Painted frogfish

Care at a glance

The painted frogfish is a master of camouflage: it looks like a sponge or an overgrown rock and sits almost motionless in the same spot for days. Above its mouth it carries a small rod with a lure-like tip, with which it draws curious little fish within reach.

The strike itself is among the fastest movements in the animal kingdom, and it can swallow prey almost as large as itself. So keep it strictly alone or with much larger fish, give it a fixed perch and feed with tongs; many individuals initially accept only live food.

Good to know

• Hard to wean onto dry food
• Preys on shrimp and snails

Best not combined with

• Firefish gobyNemateleotris magnifica
• Yellow clown gobyGobiodon okinawae
• Neon gobyElacatinus oceanops
• Cleaner shrimpLysmata amboinensis
• Sexy shrimpThor amboinensis

Related species

• Marine betta (comet)Calloplesiops altivelis
• Skunk clownfishAmphiprion akallopisos
• Dwarf seahorseHippocampus zosterae
• Pink skunk clownfishAmphiprion perideraion
• Lined seahorseHippocampus erectus
• Orange skunk clownfishAmphiprion sandaracinos