walking batfish friend

[BeanAnimal]

this specimen is small. not large enough to eat mollies. Also, I never feed livebearers to my fish due to their lipid content.

“I know you are the expert I was looking for and thank you for the advice that I came here seeking, but I am going to do it my way anyway”

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

So, these guys do mainly prey on inverts (though some species are known seasonally to eat a fair number of fish as well) - most species primarily feed on snails (Nassarius snails are commonly eaten by the species I've seen the diets of) and crustaceans (both hard- and soft-shelled, though Xanthid crabs specifically seem highly preferred) as two of their three main dietary components; from there, depending on the species and season, the third component is either Polychaete worms (Nereidid worms, more specifically) or fish (the two species found in the study linked below were Ophichthus gomesii - the Shrimp Eel - and Diplectrum bivittatum - the Dwarf Sand Perch; the study goes really into depth on the diets, listing genus and species of prey where possible as well as listing how many specimens of each prey type were found in the stomach contents and what percentage of the total diet they accounted for).

I can't tell what species of Ogocephalus you have there (they all look relatively similar to me), but if you know the species, you may be able to provide a pretty decent, relatively close to natural diet for them (though you'll likely need to cut some corners with the mimicking of what snails and crabs you're feeding, as Nassarius snails aren't the only snail consumed by these guys and buying Xanthid crabs could get really expensive).

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289067204_Dietary_Analysis_of_Batfishes_Lophiiformes_Ogcocephalidae_in_the_Gulf_of_Mexico

And here's a supporting evidence link on diet for anyone who's dubious of only one source:

Ogcocephalus cubifrons

Polka-dot Batfish Ogcocephalus cubifrons The batfish is an odd looking blobby, bumpy arrow-shaped fish with wide-set pectoral fins on 'arms' and small, forward placed pelvic fins underneath its body. It tends to move sluggishly around the sand and rubble bottom or among the seagrass, scaveng

www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu

P.S. I'd guess they would eat any bivalves you offer them, but I could be wrong.

 

[lion king]

Final thoughts, these guys usually die within days or weeks in captivity. I have never known anyone keeping one long enough to get any credible information on their care. If someone tells you they have kept one, ask them how long and what they fed them, and hope they tell you the truth. Just like all species like this they may have not eaten since they were collected, and have a chance at having internal parasites because of what they may have been fed. So getting them eat right away is very important, to establish their health and build back up their strength.

If you want to be a purist offer them your live fry, peepermint, shrimp, emerald crabs, and narcissus snails. What I would do, offer them live guppies and live ghost shrimp. I would plan to keep live food included in their long term diet. I would look at ghost shrimp, guppies, mollies, fiddler crabs, and alternative snails. I don't feed snails butbI know some people feed their puffers and pebbletooth eels snails. I would offer squid, mussels, clams, and salmon as dead food.

 

[seafarer's.reef]

“I know you are the expert I was looking for and thank you for the advice that I came here seeking, but I am going to do it my way anyway”

I am looking for direct experience on this animal, not theories or hypotheses. So far, everyone's ideas have aligned with mine quite similarly.

 

[seafarer's.reef]

So, these guys do mainly prey on inverts (though some species are known seasonally to eat a fair number of fish as well) - most species primarily feed on snails (Nassarius snails are commonly eaten by the species I've seen the diets of) and crustaceans (both hard- and soft-shelled, though Xanthid crabs specifically seem highly preferred) as two of their three main dietary components; from there, depending on the species and season, the third component is either Polychaete worms (Nereidid worms, more specifically) or fish (the two species found in the study linked below were Ophichthus gomesii - the Shrimp Eel - and Diplectrum bivittatum - the Dwarf Sand Perch; the study goes really into depth on the diets, listing genus and species of prey where possible as well as listing how many specimens of each prey type were found in the stomach contents and what percentage of the total diet they accounted for).

I can't tell what species of Ogocephalus you have there (they all look relatively similar to me), but if you know the species, you may be able to provide a pretty decent, relatively close to natural diet for them (though you'll likely need to cut some corners with the mimicking of what snails and crabs you're feeding, as Nassarius snails aren't the only snail consumed by these guys and buying Xanthid crabs could get really expensive).

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289067204_Dietary_Analysis_of_Batfishes_Lophiiformes_Ogcocephalidae_in_the_Gulf_of_Mexico

And here's a supporting evidence link on diet for anyone who's dubious of only one source:

Ogcocephalus cubifrons

Polka-dot Batfish Ogcocephalus cubifrons The batfish is an odd looking blobby, bumpy arrow-shaped fish with wide-set pectoral fins on 'arms' and small, forward placed pelvic fins underneath its body. It tends to move sluggishly around the sand and rubble bottom or among the seagrass, scaveng

www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu

P.S. I'd guess they would eat any bivalves you offer them, but I could be wrong.

I appreciate your contribution. these sources will be very valuable to me. Luckily, the resources of food I have are exactly what they have been observed to eat in the wild. Hopefully it'll do well.

 

[dennis romano]

I have always wanted this fish and did a lot of research. My local LFS who carries a lot of Atlantic species says that they are readily available but do not last long. Going through various scientific sources, one major problem is that they are loaded with internal parasites. The other problem is to get them to eat. I found several videos done by scientific institutions feeding them earth worms. I know of at least one video of them eating on You Tube.

 

[lion king]

Why has no one mentioned bristle worms, I'm sure it would be pretty easy to set up a bristle worm tank. By the way, you are not going to find a batfish expert, still haven't found anyone keep them alive. I would still offer ghost shrimp, live fish, and bristle worms now that I know they eat polychaete worms. I would plan to treat with general cure since @dennis romano confirmed my "hypotheses" of the chances of them coming in with internal parasites.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Why has no one mentioned bristle worms, I'm sure it would be pretty easy to set up a bristle worm tank.

I technically did (and the OP implied it on page one after the post about the fish’s wild diet), as Bristle Worm is a term used to refer to Polychaete worms (chaetae being the bristles of the worm, poly meaning many, and polychaete basically being a worm with many bristles), and Nereidid worms being polychaete (bristle worms) from the family Nereididae.

Regardless, depending somewhat on the species of batfish, farming bristle worms for these guys like you suggested would be easy and potentially highly beneficial for feeding them. While ID’ing worms to culture from that specific family could be challenging, getting some unidentified bristle worms from a local reefer/LFS (which would likely be accepted as food by a batfish regardless of the worm’s family in captivity) would be easy enough, and a good way to at least mimic their natural diet.

 

[BeanAnimal]

I am looking for direct experience on this animal, not theories or hypotheses. So far, everyone's ideas have aligned with mine quite similarly.

Also, I never feed livebearers to my fish due to their lipid content.

I must have a reading comprehension problem. My mistake.

 

[seafarer's.reef]

Snails too, maybe, mollusks are good food and I recommend including these as a good part of a dead diet. If you are able to get them taking dead food maybe just keeping the diet high in things like squid, mussels, clams, would be enough to keep them satisfied. Squid is very high in protein, you would still need to figure out the fat.

Keep us informed on your success and what you start feeding.

Those shells may also play a role in their required nutrition

Good news, the batfish has begun eating frozen food. Thought it would be similar to an angler, eating large portions afrequently. Not at all. Instead, it prefers many small pieces that it "hunts" for. I've been ripping clams into small pieces. the batfish seems to like things that appear to look like worms. It constantly hunts in the sandbed for live worms as well.