can you identify my rhinopias ?

[72xmulch]

i bought this little guy this morning for 80 bucks. is it r frondosa or r.aphanes? he is about 2.5 inches long right now. the lfs said he is eating small peices of thawed silversides right now.... i havent tried to feed him yet, i think ill wait till tomorow just to let him settle in a little...

 

[Len]

R.frondosa would be my guess. R.aphanes has a very unmistakable reticulated pattern all over. BTW, $80 is a very nice find for any Rhino

 

[Unarce]

I don't think it's either, and may not even be in the Rhinopias genus at all. The horns and mustache leads me to believe it's the Ambon Scorpionfish Pteroidichthys amboinensis. A very close relative of Rhinopias.

 

[Len]

Definitely another possibility, but Rhiopias frondos has horns and mustaches too

 

[72xmulch]

woah i think you're right, no wonder i couldn't figure it out....

that def looks just like him. should i be happy about buying a different fish then i was told i was getting? do i care for it the same as a rhino? how big does it get? same eating habits ect?

 

[Unarce]

I don't think the LFS was purposely trying to mislead you. So often, species get misidentified. Especially considering the price, you got a fair deal.

 

[72xmulch]

im not mad at them at all for mistaking it, i did the same. im just hoping this guy doesnt need something special that i havent prepared for since i really only looked up rhinopias. i am definetly keeping him though, hes a badass!

 

[Chubosco]

I think it's a demon. That sucker will bite your hand off.

 

[72xmulch]

he looks like a pile of month old roadkill. untill a hermit crab walks by and he gets freaked out and puffs up and flashes his pelvic fins