Anyone with experience with Radiata Lionfish?

[eros]

I ordered a Radiata Lionfish from my LFS. It arrived Tuesday and was dead on Friday. I never even got the chance to pick it up. I know these are a harder to keep species of lionfish. From what I've read they are a bad shipper and hard to get to eat. The LFS never got it to eat anything. How sensitive are they to nitrates? I know most LFS usually have somewhat high nitrates due to the large stock of fish they have. I thought about bringing him straight home the same day he arrives to the store and putting it in my quarantine tank which I know has good parameters, but then if it dies at my house I still won't have the fish plus I will be out 40 bux.
Has anyone been able to succesfully keep a Radiata and if so can you give me as much info as possible. Where did you buy it from, feeding, acclimating, etc. I think these fish are beautiful and would love to keep one but this one will be my last attempt before moving to a different species. Thanks
Steve

 

[reefman8471]

Radiata Lionfish

Radiata Lionfish

I have a radiata that I have had for probably 5 months now. He was tiny when I got him, around two inches max. Now he has doubled in size. The first few days he would not eat when I dropped krill in the tank. I believe he went at least five days without food. I then got a feeding stick and put krill on the end and wiggled it around and the fish came up cautiously and ate it. He has been eating ravonously ever since. I always feed him on a feeding stick but I don't always have to wiggle around the food. In fact he will come to the surface quite often when I approach the tank.
I don't really know how sensitive they are to high nitrates but I would think they should be kept below 20 ppm. I feed mine three to four times a week. Usually three small krill each time. In the wild they are crustacean eaters but will occasionally eat small fish in the aquarium. They are also capable of getting about 10 inches long. I bought mine locally.


James

 

[eros]

Thanks for the reply James. I have tested the LFS's water after buying something from them and the nitrates were quite high. I talked to them about sensitivity high nitrates and they are going to put him in a tank by himself that is isolated from the rest of the system. I will talk to them more about it tomorrow. I think I will have them keep this one in a few days also just to make sure he is doing ok before taking him home. Do you know how long yours was at the LFS before you bought him? Was he eating at the LFS before you bought him?

 

[reefman8471]

Radiata Lionfish

Radiata Lionfish

He was specially ordered for me. He was at the store for at least a week as I remember. I don't believe he was eating too much if at all. Somebody told me he was eating a little clam on the half shell though.

James

 

[sacremon]

I've had this issue as well. LFS has been trying to get me either a radiata or an antennata for a few months now. About a month ago he got a radiata in, but it died overnight. Last week he got a tiny antennata in, about 1.5 inches. It lasted two days.

Small specimens of either of these species are supposed to be quite fragile, so in a sense it wasn't too surprising for the antennata to die (I don't know how large the radiata was).

/sigh - and the antennata was so cute.

 

[eros]

The Radiata they got me was about 3-4 inches. Very nice looking fish. They ordered another one for me today, it will be arriving tomorrow. I really hope this one makes it. If not I think I will move on to a Black Volitan. I visited a LFS in San Francisco and they had just sold one. Still had the name written on the glass. They said it was doing good at their store, eating silversides but not yet trained to eat frozen food. Wish me luck guys. I will let you know how he looks tomorrow.