Don't let this happen to your frogfish!

[fishlovr]

Dudley, my red painted frogfish ate his tankmate during the night. I wouldn't have believed it possible if I had not seen it with my own eyes this morning. He ate an arc-eye hawkfish that was his size! They had been tankmates for three weeks and I was bragging about how well they were doing together. I'm really worried about him now. Hope he doesn't die from ingesting such a big ($23.00) meal........Scott Michael mentions the arc-eye as being an okay tankmate for frogfishes......let me tell you do NOT take this as gospel......I will never put another fish in with Dudley if he lives through this......frogfish owners beware and learn from my mistake! It makes me sick to look at him this way. He looks totally miserable

 

[fishlovr]

Here's a pic.......

 

[bg420]

looks like he had christmas dinner a little early. Hope he
is ok, I love frog fish. Going to put mine in with a couple of
v. lions.:nervous:

 

[fishlovr]

Hope they are LARGE lions! Scott Michael reported that a frogfish ate a lionfish and survived it!

 

[drakken]

* B U R P ! ! *

 

[innsmouth]

Scott Michael mentions the arc-eye as being an okay tankmate for frogfishes
I also noticed some things in his book that seemed unreasonable. The guy obvioulsy knows his stuff for the most part but.......we got the idea of a zebra moray for our 92 gallon tank from his book. He recommends no smaller than a 55 for them. Most people have told us nothing less than 125 and his book does say they reach 4.9 ft so who knows. From what I've read in the last couple months I wouldn't take anything as gospel about marine aquariums. BTW, that's one cool ass frogfish. I love those guys!

 

[fishlovr]

Lights aren't on yet but I can see him.....he's still alive and breathing normal again. His stomach appears to have gone down a little bit.......I have hope now of him making it. Will post again tonight or tomorrow.....

 

[nerdy]

I can't even afford to give myeself a meal that expensive let alone my fish!!! LOL

 

[fishlovr]

Dudley is doing a lot of heavy breathing right now.....I'll update again soon.......

 

[asbury030]

hope he makes it he is soo cool lookin.

 

[fishlovr]

Dudley started extremely heavy breathing and coughing this afternoon. This evening I took action and did "surgery" on him. Scott Michael says that once they eat a too big food item and it starts to decompose it causes gases in their ailementary tract that then causes them to float. Once floating sets in the die within 2 to 3 days. He has tried asperating the tract with sea water to no avail, and tried removal of food item with tweezers usually unsucessfully. He says if you are able to remove it sometimes they may die anyway. Not very good odds are they? Anyway I took action as Dudley was ballooning up and breathing so very hard. I have a pair of my father's watchmaker's needle nose tweezers. One end is very sharp pointed, the other a rounded blunt like a tongue depresser. I tried to hold him in my left hand and insert the blunt end in his pinched open cheeks to trace the food route. A lot of white rotten smelling liquid spewed out. Once the food route was found I used the tweezer end to try and pull out the hawkfish. I got a couple of small pieces and was polluting the tank water terribly. I removed Dudley to a paper towel on the kitchen counter and proceeded to do the same thing with positive results. I pulled a huge hunk of decaying fish from his stomach. He looked dead after the "surgery" but upon closer examination there was a trace of life. I said Lord, you've got me this far I'm going to leave it up to you if he lives or not. I took him back to the tank and after one minute his gills started moving. He could not right himself so I just held him in proper position in my hand. 2 minutes later his tail moved. I reposioned him back beside the toadstool leather (his favorite spot) and he's been sitting there for about a half hour now with respiration not near as labored as before surgery. If he lives I know who to give credit to At least he has a chance now. He had none before. I'll post again sometime tomorrow. Say some prayers for Dudley tonight
Thanks,

 

[robchuck]

fishlovr,
That's great to hear about Dudley! I'll say a prayer for him.

 

[fishlovr]

MERRY CHRISTMAS, everyone
Dudley is still alive this morning. Not sure which way he's going to go. Still doing some laboured breathing but definitely hanging in there. His tummy is completely flat now like it should be We will be gone most of the day so hope he's the same/better when I get home. I'm going to leave the lights off and just run the moon light for him. Hopefully that will be less stressful........

 

[lovethesea]

wow, you are far braver than me. I hope the best for Dudley!!
(cute name)
:yes:

 

[fishlovr]

Sad news to report......just got home and Dudley had passed away I feel terrible right now but glad he's not suffering anymore......I tried to save him but it just wasn't meant to be.

 

[asbury030]

im sorry i was hoping he would make it that sucks.

 

[harlequinnut]

Sorry about your loss

. Do you think he may have made it if you perform "surgery" on him earlier?:thinking:

 

[j21kickster]

dang- i am truley sorry to hear that- :nope: - glad ou tried to help him though

 

[fishlovr]

Thanks for the support, guys I feel terrible about losing him. It makes me cringe to walk by the empty tank. Hopefully I can find another healthy one soon......I don't think it would have made any difference if I intervened sooner or had just left him alone.......once they eat such an incredibly large meal I think they are gonners! Learn from my mistake and never put a frogfish in with other fish!!!

 

[fishlovr]

Thanks for the condolences, Carol I re-arranged Dudley's rockwork today so the tank looks different......somehow I feel better now when I look at the tank......I'll start looking for another one next week. Not sure I can get another red one.....