Fu Manchu Lion fish

[juice_1080]

When I move my 29g reef to the 75g that is waiting for the move I am thinking of possibly putting a Fu Manchu Lion fish (Dendrochirus biocellatus) in it. I have no experience with aggressive saltwater fish or lion fish and I am wondering if somebody can fill me in as to whether this will work or not and maybe a possible tank mate or two if possible.
I know that lion fish are very dirty fish when it comes to their eating habits and waste. I also know that it can be a challenge to get them to eat and that they will eat any fish they can fit in their mouths. Also that the Fu Manchu is one of the smallest (if not the smallest) lion fish out there.
Just to clarify I am not planning on adding it to the 75g reef. I would be wanting to put it into the 29g FOWLR. Also is there a cleanup crew that would work with a lion fish? I know they will eat ornamental crustaceans but will they go after snails, hermits, conchs, etc.?
One last question: Would this be a sufficient setup to keep the tank clean enough? 29g tank 1-2" LS, 20ish# LR, Penguin 350 filter, Koralia #1, another PH with the same power as the Koralia, Rio Nano Skimmer (doesn't do a whole lot). I am looking to put minimal cost into it if possible. I know SW in general is expensive but I don't want to deviate too far from the equipment I already have on the 29 now.
Thanks in advance, I am new to Aggressive FOWLR

 

[rcreations]

I've heard that Fu Manchu Lions are some of the hardest to get to eat. But if you enjoy a challenge, a 29 should be big enough. Any cleanup crew will be fine, like hermit crabs, Astrea snails. My 2 lions never showed an interest in any hermit crabs or snails. Only thing I'd be worried about is your skimmer. For a tank this size, with such a messy fish, you want a really good skimmer otherwise your nitrates will be very high.

 

[juice_1080]

Originally Posted by RCreations
http:///forum/post/2569210
I've heard that Fu Manchu Lions are some of the hardest to get to eat. But if you enjoy a challenge, a 29 should be big enough. Any cleanup crew will be fine, like hermit crabs, Astrea snails. My 2 lions never showed an interest in any hermit crabs or snails. Only thing I'd be worried about is your skimmer. For a tank this size, with such a messy fish, you want a really good skimmer otherwise your nitrates will be very high.
Thanks for the response. Do you know of any other Dwarf Lions that would work in this tank? This would be a couple months down the road and a skimmer upgrade would be a better possibility when the time comes around. For now I am just doing a little research into Lion Fish and how to successfully keep them.
Any input on possible tank mates? That is if a Lion Fish doesn't max out of the bio load in the tank. I am assuming that it would have to be a relatively clean fish that the Lion Fish wouldn't even think about eating. I mostly hear about Triggers, Tangs, Angels and Butterflies going into Aggressive tanks but being that this is only a 29g I know the Triggers and Tangs are out of the question and I don't know enough about Angels and Butterflies but I assume that a 29g is too small for them as well.
Thanks again, hopefully you can chime in about the rest of my questions. Like I said I am inexperienced when it comes to Aggressive Tanks.

 

[rcreations]

The fuzzy dwarf is known to be one of the easiest to get to eat frozen foods, but it really depends on each individual fish. Plus they have great personality, like a little puppy dog the way they come to the glass whenever they see their handler.
As for tank mates... that's hard to say. A dwarf angel would be fine but 29 gal might be a bit small for it. It probably can be done though. I've seen people with flame angels in nano tanks. The other thing you might look into are the dwarf size puffers, like the Valentini.

 

[srfisher17]

I really don't think lions are "messy" eaters, they swallow everything whole. I really don't consider them "aggressive" either, they seldom will bother anything they can't eat in one gulp. There seems to be a school of thought that carnivores; like lions, triggers (real messy eaters), etc create more waste. I think the opposite is true; because plant life provides so little nutrition, there is going to be more waste excreted. That's why herbivores like cows, antelope, or tangs eat almost constantly. Herbivores; mammal or fish, must process a much larger amount of food to survive. More food= more poop.

 

[bamm26]

Fu Manchus are cool, but do not live long. they are hard to feed and all that junk. they die shortly after coming to the fish store. Dwarfs are good. i get the ones at the store to eat frozen food much quicker than violitian (sp?) lionfish. The also arent as poisonous. I got hit by one and it really wasnt anything. They can mix with anything they wont eat or wont pick on them.

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by Bamm26
http:///forum/post/2569773
Fu Manchus are cool, but do not live long. they are hard to feed and all that junk. they die shortly after coming to the fish store. Dwarfs are good. i get the ones at the store to eat frozen food much quicker than violitian (sp?) lionfish. The also arent as poisonous. I got hit by one and it really wasnt anything. They can mix with anything they wont eat or wont pick on them.
IMO, these lions can be a little tougher than some; but I don't consider them an "expert only" fish. I've kept two (together) and they did well for several years. Again, IME, the quietness of QT should help picky eaters start feeding; I sure wouldn't buy one (or any fish )at a LFS unless I saw it eat.

 

[louti]

I have a fuzzy dwarf and he is awesome. Ate frozen from day one. He is with a snowflake eel and a freckled hawk and they all get along great. I have snails and nobody bothers them. I also agree they are not aggressive at all. As long as a fish wont fit in their mouth they'll leave it alone. Hope this helps.