Got a scorpionfish

[ParkerB]

so these guys are reef safe?

There is many species and some I feel prefer different things.

For example my leaf scorp will only eat fish. I have a shrimp and he does absolutely nothing to it. But my friends scorpion (not a leaf) I'm honestly not sure if the name as of now. But he only eats shrimp, and has been trying to get his bloodred shrimp for awhile now just it's too big for him to get in his mouth.

I haven't heard one eating snails, or hermits either.

 

[Connie]

very interesting!

 

[quigimon]

Well "Mr" no is no longer hiding in the sand, and when I walk by the tank or look into it he twitches his tail, I'm sure I've been recognized as the food thing" I love how he hunts like a cat. Although I did discover something interesting, he doesn't like dinner approaching him and will back away until it stops approaching him and starts to back off and then the chase is on.

 

[AirAngel]

Louis
Thats is one wild looking fish. Congrats, I think. lol

 

[quigimon]

Louis
Thats is one wild looking fish. Congrats, I think. lol

He's pretty awesome, not the fish to get if you want a real active or for that matter an active fish in general but he's the closest I can reasonably get to a predator pet and when he does move its with that intensity which is amazing to see.

 

[Greg@LionfishLair]

A snail/hermit (scarlet reefs are best, IMHO/IME) CUC is fine with Scorpaeniformes. They pay no attention to them. As for shrimp, it depends on the type of shrimp and the individual fish. Sometimes cleaners get a "pass", sometimes not (the same with cleaner fish). It does help if the cleaner is established first, as anything the scorps see you add to the tank will be thought of as food first, so if you try adding one after the scorp, you need to be sure you release it into the rockwork for it to have a chance at establishing itself before it is seen and eaten.

 

[quigimon]

A snail/hermit (scarlet reefs are best, IMHO/IME) CUC is fine with Scorpaeniformes. They pay no attention to them. As for shrimp, it depends on the type of shrimp and the individual fish. Sometimes cleaners get a "pass", sometimes not (the same with cleaner fish). It does help if the cleaner is established first, as anything the scorps see you add to the tank will be thought of as food first, so if you try adding one after the scorp, you need to be sure you release it into the rockwork for it to have a chance at establishing itself before it is seen and eaten.

I've noticed he has shown no interest in snails as when he was hunting down a ghost shrimp a snail literally crawled right in front of his mouth but he was so trained on the shrimp he either didn't notice it or didn't care.

 

[Greg@LionfishLair]

Oddly enuff, we have fish that are so well trained to the stick, they'll let live food pass them by in favor of the stick.

 

[quigimon]

Oddly enuff, we have fish that are so well trained to the stick, they'll let live food pass them by in favor of the stick.

Yeah I'm at the training point right now, having read your info on training I'm hoping to get good results although I'm aware he may not transition to non living foods.

 

[ParkerB]

Oddly enuff, we have fish that are so well trained to the stick, they'll let live food pass them by in favor of the stick.

Ditto over here as well with mine. I added a chromis and he was fine with him. Also he used to sit under my maroon clown I got rid of cause e was more of a pain to the fish than my scorp was.

Mine will leave everything alone unless its from his tongs,

He also got more boring due to only eating frozen I never get to really see him hunt anymore cause its me adding tongs to water he notices swims up nabs it then back to perchin for 24-48 hrs in 3differrnt spots lol

 

[quigimon]

I got him to eat from the feeder stick, may not have been the most traditional way but its a start I think, in the past week of feeding him I would put the stick in the water and play with the live food directing it his way he lost no interest in the food while doing so. Finally I put a live silverside in and let it flounder till death all the while he was hunting him down in the water but as they perish they stay to the top. After perishing I placed the stick through the Gil and out of the mouth so I could give it life like movement then had it dance the rock he was sitting upon as if it were looking for a hiding spot and BOOM! He snagged him off the stick, unfortunately I wasn't fast enough with the camera to get a picture with the fish head sticking out of his mouth. So far I'm happy with him taking food from the stick, now time will tell if it was a fluke or not.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Excellent news. If he doesn't take it a second time, starve him a few more days before trying again.

 

[Greg@LionfishLair]

so these guys are reef safe?

Hi Connie,

The best way to describe Scorpaeniformes and reefs is they are "reef limiting". Basically, they have no interest in corals whatsoever (unless they happen to pick one as a fave perch, generally, this is a "lionfish thing" if it happens at all). However they DO limit you in terms of keeping small (swallowable) fishes and ornamental crustaceans (other than hermits).

I've kept full-grown P. volitans, P. antennata, and D. brachypterus in reef setups with no issues. While we are no longer reefers, we do know several folks who are keeping scorps, lions, waspfish, and stingfish in reef setups with no issues.

Who wouldn't like to see this in their reef?

HTH

 

[quigimon]

Hi Connie,

The best way to describe Scorpaeniformes and reefs is they are "reef limiting". Basically, they have no interest in corals whatsoever (unless they happen to pick one as a fave perch, generally, this is a "lionfish thing" if it happens at all). However they DO limit you in terms of keeping small (swallowable) fishes and ornamental crustaceans (other than hermits).

I've kept full-grown P. volitans, P. antennata, and D. brachypterus in reef setups with no issues. While we are no longer reefers, we do know several folks who are keeping scorps, lions, waspfish, and stingfish in reef setups with no issues.

Who wouldn't like to see this in their reef?

HTH

That weedy would be nice.

 

[ParkerB]

Hi Connie,

The best way to describe Scorpaeniformes and reefs is they are "reef limiting". Basically, they have no interest in corals whatsoever (unless they happen to pick one as a fave perch, generally, this is a "lionfish thing" if it happens at all). However they DO limit you in terms of keeping small (swallowable) fishes and ornamental crustaceans (other than hermits).

I've kept full-grown P. volitans, P. antennata, and D. brachypterus in reef setups with no issues. While we are no longer reefers, we do know several folks who are keeping scorps, lions, waspfish, and stingfish in reef setups with no issues.

Who wouldn't like to see this in their reef?

HTH

IMO most beautiful fish, and worth the price

 

[Brandon Trinh]

IMO most beautiful fish, and worth the price

Which fish is this?