Toadfish/Freshwater Lionfish

[mytosis_matth]

I just got a "freshwater lionfish," which I researched beforehand and found that the fish sold under this name are actually the threespine toadfish (Batrachoeus trispinosus...something like that), which is neither freshwater or a lionfish! It's listed in Dr. Burgess's Atlas and Mini-atlas of Marine Fishes, so it's obviously a heavy brackish to marine fish. Mine is really cool, though, and he likes to snuggle up in crevices with my "freshwater" moray. Does anyone else in here have one of these toadfish?

Thanks,
Matt

[brackishwannbe]

I caught one off the coast of North Carolina. :D

[mytosis_matth]

Wow, that's cool! I have only seen them up to about 4 inches. How big was the one you caught?

[brackishwannbe]

...about the size of a shoe box. It was UGLY. Once the hook was out, the toadfish sat on the deck of the boat until it jump back in the ocean.

[mytosis_matth]

Wow...that was a big one! They are incredibly ugly and grumpy-looking, but I love the oddball fish. Mine is just a little guy (5"), but it's definitely one of the very coolest fish I've ever kept. I had one that got sick and died on me a few months ago, but I got to hear it croak a lot when I made it mad (working in the aquarium, moving its cave to clean the gravel), which was something VERY odd. I have seen these fish in stores from time to time, but only know a couple of people that have ever had them. I guess that means that most of them end up dying in captivity :(...probably because people don't realize that they're more of a marine fish than brackish or freshwater.

[Pufferpunk]

I was scuba diving in the Caribbean reciently & was told to listen for the croaking, because some people knew there were toadfish nearby. Didn't hear it though...:( I think these fish might be strictly SW.

[cornflake1990]

do you have pics?

-austin

[graysilm]

i live in coastal nc and we catch toadfish, or oyster toadfish as we call them all the time. In the eyes of most fishermen they are a nuisence. Very ugly fish, very powerful jaws, and poisionous barbs.