Lionfish Lair's Lions

[FeliciaLynn]

I forgot I was frustrated as I bent over the microscope all evening..... I hate fish dying, but I enjoyed the necropsy.

I hate saying this, but I prefer buying my fish from DD over the LFS that aren't so "L" anymore. You can't beat the warranty DD gives you. So far they've given me 4 weeks on these fish. If the Cockatoo isn't symptom free next Monday, they'll extend it again. I don't buy from LiveAquaria, because I want to see what the fish look like. I never ask for them to be fed at the LFS. So, it's a Catch 22, but DD works better for what I'm looking for.

I'm restocking like my 100g which are smaller lions, scorps, waspfish and perhaps a stingfish. The thing is, these can be so rare, you have to buy them when you see them and possibly grow them out if they don't fit in with the current stock size. I'm only going with a single fuzzy as my mated pair turned aggressive when they started producing eggs. So, I suspect I'll pass up a couple of "less pretty" ones to get that special specimen.

Man, that was a nasty ulcer! Any determination on cause from the necropsy? Are you able to determine the type of bacterial infection? I work in a lab and do a lot of microscopy myself, so I can understand getting into that even while being frustrated over the dead fish. Glad you could distract yourself from the frustration.

I guess I have a different relationship with the LFS near me. I have one especially that definitely still has that local, small town business vibe and they are amazing. I've gotten to know the owners over the years and they are always ready to help their regular customers. They definitely aren't just about the dollar and while they don't have an official guarantee, they'll definitely give store credit or a replacement to a regular customer for an unhealthy fish. I love being able to go in and have them feed any fish I'm interested in so that I can see them eat. They never grumble about that like some stores do and they're always willing to honestly tell me about how long the fish has been in the store and how well its been eating and if its been healthy. I got my fu manchu, antennata, snowflake eel, and tomini tang from them without any issues and they've all been perfectly healthy. So while I appreciate Diver's Den and the fact that they condition fish and offer a guarantee, I'd much rather support my local store and see the fish in person. I also hate having fish come straight to me right after the stress of shipping. Just personal preference though!

Going with a group of the smaller scorps sounds nice! And yeah, I understand wanting to wait for the nicest specimen since you can only have one of each species. Diver's Den is definitely a good source for the rarer fish, so I understand that! So are you looking for a yellow or red fuzzy?

 

[Lionfish Lair]

No, I can't do cultures.... I wish. There were no worms or parasites though. I need to look up the side effects of Furan 2, because the poor thing was severely anemic.

One of the LFSs in my area that had been in here forever, went out of business. Another was bought by a man who wanted to buy a business for his wife. They had zero experience and the person they have in charge of the store was the person we trusted least of the former employees. The place now sucks. The store where I love the owner.... well, I don't love their saltwater fish. I've probably only seen a couple of scorps there ever and that section is kind of sad. There's lots of stores in LA overall, but I hate getting around this city. I'd rather sit at home with my computer and mouse. I guess I've bought at least 30 fish from DD. Usually the experience is awesome, as this is an odd occurrence for them and I. They have changed hands, though, so I'm keeping my ear open for word they are slipping.

I've encountered a lot of fish that wouldn't eat at the store. If they look healthy, I know I can do it at home, so the point is moot. I don't like for them to have food in their bellies during travel. Stress causes the blood flow to move away from the gut. This puts fish at a greater risk of an ileus. A lot of stores also feed inappropriate sizes of food items, so I would rather they just not mess with them. Anything they can do, I can do better.

 

[FeliciaLynn]

Yeah, its definitely hit or miss with LFS's. I guess I'm just lucky to have one I trust. They're great about letting me request fish and then getting them from the wholesaler for me when they see them, which was how I got my antennata. Sorry to hear the ones near you aren't very good. I agree that clicking around online definitely has it perks! I love online shopping for all kinds of things. Totally an Amazon addict, haha!

Good points about feeding at the store. If it was something uncommon I probably wouldn't pass it up if it seemed healthy, but wouldn't eat at the store. But for things that I know they get in somewhat regularly, I prefer to make sure they eat before I take them home. Good point about transporting after eating, but I've never had an issue and luckily my the LFS I go to has very knowledgable workers that feed appropriate and good quality foods.

 

[rayn]

So what the verdict on the Fu?


Now that your back, it's gonna start me up into the preds again. It was always nice to have someone to share the odd balls with and learn from.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Amazon prime RULES!!!!

 

[Lionfish Lair]

So what the verdict on the Fu?


Now that your back, it's gonna start me up into the preds again. It was always nice to have someone to share the odd balls with and learn from.

Not sure what his deal was, but DANG, right! I haven't seen a lesion like that in a long time. I would never have felt comfortable putting him in with the Sphex.

Your yellow spot has me drooling. I can't wait to find one of those again too!

 

[FeliciaLynn]

Not sure what his deal was, but DANG, right! I haven't seen a lesion like that in a long time. I would never have felt comfortable putting him in with the Sphex.

Your yellow spot has me drooling. I can't wait to find one of those again too!

Yeah that was an absolutely horrifying lesion. Poor fish

Those yellow spots must be in season or something because a guy on Nano-Reef just posted in my thread that he just picked up a pair from his LFS.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Yup, it's usually this time of year that the scorps etc roll in. Lovely!

 

[rayn]

Beauties! See, I knew I should have got the pair.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Told ya..... too late, but I told ya. LOL!

 

[michellejy]

They are all gorgeous. The green on the Dendrochirus barberi is amazing.

I'm really sorry about the one you lost.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

The barberi was my least favorite one, when he grew up. I suspect he was a male and was just an overall grumpy fish.

 

[redfishbluefish]

I'm not a Lion person and ask this with great ignorance....but if this Fu was in a tank with other lions, can they poke another lion with their poison fins and either kill or cause this ulceration you're seeing?

And by the way, great pictures Renee.

 

[rayn]

They can poke one another, yeah. I think Renee has pics of one that got poked. Generally they flare up and warn off the other, but sometimes the one just doesn't listen.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Ya, one of mine accidently got jabbed when he creeped around a corner right into the spines. It was pretty much an instant death as it got him in the gill and they instantly swelled up and became bloody. One way to tell if anyone has been stung is to see if anyone has stung anything recently. The skin over the spines will always be broken and pulled back. It's a legit suggestion, Red, for when I first saw the lesion, that's what I went looking for. The Cockatoo was so frisky and was running up all over the Fu when there was food, like he didn't even see him there. But it was intact.

The Cockatoo also arrived with a lesion that was erupting through the skin. I suspect that's where it started. I was able to heal that one up 98% as of yet.

 

[melypr1985]

Hey @Lionfish Lair thought you might appreciate my little buddy from the store....

He'll stare you down and win. Everytime.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

BAHAHAHAHA! That's just awesome. What color is he?

 

[melypr1985]

BAHAHAHAHA! That's just awesome. What color is he?

The picture is pretty close to real life. He's mostly brown and tan with some maroon bits sprinkled in.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

So pretty!

 

[melypr1985]

So pretty!

Yeah. he's my cutie pie. I'm working on getting him to eat anything besides live ghost shrimp. He had two small silversides today