A year in the life of a Fuzzy

[lion king]

Mind you these are just generalities, as all of our experiences will have a uniqueness. Here's the little boy at under 2" a year ago, and now at over 4" a year later. The fuzzies and zebra's seem to grow pretty quickly to about 4.5", usually reaching that size about a year later, regardless of the introduction size. At about 4.5" they start to slow down in growth, on average growing about an inch or so a year over the next couple of years. Topping out at 6.5-7", yes, this fish does get to 7" within about 3 years, regardless how small they are to start. If being fed properly, you can almost see this fish growing until they reach about 4.5". At this size you can accurately sex them; 5 bands can go either way, more than 5 a definite male. I have found 5 bands to be more likely female than male. The males will also become stockier with a broader more square head. The dorsal fins will also extend past the caudal peduncle in a male.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Nice!

 

[ichthyogeek]

Interesting! Have you ever seen spawning behavior?

 

[lion king]

Interesting! Have you ever seen spawning behavior?

No, I have never kept male/female pairs and that's not really common for lions in captivity.

 

[KWT]

Lions are my favorite, I have a 65 gal cycling, do you think I can fit one of the smaller lions in that small tank? Thanks

 

[lion king]

Lions are my favorite, I have a 65 gal cycling, do you think I can fit one of the smaller lions in that small tank? Thanks

Yes that is a good size tank for a dwarf or medium bodied species. Mind that it may limit what else you can house, the lion will eat what ever fits in their mouth, over 1/2 their length. More robust, broad bodied fish are safer. Check out some of my other post concerning their care.

 

[lion king]

Fuzzies and zebra's are usually the 2 most outgoing of the clan, and they resemble each other in many ways. So for your 1st smaller lion, either of these would be a good choice. But they are all different, this fuzzy is the most reclusive fuzzy I've ever had, almost boring. Since I put the radiata in with him, he has started to venture out more and more. I always have to keep at least 2 together, if not 3 of 4. I have found tbey tend to hang together alot and are more social than people give them credit for. If you notice my avatar, I think there are

like 3 of 4 hanging together.

 

[lion king]

Here he is today at 6.5" with 3 of his friends.