Little hunters: What are the top small predator fish?

[StoneNeo82]

I have always loved the looks of the frog fish. But lionfish are an all time favorite of mine.

 

[Reeflix]

i personally like the arc eye hawk. can fit in a 30g so its a good pick. also i like how they look. reef safe even with inverts (minus shrimp) except for fish they can fit in their mouth!

 

[wes84]

Thanks everyone for the help i got a red rooster ordered! Funny how taking “pygmy” out of the google search brought up a few sites that had them in stock!

 

[Jacked Reefer]

This post inspired me to get my yellow spot scorpion today! He's been at my lfs for months, eating ghost shrimp and frozen mysis. Finally took him home tonight. I will get some pictures if he decides to come out tomorrow!

 

[sacutshall]

Striped Fang Blenny I have a small 9"reefbright led that comes on 5:30 am as a sort of moon lite 1.5 hrs. b-4 main lights come on. When they do come on his belly is full of pods..

 

[lion king]

Thanks everyone for the help i got a red rooster ordered! Funny how taking “pygmy” out of the google search brought up a few sites that had them in stock!

Did you confirm the scientific name, P. zonatus , there are some that use that common name for other species. Or P. rubripinnis which is usually more red with red fins, but usually much less available.

 

[wes84]

Did you confirm the scientific name, P. zonatus , there are some that use that common name for other species. Or P. rubripinnis which is usually more red with red fins, but usually much less available.

Paracentropogon rubripinnis​

This is the more red one, correct?

 

[lion king]

Paracentropogon rubripinnis​

This is the more red one, correct?

Yes usually but color can vary dramatically between individuals. Diet and mood may also affect coloration. These will have distinctive red fins. These are very hard to come by because of the region they are collected from, please post a pic when you receive them.

 

[AydenLincoln]

This little dude at least for now!

 

[wes84]

Yes usually but color can vary dramatically between individuals. Diet and mood may also affect coloration. These will have distinctive red fins. These are very hard to come by because of the region they are collected from, please post a pic when you receive them.

Thanks, will do! Delivery date is March 1st. This is the photo they had on the website but it isnt WYSIWYG and interestingly when i google the scientific name the images are mostly brown specimens lol.

 

[lion king]

Here is an actually real photo of a P. rubripinnis, this individual has more of white body with burgundy. The bodies on these will be a varying molted blend of white, red, burgundy, and black. All fins will be a distinctive rich to bright red; pectoral, dorsal, and anal. If they come in brown it's usually from stress and a poor diet, once acclimated and fed a good diet they will color up to resemble the pic below. The pic you attached in your post above is a P' zonatus. Body shape and size and all care will be exactly as the P. zonatus. Here's a couple of threads I wrote on their care.

Paracentropogon zonatus 1st impressions

aka pygmy red rooster waspfish, red bandtail waspfish. I know I said I was finished with new additions, these had been on my list for a couple of years and this trio was at a lfs, so i picked them up. I have seen questions regarding these guys from time to time, and frustratingly no one ever...

www.reef2reef.com

Pygmy red rooster waspfish Care tips

I've had a trio of little cuties for 3 years now; I've seen an explosion of interest and new additions of these guys of late. I've also seen some struggles and confusion of care and what to expect from really, a unique little predator. Yes these guys are predators, they are in the Scorpaenidae...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[aws2266]

Here's my little buddy Freddy. I've had him since about October. Love him. Before anyone says anything about the state of the tank, it's overdue for a cleaning. Came down with the Rona on top of everything else so this weekend it's getting a water change and a good scrub. He's in my 55g FOWLR with a trigger, dragon wrasse, and Fiji damsel. This fall I'll be buying a bigger aquarium to move them all to.

 

[dca22anderson]

Here is my little predator...

 

[wes84]

Here is an actually real photo of a P. rubripinnis, this individual has more of white body with burgundy. The bodies on these will be a varying molted blend of white, red, burgundy, and black. All fins will be a distinctive rich to bright red; pectoral, dorsal, and anal. If they come in brown it's usually from stress and a poor diet, once acclimated and fed a good diet they will color up to resemble the pic below. The pic you attached in your post above is a P' zonatus. Body shape and size and all care will be exactly as the P. zonatus. Here's a couple of threads I wrote on their care.

Paracentropogon zonatus 1st impressions

aka pygmy red rooster waspfish, red bandtail waspfish. I know I said I was finished with new additions, these had been on my list for a couple of years and this trio was at a lfs, so i picked them up. I have seen questions regarding these guys from time to time, and frustratingly no one ever...

www.reef2reef.com

Pygmy red rooster waspfish Care tips

I've had a trio of little cuties for 3 years now; I've seen an explosion of interest and new additions of these guys of late. I've also seen some struggles and confusion of care and what to expect from really, a unique little predator. Yes these guys are predators, they are in the Scorpaenidae...

www.reef2reef.com

View attachment 3032492

I ready your threads, great stuff! Wow that is an awesome looking fish! Well we will see what comes next week since they show a pic of zonatus but list the name rubripinnus. Which ever kind shows up im sure will not disappoint! I ordered two and requested a male and female if possible. I have a 14g nano set up with a healthy amphipod population but plan to order some more next week.

 

[StatelineReefer]

I am frankly surprised nobody has said Maroon Clown.

 

[TopClamSkoo]

Uhhhh... Dotty back be considered one? Lol!
Only say that since neon dottybacks can cause havoc and terror in the tank.. they even bully fish 10x their size.

 

[eric.tech]

My golden dwarf moray has been a model citizen. My Caribbean hawk fish on the other hand…. That one cost me a lot in cleaner shrimp! No more shrimp in my 75g because of that jerk!

 

[pkg50]

Little hunters: What are the top small predator fish?

Often when we think about predator fish, we think about tank busters and huge mouths, but what about the smaller predators that could do well in a 55-gallon tank or even in a nano tank? There are some little ones that are hunters so today let’s talk about them. What small predators have you kept or are familiar with? Can they be kept with corals? What about tank mates? Maybe you're not familiar with some of the fish in the poll - I encourage you to take the time to use the R2R search feature and explore these small predators. Please share your opinions and experiences with small predator fish in the comments that follow!

View attachment 3030420
Photo by @Anarcha0s

Little hunters: What are the top small predator fish?

Often when we think about predator fish, we think about tank busters and huge mouths, but what about the smaller predators that could do well in a 55-gallon tank or even in a nano tank? There are some little ones that are hunters so today let’s talk about them. What small predators have you kept or are familiar with? Can they be kept with corals? What about tank mates? Maybe you're not familiar with some of the fish in the poll - I encourage you to take the time to use the R2R search feature and explore these small predators. Please share your opinions and experiences with small predator fish in the comments that follow!

View attachment 3030420
Photo by @Anarcha0s

Will introduce this little guy to my display..... Right now in quarantine....love it.

 

[Waz_M]

How about a Gumdrop Coral Croucher (Caracanthus madagascariensis). Very underrated little predator fish. Many people think is a type of Goby, but is in fact part of the Scorpion fish family. It has venomous spines in its dorsal fin. I've had them in the past and they make fantastic additions to any reef tank and due to their small size don't pose any threat to shrimps or fish. Maximum size 2".

 

[wes84]

Just got my two red roosters and they look awesome! One of them was hunting down amphipods within minutes!