Rhinopias Weedy Scropian Fish Diet and Care

[sawrip]

I've been fortunate enough to have sourced a Weedy Rhinopias to add to my predator tank of dwarflions and scorps. In the UK this fish is almost impossible to obtain so I'm rather excited with the prospect of this addition.

I have a few questions regarding him.....

Diet - treat as I do my leaf scorpion and feed gut loaded live guppies and shrimps delivered via a net to the front of his face, I guess these guys won't live long on a frozen diet, can I supplement using frozen and what would somebody recommend?

QT - he arrives next week and so is a month observation in QT the recommended process? I don't want to treat the QT with hypo as am worried about adding undue stress when not needed due to the super slime coating. Cp and copper are never an option for my Scorps due to liver damage.

Any other thoughts on ensuring longterm success with this incredible fish. I have my own guppy and shrimp farm which I use to feed my tank currently. Planning to be housed in my fowlr with three dwarf lions (fu, antanana, radiata), leaf scorp fish, blue spotted puffer (aggressive feeder) and snowflake eel.

 

[Cell]

@lion king

 

[lion king]

They require the same care as you giving your other scorps, and good job by the way. They may require something more substantial than guppies, like mollies. I've had mine for close to 5 years, while he may eat a stray big fat ghost, he mostly eats mollies. They may accept dead foods but for long term success will need the inclusion of live fish. If you do offer dead food be careful of foods high in thiaminese.

Added note: It may be different in the UK but here in States, internal parasites are a great concern for these types of species. If they don't take live live food pretty quickly or display signs of lethargy, cloudy eyes, or stringy poo, hit me and I will recommend treatment options. If these occur it's important to act fast.

 

[sawrip]

They require the same care as you giving your other scorps, and good job by the way. They may require something more substantial than guppies, like mollies. I've had mine for close to 5 years, while he may eat a stray big fat ghost, he mostly eats mollies. They may accept dead foods but for long term success will need the inclusion of live fish. If you do offer dead food be careful of foods high in thiaminese.

Added note: It may be different in the UK but here in States, internal parasites are a great concern for these types of species. If they don't take live live food pretty quickly or display signs of lethargy, cloudy eyes, or stringy poo, hit me and I will recommend treatment options. If these occur it's important to act fast.

Thanks for the detailed reply.

So will treat the same, I unfortunately do not breed Mollies at present but he's small so will use guppies and shrimp whilst I add mollies to my breeding tanks.

The QT is barebottom so hopefully should be able to keep an eye out for stringy poo. I have access to PraziPro but not API General Cure - need to import some ASAP any other suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[lion king]

Net feeding is a fine method for feeding these guys. Stick feeding foods like salmon and SFB silversides can help out when your live food source may be interrupted. I mention San Francisco Bay brand because they are the only brand I have available that is a true silverside, fish of the family Atherinidae. The other brands use fish species high in thiaminese and/or fish with an incorrect protein and fat profile. If you don"t have SFB available you would have to check with the brands you have available to see which species they use.

A fun tip, my rhino eats from my hand, I pick up a molly in my hand and submerge it in front of the rhino. He will hop to my hand and wait until I release it for him, kind of funny.

 

[lion king]

Did you read my acclimation guide, this would apply to rhino as well. The only thing I would add is make sure your food offering is appropriately sized. Too big they may not attempt it, too small and they may not be interested. If the guppies are too small you may have to get him an appropriate sized molly or fancy guppy. Rhino's can be finicky about ghost shrimp, some take them, some don't. I am just very cautious when it comes to the initial feeding, because refusing the appropriately offered live food is a big concern.

Acclimating lionfish

These are the things we can do to give us a higher percentage of success, when 1st acquiring a lionfish. I strongly suggest an observation/qt tank. You want to test the sg in the transport bag and if using an observation tank, adjust the tank's salinity to match. Matching temperature as well...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[sawrip]

Net feeding is a fine method for feeding these guys. Stick feeding foods like salmon and SFB silversides can help out when your live food source may be interrupted. I mention San Francisco Bay brand because they are the only brand I have available that is a true silverside, fish of the family Atherinidae. The other brands use fish species high in thiaminese and/or fish with an incorrect protein and fat profile. If you don"t have SFB available you would have to check with the brands you have available to see which species they use.

A fun tip, my rhino eats from my hand, I pick up a molly in my hand and submerge it in front of the rhino. He will hop to my hand and wait until I release it for him, kind of funny.

I've managed to source a telescopic shrimp net which I don't even have to take the lid off my tank to feed the Scorps (use feeding hole). I add some shrimps into it then pin to the glass and lower to the desired one to be fed.

Net feeding is a fine method for feeding these guys. Stick feeding foods like salmon and SFB silversides can help out when your live food source may be interrupted. I mention San Francisco Bay brand because they are the only brand I have available that is a true silverside, fish of the family Atherinidae. The other brands use fish species high in thiaminese and/or fish with an incorrect protein and fat profile. If you don"t have SFB available you would have to check with the brands you have available to see which species they use.

A fun tip, my rhino eats from my hand, I pick up a molly in my hand and submerge it in front of the rhino. He will hop to my hand and wait until I release it for him, kind of funny.

Silversides aren't really a thing over here - I guess they go under the name of White Bait possibly. Don't think I'll risk him with that and just go with some salmon - shall I slice it into cubes or strips?

Not quite at the hand feeding yet, I'm still worried about being stung or bitten, particularly by the eel

I've ordered some API general cure and that's heading over the pond as we speak just incase.

 

[sawrip]

Did you read my acclimation guide, this would apply to rhino as well. The only thing I would add is make sure your food offering is appropriately sized. Too big they may not attempt it, too small and they may not be interested. If the guppies are too small you may have to get him an appropriate sized molly or fancy guppy. Rhino's can be finicky about ghost shrimp, some take them, some don't. I am just very cautious when it comes to the initial feeding, because refusing the appropriately offered live food is a big concern.

Acclimating lionfish

These are the things we can do to give us a higher percentage of success, when 1st acquiring a lionfish. I strongly suggest an observation/qt tank. You want to test the sg in the transport bag and if using an observation tank, adjust the tank's salinity to match. Matching temperature as well...

www.reef2reef.com

I have just read the acclimation guide and that's being really helpful - particularly the reference to ensuring the sg is matched in the QT. The the Rhinopias is currently in the Lfs and is eating live food successfully for about four weeks but will ask a few more questions around it before he arrives. Planning a month in QT for observation and to ensure he links the shrimp net with feeding time before DT transfer.

My Lfs has stated the following regarding him this morning:

"He is very well settled, I can’t say how long he has been here its been so long now. Definitely longer than three months.

We keep our systems at 25 degree C, and 1.024

He is eating Feeder shrimp, sometimes shows interest in some frozen if it looks like it moving"

 

[lion king]

That sounds good, as long as your source is trusted, he's likely past concern for internal parasites. I would only treat if absolutely necessary, these guys can even be delicate to gc or prazi. It is always good to have those on hand.

I slice my food rather than chunks, makes it more fish shape and wiggles a bit.

I keep forgetting its more of US thing that suppliers keep their sg super low. Most hobbyist think this is about saving money, but it's actually a trick they use to suppress parasites and disease. Over here is a big concern to get a fish at 1.018 and put him in sg much higher. Going lower is not a concern.

 

[sawrip]

That sounds good, as long as your source is trusted, he's likely past concern for internal parasites. I would only treat if absolutely necessary, these guys can even be delicate to gc or prazi. It is always good to have those on hand.

I slice my food rather than chunks, makes it more fish shape and wiggles a bit.

I keep forgetting its more of US thing that suppliers keep their sg super low. Most hobbyist think this is about saving money, but it's actually a trick they use to suppress parasites and disease. Over here is a big concern to get a fish at 1.018 and put him in sg much higher. Going lower is not a concern.

The supplier is one of the biggest in the North of England and having visited a few times all the tanks and fish seem perfect and healthy - it's really refreshing to see actually due to the poor condition of some other places I've visited.

So I'm going to observe in QT for a month and ensure he's feeding on ghosties and guppies before DT tank transfer, hopefully he will also accociatate the net with food delivery like my leaf which will make things easier when he's in his final home.

 

[drukkosz]

A fun tip, my rhino eats from my hand, I pick up a molly in my hand and submerge it in front of the rhino. He will hop to my hand and wait until I release it for him, kind of funny.

Would love to see a video of that

 

[sawrip]

That sounds good, as long as your source is trusted, he's likely past concern for internal parasites. I would only treat if absolutely necessary, these guys can even be delicate to gc or prazi. It is always good to have those on hand.

I slice my food rather than chunks, makes it more fish shape and wiggles a bit.

I keep forgetting its more of US thing that suppliers keep their sg super low. Most hobbyist think this is about saving money, but it's actually a trick they use to suppress parasites and disease. Over here is a big concern to get a fish at 1.018 and put him in sg much higher. Going lower is not a concern.

Excuse the additional message but can I just ask about introducing him into my QT which I keep at 1.020. When I pick him up could I drip acclimatise him from the lfs 1.024 to my QT 1.020? Having previously dropped my DT to hypo over 24 hours my view is that a drop of 0.04 is nothing to worry about with drip acclimation over an hour or two?

 

[lion king]

Excuse the additional message but can I just ask about introducing him into my QT which I keep at 1.020. When I pick him up could I drip acclimatise him from the lfs 1.024 to my QT 1.020? Having previously dropped my DT to hypo over 24 hours my view is that a drop of 0.04 is nothing to worry about with drip acclimation over an hour or two?

Introducing into a lower sg is not a worry, I do acclimate as usual. You want to equalize the overall chemistry as I do find them sensitive to abrupt chemistry changes. Once acclimated they are pretty adaptable. I keep my fowlrs at 1.020. On the flipside, raising more than .002 would require an extended acclimation.

 

[sawrip]

Introducing into a lower sg is not a worry, I do acclimate as usual. You want to equalize the overall chemistry as I do find them sensitive to abrupt chemistry changes. Once acclimated they are pretty adaptable. I keep my fowlrs at 1.020. On the flipside, raising more than .002 would require an extended acclimation.

Cheers, will acclimate him down to 1.020 using drip method for an hour.

 

[sawrip]

Introducing into a lower sg is not a worry, I do acclimate as usual. You want to equalize the overall chemistry as I do find them sensitive to abrupt chemistry changes. Once acclimated they are pretty adaptable. I keep my fowlrs at 1.020. On the flipside, raising more than .002 would require an extended acclimation.

Just a little update, he's arrived home on Saturday and is currently in settling in the QT. His appetite and hunting instinct is incredible, he eats my home bred ghosties, guppies and mollies without a second thought. I am aware of the risk of overfeeding so will switch to three days a week for the foreseeable future.

 

[drukkosz]

Net feeding is a fine method for feeding these guys. Stick feeding foods like salmon and SFB silversides can help out when your live food source may be interrupted. I mention San Francisco Bay brand because they are the only brand I have available that is a true silverside, fish of the family Atherinidae. The other brands use fish species high in thiaminese and/or fish with an incorrect protein and fat profile. If you don"t have SFB available you would have to check with the brands you have available to see which species they use.

A fun tip, my rhino eats from my hand, I pick up a molly in my hand and submerge it in front of the rhino. He will hop to my hand and wait until I release it for him, kind of funny.

Would love to see a video of him eating

 

[lion king]

Would love to see a video of him eating

I've decided that I would not post videos of my fish eating live fish. While I do find this necessary with some species, it is a necessary evil, as they say. If you want to see fish eating other fish, you can find many on youtube.

 

[drukkosz]

I've decided that I would not post videos of my fish eating live fish. While I do find this necessary with some species, it is a necessary evil, as they say. If you want to see fish eating other fish, you can find many on youtube.

I get it, I also own lion fish (zebra, fuzzy, fu manchu), scorpion, and recently purchased an angler, I just wanted to see her eating from your hand. I do raise saltwater guppies because I believe its important in long health and nutrition.

All my lion fish and scorpion are eating frozen mysis, black worms, silversides.