Dwarf Lion Fish

[JacoboWM]

So my brother has fallen in love with a dwarf lion and asked me to buy one for the tank. i like the way they look but i also dont know much about them. i saw one at the pet store yesterday and asked them to feed it and it had no interest in the food they put whatsoever. i beleive they put mysis, brine, and frozen krill in there. i used to have a black volitan lion and how i got him to eat was with feeders then found out they are bad for him and somehow got hime to eat frozen silversides. i think it was out of luck that it started to eat frozen. can you train these fish to eat frozen fast? and are they reef safe?

 

[mikem101]

Not a good idea IMO even a dwarf lion will eat whatever fits in his mouth (even a dwarf gets to 7") and any inverts he sees! so i would steer clear from that also having a predator in your reef tankk is hard because of their diet its hard to keep nitrates down. I would stick to some nice reef fish something really colorful! like a Red Head Solon Fairy Wrasse, Kole Yellow Eye Tang(depending on tank size), Marine Betta (which i love). plenty of choices! But to answer you questions yes you should be able to get them to eat something else just takes time.

 

[JacoboWM]

I think I may just set a tank up for my brother for his birthday or something and get him his lion.

Right now I have a moorish idol, sailfin tang, marroon clown, purple dotty back and a yellow tail damsel.

Coral wise I have a maze brain, pink zoas, green zoas, and a flowerpot coral.

 

[mikem101]

how big is your tank?

 

[saltyair]

If you want the purple dottyback and a yellow tail damsel to get eaten :eek2:

and any other invert to be gone - then hey what the hell LOL.

I'm just being a jerk :spin3:

I would say NO!
setting up a predator tank is the best idea.

 

[JacoboWM]

55 gallons.

i figured he would eat them eventually though i will say when i had my volitan he never ate any of my damsels.

you arent being a jerk. youre just being real... cause i know that fish like that bring much sacrifice to many fish and when i had my snowflake eel he would eat everything. at one point he ate 2 of my henis and a dwarf i had at the time....

 

[mikem101]

IMO your tank is WAY overstocked, not trying to tell you what to do but neither of those fish should be stuffed in a 55!!!! a sailfin should be in nothing under a 150!!!! and a Morish nothing under a 125! it is crazy to keep them in such a small tank! in reailty dwarf angles should be in a bigger tank than a 55. As i tell all people i talk to about this Live aquaria is a VERY good guide to what fish need in tank size i would reference that website when making fish purchases and i would honestly look for a new home for both of those fish as it isnt right to keep them in such a small tank!

 

[JacoboWM]

well its not like im keeping them in there forever. i am working on getting a bigger tank but i dont post that on here cause its not running yet. and i do follow live aquaria with tank size and all that. and i appriciate that you worry about my fish but i know what im doing. all my fish are kinda small so by the time they are all ready to be moved the bigger tank will be up....

again thanks for your concern

 

[namxas]

Dwarf lionfish species actually do fine in reef setups, and considering that they only need food 3x a week, they really don't put as much load on your water as reef fishes that require lots of food in multiple feedings. Also, a 55 gal will be a fine size for a dwarf lion.

As for the terminal size of the fish, if you get a full-grown adult, it may come in at 7" TL, but IME, most of the specimens raised in captivity will be more of a 5" - 6" fish TL.

For a first dwarf lionfish, I'd highly recommend a fuzzy dwarf (Dendrochirus brachypterus) over a D. zebra (you didn't specify which fish you saw), as they're more robust, and are much easier to feed in most cases. Fuzzies also come in different color morphs (brown, red, yellow, or any combo thereof), and tend to be more "personable" than the zebras.

The only real issue with lionfish and reef setups is that they can limit your tankmates to fishes that they can't swallow. Lions will also eat ornamental shrimp and crabs, altho a CUC of snails and hermits (I prefer the scarlet reef hermits) will be fine.

Getting the fish eating and weaned may take some patience, or it may happen quickly, but as I mentioned, most fuzzies are pretty easily weaned. What I'd do at the LFS is check the fish to see if it will take live guppies or ghost shrimp. If the fish does that, then it will eat for you, and getting it weaned will be your next job.

Here's a good primer on lionfish care:

Lions, and Turkeys, and Devils, Oh My! Lionfish in the Home Aquarium

Here's an article regarding weaning predatory fish...I highly recommend making the "stealth stick":

Tools of the Trade: Equipment & Techniques to Convert your Fish onto Frozen

Give a shout with any questions you may have.

 

[JacoboWM]

Thanks so much . I really appriciate it!!