pterois sphex

grobot

grobot

New Member
any tips on how to care for him? just picked him up today and i dont really know too much about them, did some research but nothing really that helpful. i have a dendrochirus barberi but hes relatively easy to take care of, eats anything and everything. so just wondering if anybody has any experience with pterois sphex?
 
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saxman

Guest
My first question would be are you SURE you have P. sphex ?
If so, I'm curious as to where you got it, as we've been keeping Scorpaenifomes almost exclusively for quite while, and haven't come across one that was properly ID'd and actually was a sphex. FWIW, this fish is often confused with P. antennata and vice-versa. Finding this fish in the hobby is like finding a 4-leaf clover...pretty rare.
At any rate, these fish are one of the mid-bodied species of the Pterois genus, reaching about 8" or so in the wild. Like their other cogeners, they're hardy and easy to care for. Their care and housing requirements are basically the same as for any of the mid-bodied species (P. mombassae, P. antennata, P. radiata).
I'd LOVE to see some photos of your fish...pretty please.
 
grobot

grobot

New Member
Haha 100% sure it's sphex I live in Hawaii and I had a barberi and those are the only two legal here. Thanks for the advice :) haha and I have a picture of him as my avatar. I'll post some pictures as soon as I can
 
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saxman

Guest
Very cool! I love our barberi (we've had her since she was dime-sized).
Did you get your sphex from a collector, or a LFS?
 
grobot

grobot

New Member
I got him from an lfs been looking for a really long time and came upon him by chance. Really beautiful fish my favorite by far :) i liked my barberi too really cute personable fish haha
 
grobot

grobot

New Member
btw you guys seem like you know scorpions and lions pretty well, im currently feeding him live opae shrimp how long does it take till i can start feeding him dried/prepared food?
 
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saxman

Guest
Quote:
Originally Posted by grobot http:///t/387882/pterois-sphex#post_3417273
btw you guys seem like you know scorpions and lions pretty well, im currently feeding him live opae shrimp how long does it take till i can start feeding him dried/prepared food?
Yeppers, Lionfish Lair is our website (Scorpaeniformes are our passion/obsession/addiction). In fact, we have a lionfish care article that will be going live as soon as it gets "prettied-up" and coded by Renee (Cranberry). We actually, decided not to mention P. sphex as it's uncommon, and we figured we'd never be able to get a specimen or any good photos, but maybe we need to rethink that now....
Check out the library and give the "Tools or the Trade" article a read...it may help you wean your fish.
Once your lion is comfy and eating well for you, you can start working on weaning it. We normally give it 2-4 weeks before we begin, but you have a great advantage because you have a "loco" fish, so it hasn't been subjected to shipping stress and all the transfers of ownership.
 
fmarini

fmarini

Member
yuppers...a real live P Sphex
Its pretty cool that you've got one, as Greg mentioned they are not to common on the mainland, primarily, because they look alot like P Antennata.
As mentioned their care is similar to caring for the P Antennata-Mombasasse group. (theres a care section on P sphex in the book in my avatar)
I will mention that if you're getting your live shrimp locally and its a saltwater type- then you can continue to feed your lion this food. since you live on the island- do you have access to live saltwater minnows or small feeder-type fish as well?
 
grobot

grobot

New Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by saxman http:///t/387882/pterois-sphex#post_3417515
Yeppers, Lionfish Lair is our website (Scorpaeniformes are our passion/obsession/addiction). In fact, we have a lionfish care article that will be going live as soon as it gets "prettied-up" and coded by Renee (Cranberry). We actually, decided not to mention P. sphex as it's uncommon, and we figured we'd never be able to get a specimen or any good photos, but maybe we need to rethink that now....
Check out the library and give the "Tools or the Trade" article a read...it may help you wean your fish.
Once your lion is comfy and eating well for you, you can start working on weaning it. We normally give it 2-4 weeks before we begin, but you have a great advantage because you have a "loco" fish, so it hasn't been subjected to shipping stress and all the transfers of ownership.
haha will definitely check it out. but if you do need photos ill gladly oblige i just need practice with the camera.
i want to try wean him soon because i dont have that much time on my hands to catch live food for him as ofter as i want to, im pretty lucky i guess because when i bought him the guy at the lfs said the divers had just caught him and brought him in the day prior to me buying him
 
grobot

grobot

New Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by FMarini http:///t/387882/pterois-sphex#post_3417743
yuppers...a real live P Sphex
Its pretty cool that you've got one, as Greg mentioned they are not to common on the mainland, primarily, because they look alot like P Antennata.
As mentioned their care is similar to caring for the P Antennata-Mombasasse group. (theres a care section on P sphex in the book in my avatar)
I will mention that if you're getting your live shrimp locally and its a saltwater type- then you can continue to feed your lion this food. since you live on the island- do you have access to live saltwater minnows or small feeder-type fish as well?
fmarini? as in dr. frank marini?? haha i had just read your lionfish care sheet on reefkeeping
even here in hawaii i hardly see any and if i do they get picked up pretty quick ive only seen a handful since i started with my aquariums.
do you only sell your book online? if not i might check out a book store to pick one up.
and yes i do have access to food i can catch them at the beach or pick some up, is it better for him i stick to live or can i wean him? because like i said in the previous post i dont really have all the time that i need to get live food all the time /:
 
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saxman

Guest
That is indeed the same Frank Marini, noted scorp nut, research scientist and bass player (not necessarily in that order!). You can get his book on Amazon.com for less than $10 and it's a GREAT read. If you're into scorps, it's a "must have".
BTW, that fish on the cover as well as several others featured in the book just happen to be Renee's and my personal fish.
Oops! The fish in Frank's avatar pic isn't our fish...that was a "placeholder" pic. Here's the cover the "final" book has...
 
grobot

grobot

New Member
thinking about ordering the book as soon as i can cant wait to reading it
i seen the things with stings tank build thread and youtube page super nice fish really interesting too, really looking forward to seeing the new tank
im thinking about sticking with lions/ scorpions any suggestions for tank mates for my P sphex?
 
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