Anybody kept Pegasidae before

[Synanceia]

Hi,

Acquired 2 Eurypegasus draconis , common name: little dragonfish or dragon seamoth (bottom right and left pics) and kept them with the seahorses. Fed them with frozen mysis together with my seahorses, and they do eat. Basically I drop a pinch of mysis using a pair of forceps in the direction of the seahorses. The seahorses eat the mysis floating around and above the gravel bed, while the ones deposited on the gravel bed are eaten by the seamoths, the little crayfishes and the bristle worms (which is why I keep a colony of bristle worms in the tank, cos they are very good scavengers, and up till now have not disturbed my fishes). However, the seamoths are not interested in live brine shrimp.

This is unlike my previous Pegasus volitans, common name: longtail seamoth (top right pic). This fellow eats mainly live brine shrimp and sometimes frozen mysis. Unfortunately I lost it while away on holiday 4 months ago. (Everytime I go on holiday I lose a few fish, especially those daily feeders, although I arranged for someone to feed my fish once every 3 days).

I have bought a Eurypegasus previously, but it died within 3 days because of an infected eye, and it didn't eat at all.

If anybody has kept this family of fish before or is still keeping them, please share your experience. Thanks.

The top left pic of the batfish is included to provide an update for those who remember it in my previous thread. It has now turned almost completely black in colour and grown to about 4 times its original size. It feeds on frozen mysis and ghost shrimp.

[NavIgatoR]

wow bro nice seamoth...veri unique....

[Terryz_]

Bro... Where you got the Eurypegasus draconis... I can't seem to find it anywhere... Interested in getting..

[Synanceia]

They are rarely on sale, cos of their almost perfect camouflage on the sea bed. In fact, I have difficulty spotting them in my own tank.

Both of my Eurypegasus draconis acquisitions are from Lot 35 Pasir Ris, Ah Beng's LFS. The Pegasus volitans were from Aquamarin.

[FuEl]

I kept the E. draconis before in my frag tank without anything to bully it. It just failed to start eating and kept swimming at the surface. Only lasted me 3 days..

[Synanceia]

Bro Fuel,

Thanks for the info. I experienced the same thing with all my Eurypegasus draconis, including the current pair. They swam at the tank surface for the entire first night (I took peeks until about 2am in the morning). On the second night, one of them did the same thing when disturbed. I expected the worst, but fortunately both settled down on the third day and started to feed.

Today, I offered them live shrimp of about 2 to 4mm, numbering a few hundred, caught from local waters. My seahorses love to eat them. The E. draconis cannot seem to reach even the ones just a little above the gravel bed. Hence, live food which are vigorously swimming in the water are no good for these fellows. I think frozen mysis shrimp is still the best bet, unless there are marine worms which wriggle on the gravel.

[Terryz_]

Bro... Interested to see how is the whole setup like for this tank... lol...

Wan to keep Eurypegasus draconis provided i dun miss them again...

Will setup a 2ft tank for them, SH...

[Synanceia]

Bro,

Actually I posted the pictures on the frogfish thread after your post, but I'll post them here again.

Pictures of my Eurypegasi. The top two were bought about 3 weeks ago (see my thread on them in FOWLR). Their colours have changed, one assuming a green reticulated pattern (like the green algae covered rocks in the tank), the other a pale beige (like the gravel bed). Both have grown a little since then, currently about 5.5 inches long. The smaller one (bottom left) was bought yesterday and is already feeding on frozen mysis.

As for the tank setup, it is very simple. Undergravel filter + protein skimmer in a 2.5ft tank. Ocean Sun lighting 10 hours on. Some natural daylight. Inhabitants in tank: 2 seahorses, 1 leaf scorpionfish, 3 eurypegasi, 2 to 4 wild caught crayfish, some stony corals.

[Terryz_]

Bro,

Actually I posted the pictures on the frogfish thread after your post, but I'll post them here again.

Pictures of my Eurypegasi. The top two were bought about 3 weeks ago (see my thread on them in FOWLR). Their colours have changed, one assuming a green reticulated pattern (like the green algae covered rocks in the tank), the other a pale beige (like the gravel bed). Both have grown a little since then, currently about 5.5 inches long. The smaller one (bottom left) was bought yesterday and is already feeding on frozen mysis.

As for the tank setup, it is very simple. Undergravel filter + protein skimmer in a 2.5ft tank. Ocean Sun lighting 10 hours on. Some natural daylight. Inhabitants in tank: 2 seahorses, 1 leaf scorpionfish, 3 eurypegasi, 2 to 4 wild caught crayfish, some stony corals.

Yup i saw... lol..

Thanks...

What about the scaping... little liverock?

[Synanceia]

Liverock, but not of the coralline algae kind. Covered by green and purple algae. Gravel bed 2 inches. The gravel and rocks have been with me for more than 4 years. The current setup is about 10 months old cos I shifted house. The rocks and other things (clam shells, coral frags) cover about 70% of the gravel. What little space there is has been digged and tunnelled by the crayfish and bristleworms (forgot to mention that there are about 4 to 5 bristleworms in the tank as well).

[Terryz_]

I tot the Pegasidae need a big sandbed for them to roam ard...

Next time go Ah beng there must serach every plastic bag... lol...

[Synanceia]

My rocks are quite flat and low, so the eurypegasi can actually climb over them. They seem happy as long as there is some open space for them to rest.

[Terryz_]

OKaie... will setup the tank and see how the scaping can go... lol...

Thanks for the advice man... I tot we cant get Pegasidae until i saw your post... Tot of giving up looking for them... lol...