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Leaf fish not eating 5/11/18 Fish Compatibility?
1/9/13 How can I tell if my leaf scorpion is sick?
12/9/12 Leaf Scorpionfish Compatibility
7/23/11 Has my leaf fish poisoned my tank? 2/16/08 Hi, <Hello Francesca> I had until today a pink leaf fish (Taenionotus triacanthus). Last night our skimmer went absolutely crazy for no apparent reason. <? something...> On inspection today the skimmer had calmed down but I noticed my Scribbled angel had dark patches surrounding his gills where the usual bright yellow stripe is usually found and was struggling to swim and the other fish were starting to nip at him. When checking the other tank mates, we discovered the leaf fish had died. It was hard to tell as it sat still for long periods of time anyway. I am now concerned that it may have released toxins upon its death. Are they known to do this? <Yes> So far only the Scribbled Angel appears to be affected and I have added some activated carbon to be on the safe side. Should I be looking at removing the livestock from the tank? <Perhaps... I would at least execute a large water change, increase aeration... But if you have other stable system/s...> I have removed the angelfish who is now swimming in a bucket full of tank water from my other marine tank and appears to be breathing easier. Thanks Francesca <Mmm, all Scorpaeniform fishes are toxic to some degree... Think how slow this species moves... makes sense that it would have such defense. Bob Fenner>
Leaf Scorpion Question (Compatibility)
1/30/08 I recently purchased a BEAUTIFUL Leaf Scorpion for my 50g
soon to be predator reef. (Fully cycled 75g downgrade. Only other
inhabitant is a small, very peaceful green spot puffer) <May be/come
very nippy...> He's eating, active, and otherwise lovely. (Or
she) My question is this... I already asked another LFS to special
order me a pair of leaf fish. <Mmm... a "pair"?
Taenionotus triacanthus I've seen a few times with more than one
individual w/in arms reach of another, but these Scorpaeniform fishes
are not social...> Will there be problems adding more once this guy
gets acclimated? <Adding more what?> I'm not sure how
they'd get along, not finding any good information regarding this.
I was thinking of maybe just asking the LFS to order me one red leaf
scorpion. <Mmm, and do change color... vis a vis their
surroundings> Still worried once this new guy gets settled if
he'll be bothered by a new "friend". What do you suggest?
Thanks :) <As long as slow moving, non-aggressive. Have you read:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/taenionotus.htm and the linked files above?
Bob Fenner> Taenionotus triacanthus 11/08/07 Hello, I have a few questions regarding Leaf fish (Taenionotus triacanthus). <Neat animals> First off, I have an 86g tank(26"T x 16"W x 48"T), which is stocked with plenty of LR (takes up about 1/3 of volume of tank). I'm almost done with setting it up, so I have absolutely nothing no livestock, other than LR hitchhikers. I really like the appearance of the leaf fish, so I'd like to keep a pair or two. How many leaf fish could I keep in my tank? <Mmm, don't know... have happened upon three, maybe four individuals at one time in a space about this size in the wild... but most are found individually. Not a common aquarium species> Are they at all territorial between different pairs? <Again, can't say> Also, what is the prey size to leaf fish size ratio? Meaning, if my leaf fish is 2" long, what is the smallest fish I can safely keep with it? <About two inches... likely with size/growth, most anything no more than an inch smaller is fine> Finally, have you ever had any experience with them? What's your opinion concerning their level of interesting-ness? <I have only rarely seen this fish in captive use... but always look for them in the wild in their range... Is my article posted... Oh yeah, here: http://wetwebmedia.com/taenionotus.htm and the FAQs for the Rock and Scorpionfishes above... is where the Taenionotus Q and A's are to be found. Bob Fenner, less random> TIA, Random Aquarist Building a Biotope System. Fiji Biotope/ Taenionotus triacanthus Compatibility 7/16/07 Hello, <Hi there! Scott F. here today!> With the help of Reef Central and WWM, I'm about to cycle my first tank, so I'm pretty excited. I've been researching and learning about this hobby for years, so I'm really happy to take my first jump (or dive) into it. I'm glad that all that money I spent on equipment won't be going to waste. <Nope- just helping build the aquarium industry!> I've helped my dad setup a few FW tanks, but they all eventually turned into disasters after he refused to maintain them properly, which at least helped me learn from his mistakes. <Learning from our mistakes is how most of us have grown as hobbyists, so this is all part of the fun! I've made tons of mistakes, so I have learned a lot!> Anyways, I've planned for this tank to be an 86g (+30g sump) Fiji lagoon biotope. <Nice...A biotope fan like myself!> I plan on covering all of my liverock with Chlorodesmis fastigiata. <Can be tough to maintain, as it requires a lot of flow, but a cool species nonetheless. The color reminds me of a haircut that one of my buddies had back in the day, but I digress!> I also plan on getting a BTA and a pair of Maroon Clowns. I recently found out that lagoons are supposed to have low water flow, but I have a powerhead that will put out a high flow rate. Is it not uncommon to have high flow in lagoons? <Well, the term "low flow" is really subjective, and is in my opinion-misinterpreted by hobbyists.. Even the lowest flow in a typical lagoon is way more dynamic than you would ever imagine. I vividly recall an incident where I had to swim after my surfboard in a certain South Pacific lagoon some years back, and found that the current was far beyond anything that I'd consider "low"! I would not be concerned about providing too much flow in this biotope. Just don't blast your powerhead directly into your organisms.> Does Chlorodesmis often cover entire rocks or does it only appear in small patches? <Both, actually. It can grow into pretty large stands if conditions are to its liking, and if no predators are present.> I've always liked the look of Taenionotus triacanthus, but before now I never knew exactly what their native range was. Now that I use FishBase.org, I can now consider them possible additions to my Fiji biotope. <A great source of information that more hobbyists should use- especially us biotope geeks!> However, I have a few questions about their compatibility before I put them on the shopping list. First, are they dangerous to snails? <I'd be more concerned about small fishes, shrimp and crabs falling prey to this species, myself. Sure, the potential exists, but I would not be too crazed about it.> Second, will they be eaten by a Bubbletip Anemone (BTA)? <There is always a potential risk.> Also, if I add them before the clowns, will they be picked on? <Quite possibly. They are pretty timid fish, and should be kept with passive fishes that don't act too aggressively.> Finally, do they pose a threat to the maroon clowns with their poisonous spines? <These spines are generally defensive weapons. I'd be more concerned about injury to myself. Handle these fishes with extreme caution!> Thanks for spending your time reading and answering this. I hope you have a nice summer (or winter). Sincerely, Random Aquarist <Summer in this hemisphere now- but I'll take your wishes for a nice winter as well! Best of luck to you...Do keep me posted how this turns out! Regards, Scott F.> Leaf lion fish compatibility 11/16/06 Hello,
I have a 7 month old, 55 gal. tank (Skilter and an Aqua Clear power
head) with Live rock, many hermit crabs, some brittle stars, a
small pencil urchin, snowflake eel and a leaf Lion fish. I
have good water quality and do a 20 gal water change (with ocean water)
every week. <Wow> I really enjoy my Leaf lion <Taenionotus are
great animals> and eel and am raising shrimp (opae) for them to eat.
<Oh! Sounds like you're in HI... am out at our place in
Holualoa, mauka of Kona... and have friends who raise/use some of the
shrimp here...> I also feed them fish scraps
(uncooked). My husband wants some fish he can
see! After scouring your wonderful site, I was thinking an
arc eyed Hawkfish (Will he get along with the leaf lion, I do see them
sharing coral heads with the speckled lion fish?), <Oh yes> Humu
Humu trigger fish (Will he bite my lion?), <Yes, too likely
so...> or juvenile yellow tail wrasse (does he poop too much for my
system?). <Mmm, well, you're near the comfort/max. for this
sized volume, the gear you list... along with the big weekly water
change... I would look to getting (another) larger tank... if you can
fit this in> Do I have room for any one of these in your
conservative opinion, and which one is most compatible with my
Lionfish. Or do you have another Hawaiian fish you could
recommend? <An Arc-Eye or Forster's Hawk is my best choice for
adding here... are "large" enough, peaceful enough, and
don't contribute much to the bio-load...> I would be willing to
release any one of my existing fish in order to give my beloved some
color. Since discovering and scouring your site, I've
already returned my pair of coral banded shrimp, and three damsels to
their original tide pool in the interest of not overcrowding. <Ah,
good... Nice to be able to go, get your own, mix and match eh?>
Thank you for your time and your site. It is a fish life
saver for those of us who are just learning this business. Amy
<Mahalo to you and yours. A hu'i ho! Bob Fenner> A Concern about My Leaf Fish 9/28/06 First, thank you for all of your advice with respect to purchasing and caring for leaf fish. <Welcome> I have a concern about my leaf fish. On Sunday, he ate 2 gut-loaded (Cyclop-eeze and Selcon) ghost shrimp and 1 small frozen Mysis (the first time I got him to eat anything frozen). Today (Wednesday night) he is still very plump in his belly. <Only need to eat/feed about once, maybe twice a week...> He is usually only plump for 1 or 2 days after eating and so I am a bit concerned that there is some type of blockage. Should I be worried? <I would not, am not> Is there anything I can do other than monitor the situation? <Not really> Otherwise, he is acting normally (or at least as normally as a leaf fish can). <Waving, yawning... mainly sitting about> My tank parameters are as follows: Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0, Temp 80 degrees, pH and alkalinity stable and within normal range. Also, on a different topic, there are just a ton of pods in my tank. There is nothing in there that eats them (just my leaf fish and some Zoanthids, a frogspawn, and a leather in the tank) and they are becoming an irritant to my Zoanthids and sometimes even land on and annoy the leaf fish. Is there anything I can do to decrease there numbers? <Mmm, add a predator...> Is there a coral that would eat them <Not efficiently> or an animal that would be compatible with a leaf Scorpionfish in a 25 gallon tank with 25 pounds of live rock? <My choice... likely a Labrisomid, Tripterygiid... Maybe a Gobiosoma species... many possibilities> I really appreciate all of your help! Adam Carlis <BobF> Re: Please help, Leaf Scorpionfish has gotten worse 9/29/06 Mr. Fenner, <Adam> Again, thanks for your help. Please, if you have a moment, I have one more (important) question. My leaf fish, along with being a little bloated, appears to actually be sick. These are new symptoms as of today: His pelvic fins appear to have worn away (the rays are still there, but the flesh is just gone). It also appears as though this is starting to happen on his caudal fin (beginning at the tips). I attempted to get a picture, but he is not in a good area to take one and they are nothing if not lazy. The fish is part of a pair that I purchased online. The first showed similar symptoms upon arrival and died about 3 weeks ago. Everything else in the tank (LPS, Zoanthids, Softies) <... these are likely the root cause of trouble here... chemically and physically mal-affecting this/these fish> are healthy, growing, and show no signs of a water quality issue. I really want to save this fish. Please, what can I do? <Move it to a system w/o these cnidarians> Again, my tank parameters are as follows: calcium 400 Magnesium 1300 Sg 1.026 Temp 81 Ph 8.3 Alkalinity 4.5 Ammonia 0 Nitrate 0 The tank has low-medium flow and there are no other fish that could be messing with him. What do you think this is? I have some Melafix that says it treats fin rot and is safe to add directly to the display (25 gallon). Will this help? <No> What should/can I do? Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks again Adam <Move it, or the stinging-celled life... they're incompatible. Bob Fenner> How do you know if a nocturnal fish is eating?
Triacanthus 8/29/06 I have a 25 gallon SW tank with 28
pounds of live rock. It is home to a pair of leaf
Scorpionfish (the only current and future fish inhabitants for this
tank) <This is about all the metabolic activity this volume can
readily/safely handle> that I recently purchased. My
question is, since I have read that they feed mostly at night, how am I
to know if they are eating? <Mmm, Triacanthus can/will feed during
the day... might need to practice with live foods... I'd try
some... oh, I see this below> Two nights ago, I put 6 ghost shrimp
in the tank in the evening. When I went to bed, they were in
the tank. The next morning I couldn't find them. Can I
assume they were eaten by the leaf fish? <I would, yes>
The other possibility is that they died and were consumed
by my clean-up crew (hermits, snails, Mithrax crab). Short
of staying up all night, is there any way to tell if they have actually
eaten? <Mmm... try placing these shrimp during the day on a day when
you can be present pretty much all the time... They only need to feed
this much about once a week...> They appear to have full bellies, so
that is an ok sign, I guess. <Yes> Also, how long should I let
the shrimp sit in Selcon before putting them in the tank? <Mmm...
diluted in mostly seawater... ten, fifteen minutes... then this water
added with the shrimp to the system (marine fishes "drink"
their environment> I want the leaf fish to have a balanced diet
until I can get them onto frozen foods. <Understood> Thanks a
lot, Adam <This is one of my favorite species... to photograph and
hunt for underwater. Bob Fenner> Weaning a fish onto frozen food... Taenionotus triacanthus 8/12/06 WWM Crew, <Adam> I love your website and you have helped me numerous times in the past (and also caused me some concern after making a purchase before researching on your site and just taking others' advice, i.e. the purchase of hermit crabs for my tank). <An area of broad discussion...> I am planning on purchasing a leaf Scorpionfish <Neat animals: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/scorpaeninae.htm> in two weeks. He is at a LFS now and is healthy looking and eating live shrimp voraciously. I would like to get him onto frozen as quickly as possible. <Can be trying...> Here is my current plan: buying a dozen or so of the live shrimp he is eating now, freezing them. Adding some garlic and then using a clear feeding prong and some fishing line to dance them in front of the little bugger until he decides it is actually food. Should this work? Do you have any other suggestions or ideas? <Mmm, your plan sounds good... I would try other already frozen/defrosted and warmed whole meaty items as well...> Also, I was thinking that a couple of shrimp a couple of times a week should be plenty for him, is that the case? <Likely so for this species> What do you suggest as a feeding regimen? <This sounds good... best to "play it by ear"... or eye... if it looks hungry...> By the way, I finished The Conscientious Marine Aquarist recently and thought it was great. <Ahh, glad you enjoyed this book> thanks a lot, Adam <Welcome, Bob Fenner> Leaf Scorpionfish 4/4/06
Bob, I would like to set up a small tank for a leaf fish. I
have read through your website thoroughly - thanks for the great
information - but I still have a few questions: 1. What kind
of clean-up crew do you suggest? Other than shrimp, should
other inverts be left alone? <Anything more than mouth-size should
be fine> 2. I assume that, other than a second leaf fish,
he would have to be the only fish in a 30 gallon tank. Am I
correct, or is there something else that might be able to avoid his
gaping mouth? <Mmm, a few types of animals... Seahorses for
instance...> 3. If I put him in my 90 instead, would a
bicolor goatfish harass him or should he be ok? <Might be hard to
get food to this fish, but could be done> I really appreciate your
help. I have been thinking about this for a while and want
to make sure I have everything planned out properly before I proceed.
Adam <One of my fave fishes to photograph... Bob Fenner> Tankmates or expensive food?? Hi guys. <Good morning, JasonC here...> Thanks for providing such a valuable resource for us. Your site has helped me out numerous times and I've only had my saltwater tank a little over two months. Ok here are my questions: (tank is 45 gallon tall, 76 degrees, 30lbs live rock, 1" crushed coral substrate, great water condition-just had it tested, 1 4in leaf fish, devils-hand coral, and a few hermit crabs and Astraea snails) 1. My leaf fish is very lazy, I feed him ghost shrimp and/or feeder guppies every 3 days, he only eats what shows up on his side of the tank- seems to be in great health though (had him for a month). Is there anything marine I could feed him? I heard freshwater feeders aren't that great. <Just about anything that is meaty and of marine origin would do - shrimp, squid, clams/mussels - chopped up into bite-sized chunks.> 2. I'm very interested in getting a Firefish goby (or 2) but from your site I gathered that they do best in pairs. Can my tank support 2 of them? <It could, but that would be about the practical limit.> And will the leaf fish try to eat them (he seems too lazy to actually chase something, and I'm hoping the Firefish will be too big anyway) <I would bet money that the fish that seems lazy would suddenly develop just enough energy to eat them. Do recall that part of their MO is to just chill in one spot, looking like debris, until the time is right to strike.> 3. Can I add live sand to the tank this late? <Yes, although your live rock will liven the substrate you have already.> I've read that I need a deeper substrate bottom. <Nah... 1" is fine, and unless you want to up it to 4" or better, stick with what you've got. It will be easier to clean.> I figured live sand would be best. <Yours will be live soon enough.> Thanks again for all your help. Its experts like you guys that keep us motivated. Cheers- Nick C. <Cheers, J -- > Leaf fish I can find little information on the Taenionotus triacanthus (leaf fish). Do you know how they fare in captivity? <Pretty well. Reasonably hardy. Can live in the right conditions. You do realize they are venomous right? Be careful handling > If they will accept frozen food over time, and how to feed? <They like meaty things and eat in bulk like lionfish. So feed 3-4 times a week. If they don't eat right away try a live feeder shrimp. Needs non aggressive tank mates> They seem to perch instead of swim. Does that mean a feeding stick may work? <A feeding stick will likely serve you and the fish well> Any info would be great, or if you could direct me to a good site. Thanks <You're welcome! Hope that I've helped. David Dowless>
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