Dwarf lion of a reef

[Newreeflady]

They will not eat anything that will not fit in their mouth. I kept a dwarf fuzzy with a pair of cleaners, a pair of coral bandeds, a pair of harlequin and a fire shrimp and he never bothered them because of thier size. I used to feed ghost shrimp all the time, then I would mix frozen mysis in when I added them and eventually he took to frozen.



Lionfish are big messy eaters and create a lot of waste which creates a toll on the bioload. It is not a swimming space issue. You are right about one thing, there are several issues to consider other than size when figuring if a fish is appropriate for an aquarium, you just didnt figure all of them in (size, swimming space, coinhabitants capatablity, eating habits, waste produced). However, it is your aquarium, and your money. You get to choose how you stock. I just prefer to give advise that will allow people to be successful, but in the end it is ultimately thier call.

Yep, it's a toll on the bioload for sure. Know your system's limits, but it doesn't mean it isn't possible in a 55g tank- seems we're agreed on that. Trust me, I HAVE figured all of these things in

Best,
Angela

 

[SMOOTHIE]

Are you getting rid of the mandarin?

 

[TenKreefer]

usually as long as you keep them full they don't get too feisty with the other fish. I plan on putting one in my reef

 

[namxas]

Are you getting rid of the mandarin?

unless it's a tiny mandy, and the dwarf is large, the dwarf will pay it no attention.

lions and scorpionfish are about the most docile fish there are. they get a bad rep because they're predatory (like many fish) and because they're venomous. just as with any fish, there are considerations in keeping them. these fish are hardy, nice-looking, and long-lived given proper treatment. we're currently keeping 19 specimens of lions/scorps/stingfish/waspfish, and have never had any of them act up towards their tankmates, altho many male lions will fight (typically dwarfs), and some scorps are intolerant of cogeners/conspecifics (as are many fish).

HTH

 

[jdthomas24]

well my bluefin wasnt eating so i decided t drop some ghost shrimp in there for him to eat. took about 5 seconds for him to find one and eat it. i decided this after seeing him stalk my snails and crabs and try to figure out how to get them out of the shell! LOL ....

 

[namxas]

well my bluefin wasnt eating so i decided t drop some ghost shrimp in there for him to eat. took about 5 seconds for him to find one and eat it. i decided this after seeing him stalk my snails and crabs and try to figure out how to get them out of the shell! LOL ....

great news! we started our bluefin on ghosties and guppies, and it was weaned within a month.

 

[jdthomas24]

great news! we started our bluefin on ghosties and guppies, and it was weaned within a month.

well i guess i will have to go by the fish store twice a week and get some ghost shrimp for him to eat for a few weeks. how did you wing him off? just stop feeding him ghost shrimp?

 

[namxas]

we used small chunks of slamon on an "invisible" feeding stick. the stick is a commercial acrylic feeding stich with about 8" of 50# monofilament attached to one end (let about 4" extend from the end of the stick). here are some pix:

 

[Newreeflady]

Neat stick! Is that just fishing line, the monofiliment?

-A

 

[jdthomas24]

cooolll!!!!

 

[rssjsb]

So do lions have to be stick fed even after they're weaned, or will they eventually take frozen foods from the water column?

 

[namxas]

Neat stick! Is that just fishing line, the monofiliment? -A

yes, it's 50 lb test. we use scotch tape in a few places to attach it, as we replace the monofilament every so often as it gets worn.

we began using a stick like this as we had a couple of "stick incidents" where fish wouldn't let go of the feeding stick and became "stick shy", resulting in the fish having to be weaned all over again, but the second time is a lot harder.

So do lions have to be stick fed even after they're weaned, or will they eventually take frozen foods from the water column?

it depends on the fish. often, once weaned, they will feed from the water column, altho the stick assures each fish of getting their fair share if you have multiple specimens.