Timid Lion??

[CoralReeferGal]

How long would it take for personality to show? Our lion is very timid, (I'm thankful lol, hoping he stays this way) He likes to chose a spot or two in the tank and just hangs out. He doesn't bother any of the other fish (including a damsel and clown) and actually will swim side by side with the damsel, and allow the clown to get awfully buddy buddy. Could we have just gotten a docile lionfish, or should I honestly be prepared for more aggression to show later?

 

[viggen]

That's all they do..... Just sit around and wait for food. More of a ambush predator thus swimming isnt something they do often.

 

[Jsamper]

As for him eating your other fish you should be prepared for that as P. Volitans is the largest of lionfish & if I remember correctly and he will soon find your tank mates as a tasty meal (my friend would feed his Volitan damsels as a treat). Depending on how old he is and how long he has been in your tank it is perfectly ok for him to hide most of the time, but I think they are known for being incredibly active. Also as he starts getting older he will probably need to move to a larger tank so he has space to stretch his fins out.

 

[CoralReeferGal]

Thanks. We are planning to upgrade when we move in a few months, so he will def be in a larger tank.

 

[namxas]

Hi Sarah,

By "red volitans", you could mean two fish...generally, Russel's lionfish (Pterois russelii) is often sold as "red volitans", however, there are also rather red-looking color morphs of P. volitans sold by the ID. Do you know which fish you have?

Either way, a 55 gal will be too small for either species, but it sounds like you already have a handle on the upgrade. I do recommend a 24" deep tank for large-bodied lionfish, however. The 24" front-to-back depth gives large lionfish the room they need to turn around easily, and if a lionfish has ample room, they will indeed reward you with more swimming and less perching.

As mentioned, your lion will mostly likely eat its tankmates eventually. Renee (seahorsedreams) and I actually know of three peeps who have had full grown volitans eat full-grown female YSM clowns (6.5" fish). It might take awhile, but the chances of this happening are high.

How long have you had your lionfish, and what/how often do you feed it?

 

[CoralReeferGal]

Thanks, Greg! It is a P. Volitans. We've had him a few weeks (2-3) and are in the process of switching him off live food. Currently, we feed about 7 ghost shrimp 2-3x weekly, and are trying to switch to fresh scallops and salmon (soaked in garlic something... bought it at LFS, they recommended to use it for his food) but no luck yet. He's starting to take interest, but still hasn't eaten the seafood yet.

 

[namxas]

Sarah,

Have you read Tools of the Trade: Equipment and Techniques for Converting Your Fish to Frozen?

If not, give it a read. Pay special attention to "Renee's Super-Sleuth Feeding Stick". We came up with it because we feed so many different preds of all sizes with it.

Besides the presentation device, you'll want to be sure that the food items you offer the fish are around the size of the fish's eye. Otherwise, they can actually be intimidated by the size of the food. This is especially true of "new weans"...they're already trying to figure out what you're offering them since it doesn't look like any food item they're used to.

Finally, don't simply shove the food into the fish's face...let it see the food coming, then let it see the food moving away from them. Give it a wiggle, stand on your head, wear a shrimp suit, etc. Pay attention to which movements seem to attract the fish, and expand on those.

 

[The Mike]

lol where's the shrimp suit when I need one

 

[CoralReeferGal]

lol where's the shrimp suit when I need one

^^LOL!!

Greg, thanks for the link and all the helpful info. He has already associated the tongs with food, as I used them to get a trap out of the tank, and came running! (swimming? LOL) as soon as he sees them in the water, he comes straight to them. As per a friends advice (what worked for him) we put some of the garlic stuff in the water with the ghost shrimp yesterday, to associate the smell. We are planning to do that the next 2-3 feedings and then try again using fresh seafood from the grocery store. I'll def be checking out that link, and see if there's anything we can incorporate. (Or totally switch to if what we're trying doesn't work!) Thanks again!

 

[Ethan Music]

Lol my exsperince the timid fish always turn into the silent killers.

 

[namxas]

Lol my exsperince the timid fish always turn into the silent killers.

Lionfish don't kill anything they can't swallow...they're about as passive as fish get.