lion fish owners
- Thread starter gjohnnyp
- Start date
gasguzzler
Active Member
My lion stops eating when hes done but Im sure its not a trait. It probably goes case by case.
samantha68
Member
I have a volitan and he stops eatting he eats 3-4 feeders a day but can stop at 2 etc ...he doesn't touch any of my other fish plus i have a band shrimp and he cleans his mouth/body and never bothered it but i feed mine feeders (against advise here,he won't eat anything else ,tried lots before you all attack me )but as i said mine stops ,gets fed every morning ...but i have heard others say that they have them eat everything so it's a 50/50 chance
samantha68
Member
my volitan is about 10 right now
harlequin
Member
I dont know how these guys can survive in the wild without an aquarist there to point out and limit the food. Kinda goes with Mexican Turbos, is there some mysterious fish out there that turns them back over when they go upside down? I know my lions are completely oblivious when it comes to feeding them shrimp unless the shrimp swims directly in front of them and even then...if i dont dangle the grass shrimp in front of the lion by its antenna then my 6-line wrass who has developed a taste for shrimp will get it usually.
myname1960
New Member
Looking to set up a 75 gal LR tank or possibly a 90 gal tank. I am wanting to have a Dwarf Lionfish in it and work around him for tankmates. I believe the smaller Lionfish are sometimes called dwarf's.
I am new to saltwater tanks so I am trying to do all of bookwork on lionfish 1st so i can minimize my mistakes.
My questions are:
1) is a 75 gal acceptable for a "happy dwarf lion" and approximately what size will they get? What would the largest sized lion i could keep in a 75 gal tank?
2) What are some acceptable tankmates ( both fish and inverts ) for the smaller lions and is a LR only tank ok for them?
3) Should i get the tank established with the tankmates then introduce the lion as the new guy? Not sure if the lions are territorial.
4) What should a lions diet consist of? What types of problems are associated with them other then the possibility of over eating?
5) What is the hardiest lionfish to keep?
I would like to hear comments about other things i should know and consider in order to keep a lionfish. Anyone have pics of their lions they would be willing to share. would really like to see them and the setups they live in.
Many thanks,
Chris
I am new to saltwater tanks so I am trying to do all of bookwork on lionfish 1st so i can minimize my mistakes.
My questions are:
1) is a 75 gal acceptable for a "happy dwarf lion" and approximately what size will they get? What would the largest sized lion i could keep in a 75 gal tank?
2) What are some acceptable tankmates ( both fish and inverts ) for the smaller lions and is a LR only tank ok for them?
3) Should i get the tank established with the tankmates then introduce the lion as the new guy? Not sure if the lions are territorial.
4) What should a lions diet consist of? What types of problems are associated with them other then the possibility of over eating?
5) What is the hardiest lionfish to keep?
I would like to hear comments about other things i should know and consider in order to keep a lionfish. Anyone have pics of their lions they would be willing to share. would really like to see them and the setups they live in.
Many thanks,
Chris
harlequin
Member
A 75 will be good for almost any type of lion except the really big boys like the Volitans or Russel's.Lions are not territorial and usually get along with each other, an exception being Zebra lions who dont like each other and other true dwarfs like the fuzzy and fu-man-chu.
Tank mates you need to look out for are fin nippers like puffers and possibly triggers. Lions are all bark and no bite and will get their butts kicked in a fight. I havent tried one but I have heard that dottybacks will launch a geurilla war against the lion as well.
Tank mates that are peaceful do well. Mine do not mess with my mandarins. They cant catch my 6-line and gave up after two days of trying. Any peaceful fish that will not fit into their mouths will be good. Smaller shrimp are a target since they are the primary food source for lions but both of mine get along fine with a big CBS. I have both emerald crabs and sally lightfeet crabs and they could care less. Snails will catch a lions attention but again mine have never bothered them, more of a curiousity thing and lions are very curious fish.
Diet should consist of frozen fish/shrimp/crab, grass shrimp and formula 1. DO NOT feed your lion freshwater feeder fish, you will do horrible damage to its liver. If you dont have access to grass shrimp use ghost shrimp and load them up with vitamins and such. Oh yeah and they will overeat so watch them while they eat.
In my opinion most lions are someof the toughest fish out there. The hardest part is getting them to accept frozen. Eventually you will be able to get them to eat from your fingers, that really amazes some people hehehe.
Fu-Man-Choos are the toughest species to keep because many many time despite the best efforts they will refuse to eat but other than them most lions are not too picky.
Tank mates you need to look out for are fin nippers like puffers and possibly triggers. Lions are all bark and no bite and will get their butts kicked in a fight. I havent tried one but I have heard that dottybacks will launch a geurilla war against the lion as well.
Tank mates that are peaceful do well. Mine do not mess with my mandarins. They cant catch my 6-line and gave up after two days of trying. Any peaceful fish that will not fit into their mouths will be good. Smaller shrimp are a target since they are the primary food source for lions but both of mine get along fine with a big CBS. I have both emerald crabs and sally lightfeet crabs and they could care less. Snails will catch a lions attention but again mine have never bothered them, more of a curiousity thing and lions are very curious fish.
Diet should consist of frozen fish/shrimp/crab, grass shrimp and formula 1. DO NOT feed your lion freshwater feeder fish, you will do horrible damage to its liver. If you dont have access to grass shrimp use ghost shrimp and load them up with vitamins and such. Oh yeah and they will overeat so watch them while they eat.
In my opinion most lions are someof the toughest fish out there. The hardest part is getting them to accept frozen. Eventually you will be able to get them to eat from your fingers, that really amazes some people hehehe.
Fu-Man-Choos are the toughest species to keep because many many time despite the best efforts they will refuse to eat but other than them most lions are not too picky.
cincyreefer
Active Member
Originally posted by Squidd
Here..Hold my Beer and watch THIS...
And I'll start dialing 911...
myname1960
New Member
Harlequin,
Thanks for your reply. It made me do some more serching on Lions. I did find what i thought were 2 interesting webpages on Lionfish.
The 1st talks about the various different Lionfish : size differences, diet, compatibility, etc...
The 2nd page is more like a question and answer site on Lions. I found them both to be informative to me.
I have yet to find any information the pros of hand feeding them. I am happy to see it works for you.
I know i have a higher tolerance for pain but i think i may have to skip the handfeeding part of Lionfish ownership. :nervous:
Thanks again for the information.
Chris
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-11/fm/feature/
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/lions&rels.htm
Thanks for your reply. It made me do some more serching on Lions. I did find what i thought were 2 interesting webpages on Lionfish.
The 1st talks about the various different Lionfish : size differences, diet, compatibility, etc...
The 2nd page is more like a question and answer site on Lions. I found them both to be informative to me.
I have yet to find any information the pros of hand feeding them. I am happy to see it works for you.
I know i have a higher tolerance for pain but i think i may have to skip the handfeeding part of Lionfish ownership. :nervous:
Thanks again for the information.
Chris
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-11/fm/feature/
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/lions&rels.htm
toughguy80
Member
thx for the treads myname. I've been thinking about purchasing a lionfish for my tank. I found those sites to be very helpful
mightyoxjuice
Member
Handfeeding is not such a big deal, just keep your eyes on the lion so that you do not get stung. Over a year so far and still have not been stung.
mightyoxjuice
Member
I would also stay away from the freshwater live feeders they really are not that good for the lions. Not to be cruel, but if you don't let them eat for a bit they will come around and eat frozen food. My lion only eats twice a week.
myname1960
New Member
Originally posted by mightyoxjuice
Handfeeding is not such a big deal, just keep your eyes on the lion so that you do not get stung. Over a year so far and still have not been stung.
I agree about keeping your eyes on the lions. One article i read it recommended highly that you watch carefully where the lion is at all times even when cleaning your tank .
The main point i think he was making is, if your hands are in the water if even for a brief moment you are prone to get stung if you are not paying attention.
Chris
myname1960
New Member
Originally posted by toughguy80
thx for the treads myname. I've been thinking about purchasing a lionfish for my tank. I found those sites to be very helpful
You're welcome toughguy80. I am a true believer in doing as much reading and question asking you can when attempting anything that is new to you.
I may still make mistakes but hopefully by keeping informed as much as i can it will help minimize the mistakes i will make.
Chris