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Painted Frogfish
Frogfish

Painted Frogfish

Antennarius pictus

A true ambush predator that changes color and skin texture over weeks to vanish against sponges and reef rubble, then flicks a rod-like lure to draw prey within range of a mouth that can swallow fish or shrimp its own size whole. Because it eats anything it can fit in its mouth, it must be the LAST fish added to a tank and never housed with anything smaller than itself — but it leaves coral completely alone. New arrivals often refuse frozen food and need live feeder shrimp before they can be weaned onto tongs.

Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Max size
11.8"
Min tank
40 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Carnivore
Zone
Bottom, Rockwork, Sand bed
Keep just one per tank — two will fight.
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Tankmates

How Painted Frogfish gets on with the rest of the reef, checked pair by pair by the same engine as the live pre-flight.

Best kept apart

A real clash — aggression, predation or a same-genus fight.

Percula ClownfishPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Percula Clownfish.Purple Queen AnthiasPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Purple Queen Anthias.Banggai CardinalfishPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Banggai Cardinalfish.Radiant WrassePainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Radiant Wrasse.Pajama CardinalfishPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Pajama Cardinalfish.Green ChromisPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Green Chromis.Blue DamselPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue Damsel.Yellowtail DamselPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellowtail Damsel.Flame AngelfishPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Flame Angelfish.Coral Beauty AngelfishPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Coral Beauty Angelfish.Helfrich's FirefishPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Helfrich's Firefish.Yasha GobyPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yasha Goby.Tailspot BlennyPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Tailspot Blenny.McCosker's Flasher WrassePainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller McCosker's Flasher Wrasse.Sixline WrassePainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Sixline Wrasse.Leopard WrassePainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Leopard Wrasse.Lubbock's Fairy WrassePainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse.Melanurus WrassePainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Melanurus Wrasse.Yellow Coris WrassePainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellow Coris Wrasse.Red Head Solon Fairy WrassePainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Red Head Solon Fairy Wrasse.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Kole TangPainted Frogfish and Kole Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Midas BlennyPainted Frogfish and Midas Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Longnose HawkfishPainted Frogfish and Longnose Hawkfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Coris WrassePainted Frogfish and Red Coris Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Saddleback ClownfishPainted Frogfish and Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Starry BlennyPainted Frogfish and Starry Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Emperor AngelfishPainted Frogfish and Emperor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Regal AngelfishPainted Frogfish and Regal Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Picasso TriggerfishPainted Frogfish and Picasso Triggerfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Keyhole AngelfishPainted Frogfish and Keyhole Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Queen AngelfishPainted Frogfish and Queen Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Blueface AngelfishPainted Frogfish and Blueface Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Chevron TangPainted Frogfish and Chevron Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Arc-Eye HawkfishPainted Frogfish and Arc-Eye Hawkfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Dragon WrassePainted Frogfish and Dragon Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Fuzzy Dwarf LionfishPainted Frogfish and Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Chainlink MorayPainted Frogfish and Chainlink Moray both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Golden Dwarf MorayPainted Frogfish and Golden Dwarf Moray both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Rectangle TriggerfishPainted Frogfish and Rectangle Triggerfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Clown TriggerfishPainted Frogfish and Clown Triggerfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.