Dwarf zebra lionfish

[BryanJ]

Anyone own this fish and if so tell me some things about feeding it? It will be going in a 55gallon reef with a bicolor angel and a pair of maroon clowns. Any other information you would like to add would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Ranzan]

frozen krill( in moderation) shrimp , scallops, squid silver sides your basic diet for agressive fish pretty much

 

[markroll]

I was in the market for a dwarf zebra for a while. I ended up with a fuzzy lionfish and have been very pleased. I was a little nervous when I first got him b/c he would not take any frozen food. I threw some ghost shrimp in and he ate. I starved him for about a week. After that he was pleased to take frozen food. He is very hardy and active at night. Got moon lighting for better viewing. Not sure if the zebra lionfish is as hardy as the fuzzy.

 

[BryanJ]

Any problems with them attacking other fish? I know there is always the risk. Just trying to assess if I should wait till the maroons get larger.

 

[Tayler]

this is ranzan atm... how big are the maroons ? anything that fits into a lionfish's mouth will get eaten

 

[BryanJ]

One is good sized the other is pretty small yet. That is the main reason I have been holding off on the purchase. I know the volitans grow super fast and wondering if the dwarf lions follow suit.

 

[markroll]

My Clarki is .5-1 inch smaller than my fuzzy lionfish. No problems in my tank. If the marroon is significantly smaller you may have a problem though.

 

[BryanJ]

My plan now is to wait till the little one is three inches and get a dwarf that is 2-3 inches long.

How fast is your fuzzy lion growing?

 

[Ranzan]

my lions did not grow fast you clowns should be ok.

 

[markroll]

I have had my fuzzy over 2 months and so far growth has not been noticable. I feed him 2-3 times/week which may be helping to control rapid growth.

 

[BryanJ]

Thanks for all of the info. I have to wait though because I know the male is staying half the size of the female. They have doubled in size in a year so by next year I should be able to get my lion. Because a 1 inch clown would be lunch.

 

[socal-trading]

I feed my dwarf lion fish a home prepared frozen food. I combined fresh shrimp, squid, halibut, freeze dried krill, nori, and prime reef blended and frozen into pea size pieces. My lion is conditioned to swim to the top of the tank during feeding and will eat the pieces. I have also had success utilizing a feeding stick.

 

[BryanJ]

Socal - how fast did he grow and how long have you had it?

 

[ekovalsky]

I have a small fuzzy dwarf who was being fed guppies at the LFS. I gave him comets for a few days during acclimation to my tank, then gave him ghost shrimp which he willingly ate. But they are hard to find around here and have had trouble getting him to eat frozen or freeze-dried food. Only success I have had is giving chunks of silverside, krill, or freeze dried shrimp to a cleaner shrimp who "presents" it to the lionfish who then will eat it. If I offer it on a stick it is ignored.

I was very worried about my four cleaner shrimp and smaller fish (pair of ocellaris clowns, orange watchman goby, blue spot jawfish, and segmented blenny) but there have been no problems. The cleaners were all in the tank before the lionfish and seem to make a point of rubbing their antennae over him whenever he is in the vicinity. I see the lionfish and cleaner shrimp hanging out at night with a red flashlight, as of yet none have been inhaled

Any tips on getting the lionfish to take non-live food from me ? I've tried wiggling krill and silverside in front of him (he usually swims away) and at a distance waiting for him to find it, but it is ignored. He generally swims face down surveying the sandbed for potential food...

 

[hybridgenius]

Why you give it comets for? Thats so bad for them. Try using something thats very shimmering in the water or that will flash by there eyes. Seems to attract them and thats how I got mines to eat.