IM 50 Lagoon - Dwarf Lionfish species tank!
Meldrath
Active Member
It looks very healthy, give it a few days to settle, it will get hungry!
I think so as well. It's being very picky right now but I'm guessing that most of that is due to the new environment.
najer
Valuable Member
I lost my dwarf fuzzy about 6 months ago, hand fed daily, they need to fully explore their surroundings and find perches, it will be fine!
Meldrath
Active Member
I lost my dwarf fuzzy about 6 months ago, hand fed daily, they need to fully explore their surroundings and find perches, it will be fine!
I'm so sorry to hear that.
They definitely love to eat though once they get comfortable! Our old fuzzy was maybe 1.5 inches when we got it and ate everything I threw at it. Fed it so much it looked like a volleyball with fins and would still keep going. Was probably 3.5 inches when we moved and had to give it up.
TheWB
Valuable Member
That’s a nice looking Lion. I’m sure it will start eating as soon as it’s comfortable. It’s always nerve wracking until they do though. I’m going through that with my Tomini Tang, he doesn’t eat as much as I’d like him to. It’ll eat.So lots of big news since Monday!
Water fully cycled, ammonia at or near 0, nitrite .25, and nitrates are through the roof. Did 2 30-50% water changes and brought home our Pterois sphex (Hawaiin Lionfish)!
In addition to our 3 nassarius snails and now missing emerald crab, I picked up 4 large Trochus snails and a blue Linckia starfish. We also had 2 of the large nassarius snails lay eggs on the back wall and last night on the silicone seams. Diversity and a large and diverse clean up crew is going to be VERY important in maintaining this reef. I asked our LFS to order 2 fighting conches, 1 sea cucumber and a few more nassarius snails. I'm a huge believer in creating diverse and rich ecosystems even in something like a species tank.
Now for pics!
However, even with all this good news I am having an issue currently getting the lionfish to eat. I have offered him pellet, freeze dried krill, LRS predator blend, and even a silverside and he's turned it all down. He's EXTREMELY shy, and moves away from me when I go to offer him food directly which is very unusual. However, the LFS has had him a few months and said they had the same issue for a few days and ate like a pig afterward. Hopefully this is the same thing and is just a phase. Overall demeanor is extremely calm and passive, if not shy. Beautiful markings and a very healthy appearance.
Meldrath
Active Member
I do, probably gut loaded molly's or selcon shrimp but those will be a treat and not the norm. Normal will be frozen with dry occasional. Right now it's still not accepting frozen or dried. It was eating frozen in the LFS for a few months so it's definitely just being an ****** right now.
Meldrath
Active Member
Found my emerald crab, it has made a home for itself on the underside of the rock. Nassarius snails have been on a breeding rampage! (see 2nd pic). Found a sweet deal at Petco for some filter sponges and other stuff in the clearance section. Snagged a full API master kit for 10 bucks and a bunch of sponge and filter stuff to put in the chambers. Put in a bag of Chemipure blue that I had in as well. Measured nitrates this evening and down to ~10 PPM.
Lionfish is still very timid, it tries to squirm away when I do anything in the tank but does seem interested in food, just not willing to actually eat anything yet.
3rd day in a row from the nassarius snails.
Some tank goodies to make life easier and redundancy.
Lionfish is still very timid, it tries to squirm away when I do anything in the tank but does seem interested in food, just not willing to actually eat anything yet.
3rd day in a row from the nassarius snails.
Some tank goodies to make life easier and redundancy.
Meldrath
Active Member
So I got the lionfish to eat two silversides! However, it has been a struggle and one of the weirdest things I've seen from a fish happened, It doesn't like to be watched.
If I put in the silversides and sit there for 10-20-30 minutes and just stare deep into it's red eyes (it looks directly at me if I'm near the tank) it refuses everything. Moment I/we step back and move away it hunts out the silverside that's flying around and gobbles it down. I've never had a fish so timid and shy.
What are your thoughts? How can I better handle this so I know it's getting fed, but respect it's 'privacy'?!
However, it has been a struggle and one of the weirdest things I've seen from a fish happened, It doesn't like to be watched.If I put in the silversides and sit there for 10-20-30 minutes and just stare deep into it's red eyes (it looks directly at me if I'm near the tank) it refuses everything. Moment I/we step back and move away it hunts out the silverside that's flying around and gobbles it down. I've never had a fish so timid and shy.
What are your thoughts? How can I better handle this so I know it's getting fed, but respect it's 'privacy'?!
Glad you got your lion fish to eat. I was just curious about the type of lionfish that you bought. I live in hawaii and I have a community saltwater tank. I considered a predatory tank with a sphex lionfish but they are rarely in stock. Your lionfish looks like the Dendrochirus barberi lionfish which has the red eyes and green/brown bodies. The sphex lionfish that I've researched seem to be a lot more red color along the body.
I just wanted to ask about your lionfish and I wanted to make sure you didn't misidentify or overpay for your fish. The barberi lionfish seem to be more common in the hobby and they don't have the red color like the sphex. Another common name for the barberi lionfish is the Hawaiian turkey fish.
I just wanted to ask about your lionfish and I wanted to make sure you didn't misidentify or overpay for your fish. The barberi lionfish seem to be more common in the hobby and they don't have the red color like the sphex. Another common name for the barberi lionfish is the Hawaiian turkey fish.
Meldrath
Active Member
Hey! I think you are right, digging around and looking at pictures it looks to be a barberi and not a sphex. If you happen to get a sphex or know of someone selling them, I'd definitely be interested in grabbing one as well. They both go by the same common name it appears "Hawaiian Lionfish". As far as overpay goes, the one I got seems to be comparable to online plus the added benefit of it being in person, eating in front of me, and they had it for a few months already - those are all wins in my book.
Either way, it's definitely got a unique personality and is not afraid to suck down large silversides now along with frozen krill.
As a note, I have tons of updates, added some equipment and even went to a frag swap in Michigan and got an sps 'trial' frag! Also hooked up with a clownfish breeder to see if I could get culls for live food for the lionfish.
Hi, I actually live in Hawaii and I've only seen pictures of the sphex lionfish on my fish store's website. They are rarely in stock and the price differs a bit between the two lionfish. The barberi is around $30-$40 and the sphex costs over $100. I recently saw one for sale on craigslist but it was sold quickly.
Hawaii has strict laws regarding corals. All coral is illegal to keep except zoas in an aquarium. Live foods for the lionfish will help a lot. It will enable them to hunt for food. I'm not experienced in keeping lionfish, but I think they make great additions to an aquarium.
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