fuzzy dwarf lionfish

[Sta.61FF]

Hi im new to lionfish. Currently i have a 200gal tank with liverock and 2 damsels and a clownfish. Im looking into getting 3 fuzzy dwarf lionfish and was wondering if its even possible to have 3 in the tank and if they are compatible with tangs?

[FMarini]

Congrats on asking question first
So dwarf fuzzy lions are one of the sexable lionfish-so I would suggest you get two females and one male,since these fish are haremic by nature.

[Sta.61FF]

any fish site that you know of that i could choose to get a female and male? my lfs only carry volitan lionfish and are the fuzzys compatible with tangs?

[namxas]

The only two lionfish species that can be sexed with any kind of certainty (visually) are Dendrochirus brachypterus (dwarf fuzzy lion) and D. barberi (green/Hawaiian lion). None of the other lionfish species with the exception of possibly Parapterois heterura (bluefin/blackfoot lion) are sexually dimorphic/dichromic.

IMHO/IME, lions do best with slower-moving tankmates (they tend to stay in the water column more), but as long as the tangs don't pick at the lions (browse on them), and the lions are established first, you'll have the best chance.

If you haven't read Frank's (FMarini) excellent article on lionfish care, do give it a read: Lionfish Info Article (http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-11/fm/feature/index.php)

He also has a recent book out: Lionfishes and Other Scorpionfishes that contains more detailed info. Definitely a must-have for lionkeepers.

Finally, Tools of the Trade: Equipment & Techniques to Convert your Fish onto Frozen (http://www.lionfishlair.com/feedingtechniques/toolsofthetrade.shtml) is a good reference on weaning your fish.

Oh...Diver's Den has been having some pretty nice lions show up lately. We've acquired quite a few of our Scorpaeniformes from DD.

HTH

[ashtree68]

Not to hi-jack the thread, but in a tank that large, could you do a couple sets of harems? Have 2 males and 6 females? or keep one make and increase the number of females?

[namxas]

I'd keep the one male and add females...a 200 is "only" about 8'x 2'.

[Sta.61FF]

thanks i will definately look into those articles......i was thinking about possible getting 4 but since u got to handfeed them ill probably just stick with the 3 lol...if i were to get it from a site, would i be able to choose 1 male and 2 females?

[ashtree68]

With mine, they know that when I move the top that it's feeding time and all line up near the top to get fed, I haven't used a feeding stick in ages. I drop pieces to each of them and they eat them no problem. Training them to come up and eat frozen was the hardest part but after that it was smooth sailing.

[namxas]

If you get the fish from a WYSIWYG site such as DD, yes, since the photo shown on the site is the exact fish you're buying. The only issue is that unless they offer a "pair" that you readily confirm, you may end up with same sex fish, which is OK if they're females, but not so much if they're males.

[Sta.61FF]

i was looking up on lion care and trying to find a reputable site that sells them....looks like they are out of stock. I saw on marini's article that i should start the first 2 wks on live shrimps then ween off to prepared foods, one question though is if i can find a source for live ghost shrimp is it possible to harvest them and feed them nutritious food and then feed them to the lion?

[Sta.61FF]

ok so i want to buy the lions asap however i cant find a site that will sell me specifically 1 male and two females.....besides wysiwyg site like diversden anyone know a site that you can choose ur sexes?

[namxas]

Are you referring to a wild source of shrimp? If you can find them of appropriate size, and harvest them, by all means. Renee had a "secret spot" in the Gulf when she lived in Corpus Christi. She used to harvest the shrimp for some WC SH (just took a TX fishing license).

As for a site that would be willing to sex the fish, you'd have to play it safe and tell them you want one fish with > 6 dark pectoral bands and two with </= 5 bands to avoid the "6-band crossover" between males and females. Blue Zoo Aquatics might be willing to do it.

[Sta.61FF]

i was talking about freshwater ghost shrimp...my lfs sells them for a dollar per.....i figured id get a whole bunch and keep them in a 10 gal tank n occasionally feed them....so basically i have a live food source and i can feed them food to raise their nutrition level?


ok so the males have 6 pectoral bands and females have less than 6?

[DoubleM 10]

i was talking about freshwater ghost shrimp...my lfs sells them for a dollar per.....i figured id get a whole bunch and keep them in a 10 gal tank n occasionally feed them....so basically i have a live food source and i can feed them food to raise their nutrition level?


ok so the males have 6 pectoral bands and females have less than 6?

when i was training mine and training the new waspfish not i get a dozen for $3.50

$1.00 per seams high to me

[ashtree68]

They're about $0.89 near me, so I could see a $1.00, I agree though it is high.

Can we use FW ghost shrimp? I've looked this up a few times and always get a mix of answers. Does it not matter as long as we gut load them first? Will they survive in SW like mollies do?

[namxas]

FW ghosties are fine...that's what we use. Just gutload them with a good quality marine flake food. They're 5 for a buck here.

[palmer373]

how do you gutload them? can you use pellets?

[akdylpcikles]

Alex- How much are the ghost shrimp here?

[palmer373]

beats me i was going to ask tim, you can always order some online if you have to.

[akdylpcikles]

hmmmm ok. Still trying to make up my mind on the biotope or scorp tank...

[namxas]

how do you gutload them? can you use pellets?

The post right above yours...

FW ghosties are fine...that's what we use. Just gutload them with a good quality marine flake food. They're 5 for a buck here.


However, a good pelletized food would be fine altho flake is easier for the shrimp to eat.

[Sta.61FF]

are there any sites out there that sell em cheap? 1 dollar is pretty expensive lol, but then again my lfs overprices a lot of stuff

[LisaD]

You can order them online, but unless you order over 100 or combine with a fish order, it's usually not worth it. Reefs2Go has saltwater ghost shrimp, pretty reasonable if you order 100 or more. I've always combined, so don't often order if I don't need something else.

BTW, I'm not sure, but I think all ghost shrimp are brackish or salt. LFS just often acclimate them to FW. I find some acclimate well to salt (I try to get these) and others acclimate better to brackish.

[palmer373]

The post right above yours...



However, a good pelletized food would be fine altho flake is easier for the shrimp to eat.

oh ok i assumed you stuff them when they are dead or something but that didnt explain how to gutload them when alive, thanks! so just have a tank with the ghosts in them, throw in a like of flakes or what ever and wait till the ghosts eat them up then feed them?

[namxas]

Yeppers...once the shrimp are gutloaded, you can feed them out while alive or freeze them if you like.

[akdylpcikles]

This might sound like a stupid question but how do you tell when they are gutloaded?

[LisaD]

If they eat the high quality marine food you feed them, they are gutloaded right after that. If you are gutloading ghost shrimp, they are transparent and you can see the food they ingested. They are gutloaded when they have good food in their stomachs, before they have digested it. So you are feeding the live food, as well as the contents of their stomachs, to your fish.

[namxas]

What Lisa sez...just look for the color of the food you feed them in the shrimps' guts. If you've seen our article on weaning your fish, scroll down and there are photos of "as-received" vs. "loaded" ghosties.

OT: Sherri, please clear out your PM box.