Breeding Vespicula(Venspicula?) depressifrons

[Youkai]

Has anyone attempted breeding these fish? Any luck, anything at all...?

[Shane Tesser]

I'm sorry that i don't really have a real reply to your question. I was interested in the question however as i am an avid keeper of many fish for well over twenty years now, although my knowledge of brackish water fishes is limited i have to say that the species really got me. I looked through every book that i own the other night and came up with nothing. I researed the web, and found nearly nothing. I did find the basic's, the common name: leaf goblin, the fact that it is poisonous, has spines etc. The reason im sending this however is..... ive never seen one. I couldnt find any pictures, but the descriptions are killing me. Do you have a picture. Ive got to see it. I have however kept a few brackish water fishes in the past and to my experience have found that most of them travel to breed. Either way, into the fresher waters of the inlet, or back into complete salt water. Perhaps? Good luck either way. s.t.

[Youkai]

...Is what I said when they arrived at the store, and I had to unpack them. Lately, they are being imported under the name of....BUTTERFLY gobies, of ALL things!

The first thing I thought was that they looked like a small lion fish. I could find NO information on them. And yet, I took a couple home. (I rarely do this, but they are so interesting...) In with chromides, sebae monos, and puffers they went. The puffers mouthed them and scooted off.
Hm.

It took me HOURS to find out what species I had. I'm thankful I never touched them.

So far, the only observations I can make are that they seem to like plant cover, and the company of at least one other of their kind. Even youngsters make a pretty strict pecking order. They are intelligent (for fish) and prefer live and frozen food. As far as I'm concerned, they're like keeping a smaller, less flashy lion fish.

I found one picture on a Japanese site, and this is it.

http://www27.cds.ne.jp/~kikutaka/hugu/kisui/kisui_okoze.jpg

I have one in one of my baench atlasas, but the book is a bit to thick to try scanning. (HOW long did I look through that book to try and find a picture match? Don't ask...)

One neat thing about these fish...with them on the java fern, the puffers have stopped turning the poor plants in to swiss cheeze java fern. And still the plants live. Amazing! I really should take a picture.