Red lip crawling bat fish

Carl Cardarelli · Mar 13, 2020

Can anyone give me any advice if they are like sharks were ick doesn't appear to be a problem with this species and any advice I care or feeding just purchase one and their is little information on them, Thanks

lion king · Mar 13, 2020

Yeah you will find no info on this species. Ick will likely be the least of your problems with this fish. You will be the one to pass on any info on care, have you seen one available. In the wild they get to about 15", I likely wouldn't keep one in less than a 125g a 6' tank; if it's a smaller specimen maybe a 75g to start. I would plan to feed it live food, mollies and ghost shrimp. I would not use any medications at all and I would at least start it out as the only fish in the tank. After settling in you may try chunks of meaty foods you would any other predatory tupe fish.

Carl Cardarelli · Mar 13, 2020

Thanks it will be going into my 12 ft dt, just don't know when going to try to get it to eat chunks of clams etc thanks for your advice

lion king · Mar 14, 2020

Are you going to qt. Many times fish like this, that you rarely find info on, is due to them not surviving long. They eat small fish, shrimp and crabs and such in the wild. I would imagine with a dt that large you have other inhabitants. I would not count on him taking dead food. I would set him up in at least a 40 breeder as an observation tank, start him off on live mollies, fiddler crabs, and ghost shrimp. The more common walking batfish does not take dead food well and the only long term success is by feeding live food.