Giant frogfish
Antennarius commerson
Giant frogfish
Antennarius commerson
Antennariidae (Frogfishes)
Frogfish do not move a lot, but are instead very skilled at camouflaging themselves and waiting for their prey to come close enough, at which point they jump out and swallow the prey whole. They will also slowly sneak up on their prey.
Changing colour is a part of their camouflage, therefore a Frogfish will not necessarily have the same colour in a domestic aquarium as at the dealer's.
To entice their prey, they have a fake lure with bait which protrudes from the top part of the head. They can move it around in different ways, depending on the prey and the light conditions. If their prey manages to bite off this lure, a new one will grown within a few months.
Because of their large mouths, they are most suitable for single species aquaria or a tank with large, peaceful fish. Frogfishes will typically only eat live food, but are otherwise well suited to aquaria. Do ensure not to overfeed or feed them with very large pieces of food, as they can die as a result of incomplete digestion.
Frogfish will inflate with water or air if threatened by another predatory fish or if they wish to float along with the current.
Small tanks can house Frogfishes fish, but the nutritional content of the water must be well monitored. The circulation must not be too powerful, as a Frogfish requires a quiet place to sit in wait.
A. commerson, A. maculatus and A. pictus are most active, and therefore, well suited to aquaria.
Corals and anemones that have a potent sting can damage Frogfishes, so avoid keeping elegance corals, anemones and the like in an aquarium with Frogfishes. Fish which graze on rocks will sometimes damage Frogfishes by inadvertently biting them.
When catching and transporting Frogfish make sure they do not breathe in air. It's best that they do not leave water at all, as they may end up floating around in the aquarium and dying. Wait at least a week after the fish last was fed to transport it. Otherwise they may regurgitate their last meal into the transport bag, which can be fatal.
