The Lion Tank

[namxas]

Originally Posted by nirvanaandtool

Mombasae w/ Sphex as close second

That was my dilemma...Mombasa lions are indeed pretty, and our specimen is a great fish in general.

[The Mike]

Originally Posted by namxas

Your poll is unfair, because that would mean I'd have to CHOOSE! I'm really liking our P. sphex right now, as it has turned out to be a super-gorgeous and interesting fish and it's not very common in the continental U.S., so I suppose by virtue of its rarity, I'd have to go with it.

IMHO/IME, in order to get away from that "stack of rocks" look, you're going to need some more rock with different shapes and sizes. Everything you have now is the same shape/size, so there's no real way to break out of that with what you're working with.

I've just solved an aquascaping problem with our new "things with stings" setup, and for the first time ever, I had to use an acrylic rod to stabilize part of the structure. I'll try to snap a couple of quick pix soon showing what I'm working on.

Tbh adding the Poll is going to make my decision in the long run harder lol. I'm pretty set on trying to find a mombasae first atm though.

As for the aquascaping, I purchased 45 lbs of LR from LA and it should be here Thursday so hopefully I'll end up with unique pieces that I can happily work with the base rocks. I've read a little bit about people using rods to hold their rocks together I'd love to see what you came up with.

[johno4]

I voted radiata, I just like the look of them. By the way, I have never owned one so I have no idea what they are like to own but they look the most unique of the lions in my opinion. Good luck with this tank, I cant wait to see it up and running.

[johno4]

Hey, not sure if you have a qt tank or if your ready for your lions yet but live aquaria has radiata, antennata and mambasae all in stock. Just thought I would give you a heads up.

[The Mike]

John, thanks for your vote in the Poll. I appreciate everyone's point of view weather they've had experience owning these fish or not.

Also I appreciate the heads up on LA, I have been peeping over there and also been asking around a few LFS.

[sacremon]

I voted radiata, as I have one (about 1.5 years) in the same tank as a volitans. Even though the radiata can get fairly large, they seem to be rather slow growers, at least compared to the weeds that volitans are, and their mouths are small in comparison to other lions, particularly the antennata.

[namxas]

sacremon makes a good point. Our sphex was smaller than the radiata when it came to us, but it has already caught up with the radiata in size. Both fish receive the same food in the same amounts.

Our radiata is a model citizen in our multi-lion setup, and is really the only fish in the tank that shows any semblance of patience during feeding. That being said, it's still a strong stick feeder.

[nirvanaandtool]

Originally Posted by namxas

That was my dilemma...Mombasa lions are indeed pretty, and our specimen is a great fish in general.

Yep... we need updated pics of your Mombasa btw

[The Mike]

Few Questions.
Is there a reason why Radiata grow slower?
Do they grow faster in the wild then in captivity?
How long does it take for them to reach a mature size?

[The Mike]

Originally Posted by nirvanaandtool

yep... We need updated pics of your mombasa btw

+1

[namxas]

Originally Posted by nirvanaandtool

Yep... we need updated pics of your Mombasa btw

That probably won't happen till it's in the new tank...

Is there a reason why Radiata grow slower?

I can't truly answer that one, altho compared to many of our other lionfish, they do seem to grow more slowly.

Do they grow faster in the wild then in captivity?

I'd have to say that most fish do...optimum food and living conditions go a long way.

How long does it take for them to reach a mature size?

Assuming you mean max size, I'd say about 2 years given optimum conditions.

IME with lionfish, the more you feed them, and the better you feed them, the faster they grow, assuming they have a roomy tank.

[lilc64]

I hadn't decided what im going to stock in my first saltwater build but i may have to consider lions after seeing those pictures.

[The Mike]

Thanks again Greg, I wonder if there's a natural reason why they grow slower possibly because of there native territories or something along those lines.

Good choice Lilc64! Best of luck with your build.

[sacremon]

I know that I am not the best at estimating lengths of fish, but I would say that my radiata is perhap 4-4.5" TL. He started out at maybe 2". That is 1.5 years.

I feed the lions three days a week. It is difficult to just feed the radiata without feeding the volitans at the same time, as the volitans is a very assertive feeder and the radiata will back off from food virtually with any hint of another nearby fish being interested in it. When the radiata does get fed, I feed him until he absolutely refuses to eat any more, which sometimes is before there is a noticeable bulge in his stomach. I'd like for him to eat more and grow faster, but he seems to want to take his time. I swear I saw him strike at something on the rocks yesterday, so perhaps he is eating the larger of the amphipods that I have in profusion in my tank. If it weren't for the volitans, I could make a trio of leopard wrasses very happy with what lives there.

[The Mike]

Something terrible has happened...LA delayed shipping on my liverock till July 12th

Well I guess I'm 2 weeks behind schedule now.........or 2 more weeks of informational learning time.

On a bright note I bought a 10g qt tank from the petco today because of the 1$ per gallon sale


EDIT: Just called up liveaquaria and fixed my problem! Just had to pay a little more out of pocket for overnight shipping should be here on Friday

[The Mike]

Originally Posted by sacremon

I know that I am not the best at estimating lengths of fish, but I would say that my radiata is perhap 4-4.5" TL. He started out at maybe 2". That is 1.5 years.

I feed the lions three days a week. It is difficult to just feed the radiata without feeding the volitans at the same time, as the volitans is a very assertive feeder and the radiata will back off from food virtually with any hint of another nearby fish being interested in it. When the radiata does get fed, I feed him until he absolutely refuses to eat any more, which sometimes is before there is a noticeable bulge in his stomach. I'd like for him to eat more and grow faster, but he seems to want to take his time. I swear I saw him strike at something on the rocks yesterday, so perhaps he is eating the larger of the amphipods that I have in profusion in my tank. If it weren't for the volitans, I could make a trio of leopard wrasses very happy with what lives there.

Interesting stuff! Thanks for the input Sacremon, I love hearing about others personal experience with these fish.

[The Mike]

Quick Update.

Been up all night trying to get some kind of decent aquascape before my LR arrives. Some quick pix attached below

Although this is far from a final rock setup, let me know what you guys think so far. Please critique my rock placement as is I'd would like to get all the advice I can before I need to put water in the tank.

Anyone that would share some of their own pictures of there lionfish tank(any size) would be awesome!

Much Appreciated, Mike

[The Mike]

Where are the great artistic aquascaping minds when I need them? I spent countless hours turning and flipping those rocks just to give everyone a basic idea of what the base rocks look like in the tank.

I have no problem completely changing what I have started to make it more ideal for the fish. Please give me some input on what you think I should do.

[Mental1]

I just posted this on another thread but here's my 65g lion/softy tank. There's not lots of options with the smaller tanks and I like what you did -- caves and overhangs are what lions like...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1FV5...ature=youtu.be

[The Mike]

Sherri, thanks a lot for sharing very cute little guy in the corner you have there, is he fully grown?

[Mental1]

He is pretty close. It was kind of strange behavior but I think it was because he shed his cuticle. I really like fuzzies. The fu mostly hangs out where he is in the video. The matted filefish hides a lot ... but I really like this tank and all of the softies. The mushrooms and leathers are great. Sometimes the lions hang underneath the leathers too.

[nirvanaandtool]

Nice tank Sherri.

Yea lions and scorps like a lot of caves and overhangs. I used a lot of shelf rock from Marco Rocks and drilled/secured it with fiberglass rods and hydraulic cement. I don't have lions yet but my wasp (single now - just lost the cockatoo last week ) enjoys it.

[Mental1]

Thanks Ralph -- sorry about your cockatoo -- do you know why?

I like all of your shelf rock ...

[nirvanaandtool]

Originally Posted by Mental1

Thanks Ralph -- sorry about your cockatoo -- do you know why?

I like all of your shelf rock ...

No not really. One day he just started freaking out, he'd sit on the sand breathing fast and then spazz out and swim around the tank in a panic half the time ending up in the overflow. He stopped eating and wouldn't even take ghost shrimp. It was the oddest thing - there was no sign of disease and the redfin wasp he was with is still perfectly ok. Parameters in the tank were all fine too. He made it about a week like that before he passed. No idea why but I'll probably get another if I can find one.

Thanks, I really enjoy the rockwork. It's something different and I assume when I get some dwarf lions, they will enjoy the overhangs.

[The Mike]

Wow sorry to hear about your cockatoo Ralph, sucks when you can't find the problem to try to eliminate it. I really like the use of the shelf rocks to make the nice overhang/platform you have going on there. Your wasp is looking a wee bit lonely I think he needs a new buddy lol