.snc3/31948_105741439470339_100001034508224_52342_110157 1_n.jpg
Just another pic of "Blue Eyes"

[kaimarkhirst]

Hi all,

Have been following this thread with some great interest as you may have gathered.... and it is nice that these fish are getting a good amount of interest indeed as they are a wonder to watch and keep.

A few facts here form personal experience..

Feeding

The reason hes blowing the food away, is that he has a better source of food....

As with Any wild caught predator (I know hes wild caught as ill explain later...) changing from indigineous foods to cative fare can be problematic.. but isn't tricky at all as Anglers have a slow metabolic rate and only really need to be fed 2-3 times a week using a on/off regimen. Anglers (and some fish in general) are simple in their nature. The best way is to cut off their food supply altogether using shrimp and live fish. the second is getting the appropriate meaty fare. Personally, I use fresh squid as a favorite. See my post on a shopping list of fresh fare here...

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=62695

Once he's hungry, hell look at it and make a decision instantly and eat it. it is also important to introduce the meat fare using the feeding regimen so hell associate the feeding stick with feeding time. Once he realises whats going on coupled with his hunger, hell go for it... The worst case senario is that he wont do any of this, and yoll have to carry on using live food, but hes a juvenile hispid, so you shouldnt have any problems..... Patience and persistence is the key to this.

Breeding

No chance!!!!!! Its hard enough to breed giant frogfishwhich are classed as the easier of the two. Hispids and frogfish in general are nre impossible to breed due to their violent mating rituals, size of tank needed, foods and care needed. i know of no-one who has been able to put the time and effort in to achieve this. If you are going to attempt, getting a confirmed female is going to be hard, youll need to lose the snowflake and volitans, double the size of the tank and triple the amount of rock. Youll also need to be prepared to introduce multiple females as hes choosy and will eat a potential mate that encrouches onto his territory... Also, a sump is essential to the sucessfull breeding process.

Other Suggestions

Tanks.. You need more live rock and a deeper sandbed is recommended in addition to the FX5....

horrorshowrot. The initial expense of a SW tank is large, but the rewards outweigh the outlay trust me!!!!! the earache is worth it!!!!!

Hope this all helps..

Kai

[tanks4thememories]

Hi all,

Have been following this thread with some great interest as you may have gathered.... and it is nice that these fish are getting a good amount of interest indeed as they are a wonder to watch and keep.

A few facts here form personal experience..

Feeding

The reason hes blowing the food away, is that he has a better source of food....

As with Any wild caught predator (I know hes wild caught as ill explain later...) changing from indigineous foods to cative fare can be problematic.. but isn't tricky at all as Anglers have a slow metabolic rate and only really need to be fed 2-3 times a week using a on/off regimen. Anglers (and some fish in general) are simple in their nature. The best way is to cut off their food supply altogether using shrimp and live fish. the second is getting the appropriate meaty fare. Personally, I use fresh squid as a favorite. See my post on a shopping list of fresh fare here...

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=62695

Once he's hungry, hell look at it and make a decision instantly and eat it. it is also important to introduce the meat fare using the feeding regimen so hell associate the feeding stick with feeding time. Once he realises whats going on coupled with his hunger, hell go for it... The worst case senario is that he wont do any of this, and yoll have to carry on using live food, but hes a juvenile hispid, so you shouldnt have any problems..... Patience and persistence is the key to this.

Breeding

No chance!!!!!! Its hard enough to breed giant frogfishwhich are classed as the easier of the two. Hispids and frogfish in general are nre impossible to breed due to their violent mating rituals, size of tank needed, foods and care needed. i know of no-one who has been able to put the time and effort in to achieve this. If you are going to attempt, getting a confirmed female is going to be hard, youll need to lose the snowflake and Volitans, double the size of the tank and triple the amount of rock. You'll also need to be prepared to introduce multiple females as hes choosy and will eat a potential mate that encrouches onto his territory... Also, a sump is essential to the sucessfull breeding process.

Other Suggestions

Tanks.. You need more live rock and a deeper sandbed is recommended in addition to the FX5....

horrorshowrot. The initial expense of a SW tank is large, but the rewards outweigh the outlay trust me!!!!! the earache is worth it!!!!!

Hope this all helps..

Kai

"Kai" - Awsome Info!! TY.

Breeding:
I wouldn't even think about trying it. Ever since you got me interested in them and Once I decided that I wanted one I researched anglers like crazy. Then again when I actually got a Hispid I've read everything I could get my hands on about this fish. I also found a local marine aquarium forum and hobbyist group that has a few members with them. I have been PMing you "Kai"(as you know...lol) and those guys. Honestly, I haven't even tried to breed my FW fish (may try birchirs I have been studying the subject for almost a year..but that's a whole different thread)...lol
Anyway I'm Crazy about Angler Fish species but no way I would try to breed Marine fish for quite some time never mind Hispids ....lol

Maybe you read about my breeding mollies for food and thought I was talking about anglers?

LR & sand:
I will get some later on. For now I'm Studying FO (Fish Only) and learning what effect the current LR & filtration has in the system. The only reasons I kept the LR I have in there now is:
1) Technically I'm not cycled its just the LR I already have doing its thing. I will not be cycled in the FX5 and Substrate for about 1-2 months
2) The types of fish I have need it for cover and any base rock I were to purchase for that purpose would just turn into LR anyway so I might as well keep it since I will eventually add to it anyway. I'm watching water quality very carefully so I will make sure nothing gets out of hand before the time that I will add more substrate and LR.

Feeding:
Normally most of my fish get a general rotation (as applicable) of the following:
Live Gold Fish
Live Rosy Minnows
Live Guppies
Frozen Clams
Frozen Shrimp
Frozen Tilapia
Frozen Cod
Frozen Krill
Live Worms
Live Crickets
Frozen worms
Quality flakes and pellets
Blanched Frozen Veggies
Fresh blanched Veggies
Occasional Ghost shrimp treats

Blue Eyes has been offered most of the above (no veggies...lol) but has only accepted:
Rosey Minnows ( I know its not the best but sometimes I run out of guppies and hell at least I'm honest about it)
Feeder Guppies
Live Ghost Shrimp

I will soon add the following to what he is offered:
Fresh and frozen squid
Live Cherry Shrimp
Home raised Live Mollies

Feeding Technique:
That is great stuff you gave above, I will incorporate it into my efforts. Right now he and I are just feeling each other out. Since my style of journal keeping is that I document everything. I hope people don't confuse my thoughts and observations for anything more than the facts I observe. I am really familiar with animal training and conditioning. Fish are animals..lol He is quite smart fish. Thats what I love about Pred. fish, they tend to be highly intelligent.


Thanx as always for your great information :22:

[tanks4thememories]

http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs581.snc3/30682_103123156398834_100001034508224_25376_178459 3_n.jpg
Flaring fins

[tanks4thememories]

Just finished
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs547.ash1/31961_109656905745459_100001034508224_75611_217045 3_n.jpg
DIY Angler Fish Feeding Bell

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs547.ash1/31961_109656915745458_100001034508224_75612_533305 _n.jpg
Close Up of the "business end"

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs547.ash1/31961_109657535745396_100001034508224_75649_981629 _n.jpg
In Action!!

[tanks4thememories]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs637.snc3/31961_109657542412062_100001034508224_75650_257697 9_n.jpg
Blue Eyes didnt like it a whole lot at first (Actually there was a lot of testing before final design- However No Angler Fish were harmed in the making of this photo session...lol)

http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs637.snc3/31961_109658055745344_100001034508224_75669_381512 3_n.jpg
Ummm I can't say the same for the feeder fish though...
Ok so anyway they go into the cup.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs607.snc3/31961_109658059078677_100001034508224_75670_422360 6_n.jpg
Add some tank water.

[tanks4thememories]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs637.snc3/31961_109657549078728_100001034508224_75651_190887 6_n.jpg
Pour contents of cup into tube

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs637.snc3/31961_109657575745392_100001034508224_75656_537541 9_n.jpg
Raise tube above assembly and let water gravity take over

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs637.snc3/31961_109657582412058_100001034508224_75657_775567 3_n.jpg
Cover end of tube with mouth and blow - DING>>DING>>DING Dinner is served...lol

Once he realized during testing (not pictured in this set of pics) He really didnt mind much being in the bell as he now knows it is his personal dinning room...lol

Well hope you enjoyed the story!!

[Lindsey]

That's a really cool way to target feed, and awesome that he doesn't seem to mind being enclosed for dinnertime now that he knows what it means. Beautiful, unusual fish; thanks for sharing :19:

[tanks4thememories]

That's a really cool way to target feed, and awesome that he doesn't seem to mind being enclosed for dinnertime now that he knows what it means. Beautiful, unusual fish; thanks for sharing :19:

TY for taking the time to check it out and especially the comments..thumbs2:
If you want to see the full story on this device once I get the doccumentation completed it will all be posted here:
http://tanks4thememories.blogspot.com/DIY_feeding_bell (http://tanks4thememories.blogspot.com/DIY_feeding_bell)

Thanx again :ssmile:

[Sarkazmo]

Your image in the OP is messed up and not displaying.

Sark

[tanks4thememories]

Your image in the OP is messed up and not displaying.

Sark

TY wierd, Ill look into it. Must be a facebook thing...lol. Sorry:scry:

[tanks4thememories]

TY for taking the time to check it out and especially the comments..thumbs2:
If you want to see the full story on this device once I get the doccumentation completed it will all be posted here:
http://tanks4thememories.blogspot.com/DIY_feeding_bell (http://tanks4thememories.blogspot.com/DIY_feeding_bell)

Thanx again :ssmile:


Fixed link to feeding bell:
http://tanks4thememories.blogspot.com/2010/05/diy-feeding-bell-for-angler-fish.html (http://tanks4thememories.blogspot.com/2010/05/diy-feeding-bell-for-angler-fish.html)

[tanks4thememories]

experimented with some B/W..lol
Enjoy!!

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs261.snc3/27711_112269735484176_100001034508224_91442_246537 0_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs261.snc3/27711_112269748817508_100001034508224_91444_577078 6_n.jpg