Fu Manchu Lion

[TheBig053]

Has anyone kept one of these in a nano tank with no other fish? Most of the online fish dealers say nothing smaller than 30g for one of these, but I am wondering if someone has successfully kept one in a smaller tank, at least temporarily. I ask because I am looking for a unique fish to keep in my 20L*. No other fish will be in this tank, just coral. I have about 10lbs of LR and some frag racks in this tank. I feel like I would be completely irresponsible going this route and just need someone to reinforce that. Thanks!

 

*I do plan to upgrade to a 90-100g tank in about a year. 

[Lula_Mae]

16 minutes ago, TheBig053 said:

Has anyone kept one of these in a nano tank with no other fish? Most of the online fish dealers say nothing smaller than 30g for one of these, but I am wondering if someone has successfully kept one in a smaller tank, at least temporarily. I ask because I am looking for a unique fish to keep in my 20L*. No other fish will be in this tank, just coral. I have about 10lbs of LR and some frag racks in this tank. I feel like I would be completely irresponsible going this route and just need someone to reinforce that. Thanks!

 

*I do plan to upgrade to a 90-100g tank in about a year. 

I think Stella considered one briefly for her 14g contest tank and decided it was way too small.  I think 20g is probably pushing it from what I know of these guys (which isn't much).

[TheBig053]

Yeah, I think it would be pushing the limits too much, but would be real cool!

[FollyFish]

From what I understand lion fish have a very messy/heavy bio-load something a for a fish twice it’s size even if your not feeding it live food. I think that is why its not good for nano tanks. Could the tank handle a really high bio-load?

[TheBig053]

As of right now the bio-load is very low. Only corals and a small snail only clean up crew at this time. If I were to go the lionfish route, it would be the only fish in the tank.

 

My plan all along was to only add one fish to this tank for some nutrients, so I thought maybe I would go with something unique. However, I certainly don't want to put the animal in an uncomfortable/unhealthy situation either. 

[vlangel]

1 hour ago, FollyFish said:

From what I understand lion fish have a very messy/heavy bio-load something a for a fish twice it’s size even if your not feeding it live food. I think that is why its not good for nano tanks. Could the tank handle a really high bio-load?

Yes, lionfish, puffers and seahorses eat a diet of live crustaceans which are rich in omega fats.  In captivity we feed frozen mysis to imitate their diet.  That is why their bioloads are so heavy.  

 

If I planned to keep a high bioload fish like that temporarily in a 20L, I would skim heavily and still do big WCs, (like 7 gallons a week which would be around 30%).  So I am not saying that it can not be done but I am saying that you should be prepared at the onset to do what is necessary for the fish's well being.

[TheBig053]

Thanks for the input everyone.  I actually have a spare skimmer laying around and water changes in this tank are easy (bare bottom with easy access to the wash basin for dumping directly). So while the tank maintenance shouldn't be too much of hassle, it sounds like the dietary restrictions might be a pain. In doing some more research, it sounds like these are one of the more finicky eaters among the lionfish species. Some will begin taking frozen but the stress of shipping causes some to revert back to live prey only. I think the chances of finding one locally thats already accepting frozen is pretty slim. Oh well, the search continues....