ARGH!!! Confused about Lion-sizes...

[mimzy]

Hey all, might be getting a 48 for Hanuka, and as I am OBSESSED with lionfish, we all know what Mimzy will be getting to go along with her new tank (after it's been well established, of course).
So I was thinking of a Radiata, because they are so unique and beautiful...so I started doing some research and have come up with VERY conflicting information. 4 sources have said that anything over 30 gallons is fine for them, 2 sources say 60 gallons and up, one said 55 and up, and one said 75.
48 is a lot more than 30.... but nowhere NEAR the other 4 choices. I REALLY don't want to underhouse this fish, does anyone have any suggestions? Opinions (stupid question, LoL)? Experience?
I have my heart set on a radiata, but if 48 gallons is too small then forget it - I'll get a dwarf zebra. They look kinda like a mix between radiata and antennata... and they're about half the size

Thank you for your help!! :joy:

 

[murph145]

hey mimzy my fish guide says 30 gallon minimum....
id get one just try to find a smaller one! but watch out for your shrimp put them in before him if u want them to have any chance!
good luck and i think u will be fine!

 

[mimzy]

Yay!!! Murph, oh thank you - you have given me a new ray of hope!!! :joy:
Of course, I'd be happy with ANY lionfish, but having the capacity to properly house the one I really want would just be absolute icing on the cake!
I still have time, don't have the tank yet, so I can take my time and research further - try to get a more conclusive consensus.... I'm so excited!!! And hyper!!! :hilarious :hilarious

 

[murph145]

yes u do seem excited and hyper!
but thats always a good thing..... i think :notsure:
but i would get it just make sure like u said u have a well sutied tank see what these fish like such as food and tank hising spots and such
but im sure if u get one ull give it a good home

 

[jjjoey]

good luck with ur lion, lions are my favorite fish and always have been, i had a Zebra Dwarf with a sargassum in my 29 gallon for awhile.. the Zebra Dwarf was amazing but then i did more research and realized to much fish and bioload for my tank, so i set up a reef..
my favorite lion is the Antennata lion beautiful fish, but i also love Radiata too
GOOD LUCK

 

[lionfu411]

good choice with the radiata. you dont see many around. just make sure you have a plan for weaning it before you actually buy it because ive heard of them being problems to get them to eat. and a 48 is a pretty good size as they get to 10"

 

[mimzy]

Thanx 4 the replies everyone :joy:
Joey - yes, I remember when you had the big bioload - HUGE kudos to you for doing what was right for those fish. Not everyone has the gift of being able to admit when they're wrong - and precious fewer people will take the time to make things right! :ats Joey on the back::

Don't worry, one day, you'll get your lion :joy:
Lionfu - glad you think the 48 is a good size. I've been doing a lot of reading on feeding troubles with new lions. I'm getting some great suggestions as to how to get them started on live foods and then moving them to frozen... but of course, as we all know only too well, reading about it is VASTLY different from actually doing it. I suppose I'll simply have to read as much as possible and just go for it.

 

[lionfu411]

good attitude. when will you be setting up the tank?

 

[mimzy]

thanx Lion

Hopefully we're going to pick up the tank and stand tommorow night.
I won't be able to set it up until after we move, tho - so it'll be a good couple weeks. We get keys to the new place on the 7th, and we'll be completely outta the current place by the 31st. Thankfully we started packing...wayyyyy early. We're looking to be done by the 15th.
I have to plumb the thing tho... gonna use my current 12 gallon as the sump/fuge. Have to get a protein skimmer and cannister filter and an overflow box...and all the stuff in-between. It's my understanding however that I won't need the skimmer until after the cycle tho, so I can wait on that a bit.
In the meantime I'm gonna trade in my clownfish and corals for some base rock, which I'll seed with my current LR. I'm keeping my inverts in the fuge - gonna keep this tank FOWLR for a good bit - let it be a showcase for the lion.
now I just have to figure out how to plumb everything.....

 

[murph145]

thats the fun part tryin to figure out plumming.....
im glad your guna get your lion mimzy i cant wait to see pics of it!
my new tank comes in in 2 weeks and i just finished figuring out how many holes im guna get drilled along with how many returns what kinda pumps im guna use with what kinda wave maker calcium reactor sump and skimmer combo along with refugium blah blah blah list goes on for ever
im figurin in order to go from my 100 that i currently have to my 180 its guna cost me another $3500+ tank alone was 1200 for a lee mar flat polished center overflow black back im guna make my own stand and canopy so that was it looks nice and has all the features i need

 

[space_geek]

YAY! Mimzy, I LOVE radiatas! I want to see some pics when you finally get him after the cycle! Keep us updated! And BTW, I am glad to see you are moving out of your current place. No need to be intruded on by freaky people! And PLEASE dont get stung by the lion! I at one point volunteered at my LFS and I was dinkin around in the tank, and well, I wasnt careful, and I got stung by a 6" volitan! It hurt!

 

[mimzy]

Wow, Murph, sounds like you really got your work cut out for you!!! Are you transferring the contents of your 100 to the new tank- or is this gonna be a totaly fresh start?
I cannot even BEGIN to ponder all the plumbing you're going to be doing

I am so petrified of the plumbing.... so very very scared..... I don't even know where to begin!!
Hey Space, can't believe u got zapped... what was it like? Did you do the hot water soak? What happened?

 

[space_geek]

Yeah, I was being stupid. My usual!

It hurt like **** and then I RAN to the bathroom and ran it under burning hot water for like 15 minutes holding back tears. (I was 8) And then it was swollen for like a week...but now I am fine. Obviously. LOL!
Adam

 

[mimzy]

they let an EIGHT YEAR OLD volunteer in a retail store???

 

[space_geek]

The people who owned it knew me and my family well. They eventually went under. I only worked on weekends.

 

[mimzy]

sorry your friends lost their store, but letting an 8-year old work is like.... a legal nightmare. We have child labor laws for that :happyfish
you thinka radiata will fit nicely in a 48? Seems to be the general consensus for now, but the more the merrier.
btw...haven't seen pix of your tank lately - have I missed them? If so- link me! If not... POST SOME! :jumping: :jumping:

 

[space_geek]

Yeah, well, Grandville is a fairly small town, so they just couldn't get enough business. But, I wanted to work there, and just because I wasnt paid in cash, didnt mean I wasnt paid by other means? Discounted fish, discounted/free supplies, it was all good! I think a Radiata will look AWESOME in a 48! Can't wait to see pics! And, I need to take some more pics of my 55. Haven't in a while. Gotta make my mom bring home the darn cord to the camera!

 

[murph145]

lol eight year old at the fish store that would be kinda cool to see
yeah im just putting my diagram together of how its guna work guna need lotf of PVC some elbows some ball valves and glue and so on lol
gotta try how to fit a sump/skimmer... 2 iwaki 40xrlt pumps.... a oceans motion wave maker.... a dual chamber calcium reactor with pump and PH monitor... a phosban chamber... a fluval 404 so i can run carbon.... a uv filter..... a 30 gallon refugium....a 20 gallon fresh ro/di water chamber holding for my auto top off system.... an area to hold all the ballast for the lights.... a way to plumb my in-line chiller into all of that too
im guna make the stand with a whole removable front panel so i can access everything easily the canopy is going to have openable front panel doors then a whole liftable piano top to make for easy access to clean the glass and rearrange corals and rocks... guna use some sound insulator in the stand to help silence all of the stuff in the bottom
ive got 6 feet long by 2 feet wide by 3 feet tall to fit this all under lol

 

[space_geek]

Sounds good Murph! And even only being 8, I knew quite a bit about SW. The owners were family friends and they agreed to let me work weekends to gain some experience with saltwater fish. I shortly thereafter set up a 55 FOWLR, that I had a decent amount time, which eventually had an ICH breakout that killed everything. I stopped for a year to get some money, and then set up my current one! People who bought things at the store treated me as an employee, and listened to my advice!

 

[murph145]

thats really cool....
i remember being a kid and going to the fish store being so interested in saltwater fish it woulda been funt o have that experience of workin there