Manila Bulletin

Fish in Your Tank

A bizarre Fish you might find adorable: A. grunniens

by Angel Ampil

If you fancy yourself as someone who likes Fishes just like I do, then you will find the Allenbatrachus grunniens quite fascinating . While most people might find this Fish bizarre-looking and unusual, someone who looks beyond the usual standards will find this species beautiful and adorable, especially because they are seldom encountered.

The A. grunniens is a predatory Fish found in freshwater, brackish and marine water systems in India and Bangladesh and extending to the coastlines of Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. So, they are native to our country. They are oftentimes seen in the freshwater aquarium because of their ability to withstand a wide range of salinity levels. Although it is possible to keep them in pure freshwater, it is better to add some salt at about 5 to15 grams per liter.

This Fish was first described by Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The A. grunniens is a ray-finned Fish from the order Batrachoidiformes, belonging to the family Batrachoididae or the Toadfishes. They are given the scientific name, Allenbatrachus grunniens.

The A. grunniens has a host of common names. From the description above, you will not be surprised that they are commonly known as the Freshwater Toadfish or Grunting Toadfish. Others also call them the Freshwater Lionfish owing to the similar appearance to the marine Fish, the Lionfish.

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2021-11-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-11-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

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