Fed up!!!

jjboods

jjboods

Member
With trying to get a reef going. Can't seem to do well with corals. Thinking of going aggressive. My wife always wanted a Lion. You can see what I have currently in my signature. The tank is a 55. Couple questions:
1. If I remove all the fish...how many dwarf lions could I put?
2. If I only got 1 dwarf lion, which, if any could I keep?
3. If I remove all fish and get only one lion, what other fish could I also get?
 
viper12775

viper12775

Member
you should be able to keep 3-4 maybe more and you can add one to you tank i didnt see any fish that wouldnt work but wait for a few more opinons
 
jjboods

jjboods

Member
Wouldn't the clown or pseudo be small enough for a lion to eat...even a dwarf? Also, I definitely can't add a lion without removing something...I think the bioload would be too much.
 
viper12775

viper12775

Member
sorry some how i missed that you had a perc im setting up a 75 for my lion and stonefish now what about setting up a 30 gallon for you lion tank and just have one or two
 
jjboods

jjboods

Member
My wife will kill me if I even mention another tank. Especially if it means spending more $$$. I am about $2000+ into my failing reef already. I do have an $80 credit at an online store, plus the credit from the LFS when I return what I can't keep with the lion....hoping to break even. Also...are MH lights okay for lions? I would assume they are if lions are considered reef safe.
 
sistrmary

sistrmary

Member
You might be able to get away with a cleaner shrimp and some of the dwarf lions. If the shrimp is in there first, and is too big at first for the lionfish to eat...I've found the lionfish to leave them alone if they've considered them inedible at one time. (This is my experience, and I may be the exception, not the rule. My radiata has doubled in size since I've had him, and he could very easily eat any of the shrimp in my tank right now..well, except the CBS...but he's in there with numerous peppermints, a cleaner and a CBS and never even looks cross-eyed at them. )
Any of the dendrochirus lions would do well in your tank...well, maybe not the mombasa lion, as they prefer less lighting than most lions. (that's not experience, that's just reading, but they also call them "deepwater lionfish" so it makes some sense to me :D ) Also, the radiata (my personal favorite :D ) and antennata lions would be good. You can mix and match or get all the same kind (although when you get the same kind, you want to get one slightly larger one and a smaller one. If you get them the same size, they might fight over dominance. I've found it easier to just let one be the boss :D )
 
sistrmary

sistrmary

Member
er..in answer to your question about which fish you could keep, I'd get rid of the tangs (For bioload purposes especially, but also, the hippos get big fairly fast even in aquarium life) Scooter blennies and mandarins are seemingly fine with lionfish (I've never seen mine look at either one, and I've never heard of it either...but again, I guess it depends on the fish)
 
sistrmary

sistrmary

Member
Yep. It's big enough for either one of them. While lionfish get to be a middle size (with the exception of the russells and volitans) they tend to stick to either the bottom, the glass or the rockwork. They're not really active when there's no food around :D
If they were really hungry, and it was really small, it might eat the clown, but pretty doubtful. The pseudo is fast. *really* fast, really jumpy and hides really well. So they're not much of a threat to it either...although of the two, I would say they'd be more likely to eat the pseudo.Although some people may have had different experiences, I've never had a problem with my radiata or my fu man. They're both in a 100gal with a citron clown goby, a mandarin, a scooter blenny and various assortment of shrimp.
How big is the clownfish? If you get a lionfish that is on the smaller side (still a radiata or antennata, but a smaller one) then you should have no problem with it.
 
jjboods

jjboods

Member
This is some of the best news I have gotten in a while. If I did decide to remone all current residents, how many antenattas, radiattas, dwarfs, or a combination of the three could I put in a 4 foot 55 gallon? Also, my wife and I had a little...tiff...this morning. So...I may get myself a trigger instead(probably not though). But, if I did, is there any trigger that could live happily, long-term in a 55 gallon? Again...it is 4 feet long, 13 inches wide, and 20 inches deep. And it will have 100lbs of sand and 50 pounds of LR.
 
kevinf

kevinf

Member
In my old 55 gal. I always had a lion in it. It never bothered any of my other fish. Really just ignored them. My lions were never that big 6-8". I had clowns too and never had a prob. So anyway, my exp has been that lions are not as aggresive as rumored.
 
itchy

itchy

Member
If you get a Lion I suggest getting rid of the Tangs as it may become to crowded. As Sistr said the other fish should be fine in there as My dwarf doesn't bother my perc at all. Although my dwarf is a little dull as he only comes out at night when I am in bed and can't see more than his fins as he swims around looking for food. I don't recommend a trigger in a 55 gal as they are messy eaters and may cause a problem. But that is my opionion and its not worth sh*t sometimes .....lmao or that is what my husband says....;) so I just let him feel superior for a day lmao
 
jjboods

jjboods

Member
I may WANT to get rid of everything else...if so...how many lions can a 55 hold? If I keep ONLY the perc, how many Lions can I have?
 
itchy

itchy

Member
I wouldn't think more than 2 dwarfs....but I am sure someone like Frank who knows more on Lions will respond and correct me if I am wrong. I am just thinking of bioload. It may also depend on which lions you choose as some get to be 6 inches even being dwarfs. Good luck
 
fmarini

fmarini

Member
JJ:
sorry you feel neglected.....I was outta town for the weekend.
A 55 gal tank will hold a few small lions. However the key will be what your filtration will handle. Remember these fish require meaty food and make tons of waste, so its not only speace rquirements, but bioload.
W/ that said thou you could consider prolly 2 dwarf lions (3 max), like a Fu, or a Zebra or D fuzzy, if you do a mid sized lion like a Radiata, antennata, or mombasse (these fish will reach 8-10") consider 1 of them w/ a dwarf.
Problem is, of course, is that you WILL want more fish, becuz as mentioned by Sistrmary these lionfish are sedentary, and until its feeding time your tank will look fairly empty. So you need to decide apriori what the tankmates will be and count backwards. What will the other fish be?
 
fmarini

fmarini

Member
the small fish could well be food. To be safe from being eaten, the tankmates have to be equal to or larger than the lion.
If you want to keep those other fish, I would say no more than 1 lion.
frank
 
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