Rare lionfish or what?

[Mental1]

All I can say is what an amazing fish. OMG -- he is awesome! Dave -- thank you for catching this guy -- what an incredible fish! Blue Zoo -- you are a class act. This is the first time I have bought a fish from you and I have to say I am totally impressed. He's acclimating -- looks really good. I am delighted!

 

[jarrod13]

Glad to hear it shipped well!! Best of luck with it. Let's see some pics!!!

 

[ashtree68]

+1 for pictures looks like a great looking lion what ever kind it is.

 

[namxas]

Blue Zoo indeed does a very good job. When we bought our current frondosa, they were kind enuff to let us pick it up rather than ship it just a few miles.

Can't wait to see the fish once acclimated and colored-up.

 

[D5HP]

Looking forward to pictures. I also particularly like Blue Zoo....they do a great job shipping and Mark has always answered my questions quickly.j

 

[bamato]

Looks like a really cool fish Can't wait to see more pictures!

 

[tcmfish]

Yes, I saw that. However, I'm just not seeing "radiata". What I AM seeing is a fish that might be a mombassae-antennata hybrid, if such a thing exists. I also think that based on appearance, it might be more likely to have these two fish mate than a pair that looks a lot less alike.

Then again, it just might be some very local coloration morph...

Nobody knows for sure unless there's a DNA test, but it's fun to knock the idea around.

I have no idea on these type of fish. You seem to be the expert I was just seeing if you saw that post.

Now let's see some updated shots!

 

[Mental1]

Sorry -- after acclimating this guy I drove for 6 out of 7 hours and came home with 3 more fish, a bunch of live rock and coral -- a bunch of coral that I was not expecting. Just finished ---except I do have a fish in QT that I need to do a water change on. I am afraid you will have to wait for pictures but they will be forthcoming.

He's bigger than I thought he was going to be ... hmmm 4 inches seems to have gotten bigger somehow. After looking at him and the 65g I think I will be putting the gorgonian in with the angler and somehow catching the filefish out of the lion tank. I fear this lion will chow down on the filefish. The wrasse is fast enough that she can avoid him. If he is still growing then I will be setting up my 135 at last!

 

[Mental1]

One quick photo -- he poses!

 

[jarrod13]

awesome!!

 

[namxas]

Glad it came in safe and sound Sherri.

Funny how sometimes the size is kinda "off", even with the "big" e-tailers. our antennata from DD was larger than stated.

I wonder if it depends on who measures the fish, as some folks use SL (standard length), which discounts the caudal fin, while others use TL (total length), which takes the caudal fin into account. Both are acceptable forms of measurement, but one needs to add "TL" or "SL" to the number.

I used to be very good about this and always used SL and said so, since that's usually the part of the fish that "counts" against stocking density, but with "finny" fish like lions, I've begun taking finnage into consideration in terms of having enuff room for them.

Anyhow, I can't wait for updates on the new lion...you know how we all are here!

 

[Mental1]

Another shot ...

 

[LisaD]

The Solomon Islands seems to have several fish species with unusual color morphs. Maybe this lion is just another one...

Several years ago, I bought a dogface puffer from LA DD that has the pattern of the Dalmation color morph, but instead of black on white, it is black on gold. (Dave, did you collect this fish? Kevin Kohen told me the owner of the collecting station in the SI said he'd only seen a few in 15 years.) I still have this puffer, and haven't seen another like it since for sale.

 

[fish_dave]

Yes I remember that puffer, I have pictures of it that I took before shipping it out. It was very cool and unusual. Most folks don't know that the all black and the black dalmation puffers only come from a very small area in the Solomon Islands, actually from only one area close to Tulagi in the Florida Island chain. I will try to post a few pics of the puffer I am thinking of, I suspect that it is the one that you bought as I don't remember seeing another one.

Dave

 

[Mental1]

I am sad to say I am losing him. He was breathing hard yesterday for most of the day and was nose down a lot. Came home to find him really dark. I am so bummed. I guess the trip across the country was worse than the trip from the Solomons for some reason.

I don't know what went wrong. I drip acclimated for him for 45 mins, I used the de-stress stuff, I replaced the water several times. The angler in that tank is fine - I just fed it.

 

[Mental1]

Fail.

 

[rayn]

Sorry to hear. I was just catching up on this thread too.

 

[Mental1]

Thanks ...so bummed I can't sleep. Must have been the shipping. He was breathing heavily but they usually do that for a while. Part way through the acclimation process he went really pale but I had him in a dark bucket with a top on and no bright light. But he still was breathing heavily last night and he was nose down. But that's something lions do too. My daughter saw him last night and said "he's doing that nose down thing when they die." I didn't want to believe it -- ever the optimist. Then I got home tonight from work and freaked -- he died within an hour of my getting home. Was really dark and very labored breathing. Looked like ammonia poisoning to me. Seen it too many times before. Should have just temp acclimated him and put him in the tank.

 

[StephLionfish]

So sorry bout him not making it
I had a Volitans ( the one in my profile pic) go blind. I put him in a 210 gallon reef, and he was fine for three days. Fourth day, I came home, and he was against the rock on his side( on the sand) deep red all over, and breathing a little hard. I scooped him up, and put him in a 75 gallon, and he was fine after a day ( but blind). I have a Dwarf Zebra lion in a reef ( T5 lighting) and I didn't think it would hurt a Volitans. :hmm2:
Again, sorry.

 

[Mental1]

Thanks StephLionfish -- still so bummed.

Do people here automatically use an ammonia binder during acclimation? I don't use it unless when I open the bag the smell is overwhelming. The water in the bag did not smell that bad when I opened this guy up. There was a little bit of poop in the bag but not a great deal. So I thought we were cool. The thought did go through my mind but there were none of the usual indicators that set off the warning lights that an ammonia spike was going to happen. His color was good, did not seem overly stressed, was moving around the bucket. Then, as I said, he was suddenly pale and he was also pressed up against he side of the bucket.

So I am just curious -- how many automatically use an ammonia binder when acclimating?