my lion eats wayyyyy too much!

[jstdv8]

lol, mine was 9" and about 12" wide, thats a big fish.
have you seen pictures of the atlantic ones? wow gorgeous!

 

[cranberry]

They sure are awesome. They look like the monsters at the public aquarium.

 

[jstdv8]

 

[cranberry]

I've seen volitans at that age..... I still can't believe I walked out of the store without one. We almost turned around several times. I wanted one for the photo op, knowing in the furture I was going to get a second volitans anyways. But it wasn't the right time as we were preparing to move and it wouldn't get the attention it needed.
I don't think I'd walk away a second time even though I still don't have the space as I just special ordered a few other lions.

 

[saxman]

I can't believe you walked away from those juvie-juvies either!
Quote:
I don't think I'd walk away a second time even though I still don't have the space as I just special ordered a few other lions.
I don't think those orders will be super EZ to fill, but I guess I'd better get my a$$ plumbing a couple of tanx, huh?

 

[ironeagle2006]

Saxman try being me my wife wants to keep a freaking tesselated eel in my 150. Not on/ly did she order it without tellin/g me it. We have to P/U the thing Friday at our LFS. That and a few other things she did not tell me. Good thing I have plenty of Predator mixed food on hand.

 

[cranberry]

Sounds like a good woman to me!

 

[ironeagle2006]

Cranberry she is. Trouble is I really did not wat a 4 foot Eel in my 150. I wanted a more Peaceful mix this time. Hopefully I can keep it Stuffed full of food and not loose to many pretty fish aka my Tangs.

 

[saxman]

Yikes...tesselatas can be nasty. I had a bad enuff time when my 30" SFE went rogue on me.

 

[ironeagle2006]

Oh well called I will be making payments I think on my dream tank looks like sooner than later. Either that or get my hands on a 90 to put it in if it does go Rouge. But I have a simple problem solver called I feed Heavy and often. If I can keep a 24 inch SFE in a tank with a Midas Blenny and no problems I HOPE I can do the same with the eel.

 

[ironeagle2006]

Called my Tank maker he is doing it custom for me. He will take PAYMENTS. So I might get my tank faster than my wife thinks. However just have to figure out how to budget 300 a month for the next 20 months to cover the tank stand sump and then the Skimmer and then Pump. If I can do that I am golden. 450 gallon Custom acrylic setup delivered and setup in my house Plumbed and then all I have to do is fill it up with sand rock water and salt. Lord help me. Considering I have to repair a freaking kitchen drain that imploded last weekend that is going to cost me 3K to fix.

 

[saxman]

Wow...plumbed and set up! You're sh!ttin' in TALL cotton, dood!
That sux about your drain tho...

 

[ironeagle2006]

Helps the guy doing the tank is a member of my Reef club and builds tanks for Doctors and such. So when you get one from him He includes the Plumbing in as part of it. You just have to Provide the Pump and Skimmer if it is Saltwater. That and Lights of Course. Beyond that he does all the work.

 

[saxman]

I really DO enjoy designing and setting up our systems, but sometimes it sure would be nice to have it all done for me (as long as I had the "say" in how certain things were done...OK, so I'm picky!).

 

[ironeagle2006]

You have the choice of were the Overflows and returns are he sets up the tank so it will have the best flow. Also he has been keeping SWF for years and I will send you a PM with his company that has come up with a Frag tank that uses Natural Wave Action and also with a new style of Dosage container for supplements for those that have reefs.

 

[alec106]

You should get a feeding stick. I had to use one for my Snowflake Eel cause my Miniatus Grouper would eat all his food. So I put the stick in the tank near the eel and hes never missed a meal since.

 

[saltfan]

I had one size of a dinner plate. Fed him bout 3-4 times a week. He'll eat til he's not hungry. The more you feed him the much faster he will grow. Your not ging to hurt him by feeding him. When I fed, I fed live food, you could actually see the fish in his stomach move, and they REALLY stuck out big time. Had to get rid of him cuz the wifey thought that sight would be harmful to the baby at the time. But man it was COOL to watch.

 

[saxman]

Actually, a lionfish will often eat to the point of regurgitation, which is not good. Additionally, since lions have slow metabolisms, too large a meal, or too many meals in close succession may result in the food items beginning to decay in the fish's GI tract before it can be digested, which will kill the fish. Finally, to much food or the wrong foods can lead to hepatic lipidosis, which will also shorten the lifespan of the fish.
Best bet is to feed sub-adult and adult lions 2 or 3 times a week, and only feed till you see a nice little bulge (not a huge one) in its belly. Juvie lions can be fed a little more often so they can gain a bit of size, since much of their caloric intake is used for growing. We feed our juvies their "main meals" 3x a week and they get a few small feedings on some of the "fast" days to give them a bit of extra nutrition. These "small feedings" are simply a bit of thawed mysis/BS+ dropped into the water column while I'm feeding our "daily eaters".