latazyo Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 as topic says, I want one in a fowlr 29g, if anyone has one, please let me know what you think of them, along with any environmental suggestions, etc Link to comment
xofinnocent Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 There a fun fish to keep. But i suggest weening it off live food if thats what it eats now. But i do warn you they get up to 6 inches and do and will sting if your not careful. Link to comment
Metznreef Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 there are other types of dwarf lions that stay a little smaller (around 4inches) which may be a little more suitable for a a 29 gallon. Link to comment
latazyo Posted January 8, 2003 Author Share Posted January 8, 2003 this is good...if you think it'll be too big for this tank, please let me know, I don't want to have to give him to a pet store metz- any suggestions? Link to comment
Metznreef Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 there is a type of lion actually called a dwarf lion that stays about 4 inches (but are sold at about 1.5-2 inches) and resemble bigger lionfish, just smaller. they will eat small feeder guppis and ghost shrimp and can be trained to eat frozen and freeze dried stuff. Link to comment
technoshaman Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 If these are the same ones I'm thinking of they hide out quite a lot and seem to be pretty delicate compared to the regular dorf lions. If you can find a small angler they would probably do well in a nano too but you would be pretty much limited to him and corals and maybe snails. They will eat every fish and invert they can fit in their mouth. The one thing with all lions though I would think them being carnivores/big eaters they produce a lot more poop and waste to take care of so a sump / additional filtration might be a necessity. I was planning on making a spare 18gallon I have into a soft coral / fish species tank with pair of jawfish. Maybe a dwarf lion would work instead. Let me know how it turns out if you try it. Link to comment
chvynva916 Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 Note on feeding lionfish: I've read that although they will eat feeder goldfish and guppies, and they can sometimes refuse to eat anything but live (or lifelike) food, freshwater feeder fish simply don't offer enough fatty acids to keep the fish healthy. Eventually lions fed freshwater fish will die of malnutrition. Link to comment
technoshaman Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 Frank Marini has had LOTS of experience keeping lions. He has a column you can pose questions on Reefcentral if youcan deal with the slowness. Ditto on feeding freshwater fish, lacking nutritional value. Some people 'gut load' them which I believe is letting the food fish/crustacean eat some highly nutritous flake/pellet food then quickly feeding the stuffed fish/shrimp to the lion. I read about a guy who has kept a pair of clown sweetlips alive for about 6 years this way (think he was using better quality feeders in addition to guy loading them) which as you may or may not know usually don't live more than 6 mos in captivity and really should not be imported unless you are really dedicated. Link to comment
KarinTMK Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 I really recommend this fuzzy little fish - or "El Fuzzo" as he was known in our home. We had a fuzzy dwarf for about a year in a 46 bow front, and that was plenty of room for him. His tank mate was a snowflake eel. We fed him every 2 days or so a diet of frozen krill / sand eels / silversides soaked in selcon. From the information I researched, this was the best diet for him, and it really wasn't that expensive (you should be able to find it at any LFS). He was very happy to oblige! He didn't care much for scallops though.....We just stuck it on a feeding stick (or rigid airline tubing) and put it in front of his face. When he was done eating, he would turn away when we put the food in. Quite interesting to watch him feed! He didn't eat for the first two weeks we had him, but he started on his own, we didn't want to coax him with live foods, because I knew we wouldn't feed him that at all. He lived happily for a long time before we had him, and a long time after (we moved and gave him to a new happy home). Just be careful when you're cleaning the tank....I'm pretty sure you don't want to feel his pokies Link to comment
Wigguh Noony Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 I had one in the summer. He was awesome. After about the first week, he was eating great..and when I came home from classes- he was chilling in the same spot where I usually feed the fish from. I didn't need a feeding stick. One day he just stopped eating for weeks. This freaked me out. I am very paranoid when it comes to my fish. He started eating, and then a few weeks later his bby blue eyes turned cloudy. I tried everything, and water changes would make his eyes blue again- but in a few days he would be come stressed out again. It was stupid of me, but I bought a clown trigger and a porky puffer. The puffer was awesome, but he died on the 2nd night of me having him. I guess he polluted the water. I found the lion stressed the hell out- flapping on the sand, and doing a weird dance. I shut the light out and walked away. ((Im getting all sad just thinking about it )) I never found his body either....I guess my gaint hermit crab took care of it. All in all- They are a great fish. People say they aren't active, but on a whole..Mine was. I had him in a 125 gallon- so he had a ton of room. Good Luck Link to comment
latazyo Posted February 7, 2003 Author Share Posted February 7, 2003 update--sounds like the FDL isn't the right fish for me at this time, I would have to order it in, etc, so I"d want to make sure I was 100% ready to have the fish, which I am not at this time, thanks for the advice and experiences though, they greatly aided in my decision Link to comment
KCReefNC Posted February 11, 2003 Share Posted February 11, 2003 Definitely get one at some point because they are really cool fish to keep. They have more personality than any other fish and seem like little puppy dogs coming up to the glass to eat. I had a very small lion that lived in a 10 gallon tank that I had with me at college and he made the hour and a half trip home and back every year for 3 years. After college I moved him to a bogger tank. I fed him live goldfish feeders and supplemented with other things good for him and he never seemed to be unhealthy. The thing that finally killed him was that my tank heater went beserk one night and cooked him...the tank temp was off the scale of my thermometer when I found him dead Link to comment
GuinnyOne Posted February 15, 2003 Share Posted February 15, 2003 I've been very interested in this thread. I am new here and I just got my april 2003 (!!! geeze, didn't know they printed this stuff that far ahead of time) Aquarium fish magazine with the article on Nano-Reefs. I have always had my heart set on a volitan lionfish...but know that they get FAR too big for a 20 gallon long saltwater tank. The article in AFM mentions a number of different species of lionfish that are appropriate for a small aquarium (leaf scorpionfish, flasher, Papuan, raggy, ambon, and yellowspotted scorpionfish). But I have since moved my heart strings a bit and really love these dwarf fuzzy lionfish. I am setting up a 20 gallon long waltwater tank, and have recieved differing advice from everywhere. I am not interested in keeping any inverts or coral in this tank (so it really isn't a nano-reef, but I don't know where else to ask). I have already ordered 15 pounds of live rock, I have powerheads, ordered 30 pounds of aragonite sand (most likely won't use all of it). Planned on adding a tad of live sand to "seed" this tank. And I really, really want a dwarf fuzzy lionfish. People seem to think that this is horrible for this fish...but they don't appear to move much (from what I've heard). So swim space isn't necessarily an issue. I know in the articles section here, it is recommended to not have a protein skimmer because it sucks all the nutrients away from the corals/inverts. Well, I also ordered a protein skimmer (turboflotor 1000 multi). And since I'm not getting any corals or inverts for this tank (except maybe a few turbo snails)....well, I don't know what I'm doing. Everyone has different opinions. My question is, is it at all possible to keep a dwarf fuzzy lionfish in a 20 gallon long tank with 15 pounds of good quality live rock, a tad of live sand and aragonite sand, powerheads, and that HUGE skimmer with weekly water changes??? Kelly Link to comment
KCReefNC Posted February 15, 2003 Share Posted February 15, 2003 Mine appeared to be happy and healthy for about 10 months until the heater went beserk in a 10 gal so I don't see any reason why a 20L wouldn't be good enough as long as you aren't going to fill it up with other fish. If he eventually gets too big then most LFS will take "trade-ins" so you can trade it in for another smaller one. Link to comment
GuinnyOne Posted February 15, 2003 Share Posted February 15, 2003 Well, the dwarf fuzzy is the only fish I want in this tank, period. How would I know when he gets too large? when I am unable to control the water conditions with water changes and the protein skimmer? Or just see if it appears uncomfortable? (I do keep freshwater fish, but they are easier). I don't have a local fish store. I would have to order this fish online. It was suggested to me that after the live rock cycles the tank, that I should purchase some damsels or similar to stabalize the tank further, and then trade them in for my dwarf lionfish. My only thought on that is that if I order this dwarf fuzzy lionfish, it will only arrive here between 1 and 2 inches long. Any thoughts? Link to comment
KCReefNC Posted February 16, 2003 Share Posted February 16, 2003 That's the way I kept mine...nothing else in the tank. At one point I had a Sally Lightfoot Crab with him, but the lion never let a crumb drop when I fed him so the crab had to be deliberately fed and that was a drag so I took him out. I don't really know what to tell you about when he gets too big because mine never had the chance to get big due to the beserk heater, but I'd say if he looks uncomfortable and you are having water problems then it's time to get him out to a bigger tank. Mine just sort of cruised around the tank and would come up to the front glass to beg EVERY time I walked into the room. He never nosed into corners or "paced" like fish sometimes do when they are not happy so I assume he was OK. The only thing that worries me about ordering one on-line is that you might get a bigger one than you want. I'd do a phone order if the on-line place has that available like liveaquaria.com does so that you can talk to a person to explain that you want a small one. Link to comment
GuinnyOne Posted February 16, 2003 Share Posted February 16, 2003 hmm...sounds like a plan. I was actually thinking of ordering from live aquaria LOL. I have read a couple sites about switching them from live foods over to dead..think I can handle that. I guess I should do some more pondering. Link to comment
KCReefNC Posted February 16, 2003 Share Posted February 16, 2003 Mine would eat chunks of shrimp sometimes...but preferred something moving! Link to comment
godwin Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 I currently have one in a 38 gallon tank, and he's great! Very active fish, swims all over the tank, he would only perch on a piece of rock when he's digesting. Link to comment
BKtomodachi Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 Everyone who's interested in lions, check out the fumanchu lion. They are a great alternative for smaller tanks, but a bit more difficult to switch onto prepared foods. Link to comment
godwin Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Originally posted by BKtomodachi Everyone who's interested in lions, check out the fumanchu lion. They are a great alternative for smaller tanks, but a bit more difficult to switch onto prepared foods. problem with fu-man chu lions are that they do not ship well and usually die before they reach the store, so far I have had no luck getting fu-man-chu's alive from shipments. Only one came alive and then he died the next day. Link to comment
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