Should you consider an angler in your smaller reef tank?

If youre looking to set up a small relatively unique display, look no further than the Wartskin Angelrfish. While its name implies something that you wouldnt imagine as aesthetic, Antennarius maculatus comes in an array of colors including but not limited to bright yellows, deep oranges, white and even reds and greens. Anglers are aptly named due to the way they feed. They utilize a lure called an esca or illicium that appears to be a small live zooplankton that attracts smaller fish while the angler itself blend into the coral or rock work. Smaller fish are then attracted to the esca to feed, and when they get too close, you guessed it - the angler ambushes them typically swallowing them whole.

The anglers trigger is based on movement, this is a reaction bite. As you may have inferred from reading this, the Wartskin Angler isnt compatible with many tank mates as it can swallow prey up to 50%+ its own size. Due to the angler not needing a lot of swimming space, this give an aquarist the opportunity to set up a small biotopic nano reef or fish only tank, though we really would encourage the reef for aesthetics. While your angler will likely only take to live foods in the beginning, we recommend attempting to wean them onto frozen food of a marine origin including, squid, whole fish, and prawns. This is easier said than done so if you must utilize live foods we would gravitate toward gut loaded mollies and ghost shrimp and stay away from freshwater carp like the common comet goldfish. Their camouflage and feeding behaviors should definitely make your list when considering fish for a smaller display.