Electric Stargazers

[conogre]

Just FYI, I've had several of these and they are extremely easy to keep, their biggest drawback being that they are "invisible" fish....in actuality, they don't lay with their eyes exposed while hunting, but rather remain COMPLETELY buried.
The eyes aren't needed for hunting as they use sensing of nerve ganglia discharges to locate food and often the fish/shrimp are simply sucked down into the gravel in the blink of an eye.
I've grown two from about 1 1/2" to almost 12" and NEVER have been shocked by them (see attached photo)
If you want a fish as exotic and lethal to its prey as a Stonefish but WON'T kill you, these are perfect!
Mike

 

[bullshark]

Cool fish Mike. Daring, too.....
John

 

[conogre]

If you mean holding it, that's the only way you evre see it...when a guest is curious about your Stargazer you HAVE to dig it up for them or else just let them take your word it's there!
I've never been shocked by one, even when catching them in the wild.
Research seems to indicate that the biggest single use of their electric abilities is sexual, releasing a discharge into the water when feeding as if to say "I can eat a fish THIS big", as the voltage isn't enough to stun the fish being captured and eaten.
That's logical if you consider they are trying to communicate information to each other sight unseen.
Mike

 

[chandler04]

Wow, the one on eibi looks really ugly compared to those. Those are really cool. The shock doesnt hurt u then?

 

[conogre]

)Unless you luck out and get "Jack the Shocker"(I'm assuming even in fish there HAS to be a bad seed! **grin**) you'll never know.
There are several different species around the world, including one deep sea member that I spotted on a PBS special, with quite a bit of variation ......mine are the Northern Stargazer (which, according to the books, doesn't live in the Gulf of Mexico, so they are obviously illiterate as well!, while I believe the one pictured in Eye It & Buy It is from the Great Barrier Reef area through the Indo-Pacific.
My research indicates that voltage on these is only in the neighborhood of around 50v-60v, not enough to even be truly painful......I suspect the stories are largely an Oceanic Legend that grows with each telling, being good for litle else but shock value (yeah, I know...boooooooooooo! )
The electric ray (Torpedo) has a much more substantial whallup, and I've seen these for sale in LFS too.
When I first attempted to keep them in captivity, I could find nothing published, which, of course, was just too good a challenge to pass up
One last thing....you can keep more than one in a tank (I've kept up to 3 with no fighting among them) unlike most FW electric fishes such as Black Ghost knives, elephantnoses, baby whales and electric catish.
The FW electric catfish is much more potent with its zap, by te way.
Frozen silversides work well as food, as you can move them just above the gravel (target feeding suggested unless using live food) while impaled on a feeding stick or held in long forceps, as in "I didn't inhale, honest!" fame.
They give away their location by clearing their gills occasionally....when you see a jet of gravel blown upwards, that's where your Stargazer is.
Mike

 

[Mugit]

)Unless you luck out and get "Jack the Shocker"(I'm assuming even in fish there HAS to be a bad seed! **grin**) you'll never know.
There are several different species around the world, including one deep sea member that I spotted on a PBS special, with quite a bit of variation ......mine are the Northern Stargazer (which, according to the books, doesn't live in the Gulf of Mexico, so they are obviously illiterate as well!, while I believe the one pictured in Eye It & Buy It is from the Great Barrier Reef area through the Indo-Pacific.
My research indicates that voltage on these is only in the neighborhood of around 50v-60v, not enough to even be truly painful......I suspect the stories are largely an Oceanic Legend that grows with each telling, being good for litle else but shock value (yeah, I know...boooooooooooo! )
The electric ray (Torpedo) has a much more substantial whallup, and I've seen these for sale in LFS too.
When I first attempted to keep them in captivity, I could find nothing published, which, of course, was just too good a challenge to pass up
One last thing....you can keep more than one in a tank (I've kept up to 3 with no fighting among them) unlike most FW electric fishes such as Black Ghost knives, elephantnoses, baby whales and electric catish.
The FW electric catfish is much more potent with its zap, by te way.
Frozen silversides work well as food, as you can move them just above the gravel (target feeding suggested unless using live food) while impaled on a feeding stick or held in long forceps, as in "I didn't inhale, honest!" fame.
They give away their location by clearing their gills occasionally....when you see a jet of gravel blown upwards, that's where your Stargazer is.
Mike

I said bullshit!! I was shocked by one at packery channel in corpus Christi Texas and it hit me like a 110v wall socket! It had my muscles stiff for three days! I couldn't move. My hand instantly turned black like a rattlesnake bite, and after the three days, I made it to the hospital. I was tested for flesh eating bacteria and- negative. The venom from the fish moved into my hand and came out different areas. This was on april 17th. I am still unable to fish and currently recovering. These wounds look like burns. ( DEFINITELY NOT A FISH TO BE JACKIN' WITH)!!!