Nobody would keep this fascinating frogfish from South East Asia due to its coloration. The bizarre shape and the expressive eyes nevertheless make it a desirable species for the aquarium.
This frogfish lives in the wild in river mouths; although it is possible to keep the fish in pure freshwater, it is better to add some salt (5-15 g/litre). The broad mouth characerizes A. grunniens as a predatory species. Among each other and against fish that do not fit as food the species is completely peaceful. This frogfish attains a length of approximately 30 cm.
One should be very careful when catching the fish, as the dorsal spines and probably also the spines on the opercle are poisonous. Generally speaking, the venom is not very strong, but painful and there is also always the danger of allergic reactions.
For our customers: the animals have code 373105 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Lexicon: Allenbatrachus: combined from the Name Allen (dedication name for George Allen from Humboldt State University) and the genus name Batrachus, another genus of toadfish. grunniens: means “the grunter”.
Common name: Grunting toadfish
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
