How often do I feed my new stonefish
- Thread starter bobbates
- Start date
cranberry
Active Member
Do you have a picture. I would LOVE a picture.
If it's a true stonefish... there are some that are called stones but really aren't a true stonefish... but if it's a real one, you won't need to feed it very often. Even less than other scorpions because they move around even less. I wouldn't feed more than a couple times a week. Stonefish are traditionally easy to convert to frozen food. My scorps get scallops, table shrimp, squid, clams, silversides and other marine fish flesh..... stuff like that. Stay away from frozen and dried krill. It's been contected with lockjaw and other nutrional deficiencies. Frank Marini and Kelli Jedlicki speak of this quite often and Marini in particular is the one I look to for scorp advice.
If you could get a picture that would be SO awesome!
Where you are new to the SW hobby, I will reconfirm that they can have a very powerful and even deadly sting. Know where you're fish is at all times when sticking your hand in there. I get my husband to help me clean so he can stay "on guard" when I can't see because my arm is so deep in there. But none of mine have a stonefish sting... the closest is the cockatoo waspfish.
If it's a true stonefish... there are some that are called stones but really aren't a true stonefish... but if it's a real one, you won't need to feed it very often. Even less than other scorpions because they move around even less. I wouldn't feed more than a couple times a week. Stonefish are traditionally easy to convert to frozen food. My scorps get scallops, table shrimp, squid, clams, silversides and other marine fish flesh..... stuff like that. Stay away from frozen and dried krill. It's been contected with lockjaw and other nutrional deficiencies. Frank Marini and Kelli Jedlicki speak of this quite often and Marini in particular is the one I look to for scorp advice.
If you could get a picture that would be SO awesome!
Where you are new to the SW hobby, I will reconfirm that they can have a very powerful and even deadly sting. Know where you're fish is at all times when sticking your hand in there. I get my husband to help me clean so he can stay "on guard" when I can't see because my arm is so deep in there. But none of mine have a stonefish sting... the closest is the cockatoo waspfish.
jubbin2001
Member
/rant on You know it's the most venomous fish in the world right? /rant off
Anyway a few more tips:
#1 It's not just a question of what to feed, but how big your tank is and what species you got. For most true stonefish a 125g isn't enough. They have been known to get over 13" and over 3lbs..basically the size of a basketball...there isn't alot of filtration you can use to subdue that kind of a bioload on your tank. So depending on tank size it may or may not survive. It's probably a tank crash waiting to happen.
#2 I hope you are planning on not adding much if anything else to the tank. They will catch and eat just about anything they can get in their mouth. They lay in the sand waiting for something to swim by and *wooosh* all that is left is a cloud of substrate. Even things they can't fully swallow can potentially become it's victim...so atleast you will know what happened when your new "Super Expensive Coolest Fish Ever" goes missing and you can't find it
.
#3 I would stick to feeding it silversides, though these tend to play a little more havoc on your filter system because of the oils, so maybe use it as a treat 1-2 times a month. I would probably supplement feed larger krill for the time being. I would say a larger krill every other day should be fine. They are ambush predators and have been known to go for longer periods of time without food. Depending on your tanks capacity to filter out organics, feeding everyday might be to much. They do eat fish and crustaceans, so if you stick with that route you should be fine.
Any responsible LFS probably should have told you the care requirements for this particular fish...if they didn't I would seek a new store...just my $.02. Best of luck to ya.
Anyway a few more tips:
#1 It's not just a question of what to feed, but how big your tank is and what species you got. For most true stonefish a 125g isn't enough. They have been known to get over 13" and over 3lbs..basically the size of a basketball...there isn't alot of filtration you can use to subdue that kind of a bioload on your tank. So depending on tank size it may or may not survive. It's probably a tank crash waiting to happen.
#2 I hope you are planning on not adding much if anything else to the tank. They will catch and eat just about anything they can get in their mouth. They lay in the sand waiting for something to swim by and *wooosh* all that is left is a cloud of substrate. Even things they can't fully swallow can potentially become it's victim...so atleast you will know what happened when your new "Super Expensive Coolest Fish Ever" goes missing and you can't find it
#3 I would stick to feeding it silversides, though these tend to play a little more havoc on your filter system because of the oils, so maybe use it as a treat 1-2 times a month. I would probably supplement feed larger krill for the time being. I would say a larger krill every other day should be fine. They are ambush predators and have been known to go for longer periods of time without food. Depending on your tanks capacity to filter out organics, feeding everyday might be to much. They do eat fish and crustaceans, so if you stick with that route you should be fine.
Any responsible LFS probably should have told you the care requirements for this particular fish...if they didn't I would seek a new store...just my $.02. Best of luck to ya.
fishkid13
Active Member
Originally Posted by Cranberry
http:///forum/post/3002263
Do you have a picture. I would LOVE a picture.
If it's a true stonefish... there are some that are called stones but really aren't a true stonefish... but if it's a real one, you won't need to feed it very often. Even less than other scorpions because they move around even less. I wouldn't feed more than a couple times a week. Stonefish are traditionally easy to convert to frozen food. My scorps get scallops, table shrimp, squid, clams, silversides and other marine fish flesh..... stuff like that. Stay away from frozen and dried krill. It's been contected with lockjaw and other nutrional deficiencies. Frank Marini and Kelli Jedlicki speak of this quite often and Marini in particular is the one I look to for scorp advice.
If you could get a picture that would be SO awesome!
Where you are new to the SW hobby, I will reconfirm that they can have a very powerful and even deadly sting. Know where you're fish is at all times when sticking your hand in there. I get my husband to help me clean so he can stay "on guard" when I can't see because my arm is so deep in there. But none of mine have a stonefish sting... the closest is the cockatoo waspfish.
Do I hear another tank build!?
http:///forum/post/3002263
Do you have a picture. I would LOVE a picture.
If it's a true stonefish... there are some that are called stones but really aren't a true stonefish... but if it's a real one, you won't need to feed it very often. Even less than other scorpions because they move around even less. I wouldn't feed more than a couple times a week. Stonefish are traditionally easy to convert to frozen food. My scorps get scallops, table shrimp, squid, clams, silversides and other marine fish flesh..... stuff like that. Stay away from frozen and dried krill. It's been contected with lockjaw and other nutrional deficiencies. Frank Marini and Kelli Jedlicki speak of this quite often and Marini in particular is the one I look to for scorp advice.
If you could get a picture that would be SO awesome!
Where you are new to the SW hobby, I will reconfirm that they can have a very powerful and even deadly sting. Know where you're fish is at all times when sticking your hand in there. I get my husband to help me clean so he can stay "on guard" when I can't see because my arm is so deep in there. But none of mine have a stonefish sting... the closest is the cockatoo waspfish.
Do I hear another tank build!?
bobbates
New Member
I know all about them being poisonous by stinging throough their dorsal fin. I learn learn a little about the fish before I buy. I have been feeding him goldfish every other day. I have a 75 gallon tank and the other fish in the tank is a lionfish who I know is poisonous also. thanks for the tips I will take all the advice I can get.
cranberry
Active Member
Well, that is a stonefish alright. But why is he in the water column, he should be hunkered down in the sand? A lot of scorps start moving around if they are hungry. Goldfish are really really not appropriate and you should make the switch to guppies/mollies until he starts to take frozen. Goldfish and Ruby Reds have a high level of Thiaminase which breaks down Thiamine in saltwaterfish fish causing a deficiency.
jubbin2001
Member
Maybe you should see if your LFS has or can get live feeder shrimp. It might help stay away from "unnatural" type feeding stock like goldfish (which I am not really a huge fan of). It also adds a variety aspect which is always good
. If it were me, I would try to get it on the frozen stuff ASAP once it gets a bit more settled, maybe another week or 2. I just hope it stays happy and doesn't decided your lion fish would be a good snack. I have heard in some cases (depending on size of course) that the stones will try and eat the lions, and both end up dying....oddly enough not from poisoning, but rather the stone ends up choking to death because of the lions spines. Is the lion about equal size? If so, I wouldn't worry as much...but if it is considerably smaller, I would definitely be concerned and perhaps start to consider removing the lion from the tank. This way both fish have a better chance of survival.
Most fish like these do best in a species only tank (a tank where only the one species of fish is introduced and possibly any compatible inverts). In your case it would mean keeping only the 1 stonefish in the tank and very few select non-crustaceous inverts, since they do eat shrimp and the like, as well as other fish. So cleaner shrimp and chromises...(cromi?
) would be a "no no" unless you wanted to feed him an expensive treat
. So I am thinking you might have to stick with mollusk types, but there is never a guarantee he won't try to sample them either. I have a lawnmower blenny that has now decided he wants nothing to do with algae and will only take mysis shrimp...
.
Just out of curiousity, what kind of filtration are you using for your tank currently?
Once again best of luck. I hope it all works out
.
Most fish like these do best in a species only tank (a tank where only the one species of fish is introduced and possibly any compatible inverts). In your case it would mean keeping only the 1 stonefish in the tank and very few select non-crustaceous inverts, since they do eat shrimp and the like, as well as other fish. So cleaner shrimp and chromises...(cromi?
Just out of curiousity, what kind of filtration are you using for your tank currently?
Once again best of luck. I hope it all works out