Freckled Angler

[Shrimpinator123]

I picked up the freckled angler that was recently on DD, and I have not been able to get it to eat yet. I t wont take crayfish, just walks away uninterested. Anybody else keep this species, and if so what did you start their diet with?

 

[lion king]

Not the freckled specifically, try live ghost shrimp or appropriate sized mollies. Like any angler it's best to feed them a few smaller items than a really large one, and you will need to provide live prey. Ghosties and mollies are the best food, but in a pinch guppies aren't bad. the problem with guppies are they can float, while mollies will acclimate and hang out until he eats them. It's really important to get him eating, so don't waste time, they can go to a point of no return. If you can't get ghosties or mollies, these are things I've fed in a pinch; peppermint shrimp but an expensive meal, a fancy guppy appropriately sized, a platy. I really don't like to, rosies would be your last resort. I shy away from salt water fish mainly because of risk of disease, and the price of course.

 

[Shrimpinator123]

Not the freckled specifically, try live ghost shrimp or appropriate sized mollies. Like any angler it's best to feed them a few smaller items than a really large one, and you will need to provide live prey. Ghosties and mollies are the best food, but in a pinch guppies aren't bad. the problem with guppies are they can float, while mollies will acclimate and hang out until he eats them. It's really important to get him eating, so don't waste time, they can go to a point of no return. If you can't get ghosties or mollies, these are things I've fed in a pinch; peppermint shrimp but an expensive meal, a fancy guppy appropriately sized, a platy. I really don't like to, rosies would be your last resort. I shy away from salt water fish mainly because of risk of disease, and the price of course.

Ok, I was planning on trying ghost shrimp. My previous angler was started on ghost shrimp so I will try those.

 

[Jboulerice]

It sounds stupid but he should immediately chase down ghost shrimp off the bat; get home in quarantine until he can show interest in eating.... then get some garlic and silversides; my frog fish back in the day would eat the silversides when forced in their mouth eventually; after a few weeks they just keep sucking them down and flatten up nicely

 

[Shrimpinator123]

I have been trying to hand feed him ghost shrimp, should I just be dumpung them in? He still hasn't eaten. Didn't have this problem with the last one

 

[lion king]

Yes just drop a few in and let him hunt them down. To help out more timid eaters: I'd turn off the flow and herd a ghostie towards him with a rigid airline tube.

 

[Jboulerice]

I have been trying to hand feed him ghost shrimp, should I just be dumpung them in? He still hasn't eaten. Didn't have this problem with the last one

Sounds stupid but those garlic food enticers worked. I has similar feeding issues with leaf fish in the past. The garlic even on live stuff helps drive the urge to munch... If all else fails take a feeding sick and force some food on the mouth; you'd be surprised how barbaric it sounds but how effective it can be with newly capture specimens that prefer live food.

 

[Shrimpinator123]

Ok, I will try both. I have been holding the food up to his mouth, but seems to be scared of my hand. Thanks.

 

[Shrimpinator123]

Ok, he finnaly ate. Took ten minutes of coaxing to show him where the shrimp was, but once he found it, he ate.

 

[lion king]

Ok, he finnaly ate. Took ten minutes of coaxing to show him where the shrimp was, but once he found it, he ate.

Great!! Let him eat enough to give him a nice bulge in his belly, then don't feed again for at least 3-4 days. I'm finding once a week to 10 days to be a better feeding schedule. In the wild they gorge and fast, so trying to duplicate that is your best bet. Over feeding will prove just as deadly as not eating. Over feeding may take time to cause a problem, the gases will slowly build inside their guts, which eventually leads to a premature death.

 

[Shrimpinator123]

Yeah, going to let him finish off the ghost shrimp with his next feeding. And then going to try to apply the same feeding method but with crayfish.

 

[lion king]

Yeah, going to let him finish off the ghost shrimp with his next feeding. And then going to try to apply the same feeding method but with crayfish.

Highly unlikely he will eat the crayfish. They usually will only eat soft shell inverts, like shrimp.

 

[Jboulerice]

Highly unlikely he will eat the crayfish. They usually will only eat soft shell inverts, like shrimp.

Agree with all of what they said ^

Overfeading can lead to liver disease and a bunch more issues; I would feed silversides that where gut loaded with pellets eventually if you want to have long term success.

Frog fish, leaf fish, lion fish and other more opportunistic eaters can be extremely difficult at first to coax into eating frozen.

But eventually they literally act like small puppies begging for food; I would let me fish tell me when it was time to feed; I had a few for several years until I decided to sell them. Went a different route from the predator tanks I used to love....

 

[Jboulerice]

Ok, he finnaly ate. Took ten minutes of coaxing to show him where the shrimp was, but once he found it, he ate.

He looks super derpy! That’s what I love about these guys. Most people are like “what is it a rock” I used to respond “no look into It’s eyes, there’s something seriously predatorial going on up there”

Good luck on the long term! Hope he gets as big as mine did; I had one bigger than a baseball!

 

[Shrimpinator123]

Thanks, I think the max sixe on this species is five inches.

He looks super derpy! That’s what I love about these guys. Most people are like “what is it a rock” I used to respond “no look into It’s eyes, there’s something seriously predatorial going on up there”

Good luck on the long term! Hope he gets as big as mine did; I had one bigger than a baseball!

 

[Shrimpinator123]

Highly unlikely he will eat the crayfish. They usually will only eat soft shell inverts, like shrimp.

Interesting, I had my pictus taking small crayfish. These were not even an inch yet, was going to try to get him eating them. If not I will continue with ghost shrimp.

 

[Shrimpinator123]

I might try training him onto prepared food, but from what i have seen frogs tend to refuse frozen at all costs, unlike scorpions who tend to take prepared eventually.

Agree with all of what they said ^

Overfeading can lead to liver disease and a bunch more issues; I would feed silversides that where gut loaded with pellets eventually if you want to have long term success.

Frog fish, leaf fish, lion fish and other more opportunistic eaters can be extremely difficult at first to coax into eating frozen.

But eventually they literally act like small puppies begging for food; I would let me fish tell me when it was time to feed; I had a few for several years until I decided to sell them. Went a different route from the predator tanks I used to love....

 

[lion king]

I might try training him onto prepared food, but from what i have seen frogs tend to refuse frozen at all costs, unlike scorpions who tend to take prepared eventually.

I have found feeding anglers a dead only diet ends in negative results. They tend to rather quickly become even more sedentary than usual, eventually refusing to eat at all in a relatively short time, and that's all folks. This may be partly because of some nutrients in live food that they need, as well as the enrichment of their lives in captivity, by giving them something to hunt.

 

[Shrimpinator123]

I had heard that, and that was partially my reasoninf with kepping him on live food.

I have found feeding anglers a dead only diet ends in negative results. They tend to rather quickly become even more sedentary than usual, eventually refusing to eat at all in a relatively short time, and that's all folks. This may be partly because of some nutrients in live food that they need, as well as the enrichment of their lives in captivity, by giving them something to hunt.

 

[Shrimpinator123]

Just got him eating crayfish