Small Lion and Frog fish with others

[mtaylorr37]

I recently ordered a small lion and a small frog fish (1.5 inch approximately). Anyway, they were much smaller than I expected them to be. I'd like to know if they will be safe with my Picasso Trigger (3inch) and my Snowflake Eel (12inch). Thanks for the help.
Mtaylorr37

 

[cranberry]

May I ask what species of frogfish and lion it is?

 

[mtaylorr37]

I think it's a Zebra Frog (?). It's Lime green. The lion is black and white. That's about all I know for now.

 

[cranberry]

Are you planning on keeping them in the tank together as adults?

 

[mtaylorr37]

That was the plan until they came in so small

 

[cranberry]

Without knowing what you bought, you can't know if they are compatiable with any of your tankmates or with each other.

 

[saxman]

in general, non-planktonic feeding triggers are bad tankmates for both lions and anglers, as they tend to pick on them. that being said, it really depends on how nasty your picasso is/gets.
your angler could be Antennarius striatus, A. hispidus, or Histrio histrio. need a side view pic and one showing its esca (lure) for ID.
also, a pic of the lion is needed to ID it.
how large is the tank?

 

[mtaylorr37]

My tank is 72 gallons. So far I have a snowflake eel (11-12 inches), Picasso Trigger (2 1/2-3 in), Elibi Angel (2-2 1/2 in) and a golden striped Maroon Clownish (2 in). All of my fish seem to get along well. My clown has recently hosted an anemone and has become very territorial of it but other than that and feeding time, my fish keep to themselves. I ordered the Volitan Lion and Zebra frogfish but did not realize they would be so small. I am really fearful my Trigger or Eel will eat them both. So far I have the new arrivals floating in a strainer inside the tank. They have acclimated well so far. The employee at our local fish store suggested I move the rocks around (to avoid the territory problem) and let them go (just chance it). I don't want to kill these innocent fish if there is a way I can avoid it. Any help or suggestion is much appreciated. Thank you
FYI: My husband initially started the post and did not know as much about the fish I purchased.

 

[erifish3]

What I've done: take out trigger (clown trigger in my case), re-arrange landscape, drop in lion, then drop trigger back in. Havn't had any problems yet. Not sure if it would work with your eel though.

 

[cranberry]

You know an un-ID'd frogfish can be as small as a couple of inches to the diameter of your steering wheel, right? A big angler can eat everything in your tank.
Your maroon fish will be lunch, for either the volitans or the frogfish.
And a tank that small is honestly too small for a volitans.

 

[mtaylorr37]

Well just for an update, I rearranged the rocks in my tank and added the frogfish and lion. To my surprise, they are all doing great. I realize my tank may be small but this is my first salt water tank and I told myself if I can keep them for a year and figure it out, I would upgrade to a larger tank. So far I am loving it. I wanted to thank you for your input and help on this matter. Thanks!!!!

 

[ibanez]

If you love those fish, I would suggest shopping for a new tank, they will grow quick if they are healthy. If you can afford it, a big tank for the lion and frogfish and keep the 75 for clowns and corals and stuff if that interests you. IMO, volitans can be likened to a venemous floating basketball sized fish that eats whatever it can fit in its mouth. But they are a beautiful rewarding fish for all that keep them.